Hey Rebels! Let's dive into this week's issue to help you become smarter about money, investing, and business in less than 10 minutes a week.
Weekly Intel
Stay current with top news from the business, money, and investing world.
Top Stories
Mother, prepare the basement: Rents are rising at the fastest pace in over a year, with the US median asking rent jumping 2.3% to nearly $2,000/month as the apartment construction boom fades and high mortgage rates push more people to keep renting instead of buying. (more)
Bonus: Moving back in with your ‘rents to escape high rent? Thinking about storing your stuff in the meantime? Weight the numbers of getting a storage container with our Storage Unit Test Calculator. Spoiler: just get rid of the futon.
The National Football League is wanting to add “inter” to the beginning of their name: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says he's confident the league will eventually have a team based outside the US, with a record nine international games this season and Germany, London, Canada, or Mexico seen as top candidates, though skeptics worry about travel demands and luring players overseas. I’m worried about the judgment we’ll receive when the world finds out how little the foot is actually used in football. (more)
Delaware’s the new Florida: Delaware's 65+ population grew 23% since 2020 thanks to no state tax on Social Security, low property taxes, and beaches. However, the geriatic influx is straining local housing, healthcare, roads, and I can only assume, local bingo halls. (more)
By the numbers
33%: percentage of Americans currently using self storage. (more)
1.87 million: the number of German nationals tuning in to the 2026 Super Bowl. (more)
$96.2 billion: Nvidia’s revenue last quarter, more than double its revenue from the same quarter last year. (more)
Reader Poll
The Financial Rebellion Way
Money Tip Of The Week: Are You Wasting Money With A Storage Container?
Three years ago I (Omniscient Newsletter Writer) moved to Europe for what I thought would be an eight-month stint. Those eight-months turned into 5+ years, and now I have an apartment worth of stuff rotting away in a storage container in Massachusetts. Every month $150 leaves my account for a box of crap I should have just gotten rid of.
1 in 3 Americans currently rent a storage unit. There are over 2.1 billion square feet of self-storage space in the U.S. in 2026, with millions more being built every year.
That’s a lot of money flowing toward forgotten furniture.
Here’s the rebellious math: the average storage unit runs $100–$200/month. That’s $1,200–$2,400 a year — money that could be sitting in a named savings account, padding your emergency fund, or compounding quietly in an index fund.
Before you auto-pay that invoice again this month, ask yourself three honest questions:
Have you visited your unit in the last 90 days?
Do you actually remember everything that’s in it?
Could you sell half of it and not miss a thing?
If the answer to any of those is “no,” you’re not storing stuff. You’re paying rent on a room-sized guilty conscience.
The rebellious move: Spend one weekend clearing it out. Sell what you can. Donate the rest. Then redirect that monthly payment somewhere it can actually grow.
Markets - stocks and crypto
In under 3 minutes, start investing spare change, saving for retirement, earning more, spending smarter, and more.
Prices for the week ending August 28, 2026:
▼ S&P 500 | 7,771 | +0.78% |
▼ NASDAQ | 26,402 | +1.43% |
▲ GOLD | 4,493 | -4.39% |
▲ NVIDIA (NVDA) | 217.55 | +2.05% |
▼ TAKE-TWO (TTWO) | 235.39 | -1.70% |
▲ BITCOIN (BTC) | 78,302 | -0.70% |
▲ ETHEREUM (ETH) | 2,441 | -2.34% |
Stock and Crypto Moves
Fed official Kevin Warsh warned inflation isn't cooling fast enough: At the Fed's Jackson Hole conference, Warsh signaled the central bank may need to keep interest rates high (or raise them) despite a strong economy, while also pushing the Fed to give markets less guidance going forward, raising uncertainty about future rate moves. (more)
Stock market volatility is expected to pick up: The VIX (market index that measures the volatility of the S&P 500 Index) just hit its lowest level of 2026, but volatility historically climbs from late August through October, and this pattern tends to be sharper in midterm election years like this one. (more)
Take-Two's stock is riding GTA VI hyp: Shares rose after a wildly popular trailer (which crashed Netflix) for the November-launching game, with Wall Street analysts predicting a big stock boost as marketing ramps up before release. (more)
American and United are adding new international routes: Both airlines announced expansion into cities never before served by US carriers (like Vienna, Toulouse, and Okinawa), driven by a surge in Americans traveling abroad and the appeal of higher-margin international flights. (more)
Nvidia, Salesforce, and CrowdStrike posted strong earnings, reviving the AI trade: All three stocks jumped double digits after beating expectations, easing fears that AI would gut traditional software companies and instead showing AI is boosting demand for software and cybersecurity tools. (more)
Real Money Moves
Each week, we feature a reader’s smartest and dumbest money moves. We’re all in this together; let’s learn from each other.
Andy, 50 - Cincinnati, Ohio
Best Money Move - Out of Sight, Out of Mind
"Coming out of college, I started putting money away every month — into a mutual fund, taking advantage of a 401k plan."
"Out of sight, out of mind. I just let that ride."
"Now, at 50 — I just had my 50th birthday — that's turned into something special. I've seen it absolutely come true."
Worst Money Move - Day-two Disaster
"I arrived on campus at Ohio University and I think it was day two that I went uptown and there was a little booth to sign up for a Discover card. Thousand dollar limit."
"Within two weeks I had that thing maxed out. That led me to join the army about six months later to pay off that debt and get myself into a better position."
"It wasn't a smart move — but it was one that ultimately taught me a lesson."
Got a money win or financial faceplant? Send it in. You might help someone dodge a mistake or make a smarter call.
Side Hustle Differently
Each week, we focus on money-making opportunities for a side hustle that could potentially become a full-time venture. No MLM schemes, no “passive income” lies, just real strategies for stacking cash outside your 9-5.
Buy a Car Like You Actually Know What You're Doing
Most people walk onto a car lot completely unprepared — and dealerships know it. Andy Gruber has spent years watching buyers make the same avoidable mistakes. Here's how to flip the script.
Your car-buying playbook:
Build credit before you need it: A "thin file" (no credit history) is just as bad as bad credit when you're trying to get a loan. Get a credit card, use it lightly, pay it off monthly, never pay late. Do this before you ever set foot in a showroom.
Know the $10K rule: Every $10,000 you finance equals roughly $200/month in payments. $30K car? That's a $600 payment — before insurance, gas, or maintenance.
Used cars aren't always the safe bet: The average pre-owned vehicle runs $25–30K today. And cheap used cars come with someone else's problems.
Big picture: Buying a car isn't just a transaction — it's a multi-year financial commitment. The rebels who win aren't the ones who swear off car payments forever. They're the ones who understand the true cost of ownership, build their credit intentionally, and walk in with a plan instead of a prayer. Know your numbers. Know your options.
Learn more at https://www.cronincdjr.com/
Check out the Financial Rebellion podcast to learn about how to turn your passion into profit.
Bank Like a Rebel with a Credit Union
You Own the Place: As a member you're an owner, not a transaction.
David vs. Goliath Energy: Big traditional banks primarily exist to serve shareholders while credit unions exist to serve their members.
Better Loan and Deposit Rates: Lower rates on auto loans and mortgages. Higher rates on checking and savings accounts.
Learn more reasons why Financial Rebellion champions credit unions over banks by clicking here.
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We’ll catch you next week. Rebels OUT.
Todd Romer: Founder and Writer
Corinne Clarkson: Writer and Editor
Dallin Merrill: Chief Newsletter Overlord
Disclaimer: The advice provided in Financial Rebellion is not considered to be financial or legal advice of any kind. It is your responsibility to dig deeper on any opinions or recommendations given