Imagine if managing your finances was super easy? That’s a dream we’re here to make a reality.

Check out this list of 5-minute financial fixes!

Have a read and pass it along to your pals so they can level-up alongside you!

Markets

Source: CoinGecko.com As of 7:15PM January 19, 2025

World news

Top news stories of the past week

1) Explosion in space: SpaceX’s Starship had it’s 7th test launch and things went…so-so. The booster was caught by the launch tower (very cool). But the Starship exploded (also looked cool). The Starship has been grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration while they investigate what happened. Will stop them from launching permanently? Doubtful. SpaceX is the global leader in space exploration and a critical partner of NASA.

2) TikTok shut down: The video-sharing app was shut down for its 130 million American users, but came back online within a couple hours. Yesterday was the deadline that ByteDance (TikTok’s parent company) received from the US government to either shut-down or sell TikTok to a US-friendly company. HOWEVER, Trump said he would be issuing an executive order to delay the ban. Tweens everywhere rejoice.

3) Trump becomes $TRUMP: Donald Trump issued his own crypto currency over the weekend, which quickly became worth over $10 billion, making it one of the world’s largest cryptos. Trump and affiliates own about 80% of this. How is this legal? I’m not sure. But I doubt the story will end here.

Top WEIRD stories of the past week

1) A Polish general was dismissed after losing anti-tank mines that were eventually discovered in an IKEA warehouse. IKEA can be war-zone, but that’s a bit extreme.

2) A French woman was scammed out of nearly $1 million after fraudsters convinced her they were Brad Pitt. She divorced her husband and sent the money to the scammers. The pictures the fraudsters sent aren’t THAT convincing.

3) A woman who went to renew her driver’s license was told she was dead. Turns out it was just a funeral home’s typo of another person. WHOOPS.

Technology

On the edge

Small Modular Reactors

Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are a new type of nuclear power technology. Unlike traditional nuclear plants, SMRs are smaller and built in factories, which makes them easier and cheaper to produce. They can be transported to different locations and used to generate electricity in places where large nuclear plants might not fit.

Because they can be built in smaller units, they’re also more flexible, allowing communities or companies to add more reactors as energy needs grow.

Governments and energy companies are interested in SMRs because they provide clean, reliable energy without producing greenhouse gases. As the world looks for ways to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change, SMRs could play an important role. Big names in the industry, like NuScale Power, TerraPower (supported by Bill Gates), and X-energy, are leading the way in developing this technology.

Chart

You like charts? Graphs? Ya you do

Since the US is hitting their “debt-ceiling” on Tuesday, it’s worth taking in how their debt has gone from about $8 trillion to over $36 trillion since 2000.

Investment idea

What are we investing in?

Crypto-adjacent companies

Crypto is super volatile and not for everyone. But if that story about Trump’s coin launch tells you anything, it’s that 2025 is on track to be a wild year for crypto.

So how do you get exposure to the industry without investing in crypto itself?

1) Crypto trading platforms

Publicly traded companies like Coinbase ($COIN) make money when people trade crypto. So you don’t need to bet on which crypto to buy, you just have to believe that people will be trading more of it.

Coinbase is worth $74 billion and you can kind of think about them as the Apple of crypto. They even have their own blockchain called Base; expect big news from them this year.

2) Crypto mining companies

Crypto mining companies validate and secure blockchain transactions by solving complex mathematical problems, earning rewards in the form of newly minted cryptocurrency and transaction fees.

More crypto trading means more transactions on the blockchain, leading to higher transaction fees, which boosts miners' revenues.

Two leading public companies in this space are Marathon Digital Holdings ($MARA) and Riot Platforms ($RIOT).

3) Payment processors

Payment processors like PayPal ($PYPL) and Block ($SQ) make it easy for people to send cryptocurrency to others. They earn money by charging a small fee each time someone sends crypto through their platform.

When more people send crypto, especially during times of high trading or adoption, these fees add up and increase the company’s revenue.

History

On this day…

…in 1841, Hong Kong came under rule of the British Empire after it was ceded to them by China. The rule lasted till July 1, 1997.

Music

Banger of the week

Most important thing

Meme? Nah. Art.