Happy Tuesday all!

We hope everyone enjoyed the opening weekend of the World Cup! ⚽️

While it’s a great time to support your team — remember you do not have to spend $100+ on a brand-new jersey! Your old one is vintage. Oh, and face paint is a fun and inexpensive alternative to buying expensive gear.

Go USA! 🇺🇸

CREDIT

Minimum Effort, Maximum Interest 💳

Credit cards can be a great financial tool, but only when they’re working for you… not the other way around.

A recent LendingTree survey found that many Americans are relying on minimum payments to get by, making credit cards less a tool and more a liability.

A few key stats:

• 💳 43% of credit card holders say they regularly make only the minimum payment on at least one credit card.

• 👦 Gen Z leads this behavior, with 58% making minimum payments regularly. Millennials are close behind at 55%.

• 🤦 Nearly 60% of Americans believe carrying a small balance helps their credit score. (It doesn’t!)

The challenge with making minimum payments is that they often cover mostly interest and only a small portion of the actual balance. That means debt can linger for many years. Even if you’re making payments every month, you’re making almost no progress.

If you’re trying to pay off credit card debt, focus on these steps:

• Always make at least the minimum payment on every card to avoid late fees and damage to your credit score.

• Direct extra money toward the card with the highest interest rate first. (Or the lowest balance, if they have similar rates and you prefer the snowball method.)

• Avoid adding new debt: stick to debit cards or cash for the time being!

• Consider a balance transfer to a 0% APR credit card.

• Create a plan to get rid of the entire debt in a specific timeframe. Undebt.it is a free tool that can help you do just that.

The truth is, paying just a little more than the minimum each month can save you a surprising amount in interest and help you get out of debt much faster. But with credit card interest rates in the 22% range, it’s worth making bigger budget and spending changes to pay that debt off more quickly. A bare bones budget might even be in order so that you can dig yourself out of that debt hole in less time.

Your credit card company loves when you only make minimum payments… they make more money off you! Don’t be one of their ‘favorite customers.’ Make sure credit cards are being used as a tool in your life, not a trap.

WORK

Burnt Out or Just Overwhelmed? 🙇‍♂️

A rough week is never fun, and it’s easy to resort to saying how burnt out you are if it’s been especially taxing. But often what we’re feeling is plain old stress, and being overwhelmed isn’t uncommon!

It’s important to realize when you’re feeling overwhelmed so you can keep yourself from getting burned out, an even worse result. Because if you do, that’s when you tend to feel the need to take drastic measures like extended time off or a major career shift.

Signs you’re probably overwhelmed, not burned out:

• You still care about your work. The stress is coming from having too much to do.

• A weekend or vacation helps you feel recharged.

• You can see an endpoint — a deadline, a launch, or a Friday afternoon.

• Checking things off your list makes you feel better.

If this sounds like you, it’s time to tackle this feeling before it becomes too difficult to manage.

The most important step to take is to ask for help sooner rather than later. Most employers would rather redistribute work than lose a great employee. Speaking up about being overwhelmed may not always be the most comfortable thing to do, but it’s important!

From there:

• Break big projects into smaller pieces you can complete in one sitting.

• Track your tasks and make it easy to cross things off. Gamify your work and come up with small rewards for checking things off your list!

• Build breaks into your day. A 10-minute walk in the sun can do wonders for your mental health!

• Protect your time away from work. Your evenings don’t need to become a second shift. Always feeling ‘on’ breeds exhaustion.

• Use your PTO! Those days are there for a reason — and you’ve earned them! Rest is crucial for us as humans. And time away makes us better

One of the biggest mistakes people make is waiting until they’re completely drained before making a change. Think of overwhelm like a check-engine light: it’s your mind’s way of telling you something needs attention.

Address it early, set reasonable boundaries, and give yourself permission to step away when you need to. Your productivity (and your sanity) will thank you! 😮‍💨

TOGETHER WITH US MOBILE*

Your Data Goes Global ✈️

The World Cup is kicking off, and whether you're traveling to Canada or Mexico to catch a match or simply crossing a few countries off your bucket list, staying connected shouldn't cost a fortune.

With US Mobile's international data plans, you can navigate, stream, post, and text from hundreds of destinations without hunting for a local SIM card or stressing about surprise roaming fees!

LIFESTYLE

Manifesting Financial Independence ✨

A recent study from Northwestern Mutual found that many adults still feel financially dependent on their parents, and a surprising number don’t believe they’ll ever achieve full financial independence.

It’s easy to understand why. Housing costs are high. Student loans balances are higher than ever. Groceries somehow cost twice as much as they did five minutes ago. Ok, that might be a bit of embellishment. Everywhere you look, someone is posting about how the American Dream is dead and financial success is out of reach.

But there’s a difference between acknowledging reality and surrendering to it.

We’re seeing a growing sense of financial nihilism: the belief that there’s no point in trying because the deck is stacked against you. And while positive thinking alone won’t cause you to build wealth in your sleep, constantly telling yourself that you’ll never get ahead certainly won’t help. Headwinds and obstacles never remain the same, but they’re a never-ceasing reality of human existence.

The truth is that financial independence isn’t an all-or-nothing milestone. It’s a series of small wins that build on each other, like:

• 💳 Paying off a credit card.

• 💰 Saving your first $1,000.

• 📈 Increasing your 401k contribution rate by 1%.

Most people don’t wake up one morning financially independent. They slowly become independent by making hundreds of smart, yet small, decisions over time. The tortoise wins the race, and consistency will always play in your favor!

If you feel behind, you’re not alone. But don’t confuse an uphill climb with an impossible one. The headlines may tell you that the game is rigged, that you’ll never hit your goals. Your job is to keep playing anyway. Go prove them wrong. 💪

ICYMI!

Your Weekly Update…

Playing AI Offense 🤔
If your AI strategy starts and ends with layoffs, you might be missing the point. EY says the biggest wins come from using AI to fuel growth and innovation, not just trim expenses.

Rivian Goes EV 🔋
Rivian just unveiled the R2, an EV built for everyday drivers rather than luxury buyers. More competition in the electric vehicle market could mean better options and better prices for consumers down the road.

The Newest Quick Bet 🎰
Kalshi's newest trading product topped $1 billion in volume within days of launching. It's another sign showing investors are increasingly drawn to faster, riskier ways to bet on market moves.

Here’s to a summer full of soccer!

Best friends out! 🍻