Good afternoon, and welcome to our Thursday issue. Life looks vastly different than it did 50 years ago, and new norms are forming faster than most of us can keep up with. Today's stories look at three of them, and what it takes to stay ahead.
On The Money Today:
My son is 27 and moved back in, and he won't pay a dime
Elon Musk rarely buys stocks, but these 2 broke that rule
The baby boomers' American dream is dead
Let's get into it.
BEHIND THE HEADLINE
SAVINGS
A 27-year-old moves back home with a steady job but won't pay a cent toward rent, groceries or utilities. One coach says the reason is rarely defiance — it's shame. Experts lay out a framework where rent is non-negotiable, but how it gets paid can flex: cash, savings, or labor like tackling years of home projects no one got to.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH Mode Mobile
SpaceX just told investors it plans to launch Starlink mobile service for U.S. consumers — a direct challenge to Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile in a $1.6 trillion market. Wider connectivity could expand the reach of Mode Mobile's platform, which pays users for everyday phone activity like browsing, listening, using apps and charging.
Mode has already reached 490M+ users, helped users earn and save over $1B, and generated $115M+ in cumulative revenue. But the bigger story is what happens next — the company's Nasdaq ticker is already secured, and shares are still available pre-IPO at $0.52.
Please read the offering circular and related risks at invest.modemobile.com.
Mode Mobile received their ticker reservation with Nasdaq ($MODE), indicating an intent to IPO in the next 24 months. An intent to IPO is no guarantee that an actual IPO will occur.
Mode revenue and EBITDA numbers include full year revenue and EBITDA of businesses acquired by Mode Mobile in 2025.
NEWS
The world's richest man says he doesn't really invest in the traditional sense — his fortune came from building companies, not picking stocks in them. So when he was asked which two companies he'd buy purely to make money, his answer got attention: he thinks AI and robotics will eventually account for almost all economic value created going forward.
Most investors don't have Musk's timeline or risk tolerance, which is why a personal advisor match through Vanguard can help determine how much AI exposure actually fits your goals.
If you'd rather hedge against a concentrated bet on tech, a gold IRA through Goldco adds a store of value that doesn't rise or fall with the AI trade. And for something that's quietly outpaced the S&P 500 since 1995 with almost no correlation to it, fractional art investing through Masterworks is worth a look too.
THE MUST READ
Boomers built their whole financial life around one formula: work steadily, buy a home, retire comfortably after decades of saving. A new study says their kids and grandkids have quietly stopped believing in that formula — and they're not staying quiet about what they want instead.
Readers are already split on this one:
"Live for today? So then... what about tomorrow? Failing to plan is planning to fail."
— Corey Biesiada
"It's more like we are trying to survive the dystopian American Nightmare, and disassociating from the evil by focusing on the 'local' and 'now.' There are no pension plans, no safety nets, no savings. We only make enough to get by, not thrive."
— Joshua Foriger
Where do you land? Join the conversation on the article and see what other readers think.
MONEY IQ
If your adult child moved back in with you, would you make them contribute to bills?
ALSO MAKING THE ROUNDS TODAY
That's a wrap for today! Before you go, we'd love to know what you thought of today's newsletter. Hit REPLY if you have more to share — we read every one.
See you soon with another quick roundup of the financial news that matters.
