enRICHed: volume 190
the biggest money news you NEED to know this week!
Sunday July 12, 2026
Volume 190
Hey besties!
We spend so much time talking about how to build wealth with a partner, but almost nobody talks about what happens if that partnership ends. Whether you’re single, dating, engaged, or married, understanding how to protect yourself financially isn’t pessimistic… it’s just smart planning.
This week on Networth & Chill, I sat down with Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® Michelle M. Smith to talk about what actually happens to your money during a divorce and how to protect yourself before you ever get there. We’re breaking down the biggest financial mistakes people make, the assets couples fight over most, the red flags that could signal financial trouble in a relationship, and what everyone should know before saying “I do.” We also get into the tradwife trend, stay-at-home partners, and the financial conversations every couple should be having long before divorce is ever on the table.
If you’ve ever wondered how to protect your financial future while building a life with someone you love... 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.
False Intelligence 💻
The executives are coming back to us with their tails between their legs. Even though everyone still wants a slice of the AI pie, more and more companies are regretting replacing human employees with AI models, and they’re beginning to rehire the people they laid off.
Last year, IBM let go of 200 HR employees in favor of an AI assistant, but this week, they announced plans to triple its entry-level hires in 2026 because the AI didn’t know how to deal with all the ethical dilemmas. They’re not the only ones — Ford also added 350 “gray beard” engineers to retrain flawed AI systems and provide mentorship to younger employees who need the wisdom of more seasoned experts.
I’ve talked a lot about the AI-fueled layoffs that have been hitting industries hard over the past year here on enRICHed. Specifically, we’ve seen a lot of data showing how current AI models are really only good for menial tasks and can’t replace human labor at a certain caliber. From what we’re seeing now, entry-level workers are definitely still vulnerable when it comes to an AI-focused job market, but employers are also realizing that AI might actually be way more expensive than they previously anticipated… with a lot more unforeseen consequences. If you’re looking for a more AI-proof job in this market, professions that require more interpersonal human interaction, creativity, tastemaking, and accountability are proving to have more resistance to job volatility right now.
HYCU; If your employer comes crawling back to you after laying you off, remember that 1) you do not have to sign those papers right away, and 2) yesterday’s price is not today’s price. Leverage the opportunity to create an offer that’s set up to serve you. Ask for a title bump, more paid time off, a bigger 401(k) match, and a pay increase to the middle or upper end of the band. The sky’s the limit! Why? They’ve shown their hand — it’s clear that they need you badly, and we all know that it’s way harder to negotiate after you’ve started your job. The moments when you can negotiate from a position of strength are your best opportunities to get what you want, and the worst case is that they just say no. Be polite, of course, but be firm.
All-Anthropic Stock Down Payment 🏡
There is a fever spreading all around San Francisco: the OpenAI and Anthropic stocks. Now, some homeowners who are planning to sell their houses are accepting shares of pre-IPO OpenAI and Anthropic stock as payment for their homes.
Everyone’s so manic about the value that these two corporations are poised to generate once they hit their stock market debut, it’s really giving California gold rush all over again. Property prices are rising dramatically as people take big bets on the future of AI, landlords are pushing out tenants to sell into the hot market, and people are literally cold DMing OpenAI and Anthropic employees on LinkedIn to see if they’d be willing to trade a house for their company stock.
In March, San Francisco recaptured its title as the most expensive city for American homebuyers. The same month, median house prices in San Francisco rose 19% on the year before, and it’s only continued to balloon since then. In May, the average home sale price hit a historic high — $1.76 million. That’s compared to $400,000 for the rest of the country.
HYCU; The people who live in San Francisco and work in AI must feel like LeBron James playing pick-up basketball with a bunch of chihuahuas right now. It’s just not fair to everyone else. One Sonoma seller even offered a $500,000 discount off the $2.5 million price if the buyer paid in Anthropic stock. Especially as June housing prices hit a disappointing high, having the luxury of being able to trade stock for a house is a huge advantage. But even if you don’t work for ChatGPT, there are still ways to buy affordable houses in the year 2026! If you’re a first-time homebuyer, check out conventional 97 loans which lets you put down as little as 3% if you have great credit, or state programs like New York’s HomeFirst fund or California’s Dream For All program which gives financial assistance for prospective buyers.
Yoohoo, Big Summer Blowout! 🍔
Finally, some good news is coming to our wallets: This week, Walmart is lowering prices on thousands of products, ranging from beef to soda to laundry detergent, saying the cuts are aimed at reducing the costs of seasonal summer items.
America’s biggest retailer announced that the price cuts will be available basically everywhere — in-store (including Sam’s Club locations), online, and through both the Walmart and Sam’s Club apps. The reductions apply to groceries and other summery household items, like grills, sunscreen and lawn mowers. The discounts will reach up to 50% or more off marked prices, and they should be in effect now.
This news is all happening after Walmart said they were raising prices in February because of President Trump’s tariffs. Trump claims that the cuts are happening because he put pressure on Walmart, but that’s not necessarily the entire truth — the company did not mention the president when announcing the reductions, and they also did the same price-slashing two years ago, in May 2024 (real ones remember that we talked about it on enRICHed).
They’re also not the only retailer slashing prices right now in hopes of retaining consumers. In May, Costco said it cut prices on several Kirkland Signature products, like chicken wings and chocolate almonds. The same month, Kroger CEO Greg Foran said that they were testing price reductions before mass-cutting. Back in March, Target reduced prices on thousands of home essentials, apparel, and “pantry staples.” Even the bougiest grocer of them all, Whole Foods, recently ran their annual half-off sale on ice cream that went viral on social media.
HYCU; This May, the Consumer Price Index reached its highest level in over three years, driven by soaring energy prices caused by the Iran war. These days, when you touch the doorknob to go outside, you automatically lose five dollars! So now, when all the retailers are competing to slash prices for your attention, might be a good time to analyze how much you’d save by stocking up, and where you’re getting the best deal. I know we’re all thinking a lot about how to save on our daily purchases right now, so if you need any more grocery-saving tips, I have a ton on this post here!
Brenda asks, “There is a lot of chatter about investing but what is considered solid numbers for each age group to have invested that will set you up well over $1 million for the future?”
Here’s the deal, the benchmarks that actually matter aren’t just about hitting a magic number at each age. They’re about building enough momentum so compound interest does the heavy lifting for you.
In your 20s, the goal is to just start. The average retirement account balance for households under 35 is around $49,130, but the median is only $18,880, which tells you most people are barely getting going. A solid benchmark to aim for is having roughly 1x your annual salary saved by age 30. So if you’re making $60k, you’d want $60k invested. Sounds like a lot, but even $5,000-$10,000 in your early-to-mid 20s with consistent contributions gets you there.
In your 30s, the multiplier game begins. By 35, a strong benchmark is 2x your salary, and by 40, you’re shooting for 3x. The average balance for the 35-44 age bracket sits around $103,552, with a median of $39,958. If you’re above that median, you’re already ahead of most. The key in this decade is fully maxing out tax-advantaged accounts (401k and IRA) and not touching what you’ve built.
Your 40s are where the gap widens. By 45, aim for 4x your salary, and by 50, 6x. This is when people who started early start to see their portfolios grow almost on autopilot, while late starters feel the pressure. If you’re behind, this is also the decade to get aggressive, both with contributions and income growth.
In your 50s and 60s, you’re in the home stretch. The target is 8x your salary by 60 and 10-12x by retirement (typically 65-67). A common rule of thumb is to save 25 times your annual expenses total, so if you need $50,000/year in retirement, you’re targeting $1.25 million. The good news is that if you’re 50+, the IRS allows catch-up contributions that let you put more into your 401k and IRA each year.
The asset mix matters as much as the number. A helpful rule of thumb for your portfolio split: take your age, round to the nearest number divisible by 5, subtract 10, and that’s the percentage to hold in bonds. The rest goes into equities (ideally a broad index fund). So at 32, you’d be roughly 80% stocks and 20% bonds. At 52, closer to 60% stocks and 40% bonds. If you’re behind on saving and investing for retirement, you might even want to lean a little heavier on equities (add 10-20%, and take 10-20% away from bonds) since you likely will need to wait a bit longer until retirement and thus have a longer runway to recover from volatility.
The throughline across every age group is that index funds tracking the broader market have historically returned around 8-10% annually, which is the engine behind hitting these milestones. Consistent contributions, low fees, and not panic-selling during downturns are what separate people who hit retirement comfortably from those who don’t. All investments carry risk, and past performance doesn’t guarantee future results, but the math of compounding strongly rewards those who start early and stay consistent.
The best time to invest was yesterday, and the second best time is today! Good luck building your retirement fund!
Want to be featured in our Question Bank section?
Rich Tip of the Week: Why Are Asian Americans SO rich?!
President Trump called FIFA about a red card and then the US immediately lost the next game with a major injury on the field. I mean, after the Knicks debacle, I feel like we have to consider that this guy might be an unlucky charm…
It’s the finale of Love Island USA tonight, and if I were to sum up a lesson from this season’s drama, it would have to be: the sunk cost fallacy will drain your precious time and energy. Melanie and Kayda, I’m talking to you.
They finally have a name for the years you and your mom spent kind of wanting to kill each other for no reason! It’s called “peripostpartumpause.”
SEE YOU IN THE COMMENTS BESTIES
Great article as always!