enRICHed: volume 187
9pm sunsets are healing my brain
Sunday June 21, 2026
Volume 187
Hey besties!
If you’ve ever thought, “I know I should be investing, but I have absolutely no idea where to start,” you’re not alone. Investing has somehow become one of those things everyone tells you to do, but nobody actually explains. Or even worse, they explain in a series of loopholes and acronyms that leaves you even more confused than when you started.
This week on Networth & Chill, I’m walking you through the exact basics I wish someone had explained to me when I was getting started. We’re getting into how to choose the right investment account, how to actually fund it, and why you don’t need a list of hot stock picks to start building wealth. I also cover the investing strategies that helped me become a millionaire by 27, the biggest mistakes beginners make, and how to start investing confidently even if the whole thing feels intimidating.
If you’ve ever Googled “stock market”, stared at the screen for five minutes, and immediately closed the tab... this episode is for you.
New episodes of the podcast drop every single Wednesday so be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel HERE or follow Networth and Chill wherever you get your podcasts!
As a reminder:
HYCU, pronounced haiku: how the news impacts you and your wallet, aka How You Can Use
The Prosperitea: think discount codes, non-boring finance articles, sales, and personal links from the week. The fun stuff 😉
We love your comments, but please remember to keep it positive! And don’t take investing advice from anyone who isn’t your registered financial advisor!
Now that you’re up to speed, let’s get you enRICHed.
War is (Maybe, Hopefully) Over?! 🗞️
After months of gas prices shooting through the roof, and wreaking havoc on basically every aspect of our budgets, President Trump introduced a possible resolution for the US and Iran on Sunday. As of Wednesday, the details are public, but tensions between the countries have continued to build throughout the week.
The actual agreement is pretty sparse on details, with a lot that still needs to be sorted out in negotiations. But most importantly, officials said that the countries would agree to instate “the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts,” including in Lebanon. The two sides also promised “not to initiate” any further war or operation against each other.
So here’s the problem: Even though a ceasefire is written into the agreement, the US’ ally Israel has continued to strike areas of Lebanon this week, killing 16 on Saturday. And in response, Iran accused them of ceasefire violations, and re-closed the Strait of Hormuz. Which means all the oil the world gets from Iran is shut off once again.
Trump even acknowledged that the war on Iran has been messing with our money. “If we didn’t do this deal, we could have dropped more bombs for another three weeks, two weeks, four weeks, two years,” he said. “You would never have success. Your market… would go down at levels that nobody ever saw before,” he continued. Well, there’s no done deal yet, but it’s a good thing he’s aware.
HYCU; The agreement set a 60-day period to negotiate a final deal. The deadline is extendable if both sides agree. We know that the war has been the cause of surging prices everywhere, of stock market volatility, and interest rates climbing high in other countries (more on that later). So if this really does end up happening, and the Strait of Hormuz opens again, we could see everything from groceries to gas prices cool off. It’s all hanging on this agreement — it’s a huge deal. But some people are not convinced peace is really here, given the tension heading into negotiations. Also, at this summit, Trump called Indian Prime Minister Modi “the most beautiful-looking man.” That also happened.
The AI Pendulum Swings Back 💻
While the stock market is preparing for huge AI debuts later this year, and every tech bro is swearing that they’re going to become a bajillionaire off the Anthropic IPO, new stories are broaching the surface about the real cost of companies putting all their eggs in the AI basket, showing why critics have been calling the industry one giant Galinda-style bubble.
This week, Anthropic suspended some of its most powerful AI models after the Trump administration issued a security directive on them, saying that their newest models posed an unspecified national security concern. That means tons of companies that were relying on Mythos 5 and Fable 5 found themselves suddenly cut off, and for those who went all-in on AI - got kind of screwed in the process.
It’s not like it’s some kind of huge shock that it happened to Anthropic. The company’s own CEO Dario Amodei has become a pretty highkey hater, saying AI has been getting too powerful and asking for more federal regulation. What’s most concerning is how the government wants to pull these models from the market. They said it was a vague national security concern, and imposed export controls on the product, which made it illegal for Anthropic to provide Fable to any foreign national…including its own immigrant employees. That means the government has officially planted the flag on what they want to do with AI: they’re going to do whatever, whenever they feel like it, and both companies and consumers have to just suck it up. Anthropic has pushed back hard against this, but how it shakes out is still to be seen.
This comes at a time where there’s been growing concern about how sustainable our current AI is in the long term. A new leak from The Information revealed that OpenAI spent $3.7 billion in the first quarter of 2026 — more than half of its $5.7 billion in revenue. It’s not even expected to turn a profit until 2030, and if they’re going to be traded on the public market, investors will want to see them out of the red, like, yesterday. The awkward issue of profitability clashing with the enormous amount of AI processing power is what they’re calling the “token-pocalypse” right now, as AI companies try to figure out how to wean off of the huge amount of investor money that’s propping them up right now to operate and stand on their own two feet.
HYCU; First, we know the AI boom is a huge player in the stock market right now, and these changes within the industry are only going to be mirrored in our investments. Realistically, this will also probably put pressure on developers to start putting out more downloadable models of AI, where you have more control over what happens, also known as open-source models (the awkward thing is that the best open-source AI models are coming out of China right now, with products like DeepSeek and Tencent cornering the market). As for us users, Experts are also predicting AI products to get more expensive across the board, with probably more usage restrictions as companies try to get their costs under control, saving the biggest prompts for only the most expensive models. It’s kind of like how Hinge started putting all the hottest people behind the paid Standouts wall and made you pay more to see them. So expect your ChatGPT user experience to get a downgrade if things keep going the way they are. Maybe try sending it a Rose and see what happens?
Your Japan Trip Update 💴
Just in case you were planning your next trip to Tokyo, here’s some news you’ll need: Japan’s central bank has increased its main interest rate to a new 31-year-high after the global energy price surge (because of, you guessed it, the war on Iran).
On Tuesday, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) raised what it calls its “policy rate” to 1% from 0.75% — the highest rate since 1995. The bank has been gradually increasing rates over the past few years, but as the Iran war has pushed up the cost of living for just about everyone, the bank has decided to raise rates in hopes of cooling off the country’s inflation issue.
Still, Japanese rates are pretty low compared to other countries — the US has federal interest rates of over 3% right now, which new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh decided to hold steady this week. This will be important for US tourists to know: When interest rates go up, currency value can go up, too. It’s meant to attract more overseas investment and potentially higher demand for the currency, but it does also mean your US dollars might not go quite as ridiculously far as they used to.
HYCU; Overall, you’ll still get a better deal when you shop in Japan! The US dollar is still much stronger than the Japanese yen, even if the difference is a little less dramatic now. Especially if you’re in the market for Japanese products (everything from Smiskis to Onitsuka Tigers to Pocky), it’s still far cheaper to buy in Japan than stateside, since you won’t have to pay any import fees or Trump tariffs. One more thing to keep in mind: after November 1, Japan is ending its instant VAT refund system, where you can show your passport in-store to get that 10% tax exemption. Instead, you’ll have to keep your receipts and get a refund at the airport kiosks like you do in Europe.
Erin asks, “How can solopreneurs best set themselves up for financial success during these unpredictable economic times?”
Hey Erin! Great question for anyone running their own show. Whether you’re freelancing on the side or fully self-employed, the financial playbook looks a little different than a traditional W-2 job, especially right now. Here’s how to build a rock-solid foundation:
Build a bigger-than-average emergency fund first. For solopreneurs, aim for 6-12 months of living expenses sitting in an FDIC-insured high-yield savings account (HYSA). This is your buffer for slow months, late-paying clients, or unexpected economic shifts, and it means you’re never forced to make desperate financial decisions just to keep the lights on.
Get your tax situation locked down. Self-employment comes with a 15.3% self-employment tax on top of your regular income tax, and no employer is withholding anything for you. A solid rule of thumb is to set aside 30-50% of every payment you receive for taxes. You’ll also need to make quarterly estimated tax payments to the IRS (deadlines fall roughly in April, June, September, and January), and the goal is to pay at least 90% of your current year’s liability, or 100-110% of last year’s, to avoid penalties. Keeping organized records of your income and deductible business expenses throughout the year makes a massive difference come tax time. Working with a tax professional here is genuinely worth it.
Open a retirement account designed for you. This is where solopreneurs actually have a real advantage. A Solo 401(k) lets you contribute as both the employee AND the employer, with an employee contribution limit of up to $24,500 for 2026, plus an employer contribution, of up to a combined base limit of $72,000. A SEP-IRA is another strong option, with employer contribution limits up to $72,000 for 2026. These accounts give you significant tax advantages while building long-term wealth, something a traditional employee with a basic 401(k) match can’t always match.
Create a budget that accounts for income variability. Rather than budgeting based on your best month, base it on a conservative estimate of your average or lower-income months. Prioritize essentials first, then taxes, then savings and investments. When a big payment comes in, resist the urge to lifestyle-inflate, and instead funnel the surplus into your emergency fund or retirement account.
Diversify your income streams. Relying on one or two clients creates real financial fragility. Think about whether you can add passive income through digital products, courses, or other offerings that don’t require trading time for dollars every single time. This is one of the best hedges against economic uncertainty.
The self-employed path has a lot of upside, but it does require more intentional planning than a traditional job. For the tax strategy side specifically, consulting a CPA who works with freelancers and solopreneurs can save you real money and a lot of stress. Good luck!
Want to be featured in our Question Bank section?
Rich Tip of the Week: To all my haters who said I was wrong about SpaceX...
Your grandpa celebrated his 80th birthday with cake and family. President Donald Trump celebrated his by having UFC fights on the White House front lawn with American-themed outfits.
Video game boyfriends now come with built-in texting and calling, photobooth strips, and menstrual cycle trackers, where they ask how you’re feeling.
There’s a tiramisu 10-kilometer run happening in Treviso, Italy soon, which combines two of my favorite things.
SEE YOU IN THE COMMENTS BESTIES
Thank you! You always make me feel at ease with these topics that normally get me super overwhelmed.