☀️ The Raw Truth — A Nickel Per Bird into $20 Million

THE WATER COOLER The Big Three

#1: Oil Prices Fall on Hopes of Iran Peace Deal

Reports of a possible agreement between the US and Iran sent oil prices dropping, raising hopes that one of the biggest drivers of high energy costs could ease up soon.

#2: Airlines Cutting 13,000 Flights Due to Fuel Costs

Airlines are pulling nearly two million seats off the schedule this month because the cost of jet fuel has shot up so high that running those flights is no longer worth it to them.

#3: Wegovy Pill Takes Off but Novo Nordisk Barely Raises Outlook

The pill version of the popular weight-loss drug Wegovy became the fastest-adopted drug of its kind in history, but the company that makes it only slightly improved its financial forecast because profits and sales are still expected to fall this year.

TRACKING YOUR S&P 500 INDEX FUND The Ownership 10

Your 401k S&P 500 index fund — whether you know it as VOO, FXAIX, or the Vanguard Institutional 500 Index Trust — owns all 500 of these companies. When they win, you win.

The Heavy Hitters — Working Hard for You Today:

The Benchwarmers — Having a Tough Day (But Still on Your Team):

Takeaway: Five companies are winning today. Five are hurting. Your index fund holds all 500. You never have to pick the right one. You just have to stay in. That is the whole game.

YOUR MONEY The Household Dashboard

YOUR RETIREMENT The Scoreboard: Daily vs. The Long Game

The TV wants you to panic about the red dot on the left. The green numbers on the right are your real story. Stay in.

The Mailbag

"Rock, my fiancé and I are at a financial crossroads and need some guidance. We are under contract for a new home, closing in a few weeks. We both currently own our respective homes, and the net proceeds from selling both will be enough to pay off the brand-new mortgage and cover all our renovation costs in full. My initial mindset is to immediately use that cash to pay off the new house to avoid the front-heavy interest fees. Just the thought of that much interest gives me major anxiety. Some people are telling us to hold onto the cash, make the monthly payments, and use the money for the remodel and maybe an extra payment annually. Others say we should invest the entire lump sum elsewhere. I am already set to almost max out my retirement contributions this year. What do we do? Or who is the best type of person to consult for this kind of advice?" — Anonymous Bride, USA

First of all, congratulations on the new house and on being in an absolutely incredible financial position. What a blessing to be able to start a new chapter without the weight of a traditional 30-year mortgage.
But I need to speak directly to that anxiety you’re feeling: Do not let a moment of fear make a multi-decade financial decision.
Here is how you navigate this. My coaching truth is to find the balance between your peace of mind and your long-term wealth.
Do not listen to the people telling you to invest that lump sum elsewhere. This is not a math problem about whether the S&P 500 can "beat" your +6% mortgage interest rate. This is about security. Borrowing money to invest is called leveraging, and for the 80% living on the treadmill, it is a recipe for a lifestyle crash. Do not go back into debt just to chase returns.
Here is your flight plan:
1. Cash for Renovations: First, set aside every dollar you need in cash to fully complete your intended remodel. Do not borrow a dime for this.
2. Wipe Out the Mortgage: Use the remaining cash from your home sales to pay off that new mortgage in full. The feeling of absolute ownership, of not owing any bank for your home, is what we call "chainless peace." Wiping out that interest anxiety on day one is a massive win.
3. Unplug the Wealth Machine: Since you are already maxing out your retirement accounts, you now have an incredibly powerful income engine. With no mortgage payment, your new monthly focus becomes pouring that former "payment" directly into building massive wealth—we are talking about automated, non-stop investing in a low-cost S&P 500 index fund. You turn your monthly cash flow into a fortune.
You have the opportunity to build a life where you own all the options, with zero debt and a paid-for home. Do not use your past successes (selling your homes) to sign up for new obligations.

Take the cash, complete the remodel, pay off the house, and then unleash your income. Stay in your seat, family. This is what winning looks like.

Send questions to [email protected]

THE MILLIONAIRE MANUAL HSA Power — The Triple Tax Bomb Nobody Told You About

Medical bills are one of the top reasons families blow up their budget and raid their savings, and most people have no idea there is a legal account designed specifically to stop that bleeding. If your job offers a high-deductible health plan, you may be sitting on one of the most powerful money tools in existence and walking right past it.

A Health Savings Account — an HSA — gives you a triple tax break that nothing else in the tax code matches. The money you put in is not taxed going in. It grows tax-free. And it comes out tax-free when you spend it on medical stuff. A family can stash up to $8,550 in there in 2026. That is real money shielded completely from the IRS, and after age 65 you can spend it on anything at all — not just medical — just like a traditional retirement account.

The Move: Tonight, pull up your company's benefits portal — the same place you signed up for health insurance — and search for the letters HSA. If you are enrolled in a high-deductible health plan, you are eligible. If your employer chips in money to your HSA automatically, that is free money, so step one is making sure you are enrolled to capture every dollar they offer. Step two is setting up your own contribution through payroll deduction — even $25 per paycheck adds up to $650 a year that never gets taxed. Step three is opening an investment option inside the HSA if your balance clears $1,000. Most HSA providers like Fidelity or HealthEquity let you park that money in a simple S&P 500 index fund so it grows like a retirement account, not a savings account earning pennies. If your employer does not offer an HSA through payroll, you can open one directly at Fidelity in about ten minutes and fund it yourself. Your one move in the next 24 hours is this — log into your benefits portal right now, find the HSA tab, and confirm whether you are enrolled. That is it. Just look.

The Raw Truth: the government built a tax shelter for medical costs and most working Americans are not using it — do not be one of them.

BACKPAGE The Wacky Corner

Most people know the white suit and the bucket, but here is the part nobody talks about: Harland Sanders was 65 years old, freshly cut loose by a highway re-route that killed his roadside restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky, and his first Social Security check was literally his starting capital. He loaded up his car with a pressure cooker, a batch of seasoned flour, and drove from diner to diner cooking chicken for owners and asking for a nickel per bird sold. Over a thousand restaurants said no before Pete Harman of Salt Lake City said yes in 1952, and that handshake deal became the first Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise. By the time Sanders sold the company in 1964 for $2 million — roughly $20 million today — he had never taken a salary, just that nickel-a-bird royalty stacking up one plate at a time.

Lesson: Lesson: Slow, boring, and repetitive built a global empire — one nickel at a time beats one lottery ticket every single time.

🇺🇸 To every dairy hand who stumbles out of bed at 3 a.m. seven days a week, year-round, so a carton of milk is waiting on the shelf before most people even open their eyes — we see you.

Love y'all. Attack that debt. Keep those contributions running. The plan does not change.

See you on the road. — Rock (Craig)