Our CPA, @John Hannum, is joining us live this Monday at 5:30 PM to help everyone get their taxes handled correctly for 2026. There are some big changes this year—including new rules for overtime pay, tips, and car loan interest deductions—and we want to make sure you’re actually seeing that money. To make this as helpful as possible, we want to know what's on your mind. What is the #1 question you have about your taxes right now? Whether it's about side-hustle write-offs, how to handle your investment gains, or just where to start—drop it in the comments below. John will be using your questions to build the agenda. See you Monday at 5:30 PM!

The "Black Friday" Breakdown (Jan 30, 2026) 🦢 - The Metals Meltdown: Gold and silver, which had been on a vertical run, suffered a historic "Flash Crash." Gold futures plummeted 11%, while silver had its biggest daily fall on record—losing more than 30% in a single session. - The "Warsh" Shock: The catalyst was the surprise nomination of Kevin Warsh to lead the Federal Reserve. The market immediately interpreted this as a move toward higher interest rates and a stronger dollar, causing a "cascade of panic" for anyone holding gold or silver as a hedge. - The Tech Stray: While the S&P 500 showed some resilience, the Nasdaq ended lower as "AI skepticism" started to creep in, with Microsoft falling 10% in a single week following its earnings. This is a "Black Swan" event. It’s the unexpected news that triggers a panic. But here is the "Common Cents" reality: If we stay in our lane, we are fine. This is why we don't chase the "hype of the month." We build a machine that survives the storms. Today’s Practice: Watching the Aftermath The market is still "choppy" as it processes everything going on. This is the perfect time to: 1. Watch the VIX: The "Fear Index" is still elevated. Notice how it moves when the news mentions interest rates. 2. Practice "Emotional Distance": Look at that 30% silver drop. If that was your real money, how would you feel? This is exactly why we use Paper Trading right now—to build the "nerve" to stay calm during the next Black Swan. It's been extremely volatile. Share what you've been doing.

We’re officially kicking off the 2-week First Investment Roadmap on Monday, January 19th so everyone can start together and move at the same pace. I'm sooo excited! That means by the end of January, everyone should have made their first trade and that much more knowledgeable about investing! After our call on Sunday, we learned —a lot of you want help with credit cards, budgeting, structure, and investing. We decided to start with investing first for one reason: Time in the market beats timing the market. Between now and January 19th, we want to build a habit that makes this space feel supportive, human, safe and easy to show up to. So we’re introducing a Weekly Coffee Break ☕️ inside Skool. We’d love to host the first one sometime this week (Thursday–Sunday) and then make it a regular weekly thing moving forward. Please vote below 👇 What time generally works best for you? If none of these work, drop a comment — we’re shaping this with you. (if there's multiple that work, please write it in the comments!) Just to get mentally prepared....During the 2 Week Roadmap to your first investment we’ll focus on: • understanding what investing actually is • getting set up the right way • making your first investment (yes, as little as $1 or even up to $100, $500, there's no limit) Small, intentional steps > overwhelm.

Hey friendly faces! My name is Jeannine and I’d like to learn from ground up how to make start managing my own portfolios and how to make trades. Now that I work for myself and do not have a typical salaried job, my 401k isn’t growing at the same rate as it used to. I want to learn to utilize other ways to invest and grow my money but still with relative low to medium risk.

We’re so excited to have everyone here and to officially kick off Common Cents together. ⏰ When: Sunday 1/11/26 at 1:30 PM PST Length: 15–30 minutes (You can either log in from the computer, or download the Skool app right on your phone for easy access to log in for the call) 📍 Where: Right here on Skool (you can do it from your phone or on your computer) We’ve got a lot of new faces over the last few days! If you haven't posted an introduction post or read the "Start Here" post, please do so before tomorrow. Tomorrow’s short call is really about getting to know each other and making sure this space actually becomes something you use — NOT just another thing you join and forget about. In order for this to work, and we want it to work, we're gathering like minded people together to solve problems and reach goals together. The only way to do it together, is to show up. No need to dress up, nothing formal, no prep. Just real people, having real conversations. This call is important because we want to curate this community around YOU. The better we understand everyone, the more valuable this space will be for. ⏰ When: Sunday 1/11/26 at 1:30 PM PST 📍 Where: Right here on Skool (you can do it from your phone or on your computer) Please pencil in these 30 minutes for us tomorrow! Comment below and let us know you’ll be there 🙌We’re really looking forward to meeting you and building this together.