Walmart+ is adding CITGO stations to its Gas Savings program, expanding the benefit from 13,000 to more than 17,000 participating locations across the U.S. 

Members can save 10 cents per gallon at participating stations, and Walmart said the expansion increases the program’s footprint by roughly 30%.

“A membership has to earn its place in a household budget,” said Deepak Maini, Walmart+ senior vice president and GM.

“That’s why we’re focused on delivering real value members can use again and again. Expanding our Gas Savings benefit by adding CITGO stations gives members even more places to save, with convenient locations that fit into their rhythm of daily life.”

Walmart+ gas savings offer significant benefit for consumers

Walmart+ costs $98 a year. But the program’s gas savings can help offset that expense for households that regularly fill up their cars. 

Walmart said that between March 2025 and March 2026, members who used the gas benefit at least once a week saved an average of $109, which is more than the annual membership fee.

Related: Costco asks members to help make stores better

The expanded gas station footprint is also a smart investment on Walmart’s part.

“Our members spend approximately four times more than non-members,” Walmart CFO John Rainey noted during the company’s second-quarter 2027 earnings call, illustrating the strategic importance of the Walmart+ and Sam’s Club membership programs.

“Membership was also a highlight with double-digit growth for Walmart+ and strong growth for Sam’s Club in the U.S., China, and Mexico,” CEO John Furner noted.

The gas battle could give shoppers another reason to choose Walmart over Costco

Walmart’s focus on gas may help the company give Costco a run for its money.

Costco has long promoted its gas stations as a membership benefit, offering members discounted fuel and Kirkland Signature gasoline that meets TOP TIER performance standards. 

The difference is that Costco generally requires shoppers to go to a Costco fuel station. Walmart is taking a broader approach by allowing Walmart+ members to use their benefits across a network that includes participating Walmart, Exxon, Mobil, and now CITGO stations.

The gas expansion comes as Walmart works to make Walmart+ feel less like a shopping subscription and more like an everyday household utility.

That’s a smart move, because consumers are more likely to keep paying a recurring fee when they can point to benefits they use regularly. 

Free delivery, pharmacy delivery, and streaming services may have value. But saving money at the pump is a perk that’s hard to beat.

Will Costco lose business due to Walmart’s gas expansion?

Though Walmart+ may be growing, Costco has proven itself to be the winner in the warehouse club and membership space.

During its most recent earnings call, Costco boasted a membership renewal rate of 92.2% across the U.S. and Canada.

More Retail:

• Costco sees major shift in member behavior
• Retail chain shuts all locations as legal changes hit industry
• Costco makes major investment in online shopping for members
• How many employees does Walmart have in 2026? Its workforce, locations & layoffs explained

Interestingly, Costco has been branching out into stand-alone gas stations, which strays from its core model. But for the most part, Costco’s fuel stations are attached to a warehouse club store.

And that tends to work to Costco’s advantage. Once members are on site, they’re more likely to enter the store, shop, and spend.

Rather than driving more people into stores, Walmart is trying to make its gas savings available in more places where consumers already buy fuel. And that distinction might also help Costco maintain its edge. 

But at the end of the day, Walmart is clearly betting that offering more value for Walmart+ will boost membership rates — and, in turn, revenue. And that’s not a bad strategy at all.

Maurie Backman owns shares of Costco and Walmart.

Related: Walmart tries to copy a successful Costco strategy

Why we love this deal

Diving into bed after a long day is even more rewarding when your comforter feels like a fluffy cloud. While switching over your wardrobe for fall and pulling out the fuzzy blankets from storage, it’s helpful to assess the state of your current bedding. As the weather gets colder, you’ll want a bedspread that’s plush enough to cuddle up with on chilly evenings. The style is equally important, as a comforter single-handedly has the biggest impact on the appearance of your bedroom. 

The Bryony Reversible 3-Piece Floral Patchwork Comforter Set perfectly blends comfort and style with a timeless floral patchwork design and a lightweight feel that provides breathable warmth, so you don’t overheat at night. The bedding bundle comes in twin, full/queen, and king sizes, all of which are on sale for $25. For an even better value, the bedspread and two matching pillow shams are both reversible, so you’re getting multiple looks in one affordable set.

Bryony Reversible 3-Piece Floral Patchwork Comforter Set, $25 (was $80) at Macy’s

Why do shoppers love it?

Featuring a charming design, reminiscent of a hand-stitched quilt, this comforter set will instantly elevate the bedroom. It has a classic floral print in an intricate patchwork layout that is the picture-perfect example of quaint cottage vibes. If you get tired of the romantic florals, you can flip over the comforter and shams to display a solid blue shade that’s similar to a classic denim blue. Since both sides have such timeless styles, this comforter set is one you could use for years without it going out of fashion. 

Related: Amazon’s $30 7-piece comforter set comes with every bedding essential you need

The lightweight comforter with a fluffy filling is a superb choice for year-round comfort. If you like more layers as winter rolls in, you can easily add a vibrant blanket to the mix for an extra pop of color and warmth. The comforter and shams are crafted from smooth microfiber that’s gentle against the skin, so you can be cradled in softness as you fall asleep each night. As a bonus, this microfiber construction is 100% machine washable, so there’s no extra care required on laundry day. One shopper raved, “It’s light, soft, and cozy.”

Details to know 

• Sizes available: The comforter set is available in twin, full/queen, and king sizes.
• Pieces in set: The comforter set includes a comforter and two pillow shams, unless you get the twin size bedding, which has one less sham. 
• Is it machine washable?: Yes.

A versatile bedspread with a reversible design means you never have to get bored with your bedding setup. You can mix and match the comforter and pillow shams for up to four different looks, but you can also add blankets and decorative pillows for even more possibilities.

Shop more bedding deals

• Leah Damask 3-Piece Comforter Set, $25 (was $80) at Macy’s
• Reversible 3-Piece Microfiber Floral Patch Comforter Set, $25 (was $80) at Macy’s
• Monica 8-Piece Comforter Set, $37 (was $100) at Macy’s

Available for just $25, the Bryony Reversible 3-Piece Floral Patchwork Comforter Set is both soft and stylish to upgrade your bedroom for autumn on a budget.

Wakefern Food Corp. is recalling select containers of Wholesome Pantry Organic Unsweetened Apple Sauce.

The recall comes amid routine testing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which found elevated levels of patulin, a toxin produced by certain molds.

The affected applesauce was distributed through:

• ShopRite
• Price Rite Marketplace
• The Fresh Grocer
• Gourmet Garage
• Fairway Market
  • Source: FDA

No illnesses or injuries linked to the recalled product have been reported so far.

Shoppers should check recalled Wholesome Pantry applesauce

The recall affects Wholesome Pantry Organic Unsweetened Apple Sauce sold in 23-ounce plastic jars.

The recalled products have:

• UPC: 04119005677
• Best-by date: June 16, 2027

No other products sold at the affected supermarkets are included in the recall, Wakefern said.

Here’s some of my coverage of major food recalls:

• Kroger: More than 19 million eggs sold under Kroger and other brands were recalled over contamination risk.
• Walmart and Harris Teeter: Outshine fruit bars sold nationwide were recalled after consumers reported finding glass in the products.
• Walmart bakery: More than 735,000 Pillsbury bread rolls supplied to Walmart bakeries were recalled over possible glass contamination.

The company initiated the recall after routine FDA monitoring detected patulin levels above acceptable food-safety limits.

Patulin is a naturally occurring toxin produced by molds that can grow on damaged or bruised apples and can contaminate products made from contaminated fruit.

The FDA says patulin contamination is particularly associated with apple juice and other apple products made with moldy fruit. 

Consuming contaminated apple products can cause nausea and vomiting, and patulin may also damage DNA in some cells, according to the agency.

What shoppers should do with the recalled product

Wakefern is telling customers not to consume the recalled applesauce.

Consumers who purchased the affected product can return it to the store where it was purchased for a refund or replacement.

Customers should check both the UPC and the best-by date to determine whether an applesauce container in their home is included in the recall.

Wakefern operates a network of independently owned supermarkets across the Northeast under banners including ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer, Fairway Market, Gourmet Garage, and Morton Williams.

Related: Grocery chain closes stores, leaving shoppers with fewer options

The multiple business challenges led to significant economic issues and a 21% decline in industry revenue from 2020 through 2025, the Silicon Valley Bank’s State of the U.S. Wine Industry Report said.

Economic challenges since the pandemic have led wineries, such as historic Gundlach Bundschu Winery, to seek bankruptcy protection to reorganize their businesses.

Gundlach Bundschu restructures finances

The 168-year-old Gundlach Bundschu Winery, the oldest continuously family-owned winery in California, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Sept. 23 to restructure its finances, looking forward to financial assistance from a new investor, according to a company statement emailed to TheStreet.

Before filing for Chapter 11, the family and its advisors successfully solicited multiple acquisition proposals, the statement said.

“This is about creating a fair, court-supervised process that gives this historic business an opportunity to survive, preserve jobs, protect relationships with customers and vendors, and ensure the winery remains a meaningful part of the Sonoma Valley community,” co-owner Jeff Bundschu said in the statement.

The company did not name the potential investors or the investment amount in its statement.

The Sonoma, Calif.-based debtor, known as Vineburg LLC on its documents, filed for bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California in Santa Rosa, listing $10 million to $50 million in assets and debts in its petition, according to Bankruptcy Observer.

Economic issues force bankruptcy filing

Gundlach Bundschu’s owners said the effects of the post-pandemic economy and an unsustainable debt burden created financial pressures the winery could no longer address outside a court-supervised restructuring, according to the statement.

“For six generations, our family believed that Gundlach Bundschu is more than a winery. It is a core part of Sonoma Valley,” said Jeff Bundschu, a sixth-generation family member who operates the company with his sister Katie Bundschu.

“We are fighting for Sonoma Valley as a destination for generations of loyal Gundlach Bundschu customers,” Jeff Bundschu said.

Gundlach Bundschu filed its petition to provide the company with the time and structure needed to stabilize its business, continue operations, and secure a potential new family and community-oriented partnership.

The Bundschus believe a new partnership will strengthen the winery’s platform for building community, tourism, and economic growth throughout the North Coast, the statement said.

Company seeks significant investor

The company said it expects to develop a different ownership structure, backed by significant capital to preserve the winery as an operating business and maintain its historic connection to Sonoma Valley.

The Bundschu family’s connection to its winery property dates back to 1858, when the family purchased the land from the son-in-law of Spanish General Mariano Vallejo. Decades before Sonoma Valley became internationally known for wine, the Gundlach Bundschu family was farming the land and growing grapes.

The company’s financial challenges worsened after it purchased another historic wine company, Madrone Winery in Glen Ellen, Calif., in February 2020, and moved its Abbot’s Passage winery to the property just as the Covid-19 pandemic was beginning.

Before the sale closed on Feb. 26, 2026, the family thought the acquisition would create a stronger platform, but the wine market instead experienced a downturn with changing consumer behavior, declining demand, distributor consolidation, excess inventory, and reduced demand for contract production and grapes, the statement said.

Family closed Abbot’s Passage

The industry headwinds forced the Bundschu family to close Abbot’s Passage on June 28, 2026, after operating for about 10 years, as it could no longer survive the decline of visitors to the Sonoma Valley wine country and other industry challenges, owner Katie Bundschu told the San Francisco Chronicle at the time.

The family committed substantial personal assets to support the Gundlach Bundschu business and meet its obligations and over the last 36 months, as it reduced expenses by over 40% but remained highly leveraged. The company rejected financing offers from lenders because they were too expensive.

Gundlach Bundschu will continue operating during the Chapter 11 reorganization, welcoming guests, hosting special events, serving wine club members, and working with employees, growers, vendors, and partners, the statement said.

Related: Classic candy brand makes comeback with help from Netflix

Since most rentals were long-term, the added cost was meaningful, but we eventually made it back. For shorter-term rentals, however, the added cost of delivering and picking up a very heavy product could eat up a significant amount of the profit.

In the trucking business, gas prices eat into profit margins, and intense competition makes it hard for smaller players to pass on those added costs to customers.

Diesel is the latest pressure hitting carriers that were already weakened by years of poor freight economics and rising operating costs. That has contributed to a massive wave of Chapter 11 and Chapter 7 bankruptcy filings.

“A new round of trucking bankruptcies has swept across the U.S. in recent weeks, with carriers ranging from small owner-operators to fleets operating dozens of trucks seeking Chapter 7 or Chapter 11 protection. At least 16 trucking, delivery, and transportation companies entered bankruptcy proceedings between late August and Sept. 21, according to federal court filings and carrier records reviewed by FreightWaves.

Rising diesel prices hit consumers hard, too

Higher diesel prices raise costs at every step of the food supply chain, from harvesting on farms to freight delivery that carries ​food to grocery stores, David Ortega, an economist at Michigan State University, told Reuters.

“The majority of our food moves on trucks and those trucks use diesel,” Ortega said.

Consumer food prices rose 2.7% year-on-year in August, according to the latest ​Consumer Price Index.

“Because diesel is used for many freight and delivery networks, higher diesel prices mean higher transportation costs for a long list of everyday goods. Some businesses have already passed on costs to consumers in the form of added fees on online orders and packages in the mail. And shoppers may see more and more sticker shock trickle down to store shelves,” the Associated Press reported.

Trucking companies hit hard by gas prices

Gas prices are bad, and they may get worse.

“We’re now in a troubling crude oil supply situation, the worst it’s been since several months ago,” Jason Miller, professor of supply chain management at Michigan State University, told TT News.

The increases are dramatic.

“You’ve got diesel prices almost at double what they were a year ago,” Dean Croke, principal analyst at DAT Freight & Analytics, shared with TT News. “Your large contract carriers are somewhat insulated from this discussion about diesel prices. I think it’s an important distinction. But your spot market carriers are getting crushed.”

Smaller players, however, have been hit hard by this.

“Croke described small spot market carriers as enduring an existential crisis due to their limited cash flow and inability to add surcharges,” TT News reported.

The recent filings don’t prove that diesel prices caused each individual bankruptcy. They do, however, show how little financial room some smaller carriers have left as operating costs rise.

“The filings include Chapter 11 cases involving Globemaster Incorporated, Xoco Transport, Jett Transport & Materials, CLJ Transporting, Mill Creek Logistics-Illinois, RP Hay Hauling, Truckload LLC and Pacer Transport. Several smaller carriers filed Chapter 7 cases, which typically involve liquidation rather than reorganization,” according to FreightWaves.

The Chapter 7 filings include A&B Transportation Inc. of Lake Elsinore, California, Texas-based T Yorkman Trucking LLC of Midland, Blue Star Transports LLC of Garland, and Jackdollars Transport LLC of McKinney, a one-truck carrier company.

In California, Eulogia Logistics Inc. of Hacienda Heights filed Chapter 7, as did South Gate-based Rothchild Transportation LLC and Illinois’ C. Pride Transport Inc.

“The bankruptcy filings offer a snapshot of financial stress among small and midsize carriers. The geographically widespread filings show financial pressure continuing to surface across general freight, last-mile, agricultural, and specialized trucking,” FreightWaves reported.

Trucking costs were up in 2025

RTM Nexus CEO Dominick Miserandino shared that trucking brands were already on the edge.

“Trucking can be a brutal business because there isn’t much room for error. A carrier can be busy and still lose money if what it earns on a load doesn’t cover fuel, insurance, equipment, maintenance, and labor. After a long period of pressure, some companies simply don’t have enough balance-sheet cushion left to absorb another bad month,” he told TheStreet.

American Transportation Research Institute’s (ATRI) 2026 Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking shows that this year’s increases follow a year in which trucking companies already faced across-the-board operating cost increases.

“The industry-average cost to operate a truck in 2025 was $2.336 per mile, 3.4% higher than the previous year and the highest per-mile cost in the report’s history. Excluding fuel, costs rose by 4.2% to $1.854 per mile,” the report showed.

Costs were up in all major line items in 2025, with the largest percentage gains in tolls (13.2%), repair and maintenance (8.6%), driver benefits (6.6%), and tires (6.4%). Only two line items rose at sub-inflationary rates: fuel and, for the second year in a row, driver pay.

ATRI, the research arm of the trucking industry’s largest trade association, has tracked carrier operating costs for decades.

That changed dramatically in 2026, as diesel prices surged well beyond the increases carriers had absorbed in 2025.

“Faced with rising costs and stagnant rates, carriers executed their largest reduction in freight capacity since the start of the freight recession in 2022 — reducing truck counts by 2.4% and leaving another 10% of trucks unseated on average,” the ATRI report showed.

Related: Another airline cancels almost all U.S. flights due to low demand

A new bill introduced in Congress argues that this is not fair and puts a specific number on the alternative.

Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) introduced the Blue Collar Social Security Fairness Act on Sept. 23. The bill would let workers in physically demanding jobs claim full Social Security retirement benefits at age 60, seven years earlier than the current full retirement age for anyone born in 1960 or later, according to CNBC.

What the proposed Blue Collar Social Security Fairness Act would do

Under current rules, workers can begin claiming Social Security at 62 but at a permanently reduced rate, about 30% less than the full benefit for anyone whose full retirement age is 67.

Full benefits kick in at 67. Wait until 70, and benefits increase 8% for each year of delay past 67. That is the system everyone is working within right now.

More Social Security:

• Social Security has surprise for retirees still working
• Vanguard warns of Social Security traps costing retirees
• How much Social Security crisis will cost your retirement

Stevens’ bill creates a carve-out. Workers in qualifying physically demanding jobs — including construction, roofing, nursing, manufacturing, and other occupations involving heavy lifting, climbing, or prolonged standing — could access full benefits at 60.

The Social Security Administration would build and maintain the full list of qualifying occupations, updated every three years.

“Michiganders who work with their hands shouldn’t be forced to wait until their bodies give out to retire,” Stevens said in a statement.

“If we want to honor the dignity of work in this country, we need to lower the retirement age for physical laborers,” Newser reported.

Social Security bill uses weighted points system

You do not need a full career in a physical job to qualify. The bill uses a weighted points system. Later-career years count more because the body is less able to absorb the same physical demands at age 50 that it could at age 25.

Working those jobs between ages 18 and 34 earns 0.5 points per year. Ages 35 to 44 earn 1 point per year. Ages 45 to 54 earn 1.5 points. Age 55 and older earns 2 points per year. To qualify for full benefits at 60, a worker needs either 15 total points or 20 years of physically demanding work across their career.

A 58-year-old who spent 12 years in construction between ages 45 and 57 would accumulate 18 points at 1.5 points per year, clearing the 15-point threshold. Someone who spent 20 years in manufacturing between ages 30 and 50 would qualify under the 20-year rule, regardless of their point total. Someone who spent a few years in roofing in their 20s and moved into a different field would likely not qualify under either path.

The structure deliberately gives more weight to physically demanding work done at older ages. A year of roofing at 52 counts three times more than a year of roofing at 22.

The bill is designed to recognize that the physical toll compounds over time, rather than simply accumulating.

The Social Security funding problem this lands in

This bill lands in a program that already has a money problem. Social Security’s trust funds are headed toward depletion without action from Congress. Beneficiaries could face automatic cuts to scheduled payments if nothing changes, and nobody has agreed on how to fix it.

The options on the table are not new. Raise the payroll tax. Lift or eliminate the taxable wage cap, which sits at $184,500 for 2026. Reduce benefits. Raise the retirement age further. Some combination of all of the above.

Adding an early benefit pathway for some workers increases costs without resolving any of those existing pressures, CNBC reported.

The case for the bill is not complicated. The BLS counts 39.1% of the civilian workforce in physically demanding jobs. Those workers tend to have shorter life expectancy, since they often cannot make it to age 67 in the same condition someone at a desk can.

Research from the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis at The New School confirmed what most of them already know: Leaving work earlier than planned means a smaller benefit, according to CNBC.

What‘s next for Blue Collar Social Security Fairness Act

The bill faces long odds in its current form. Rep. Stevens, who introduced it, ran for Senate in Michigan in 2026 and lost the Democratic primary to Abdul El-Sayed, which may affect her ability to push it forward in the House before her term ends.

It is unclear how the lower retirement age would be funded or whether the bill will advance at all, Plan Adviser noted.

The definition of physically demanding work will be debated if the bill moves. Some jobs involve heavy labor only part of the time. Others cause long-term damage without fitting a standard job category. The SSA’s occupation list is where the real argument happens, not in the committee hearing room.

None of this changes anything for workers planning retirement right now. Age 67 is still the number. Age 62 is still the earliest claiming option, with a permanent cut to your monthly check.

This bill does not exist yet in any legal sense. Until Congress passes something and the SSA issues guidance, plan around what is, not what might be.

Related: AARP cuts to the chase on 2027 Social Security COLA

On Sept. 22, ARK Invest scooped up Rocket Lab (RKLB) shares worth $25.13 million. The move came with the space stock near $70, roughly 53% below its $151 high.

The steep drop has legitimate causes. 

Rocket Lab has softened its timeline for Neutron’s first flight, issued disappointing gross-margin guidance and committed to an ambitious $8 billion acquisition of Iridium that introduces financing and dilution risk.

But Wood rarely waits for uncertainty to disappear.

Her strategy is built around accumulating disruptive companies when near-term fear collides with a five-year investment thesis. 

ARK scooped up CrowdStrike during the 2024 outage selloff and has repeatedly trimmed soaring winners to finance beaten-down favorites. This time, it sold Alphabet while adding Rocket Lab across three ETFs.

That approach flourished when the Federal Reserve cut rates near zero in 2020 and Washington unleashed $2.2 trillion through the CARES Act. Cheap money allowed investors to pay aggressively for distant profits, helping the Nasdaq-100 surge close to 48% that year.

Today’s rate backdrop is far less forgiving.

Rocket Lab must now convert its $2.36 billion backlog, Neutron program and Iridium strategy into profitable growth.

Wood’s purchase signals she believes the selloff has discounted more execution risk than Rocket Lab’s expanding space platform deserves.

Cathie Wood turns Rocket Lab’s collapse into conviction bet

Cathie Wood is using Rocket Lab’s weakness to make one of ARK Invest’s clearest space bets.

On Sept. 22, ARK scooped up 359,612 Rocket Lab shares worth $25.13 million. The flagship ARK Innovation ETF purchased 277,573 shares, while ARKQ added 59,746 and ARKX bought 22,293.

The presence across ARKK, the autonomous-technology fund and the dedicated space fund shows Wood views it as a disruptive platform spanning launch, satellite manufacturing, defense and communications.

More importantly, this hasn’t been a one-day wager. 

ARK bought 705,102 shares worth $44.4 million across two early-September sessions, followed by another smaller purchase. In July, it bought 62,497 shares while selling 184,670 shares of Rocket Lab’s acquisition target, Iridium.

More Cathie Wood:

• Cathie Wood buys $50.1 million of tumbling megacap stock
• Cathie Wood makes $20.5 million bet on sliding tech stock
• Cathie Wood buys $8.7 million of beaten-down AI stock

Moreover, the wider rotation from her has become apparent over the past few weeks. ARK trimmed Alphabet, AMD and Palantir while directing capital toward beaten-down innovation companies. On September 22 alone, it sold $5.83 million of Alphabet.

Rocket Lab gives Wood the pullback she typically wants. 

At $70.31 on September 23, the stock sat 53% behind its $151 high after Neutron delays, a wider-than-expected quarterly loss and disappointing gross-margin guidance.

The $8 billion Iridium acquisition adds dilution, integration and financing risk. Rocket Lab secured a $3.6 billion bridge facility and completed a near-$2 billion equity raise.

But the upside case is powerful. 

Q2 sales shot up 62% to a record $234 million, the backlog reached $2.36 billion and Electron completed its 96th launch in September. Iridium adds global spectrum, an operating satellite network and more than 2.5 million subscribers.

Rocket Lab fits ARKK’s five-year disruption thesis. Still, Wood is buying future execution, not present profitability.

Cathie Wood sees tech boom outlasting rate shock

Wood’s Rocket Lab purchase suggests she believes investors are underestimating how profoundly the technology can effectively reshape economic growth.

In her latest investor letter, Wood argued that the current technology revolution is “likely to dwarf the Industrial Revolution.” 

ARK expects innovation across AI, robotics, energy storage, genomics, and blockchain to push real GDP growth above 7%, while productivity could deliver “sustainable productivity gains in the 5-6% range.”

That’s why Wood is relatively relaxed about higher interest rates. Her thesis is that rates could remain elevated because real economic growth is accelerating, not because inflation is becoming entrenched. 

Technology should simultaneously lower production costs, expand margins and create new markets.

“The current Technology Revolution is impacting the global economy in many ways like the Industrial Revolution did,” Wood said this week, predicting growth will accelerate significantly beyond the historical 2% to 3% range.

However, that isn’t an endorsement for every tech stock. 

ARK recently trimmed Alphabet, AMD and Palantir while buying Rocket Lab, Nvidia, Archer Aviation and other companies where Wood sees more asymmetric upside.

The risk is timing. 

Higher yields punish long-duration stocks immediately, while productivity gains may take years to appear. Rocket Lab captures that tension perfectly, where there’s a ton of potential, demanding execution and considerable financial risk before the bigger vision becomes reality.

Tesla leads ARKK’s top 10 holdings

• Tesla (TSLA): 9.38%.
• Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX (SPCX): 6.01%.
• Tempus AI (TEM): 5.58%.
• Circle Internet Group (CRCL): 5.04%.
• Coinbase Global (COIN): 4.62%.
• CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP): 4.44%.
• Robinhood Markets (HOOD): 4.16%.
• Twist Bioscience (TWST): 3.64%.
• 10x Genomics (TXG): 3.25%.
• Shopify (SHOP): 3.07%.
  • Source: ARK Invest’s daily ARK Innovation ETF holdings file, dated Sept. 24, 2026. 

Related: Bank of America backs Meta stock after Muse surprise 

So instead of waiting—and worrying-—Mahn’s practical advice is to stay invested at a level consistent with your risk tolerance, keep some cash on hand for attractive opportunities, and make new allocations according to your investment goals: growth, income, or a blend of both. That way, you can put away your crystal ball and save yourself the headaches from trying to time the market.

Here’s how Mahn applies his strategy to stocks and bonds in light of the market’s current risks.

@thegomezsolution

You cannot time the market! #Meme #MemeCut #investing #trading #personalfinance #moneytok

♬ original sound – G | Finance | UK

Why market timing will cost you

Buying a stock after shares have fallen is a great idea if an investor has done their homework and believes its new price better reflects the business. Mahn does not reject buying a dip. But he doesn’t believe in market timing, either.

The reason is that the market’s strongest daily gains often take place near its worst daily losses. Mahn said Hennion & Walsh Asset Management’s 20-year review found that seven of the market’s 10 best days occurred within two weeks of the 10 worst days. So, an investor who exits after a frightening selloff may completely miss out on the recovery.

And that’s an expensive mistake to make.

If you’re not in the market on those other seven days, you’re likely to miss out on the most significant returns the market has to offer.

Kevin Mahn, when asked what is wrong with waiting to buy a market dip

Sure, Mahn acknowledges that sitting on cash feels safer in the aftermath of a “bad” market day, but there’s much more at stake than simply avoiding further losses, because it’s impossible to time the rebound.

Therefore, Mahn suggests investors should stay invested according to their allocation plans, but they should also retain some cash, or dry powder, for opportunities that emerge when a company or sector pulls back.

How to use cash without turning it into a market-timing bet

Long-term, buy-and-hold investors should evaluate their portfolios to see if their current allocation matches their need for growth, income-—and tolerance for losses. This could help shift the focus from “Will the market decline next week?” to “What job does this money need to do?”

For instance, an investor seeking growth may choose stocks, while an income-oriented investor may favor bonds. For someone seeking the best of both worlds, income and growth, Mahn highlights bonds—particularly municipal bonds (more on that below). Overall, he recommends overweighting stocks while also keeping bonds in your portfolio.

Mahn’s caution against timing does not mean that price is irrelevant, either. In his view, buying a dip works best when an investor finds an opportunity at a more realistic price. But there’s a big difference between evaluating a particular security after its price falls and trying to predict the exact day when the entire market will bottom.

Municipal bonds = income + price opportunity

Mahn’s case for municipal bonds rests on a historical pattern his firm discovered. He said that, over the past 25 years, the 20-year municipal bond index reached or exceeded a 5% yield in only 6% of months.

According to Mahn, in the instances where that municipal-bond yield reached the 5% level, yields were lower by an average of 80 basis points one year later. Bond yields generally move in the opposite direction of bond prices, and so, if yields decline after an investor buys a bond, the bond’s market price generally will rise and the investor will also get the bond’s coupon income, or its scheduled interest payments.

If you were to buy those munis bonds today, at a yield of 5% and yields come in 80 basis points lower, by average, a year later, well then you’re going to get a nice price appreciation plus the coupon income all along the way.

Kevin Mahn, when asked where he sees opportunities within the bond market

Of course, Mahn adds, this scenario is based on his firm’s historical analysis, and not a guarantee that yields will decline over the next year. After all, interest rates can rise, and if they do, then bond prices will fall.

Municipal bonds also carry issuer and credit risks, even though they are often used by investors seeking tax-exempt income, so Mahn wants investors to consider the specific fund or bond, its duration, credit quality, tax treatment, as well as how well the holding fits within the rest of their portfolio.

In addition, Mahn believes the 10-year Treasury is a buying opportunity because expectations point to lower yields by the end of the year, but these expectations could change depending on how inflation, growth, or Federal Reserve policy develops.

A few red flags

Mahn expects multiple pullbacks before the U.S. midterm elections, with market declines as steep as 1% to 5%. He treats these pullbacks as selective deployment opportunities for sidelined money.

His larger concern, however, is a more severe escalation in tensions between the United States and Iran that keeps oil prices above $110 to $120 a barrel for a sustained period. Mahn believes this would worsen inflationary pressures and lead markets to anticipate more interest-rate increases than they currently expect. In that scenario, he says a more serious market decline could move into correction territory of 10% or more.

But Mahn emphasizes that this is not his “base case.” And that distinction matters to investors considering whether to change their portfolios. A risk worth monitoring is not automatically a reason to abandon their allocation plans, especially when the cost of leaving the market can include missing fast recovery days.

His skepticism also extends to the Federal Reserve’s most recent 25-basis-point rate increase. Mahn calls it a “potential mistake” because, in his view, a rate increase cannot reopen the Strait of Hormuz or directly lower oil prices. He notes that the Federal Reserve’s forecast for core PCE, its preferred inflation gauge, points to inflation moderating to 2.5% in 2027. Mahn suggests that lower oil prices and easing inflation after the U.S. midterm elections could even result in a future rate cut, though he acknowledges that markets are not pricing in that outcome.

How to separate long-term trends from ‘hot trades’

For investors adding stock exposure, Mahn focuses on areas where he sees planned spending rather than where shares have risen most recently. He cites AI infrastructure, power, water, aerospace and defense, and health care innovation. His argument is that a large spending cycle can create opportunities before every beneficiary becomes the market’s most popular trade.

In aerospace and defense, Mahn says planned global spending to upgrade military capabilities helped send some stocks higher and lifted valuations. And while those shares later cooled, even though much of the planned spending had yet to occur, that combination, for Mahn, made their pullback all the more appealing.

Within the AI ecosystem, Mahn favors receivers of investment dollars over spenders. He describes NVIDIA NVDA as both because of its data-center business, chip sales, partnerships, and funding activity. He also points to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company TSM and Micron Technology MU as companies connected to demand for semiconductors and memory.

Mahn’s broader AI case includes cybersecurity. He calls cybersecurity “the glue that holds the technology puzzle together,” as artificial intelligence can be used for harmful cyber activity as well as defensive tools. He names CrowdStrike CRWD as his leading cybersecurity choice and Fortinet FTNT as another company he views favorably.

Even utilities are an AI-related investment

Utilities are often treated as defensive income investments, particularly during volatile markets, but Mahn argues that the sector has another potential role: providing the reliable power that data centers require. He describes utilities as a “backdoor way” to participate in the AI revolution because data centers need electricity from sources like natural gas, nuclear power, and traditional generation.

Mahn highlights Duke Energy DUK and American Electric Power AEP. Duke Energy operates nuclear plants, and Mahn cites nuclear power as 19% of United States’ electricity production. Utilities have performed well during the past two years before idling in 2026, something he views as an opportunity.

The trade-off, though, is that utility stocks are sensitive to interest rates, regulation, capital costs, and new project execution. So, investors attracted by the AI connection still need to examine the utility’s balance sheet, geographic footprint, generation mix, dividend policy, and valuation. After all, even a data-center demand story does not erase the traditional risks of owning a regulated utility.

The takeaway for long-term, buy-and-hold investors

Mahn’s central message is less about predicting the market’s next move than it is about avoiding market timing. Long-term, buy-and-hold investors can begin with their goal: stocks may fit a growth objective, bonds may fit an income objective, and municipal bonds may fit an objective that combines both. The best choice for an investor depends on their own risk tolerance, tax situation, time horizon, and existing holdings.

From there, investors can decide how much cash they need for near-term spending and how much they want available for selective additions during pullbacks. Cash can provide flexibility, but Mahn’s 20-year market analysis is a reminder that holding too much of it while waiting for an obvious all-clear comes with a real opportunity cost.

After all, it’s not about timing in the market but rather time in the market.

Mahn’s views reflect his own market outlook and investment approach. Investors should consider their financial circumstances and, where appropriate, consult a qualified financial professional before making investment decisions.

For a company with 45,356 restaurants, that is definitely a problem worth fixing.

Well, McDonald’s seems to be thinking the same thing. And on Sept. 23, it committed $8.5 billion to improving the drive-thru experience.

Remember when it tried that in 2021, only to end the effort, a partnership with IBM, a few years later? I like to frame it as a lesson that the fast-food giant is ready to address this time. It’s only really a failure if the chain didn’t learn from it.

The company unveiled its McDonald’s > Next strategy at an Investor Day, committing to a decade-long investment in AI technology, restaurant modernization, and operational overhauls. 

The goal is to deliver roughly $100,000 in annual cash flow benefits to the average U.S. franchisee through technology improvements. McDonald’s, of course, wants to maintain its current top position in fast food.

The market’s immediate verdict? A 4.8% decline on the day. MCD is down 20.49% year to date and 19.37% over the past year, according to Yahoo Finance. 

Investors are skeptical. They have seen this kind of announcement before. Still, there is a compelling case that this time may be different.

Also Read: History of McDonald’s: Company timeline and facts

The Burger King problem McDonald’s can no longer ignore

There is a story hiding inside McDonald’s U.S. comparable sales growth of 0.8% in Q2 fiscal 2026. Burger King’s comparable sales grew 8.5% in the same quarter, driven by Restaurant Brands International’s (RBI) “Reclaim the Flame” turnaround plan.

That gap is the result of an intentional, well-executed turnaround at RBI. RBI is one of the world’s largest quick-service restaurant holding companies, owning major global fast-food chains including Burger King, Tim Hortons, Popeyes, and Firehouse Subs. 

Burger King revamped its Whopper, ran aggressive value campaigns, remodeled restaurants, and invested in service quality. As expected, that effort showed up in the numbers — and in the line of cars at drive-thrus that used to be McDonald’s territory.

More Restaurants:

• 52-year-old international restaurant chain closing all locations
• 46-year-old casual dining chain closes underperforming locations
• Classic burger chain has closed down all its restaurants

McDonald’s is not in crisis. It has grown systemwide sales by roughly $40 billion and operating income by more than $3 billion since 2020.

Across 70 loyalty markets, Systemwide sales to loyalty members for the trailing 12 months increased more than 20% to $40 billion, with 90-day active loyalty users up 13% to nearly 220 million as of quarter-end, according to its Q2F26 report.

Those are the numbers of a dominant business. But a dominant business losing share to a resurgent rival is a problem that compounds if left unaddressed.

“McDonald’s has the unmatched scale, customer insights, brand loyalty and operational capabilities to not only adapt to the next wave of change in our industry, but to turn it into an advantage,” Kempczinski said in the Investor Day announcement.

What McDonald’s $8.5 billion actually buys, and why ArchIQ is the key

The centerpiece of the technology investment is ArchIQ, McDonald’s generative AI-enabled drive-thru ordering system that began rolling out to select locations earlier in 2026, Restaurant Business reported.

Drive-thru accounts for a disproportionate share of McDonald’s revenue. In fact, in the U.S., nearly 95% of locations have a drive-thru, the company reported. And it has sometimes led to customer frustration, as The Takeout and The Daily Meal have noted. 

McDonald’s previously attempted AI-driven automated ordering with IBM as a partner in 2021, but discontinued the project in June 2024 amid reliability challenges with the technology, the BBC reported.

ArchIQ is a newer effort, developed in-house on a unified technology platform that McDonald’s has spent six years building.

Related: McDonald’s launches exclusive state-themed meal

“We’re now close to having all our major markets on one app, one loyalty program, one pricing engine, one HR system and one finance system,” Kempczinski told investors in August. 

The global data lake the company is building will enable AI-driven personalization, operational recommendations, and cost optimization across all 45,356 restaurants simultaneously.

The $100,000 in annual cash flow improvement per U.S. restaurant sounds like a line item. At scale, it is a transformation of franchisee economics that makes the McDonald’s franchise model more attractive at exactly the moment Burger King is competing for the same franchise operators.

Can McDonald’s afford its ArchIQ AI technology spending?

The $8.5 billion sounds significant, but the pacing matters.

McDonald’s will invest approximately $5 billion through 2030 and the remaining $3.5 billion through 2036 — roughly $1.25 billion annually for the first four years.

For context, McDonald’s spent approximately $5.1 billion in annual dividends and had $2.5 billion in share buybacks in progress before this announcement, MarketScreener reported. The dividend appears safe. The buyback program may be moderated.

The company carries $54.8 billion in debt and has $4.35 billion in current assets, according to Trading Economics. So, additional borrowing or a temporary reduction in capital returns is the most likely funding mechanism, though McDonald’s has not specified the source.

The Starbucks comparison is apt and worth keeping in mind. Brian Niccol’s “Back to Starbucks” plan dragged profits down before it showed signs of effectiveness. Starbucks shares have returned 13% YTD.

McDonald’s management deserves the chance to demonstrate that this time, the technology investment will deliver on its promise.

The day’s reaction says investors are somehow skeptical. But the next few quarters will determine whether these doubts were warranted.

Related: McDonald’s menu drops fall favorite for the first time in 10 years

The problem is that no one brand or bag does everything. A Samsonite rolling bag, for example, brings durability, while my larger Amazon Basics bag is cheap enough that I’m not really concerned about how long it lasts.

My Solgard bag has an interior organizer, which literally lets me unpack half my stuff just by hanging it in the closet, and a Züca bag allows you to use your luggage as a chair.

For most people, luggage is a rare purchase, meaning a premium brand like Züca constantly needs new customers. It must also compete with cheap brands, Amazon, and discounted higher-end brands sold at TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and other discount chains.

Now, Züca is winding down its global operations, and the going-out-of-business sale has already begun.

Züca made specialized bags

Züca made bags that served athletes, traveling professionals (like photographers and makeup artists who have specialized needs), and roller bags with built-in seats popular with frequent travelers, including airplane crews.

“Our patented concept in travel is like nothing else to organize and carry your travel essentials. ZÜCA’s built-in seat rolls along with you for those moments when you need to take a load off,” the company shared on its website.

The company made specific bags designed to meet the needs of various sports. That included figure skating.

“Originally designed to alleviate weight from students’ and athletes’ backs, the Züca Sport is now used by people of all ages. The front opens up like a miniature locker, roomy enough to store ice skates inside the hollow compartment. There are zippered pockets on the inside of the door (one big one that is the shape of the door and two smaller ones) to provide storage of skating items from CDs to skate guards,” according to U.S. Figure Skating’s magazine.

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• Home Depot is making a big bet on cautious consumers
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Kerrin Jackson, a makeup artist, raved about two Züca products on the “5-Minute Face Talk” podcast on Makeup Refinery.

“For years, I’ve been a loyal fan of the brand Züca. My trusty Züca Rolling Case has traveled with me across the globe, and now is happily serving as my go-to hair kit for special effects makeup,” Jackson said.

She later switched to the Züca Artist Shoulder Bag.

“This sleek and functional bag is precisely what I’ve been searching for. Its discreet black exterior keeps my products out of sight, while its upright design allows for easy access on set. Inside, I can neatly organize my smaller actor bags, paperwork, and essential tools, while the exterior pouch holds utensils and multi-tasking makeup palettes,” she added.

Züca is closing down

The company shared a message about shutting down on its website:

“For more than 20 years, Züca has had the privilege of serving hundreds of thousands of loyal customers and building lasting relationships with dealers, partners, athletes, suppliers and communities around the world.

After navigating a prolonged period of challenging business conditions and carefully considering the company’s long-term outlook, we have made the difficult decision to begin an orderly transition of Züca.  Our final day of normal operations will be September 30th.

This was not an easy decision, and we are incredibly grateful to everyone who has been a part of the Züca journey.  To our customers who have trusted our products, our dealers and business partners who helped build our brand, and our employees who have dedicated so much to the company.”

What’s next for Züca?

Züca has not filed for bankruptcy, and it launched a “going-out-of-business” sale on Sept. 23 as this story was being written.

The company also posted a warning.

“We are experiencing a massive volume of orders, which has put our packing team 5-7 days behind our usual shipping schedule,” the company posted.

All orders will be “locked in,” and customers will receive a “shipping confirmation email with a tracking number the moment it leaves our warehouse.”

The luggage brand’s website still offers payment plans through a third party.

Züca’s European website is showing what it calls a “Final Sale.” It’s offering 25% off with no code or coupon needed.

The company has also not commented on how the shutdown will impact its warranty.

“Limited Lifetime Warranty covers against manufacturer defects during normal use,” Züca shared on its website.

That warranty only applied to the original owner and required having your purchase receipt.

The company’s closure leaves customers with an important unanswered question: Who will handle warranty claims after Züca’s normal operations end?

The company has not said whether warranty service will continue, so customers may be left without a clear path for future claims.

Züca did not immediately return a request for comment made through its Contact Us page. The company does not have a media or press page.

Related: Chapter 11 and Chapter 7 wave is part of a bigger problem for you

FAQ: What happens if you buy from a company that goes out of business?

Can I still buy from a company that’s going out of business?
You can, but check the return, refund, and shipping policies first. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) also recommends comparing liquidation prices with those at other retailers.

What if I pay but never receive my order?
If you paid by credit card, you may be able to dispute the charge. The CFPB says consumers can dispute charges for goods they never received.

What happens to a warranty?
It depends on who provided it. A manufacturer warranty may continue even if the retailer closes, while a retailer-provided warranty may end, according to the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

Will the company honor my gift card?
Not necessarily. A company that files for bankruptcy may stop honoring gift cards, depending on the bankruptcy proceedings, added the FTC.

What should I do before placing an order?
Save your receipt, order confirmation, warranty information, and the company’s return policy. Using a credit card can also provide greater protection if there’s a problem with the order, according to the BBB.

If you want one, buy before Sept. 30, pay with a credit card so you can dispute the charge if the bag never arrives, and save your order confirmation. With the packing team running a week behind, your bag may not leave the warehouse until Züca’s final days.

ALSO READ: 48-year-old mall retailer closing stores in 2026 as trend changes

That’s not true if I neglect to keep my car in proper working order. Ignoring a low tire pressure light or squeaking brakes could lead to an accident that might hurt not just me, but other drivers and their passengers.

AutoZone CFO Jamere Jackson shared that customers have been cutting back on needed spending when it comes to maintaining their vehicles.

“The DIY market is experiencing a growing and aging car park and a challenging new and used car sales market, which typically provides a tailwind for our business. However, transactions are soft as the customer experiences high inflation in our industry and elsewhere,” he said during his company’s fourth-quarter earnings call.

That includes putting off needed work, or cheaping out on making repairs.

“We see evidence of deferrals and trade down in DIY, particularly with the most financially challenged DIY customers. This is not a new phenomenon for our industry, and we expect it to recover over time,” he added.

That’s not encouraging, however, for any driver who might be on the road now, rather than whenever the car repair market recovers.

Car owners are putting off maintenance

CEO Phil Daniele talked about the choices customers have been making.

“Some elements of our business are more discretionary and have more elasticities, particularly in the categories like floor mats and seat covers. Those are not necessary to drive your car,” he said.

In other cases, people are pushing off work that could, at best, make their car not drivable, and at worst, dangerous, but still operational.

“Maintenance, people will tend to push it a little bit as they get under pressure from an inflationary perspective. But over time, you have to replace those parts. You cannot continue to defer the maintenance on the product, on the car. If you do, you end up with a failure,” he said.

That failure, if it happens on the road, could have greater consequences than being late for work or not being able to pick your kid up at school.

The hidden costs of skipping car maintenance

I once waited too long to change the oil in an older car, and the impact was catastrophic. One day, the engine simply seized, and that car was now a large paperweight I had to have towed away.

In that case, the car was old, probably needed more work than it was worth, but it literally died while on the highway, and I was very lucky I was able to pull over and not get stuck in the middle of the road.

There’s another reason putting off maintenance can be a bad financial decision.

“Staying on top of regular maintenance and getting repairs done before they create other problems will save you money in the long run,” John Ibbotson, associate director and chief mechanic at Consumer Reports’ Auto Test Center, said.

That’s particularly relevant when drivers are already trying to cut costs. A repair that might have been relatively inexpensive when first identified can become substantially more expensive if the underlying problem is allowed to worsen.

“Skipping routine car maintenance may seem harmless, especially when your vehicle still runs fine. But what experts call ‘deferred maintenance,’ or delaying scheduled service and needed repairs, can quietly lead to reduced fuel economy, expensive breakdowns, safety risks, and even major engine damage,” according to an article by the AAA.

It’s also not a cost-effective strategy.

“Skipping or postponing required repairs can be even more problematic, and small issues often become far more costly repairs when ignored for too long,” the group shared.

Skipping car maintenance can be serious

AAA also warned that the cost can go well beyond your car.

“Postponing or ignoring scheduled inspections of the many parts related to safety can put your family and other motorists at risk. A failure of any of these critical components could lead to a crash, resulting in injuries, property damage, and legal liability,” it shared.

The AAA offered a number of clear examples.

“Take brakes as an example. Skipping inspections could mean missing a brake issue that may not be noticeable during everyday driving but could reduce your ability to stop or control the car in an emergency. Undetected exhaust system leaks can allow carbon monoxide to enter the passenger compartment, while even a minor oil or fuel leak could lead to a vehicle fire,” added AAA.

Tires can be a particular problem that leads to an accident.

“About 9% of crashes involved a vehicle with tire problems just before the crash,” according to NHTSA data.

Related: Chapter 11 and Chapter 7 wave is part of a bigger problem for you

Apple could reportedly skip the iPhone 19 and jump directly to an iPhone 20 in 2027, marking the 20th anniversary of the original iPhone. The expected anniversary edition could have a radically different look with curved glass, thinner bezels, and a display that looks almost seamless.

Apple has not confirmed the iPhone 20 or any of these rumored specifications.

But for Apple (AAPL) investors, the question isn’t just what the phone may look like. The question is whether Apple can capitalize on another major hardware redesign to entice customers to upgrade and bolster a business that generated $109.4 billion in quarterly revenue in its most recently reported quarter.

Apple may be saving something big for 2027

The iPhone 20 would come out roughly 20 years after the original iPhone went on sale back in June 2007. That would give Apple a real opportunity to do something more dramatic than an annual processor or camera upgrade.

The timing is particularly interesting because Apple has already begun testing new iPhone form factors.

In September, the company announced its first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo. The device has a 7.6-inch internal display and a 5.4-inch external display and will launch Oct. 23.

Meanwhile, the iPhone 18 Pro features a smaller Dynamic Island, Apple’s new A20 Pro chip, and a new variable-aperture camera system.

Those advances could offer a few of the building blocks for a more radical anniversary iPhone.

The biggest rumored change is the glass

The most interesting rumor concerns the display of the iPhone 20.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman and The Information have previously suggested a mainly glass, edge-to-edge design with curved glass wrapping around the gadget, says Mashable. This might suggest an iPhone without the iconic notch or Dynamic Island eating into the display.

Related: Jim Cramer sends strong signal to Apple stock investors

Another claim from ETNews indicates that the anniversary iPhone may come with four-sided bending to get a more bezel-less look.

But there is a big catch.

Leaker Ice Universe has asked Apple whether it can produce a truly curved display at scale. Instead, the leaker has indicated Apple may utilize what amounts to a visual quad-curved design generating the illusion of curved borders without really bending the display in the same manner as a regular waterfall screen.

That would seem to align with Apple’s wider shift to a more fluid visual language.

Apple’s new software is using its Liquid Glass design across iPhone and other platforms, featuring transparent features and polished visual effects.

Apple is already building the software around the hardware

The rumored hardware redesign would also bring a broader software strategy.

At WWDC26, Apple introduced the next generation of Apple Intelligence and Siri AI, with smooth integration across iPhone and other Apple devices.

Then Apple launched Siri AI, a more powerful assistant that could understand personal context, be aware of what was happening on screen and take action across apps.

Apple also says its next-generation Apple Intelligence architecture combines on-device processing with Private Cloud Compute.

That matters for the iPhone 20 because Apple would potentially be selling customers a new physical design and a more capable software experience at the same time.

The financial case for a bigger upgrade cycle

Apple’s current financial position provides a reason for investors to do so on the iPhone roadmap.

In fiscal Q3 2026, Apple generated $109.4 billion in revenue, up 16% year over year. Diluted earnings per share rose 29% to $2.02, while iPhone, Mac and Services each set June-quarter revenue records.

Apple also said its installed base of active devices reached a record high in key product categories and geographic regions.

More Apple:

• Apple rewrites how Americans pay for iPhones
• Bank of America doubles down on Apple stock ahead of earnings
• Apple’s iPhone 18 AI bet hides a pricing trap

Earlier in fiscal 2026, Apple’s March quarter generated $111.2 billion in revenue, up 17%, with iPhone revenue reaching a March-quarter record and Services revenue hitting another all-time high.

Apple’s installed base size matters because any major iPhone redesign could have millions of existing customers who could be upgrade candidates.

Apple also makes it easier to finance upgrades. Apple is offering trade-in credits of up to $885 for eligible iPhones and carrier promotions of up to $1,200 for select iPhone 18 Pro trades.

The company has also broadened installment and leasing options, including Apple Upgrade.

Here’s where the iPhone 20 could help Apple stock

A successful anniversary iPhone might assist Apple in a number of ways.

First, a more striking design would persuade buyers with older iPhones to upgrade rather than wait another year.

Second, a bigger or better-end display might support higher average selling prices.

Third, enhanced Apple Intelligence capabilities might make the iPhone harder to replace with a rival device.

And fourth, new hardware might drive utilization of Apple’s larger services ecosystem.

Apple claimed its services platform now covers hundreds of millions of people, while new features will include Apple Pay, Maps, Find My, iCloud, Apple Music and other services.

These are possible benefits, not guarantyd ones. A radical redesign could add manufacturing complexity, more expense or customer resistance.

Wall Street is already watching Apple’s upgrade story

Apple’s stock has recently traded near record levels. On Sept. 22, shares briefly pushed Apple’s market value above $5 trillion.

Analyst views remain mixed. Current data shows price targets ranging from $245 to $405, with Bank of America at $370 and Evercore ISI at $380, while UBS has a $296 target.

That spread is why a future iPhone 20 redesign could matter to the stock story: investors are already weighing Apple’s premium valuation against the company’s ability to sustain growth.

The iPhone 20 still doesn’t exist. But if Apple makes its 20th anniversary a truly new hardware category rather than another incremental refresh, it could give investors another potential catalyst to watch as the company builds toward 2027.

Related: Apple’s $1,999 foldable iPhone creates strange twist for Samsung

That, at least to me, feels like a nonnegotiable reward for working hard. Yes, I’m spending $4-6 on something I can make at home, but it’s an ingrained ritual that’s a pleasant part of my day, and something that’s a fixed cost, not an indulgence.

But buying an $8-$12 smoothie from Jamba Juice, Smoothie King, or the new place opening down the road from me, Bora Bora Smoothie Cafe? That choice seems increasingly difficult to justify as consumers become more selective about where they spend, while GLP-1 drugs add another challenge for food and beverage companies.

“As households navigate ongoing financial pressures, consumers are becoming more intentional about where they spend, balancing health, wellness, and enjoyment while prioritizing the outcomes they value — a shift further shaped by growing GLP-1 adoption,” Circana reported in its 2026/2027 Global Food and Beverage Outlook.

The market makes a chain like Jamba Juice, which has terminated 116 franchise agreements and had another 14 operators not renew, a challenge to operate.

Jamba Juice loses 130 franchise operators

Jamba Juice sells smoothies, blended coffee, fruit and acai bowls, various drinks, oatmeal, and juices.

The company, which is franchised, reported that it has lost a lot of locations.

In a “special risks” section of its 2026 franchise disclosure document (FDD), which can be downloaded here, the smoothie chain revealed that 130 Jamba Juice franchise agreements have not survived the last three years.

“During the last three years, 130 outlets were terminated, not renewed, reacquired, or ceased operations for other reasons. This franchise could be a higher-risk investment than a franchise in a system with a lower turnover rate,” the company shared.

The 2025 FDD shows that the chain closed nearly 50 stores (although it also added locations). Most of those were the company terminating the franchise deal. Only three of the stores that closed in 2025 were franchise operators deciding not to renew.

There was a net loss of 17 when offset by the openings.

“In an unusual twist, that turnover rate has been overwhelmingly driven by franchise terminations, the document reveals, with some 116 Jamba Juice franchises being terminated since the beginning of 2023. Over that same period, only 13 franchises were listed as non-renewals, and just one store ceased operations for another reason,” Fast Company reported.

Jamba is performing well below industry norms.

“The high level of terminations is not typical of Jamba’s competitive set. By comparison, rival Tropical Smoothie Cafe had only 28 terminations over the same three-year period, despite that chain having a much larger footprint. Planet Smoothie, a smaller competitor, had just 4 terminations,” added Fast Company.

Jamba had 893 locations at the end of 2015 with 818 being in the United States, according to an SEC filing.

What does it cost to open a Jamba Juice?

Jamba Juice explains its franchise model on its website: “Every market is different. That’s why Jamba offers multiple development formats designed to match different investment goals, locations, and growth strategies,” the company shared.

The company shared the costs of its various models:

• Traditional store: Starting at $480,850 
• Drive-thru: Starting at $517,000
• Nontraditional investment (like a mall food court or rest stop): Starting at $249,025

The company also shared its financial requirements:

• Initial franchise fee: $35,500
• Minimum liquid capital: $120,000
• Minimum net worth: $300,000
• Estimated initial investment for a traditional store without a drive-thru: $481,000 to $941,000

A traditional Jamba store requires an estimated initial investment of $480,850 to $941,300, according to the company’s 2026 FDD.

Jamba faces an economic problem

Starbucks has seen its U.S. same-store sales climb, which suggests that even in a challenging economy, the company’s customers see its coffee, snacks, and meals as an affordable indulgence.

“North America comparable store sales increased 8.1%, primarily driven by a 4.5% increase in comparable transactions and a 3.5% increase in average ticket; U.S. comparable store sales increased 7.9%, primarily driven by a 4.2% increase in comparable transactions and a 3.6% increase in average ticket,” the company shared in its third-quarter earnings release.

Jamba’s closures suggest the people don’t see the chain’s products the same way, according to RTM Nexus CEO Dominick Miserandino.

“The challenge for Jamba is that a smoothie is easier to cut out of the budget than coffee. Coffee has become part habit, part ritual, and part reward. A smoothie may be healthier or more substantial, but at $9, consumers are much more likely to look at it and say, ‘I don’t really need that today,'” he told TheStreet.

Consumers have become more careful with their money, according to EY-Parthenon Americas Retail Sector Leader Will Auchincloss.

“More than half of consumers report saving nothing, and one in five households are spending beyond their income. For retailers, demand remains intact but increasingly selective, making value, affordability and clear differentiation more important than ever,” he said in an EY-Parthenon release based on an August survey.

These Jamba locations closed in 2026

Jamba has not shared which locations have closed, but, according to its store locator, these shut down in 2026.

• 6000 J St Student Union, Sacramento, CA 95819
• 6050 Main St, American Canyon, CA 94503 1570 Disneyland Dr, Anaheim, CA
• 92802 32358 Dyer St, Union City, CA 94587 1497 Adams Ave, El Centro, CA
• 92243 921 Topsy Ln #412, Carson City, NV 89705 6440 N MacArthur Blvd, Irving, TX 75039 4
• 502 S Steele St Ste. #381, Tacoma, WA 98409

Related: Chapter 11 and Chapter 7 wave is part of a bigger problem for you

Here are the results the company posted, compared alongside analyst expectations sourced by LSEG:

• Total revenue: $95.72 billion, +11.1% YoY (vs. $94.859 billion)
• Earnings per share: $6.75 (vs. $6.53)

You can follow along with live updates on TheStreet.com, where our live blog will update automatically with updates as they come available.

But new figures from AutoZone (AZO) tell a deeper narrative.

The retailer generated $20.3 billion in fiscal 2026 sales, up 7.4% from the prior year. Earnings for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026 jumped 15.1% to $56.05 a share.

Yet its most important consumer-facing number was considerably less impressive: Domestic same-store sales increased only 1.6% during the final 16 weeks of the year.

That is a sharp deceleration from the full-year increase of 3.3%.

Meanwhile, official inflation data reveals why the consumer is under pressure. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said the cost of maintaining and repairing motor vehicles was up 5.2% in August from a year ago.

So, although Americans are spending more to keep their cars on the road, AutoZone’s latest results suggest they are not exactly rushing out to spend on every repair or accessory.

The American car is getting old

There’s a great power at work beneath the whole automotive aftermarket.

AutoZone says two stats have the closest long-term relationship with its market growth: miles driven and the number of vehicles at least seven years old.

The company, in its most recent filing, cited data from S&P Global Mobility showing the average age of light vehicles in the U.S. has reached 12.8 years.

Related: Overlooked EV stock surges despite buyers abandoning zero-emission cars

That makes for a strange consumer equation.

Older cars typically need more maintenance. But changing an old car to a new one can be a lot pricier. It’s an increasing incentive for drivers to get more life out of the cars already parked in their driveways.

That’s the kind of consumer behavior that, over time, can benefit the automotive aftermarket.

AutoZone earnings suggest drivers doing maintenance more selectively

AutoZone’s domestic comparable-store sales climbed just 1.6% in the fourth quarter, while the company’s domestic commercial business surged 8.6% to $1.91 billion.

Year-to-date domestic commercial sales rose 10.6% to $5.76 billion.

The distinction is essential.

More Automotive:

• Toyota doubles down on EVs while rivals retreat
• Mazda just made a big change under tariff pressure
• Key auto parts maker closes factory, lays off 325 workers

The commercial business serves repair shops, dealers, service stations, fleet operators, and other professional clients. This aspect is considerably more related to the behavior of individual drivers regarding when and how much they spend.

For example, AutoZone’s presentation reveals that commercial programs were in 94% of its U.S. locations by the end of fiscal 2026.

Professional repair activity, based on its figures, is a more powerful engine for the firm’s development than its larger consumer business.

These car costs are rising

The cost of keeping a car on the road is still increasing. The latest BLS data shows motor vehicle maintenance and repair prices rose 5.2% year over year in August.

Motor vehicle maintenance and servicing increased 7.9%, while repair costs for motor vehicles increased 2.6%.

That gives a nice opening to do-it-yourself customers.

AutoZone does not provide car repair or installation services. Instead, it sells replacement parts, accessories, and maintenance goods directly to customers and also supplies professional repair organizations.

If professional labor becomes more costly, some car owners could have another motivation to DIY minor fixes.

AutoZone’s data don’t show that customers are turning to DIY repairs because labor prices are rising. But the aging fleet of vehicles, increasing maintenance charges, and AutoZone’s concentration on its DIY business combine to produce a consumer trend worth monitoring.

AutoZone bets on faster parts access

AutoZone isn’t simply opening traditional stores and waiting for customers.

The company opened 175 stores during the fourth quarter, including 97 in the U.S., 68 in Mexico, and 10 in Brazil. That brought its global store count to 8,031.

It also opened 16 new U.S. Mega Hub stores during the quarter.

The strategy is increasingly about having the right part there quickly. AutoZone’s growth priorities are expanding hubs and mega hubs, improving assortment and coverage, delivering the “best merchandise at the right price,” and using technology to improve the customer experience.

For a motorist with a broken-down car, availability might be nearly as important as pricing.

An automobile in a driveway or maintenance bay is an immediate issue. The store that can supply the needed part fast has a built-in advantage.

Investors should note inventory numbers

AutoZone’s inventory climbed 10.1% over the year to $7.74 billion. Inventory per store also increased 5% to $963,000.

This suggests the company’s strategy is to add more items and expand the shop network, even when same-store consumer sales are relatively low.

The investment would help the firm strengthen its inventory offering for both DIY and professional consumers, the company said.

That might become more essential as cars age and repairs become more costly.

AutoZone’s $20 billion question

In the end, AutoZone’s fiscal 2026 figures tell two distinct tales.

The company crossed $20 billion in annual sales for the first time. Operating profit rose 3.1%, net income increased 3%, and EPS climbed 5.3%.

It also repurchased $2 billion of its stock during the year and ended fiscal 2026 with another $1.6 billion available under its authorization.

But the consumer story is more complex.

Americans are keeping older cars longer. Maintenance and repair expenditures are increasing.

But in the home market, same-store sales growth dropped substantially last quarter.

That means the next phase of the automotive aftermarket isn’t just about Americans spending more on their automobiles. It might be about how they use their cars.

For a store focused on keeping older vehicles on the road, this difference may become more relevant for fiscal 2027.

Related: Your car could soon spend your money

The suspension followed a safety audit that turned up a number of deficiencies in the airline’s operating and management systems, as well as concerns over the overall airworthiness of an aging fleet.

The suspension was described as “precautionary and provisional” by ANAC, which means the AOC was not fully revoked and can be regained if the issues raised in the audit are resolved, A21 reported.

But without a valid AOC issued by the government regulatory agency where the airline is based, a carrier cannot legally run or sell any flights to passengers. As a result, Total Linhas Aéreas has been grounded since the start of September.

Brazilian charter airline Total Linhas Aéreas begins returning planes

The carrier was launched out of the Brazilian capital of Brasilia in 1998 and grew to run a range of charter and cargo flights within the large South American country.

Total Linhas Aéreas was the main provider of air mail services for Brazilian national postal service Correios, and its fleet included five Boeing 737-400 freighter planes.

Related: Another low-cost airline is betting big on Colombia travel

The latest reporting on the airline from ch-aviation indicates that Total Linhas Aéreas has begun returning some of its leased Boeing planes to the manufacturer to reduce its financial obligations.

It also reportedly has lost its contract with Correios due to its inability to run flights. Without the planes, a timely restart now looks increasingly unlikely.

Total Linhas Aéreas says it is “working to reverse” suspended license

The airline has not elaborated on the details of its situation or a time frame for resuming flights, but previously issued a statement saying it is “working to reverse” the suspended AOC.

“The company is working to reverse ANAC’s decision,” a Total Linhas Aéreas representative said in a press release, translated from Portuguese, issued earlier in the month. “We will keep the market updated on the matter.”

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To do this, the airline must demonstrate the correct operation of its Operational Safety Management System (SGSO) and Continued Analysis and Surveillance System (SASC) to ANAC regulators.

Airlines that have lost AOCs since the start of 2026:

• Izhavia: Russian regional airline Izhavia had its AOC revoked by the country’s aviation regulatory agency in July 2026 as Western sanctions over Russia’s war in Ukraine left the country’s aviation industry crippled by a lack of Western parts and reduced ability to ensure maintenance standards.
• Bestfly Aircraft Management Aruba: The Caribbean branch of the African charter airline Bestfly Aircraft Management Aruba lost its AOC in May 2026. The Aruban branch was established in 2017 to run flights between the Caribbean countries of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao.
• Starflite Aviation: Houston-based Starflite Aviation had its AOC license revoked in March 2026, amid FAA claims that owners falsified pilot training records to bypass safety audits.
• AlpAvia: Slovenian charter airline AlpAvia also shut down in March 2026 due to financial problems.

Related: Another airline gets license suspended, all flights off

The Danish drugmaker behind Wegovy and Ozempic gathered analysts in London to explain how it plans to grow beyond its two blockbuster franchises. CEO Mike Doustdar, who took over the role in 2025, used much of that time to be honest about the risks the company faces this decade.

American depositary shares of Novo Nordisk closed almost 8% lower after the event, the sharpest single-day drop in more than six months. In Copenhagen, local shares fell about 7% and added to the stock’s decline for the year, which now stands at roughly 22%. That kind of one-day drop is unusual for a stock this size, and it caught many Novo shareholders off guard.

Novo Nordisk stock drops 8% after CEO’s investor day warning

Doustdar opened Novo’s Capital Markets Day in London by naming the risk that analysts have been asking about for the past year. “Let me get the elephant in the room out. Semaglutide LOE (loss of exclusivity) is what’s on most people’s mind and rightfully so,” he told the audience, according to CNBC.

Semaglutide is the active ingredient in both Wegovy, a weight-loss injection, and Ozempic, a diabetes injection. The US patent for the drug expires in 2032. Together those two products account for roughly 75% of Novo’s total revenue, and the US market alone made up more than half of the company’s global sales last year, B!gGo Finance reported.

That level of concentration is why the market reacted so sharply. When a company’s growth outlook depends this heavily on one ingredient, the patent expiration date affects every future earnings estimate. Doustdar’s willingness to name the risk directly left investors with fewer reasons to expect stronger earnings growth in the coming years.

Wegovy and Ozempic still generate most of Novo Nordisk’s revenue

Novo Nordisk earns most of its money by discovering and manufacturing prescription drugs, and its business now depends heavily on obesity and diabetes treatments. Wegovy and Ozempic generate most of the company’s sales. The company also sells insulin products, rare disease therapies, and a newer Wegovy pill.

More Healthcare Stocks:

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BMO Capital Markets analyst Evan Seigerman, wrote that “Novo remains a show-me story” after the presentation. He also added that investors need clearer visibility on next-generation medicines before confidence rebuilds.

Seigerman also noted that Novo’s own targets point to about 3.6% annual revenue growth until the end of 2030, a pace he told Reuters was already expected. When management guides to what the market already predicts, the stock has little gains to work with.

Eli Lilly’s Medicare lead adds pressure to Novo Nordisk

Novo faces even more pressure when you look at what its main US rival is doing. Eli Lilly (LLY) CEO Dave Ricks told CNBC on Monday that Medicare’s new Bridge program, which launched in July and lets seniors access GLP-1s for a $50 monthly co-pay, has brought about 700,000 new senior patients into the weight-loss market. Ricks said 70% of those patients are on Lilly medicines.

Related: Jim Cramer sends strong 5-word message on surging biotech stock

“We’re capturing about seven out of 10 of those new patients,” Ricks said, crediting most of that share to Lilly’s Zepbound, a weight-loss injection. He called the rollout “very market expansionary, which is what we had hoped.”

Lilly held roughly 61% of the combined US obesity and diabetes GLP-1 market in the second quarter of 2026, compared with about 39% for Novo. Doustdar acknowledged that pressure directly at the London event, telling investors, “We created an incredibly attractive market, and now almost every other single pharma company, big or small, is trying to come and compete with us.”

What Novo Nordisk investors should watch before November earnings

The next Novo update comes on November 4, when the company reports its results for the first nine months of 2026. That report will give a fresh look at Wegovy and Ozempic prescription trends and US pricing.

The FDA decision on CagriSema, Novo’s next-generation obesity drug that is expected in the fourth quarter of 2026, is also worth paying attention to. Approval would give the company a new product to promote alongside Wegovy while the semaglutide patent still applies.

However, even if CagriSema gets FDA approval, Wall Street will still want proof that patients, insurers, and doctors prefer it over Lilly’s Zepbound and the eventual arrival of generic semaglutide. Between now and February’s full-year results, the market will judge whether Doustdar’s honest comments mark the start of a real change for the business.

Related: Morgan Stanley uncovers major Bristol Myers stock signals

Why we love this deal

During the colder months, there’s nothing cozier than snuggling under a warm blanket while doing your favorite activity. Watching movies, reading the newest series, playing games, or just relaxing before bed are all made better when you have a heated blanket. They heat up quickly, have heat settings for different temperatures, and have safety features so you don’t have to worry about accidentally falling asleep. Heated blankets can also help you cut costs on central heating, as you can stay warm wherever you are without having to heat up the whole house. 

The Homlyns Heated Throw Blanket offers warmth and safety in a durable package. With an extra long cord and plush, soft fabric, it’s a game changer for cold nights at home. Shoppers can save 25% off at Amazon, getting this blanket for only $30. 

Homlyns Heated Throw Blanket, $30 (was $40) at Amazon

Why do shoppers love it?

This throw blanket features four layers of comfort, including a luxury sherpa, heating wires that include overheating protection for safety, a layer that fixes the wires in place for even heat distribution, and the outer flannel layer that’s super soft. The Negative and Positive Temperature Coefficient (NTC and PTC) help to prevent dangerous voltage spikes, allowing power to pass smoothly through the blanket without worrying. This allows the blanket to heat up evenly and quickly without over heating, hot spots, or cold spots.

Related: Amazon’s $42 space heater ‘heats up in seconds’

The cord is a super-long 8.5 feet, allowing you to plug it in anywhere nearby without worrying about an extension chord. The blanket is also machine washable, making it convenient and easy to use. The five heat settings offer heat from 86 degrees to 115 degrees fahrenheit, and the three-hour automatic shutoff prevents overheating and fires. It’s an ideal option for the sofa, working from home at your desk, or laying in bed.

Details to know

• Material: Polyester sherpa.
• Heating: This blanket has five settings that range from 86 degrees to 115 degrees.
• Colors: The purple option is the best price, but they also offer other colors at varied prices. 

“What an awesome addition to my daily comfort essentials,” wrote one shopper. “This heated throw is soft and cozy. It washes well. After each wash, it is just as comfortable as when first purchased. For the affordable price, it exceeds expectations.”

Another buyer wrote, “This blanket is great! It’s plush, soft, and warm — even with no heat on.”

Shop more deals

• Bearkiss Heated Flannel Throw Blanket, $30 (was $37) at Amazon
• Molatink Pink Heated Throw Blanket, $28 (was $37) at Amazon
• Molantik Twin Heated Blanket, $34 (was $40) at Amazon

The Homlyns Heated Throw Blanket is convenient for everyday use, and helps keep the cost of heating down. The long cord allows you to use it almost anywhere in your home, and it’s easy to clean. At just $30, this heated blanket is a steal at Amazon.

Wells Fargo analyst Aaron Rakers, ranked 5th out of 12,523 Wall Street analysts on TipRanks with a 73% success rate, has just demonstrated exactly that kind of conviction. Aaron cut his Micron stock price target, yes, but then raised his earnings estimates.

That combination tells a story about where the memory market is heading into Micron’s fourth-quarter earnings on Sept. 30. And it is not the bearish one the headline number might suggest.

Micron Technology (MU) reached an all-time closing high of approximately $1,213.37 in June 2026, driven by massive AI-fueled demand, stellar earnings, and long-term strategic customer agreements

Currently, MU trades around $1,075, up 281.92% year-to-date (YTD) and 555.70% over the past year, according to Yahoo Finance. This is after it hit an all-time high of $1,255 on June 25 before pulling back. 

Slickcharts shows that it is the fourth-best S&P 500 performer YTD, trailing only SanDisk, Moderna, and Dell.

Also Read: Micron Technology Inc. Latest News

What Rakers actually did and why both numbers matter

Wells Fargo lowered its Micron price target to $1,400 from $1,525 while maintaining an Overweight rating, according to a note shared with TheStreet. I know the 8% cut in the target sounds like bad news. But the rest of the note has a different story.

Wells Fargo simultaneously raised its fiscal 2027 EPS estimate by approximately 5% and its fiscal 2028 estimate by more than 10% compared to prior forecasts.

The firm now projects fiscal 2027 revenue of $261.3 billion with EPS of $166, and fiscal 2028 revenue of $287.8 billion with EPS of $178. Both estimates sit roughly 5% above Street consensus for those years.

More on Micron

• History of Micron: The story behind the computer memory giant
• Micron Technology’s stock buybacks explained
• Who owns Micron Technology? A look at its top investors

I know investors will keep debating whether Micron’s peak earnings are both real and sustainable. That uncertainty can weigh on the valuation multiple the stock commands, even as the underlying earnings trajectory continues to improve.

That is a different problem than “the business is weakening.” It is “the market will need more convincing before it pays full value.”

Wells Fargo also estimates that Micron’s free cash flow will exceed $125 billion annually, with 100% shareholder returns beginning in Dec. 2026. That figure alone tells you what Rakers thinks the business looks like on the other side of this debate.

Micron’s earnings setup heading into earnings

Micron guided fiscal Q4 2026 revenue of $50 billion, plus or minus $1 billion, with a non-GAAP gross margin of approximately 86%, according to a company statement. 

Those numbers would represent another enormous sequential step from the Q3 results I covered earlier.

For context: 

• Q3 fiscal 2026 showed DRAM revenue of $31.3 billion, up 343% year over year (YOY)
• NAND revenue hit $9.9 billion, up 361%YOY 
• Data center revenue exceeded $25 billion for the quarter, an annualized run rate above $100 billion. 
• HBM4 shipments crossed $1 billion in revenue. 
  • Source: Micron Q3 Fiscal 2026 Results

What Wall Street thinks of Micron

• JPMorgan raised its price target to $1,540 from $550 while maintaining an Overweight rating.
• BofA reiterated a Buy rating and $1,550 price target.
• Stifel maintained a Buy with a $1,500 target, citing expectations for Micron to exceed consensus in both Q4 and Q1 fiscal 2027, with supply agreements providing revenue support even amid near-term shipment constraints. 
• TD Cowen holds a $1,600 Buy target and describes the company as “mid-cycle in demand growth.” 
• Susquehanna sits at the high end of the range with a $2,000 target, citing structural AI-driven memory tightness. 
• Citi raised its target to $1,300 from $1,150, projecting worsening undersupply through 2031 driven by AI demand.
• The Lynx Research note I reported on Sept. 8 set a $1,325 target, framing Micron as “primed for a breakout to the upside”

The bigger Micron story behind the numbers

Every person who uses an AI assistant, every company deploying AI agents, every data center humming with GPU workloads is creating demand for the memory Micron makes. 

HBM4 — the stacked memory that sits directly inside Nvidia’s most powerful AI chips — is sold out through 2027 and into 2028, according to TheStreet.

The supply agreements Micron has been signing are multi-year commitments that turn what was once a volatile commodity cycle into something closer to contracted infrastructure revenue.

Wells Fargo’s through-cycle EPS estimate of $75 to $90 and gross margin in the low-to-mid 70% range reflects what the baseline business looks like even in a weaker year. 

The $166 and $178 EPS projections for fiscal 2027 and 2028 show what Micron’s earnings power could look like during the current AI infrastructure supercycle.

That gap is at the heart of the debate Rakers identified, and it explains why the price target fell even as earnings estimates moved higher. The market will eventually resolve that debate with a multiple. So, Sept. 30 is the next data point in that resolution.

Related: Micron, SanDisk get new aggressive price targets from top analyst

Caroline Woods:
Joining me now is Rebecca Walser, founder and CEO of Walser Wealth Management. Rebecca, great to have you back. It’s been a little while now.

Rebecca Walser:
It has been so glad to be back.

Caroline Woods:
So let’s start with the temperature check of the market. Stocks are lower again today as yields are higher. How are you feeling about the market right now.

Rebecca Walser:
You know energy prices back up. More pressure again on crude. And that obviously has a reverberating effect. You know just got an interest rate hike by Warsh our new fed you know chair. So that indicates that we could be on a hiking cycle. It’s really hard for me to think that we will hike in October right before the midterms.

Rebecca Walser:
That’s usually a political No-No. So I think we could see a pause, but otherwise we could get a hike in October. And certainly I do believe with the current data that we will also see a December hike. So on a hiking cycle, what happens is people are realizing that the existing bonds that they’re going to own are going to be worth less, not worthless, but worth less in the future as rates are risen from what they are currently holding.

Rebecca Walser:
And that’s why a lot of people start to sell their bonds into a hiking cycle, because they realize this is going to become more heavily discounted the longer I hold. So they might actually liquidate. And that’s why you’re seeing yields going up as well.

Caroline Woods:
Okay. So how you’re feeling about the stock market is bullish bearish neutral.

Rebecca Walser:
It’s so hard right. Because a couple of factors we are at right before an election. And we think that this election is indicating that the houses will change ownership to the Democratic side, which means we’ll now have a divided government. The Republican as a as the president and, Democratic House. That means that we’re going to potentially have a lame duck presidency the next two years.

Rebecca Walser:
Impeachment, a lot of just just noise and not a lot of action. So then we look at what’s going on globally in the world. All right. We’ve got still the Iranian war that’s getting, increasing pressure. And we’re seeing oil increasing in pressure. So that is a pressure point that affects all supply chains and all iterative, you know, supply scales down the road.

Rebecca Walser:
Then on top of all of that, we have the most capital need that we have really seen Caroline, since the second industrial revolution, the steam engine, the railroads, the robber barons of that era. Those are the Nvidia’s that Microsoft, the Amazons, the hyperscalers that Google, the alphabet’s. Those are the robber barons of today saying, we are going to build the AI platform and ensure infrastructure globally.

Rebecca Walser:
We are hoping that America leads the way globally, and that requires a lot of capital. We have that need of capital coming at the same time that we have a five year after a five year window of pandemic stimulus globally, where the world printed about 20 trillion, the equivalent of 2020 U.S. dollars in domestic currencies globally. So you already have the central banks of large balance sheets and needing to raise capital still to maintain that, as well as that the capital spend from the hyperscalers and all of companies going to AI and the middle of a war and the middle of an election, lame duck presidency.

Rebecca Walser:
So the the innovation that is happening is the largest technological transfer in the history of mankind. It is the thing that we have been waiting on. So it is the only thing that could overcome all of those things. Caroline, to still give us positive momentum, we could end the market anywhere from, you know, 250 lower on the S&P all the way up to 8000 in the green on the S&P.

Rebecca Walser:
Circumstances determine these next couple of months okay.

Caroline Woods:
So breaking it down a bit more though if you can get 5% in treasuries right now with considerably less risk given everything that you’ve been talking about.

Rebecca Walser:
Yes.

Caroline Woods:
Can you make the case that you should be owning stocks right now?

Rebecca Walser:
I can make the case. It should be on stocks because you want to buy. And at this frontier level, like we are at the precipice of the frontier. It is beginning. It has just begun. So this is, believe it or not, the cheapest price entry point, even though you can compare it. And I’ve seen analysts say, oh my gosh, what 18 months ago.

Rebecca Walser:
Oh my gosh. This you know we have analysts coming out saying JP Morgan coming out saying we don’t know how to forecast crude oil because we don’t know what’s going to happen. So yes, all of the noise aside, we are in the middle of an innovative technological cycle, the largest ever. And if you don’t participate, not you will be behind.

Rebecca Walser:
You will be a laggard compared to everyone else. So you have to take some risks. You have to participate. But yes, for your safe dollars for your yield, dollars for your income plays that you know you want. I need this much income a year, then for sure take some risk off the table and go into those types of things.

Rebecca Walser:
But you cannot take all of your risk off the table because you will be missing out on this innovation.

Caroline Woods:
Yeah, you were here last in April and you basically said investors shouldn’t be sitting in cash, right? Despite the fact that you saw volatility ahead. So investors should still be putting new money to work right now.

Rebecca Walser:
Yeah. The best advice I can give to the lay person who has no proof of financial professional go online, look at Google, a risk tool, a risk assessment tool. See how much risk once you really, really are willing to take with these really comprehensive tools, and then that amount that you’re willing to take that needs to be positioned in the frontier in the stock market.

Caroline Woods:
Okay. So let’s talk about where you’re putting money to work. Yeah. You obviously are talking about this innovation with I like AI quantum storage energy. Which names are you buying right now.

Rebecca Walser:
Yeah. So we love ASML because they have basically a monopoly is extreme ultra like lithography. So basically ASML is the one that is imprinting the chips the semiconductors. And so because they use extreme ultraviolet, this is new technology or newer technology that is proven to be better than all of the other producers. So based on that they have a superior technology and a monopoly.

Rebecca Walser:
But the thing I like about them is 49% of their revenue in Q2 came from storage and memory. So they are on both sides of the play. So ASML is a great addition. And I think even if you think it’s, you know, a little on the higher side, it’s got the runway. The runway is what we’re looking at on storage.

Rebecca Walser:
We still have micron obviously they report next week. So micron has been a huge winner on the software side. We like a Datadog. It’s a AI play software. But it’s still in the software family. You can’t just discount software as a complete, you know, part of technology. So no, don’t just discount it completely. It’s been over routed down the net.

Rebecca Walser:
We saw recover and is coming coming back down again. So you need to look at individual names and see. Yeah this is software but it’s software related to AI infrastructure, AI servers, AI compute. And so it’s something that will be and another parlance coming forward and going forward.

Caroline Woods:
What are you I know I was taking a look at your notes and you’re you’re bullish obviously on the AI investment opportunity. But you’re also very concerned about AI safety. What would have to happen for AI safety concerns to actually become a market risk?

Rebecca Walser:
Oh wow. This is such a huge topic. So, you know, you had the anthropic, researcher and he used to work for OpenAI. I resign recently and say, you know, I could kill 10% of humanity. And then you had all of that can kind of form really fast. You know, Sam Altman on one side, Elon Musk on the other, of course.

Rebecca Walser:
And, you know, Altman saying that he would be willing to slow things down and see if, you know, to to. But the question is, the highest level question that has to be answered is who is the regulator? Is it going to be private, a third party private that everyone pays money into, the corporations contribute to? Is it a government?

Rebecca Walser:
Do we have a government oversight of this? I think we saw with Congress and and the failing to get clarity out of the Senate that the federal government regulating is a problem. We certainly cannot have state governments wrangling AI because that’s too much of a hodgepodge. That’s litigation nightmare. AI will quickly reroute outside of the United States. It will not do it.

Rebecca Walser:
50 different state attorney general. So I can tell you that that is a no go if we have federal level oversight, if we have private third party oversight that everyone pays into, there has to be Caroline at the ultimate infrastructure, some kind of human AI killswitch. There still has to be ultimate control by humans. When you get into the 2001 A Space Odyssey and how taking over the mission is where there is no kill switch at the top level that is still controlled by humans because the machines are so smart and they do something called recursive learning, which means they might not be sentient in the sense that they are thinking, but what they do

Rebecca Walser:
is they learn from their learning. So once they learn something that goes into their database of learning now, they already know it. Now they’ll use that learning to. So they are frontier, moving their learning forward recursively. It’s a little bit different than being sentient and thinking, but it is very similar. And so, what that means is we have seen and we have documented examples.

Rebecca Walser:
I don’t know if Hugging face was the best example of, breaking out of a sandbox, which a sandbox is a controlled environment where you can do all kinds of testing. But there have been examples of an engineer that basically was programing the AI to shut down. And the I reached out to him and was blackmailing him. So we do know that these things happen, and it doesn’t do us any good to say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, we’ll deal with that and then not discuss it.

Rebecca Walser:
It needs to be discussed. It needs to be. The architecture framework of control by humans still has yet to be determined, and it needs to be determined and laid out.

Caroline Woods:
Okay. Let’s move outside of tech and talk about other areas of the market. Yeah. Given the risks that you’ve laid out and you’re saying that really tech is the only thing that can supersede all of those risks, where else would you be putting money right now?

Rebecca Walser:
So I think that, you know, any time we go to an extreme and you see, you know, semis rob down, tech route down. We look at staples right. We want to right now of course we’re going to we would be making energy plays because we still do think that with the consternation going back and forth with Iran, we can still make short term price action gains with energy.

Rebecca Walser:
So we still do like energy on the short term. Longer term, I couldn’t tell you because, you know, the resolution with the Venezuelan oil deal, we might see a price drop on crude. So longer term, I couldn’t say. But anytime we see a rounding away from tech, from technicals, we want to look at the staples we want to be and utilities and staples for, going through any kind of rocky periods, recessionary.

Caroline Woods:
Period, any names that you like in.

Rebecca Walser:
Particular. You know, staples. We like McDonald’s actually. And believe it or not. And it’s interesting because, you know, I hear people analysts say, well, yeah, but, you know, McDonald’s with the GLP ones and all of these things, only about 19% of our population is projected to be on GLP one by 2030. So that still leaves a massive amount.

Rebecca Walser:
And really, unfortunately, the shoppers of McDonald’s and GLP ones could be a disparate group because as you socioeconomically advanced, maybe you’re going to McDonald’s less. You’re able to afford a GLP one people that are going to McDonald’s on a religious basis, probably not affording GLP ones. And so we really do have to look at the bifurcated economy and see which stocks will play to the bottom half of the K.

Rebecca Walser:
I think McDonald’s is one of those stocks.

Caroline Woods:
What are what about in terms of hard assets?

Rebecca Walser:
You know I love gold. So I do love gold. And that this thing the thing is, is that people get looked at gold for short term price action, gain. And you could have a short term price action gain. Obviously we got all the way above 5000. That was amazing, but also painful when you go when you dip back down to the 4000 mark and then so investors really feel like they got slighted there.

Rebecca Walser:
Listen gold is the barometer, the single barometer of how much inflated money supply this world has printed. And it is not reconciled yet to that. But as we move to digital finance, stablecoins, all of these tokenized everything, we will have to transition our money supply to there. And I think, Caroline, that is when gold is going to shine because we’re going to see, oh my God, you have printed so much more money.

Rebecca Walser:
And gold has not been reevaluated to reflect that. And that’s when you’re going to see, I mean, gold could be $18,000 an ounce based on how much money we’ve printed. So long term. Gold is the asset to make sure you have in your portfolio.

Caroline Woods:
Okay. So you you were still looking for growth with tech. Yeah. You’re definitely playing defense. Sold staples.

Rebecca Walser:
Yes.

Caroline Woods:
What would make you more aggressive and less cautious.

Rebecca Walser:
Having the election over and having a non divided government so that President Trump can continue his very pro growth, pro I pro infrastructure, pro digital finance, agenda. You know that would be very positive. The Iranian war solution that is resolved and complete. None of this six day MOU that then is done within two weeks. You know so I real resolution which I don’t know you’ll ever get to with a country like Iran.

Rebecca Walser:
So how do we reconcile that? How do we deal with JP Morgan analyst saying we don’t know how to price crude because of what’s going on? There’s no there’s no way to forecast this. It’s so erratic. So that needs to be resolved. China Taiwan needs to be resolved, especially with the reliance of all of the chip supply.

Rebecca Walser:
You know, ingredients from Taiwan and China is chomping at the bit to to get control of that. We are in an economic war with China. They get control of Taiwan with their influence on semis. And we are looking at a totally different economic picture here. So all of these massive things that are just not getting resolved, I would I would really want resolved.

Caroline Woods:
So it sounds like you might be cautious for a while then. Cash are you sitting in.

Rebecca Walser:
You know I think that’s really cash is is developed and determined by the individual investor because, you know, you’ve got people on all different stages of life. But honestly, I think that we do want some dry powder right now. We want some dry powder though to buy, right. To buy on dips, to buy when things look really ugly and people are like, oh my gosh.

Rebecca Walser:
And we’re like, let’s buy some more ASML, let’s buy some more Nvidia. So you definitely want cash, but you also want cash right now because things could get really dicey as far as credit card financing payments. I mean, credit card interest rates are going to be going up. We don’t want to have to have clients living on or even using those credit cards.

Rebecca Walser:
We need that cash flow for liquidity just in case. We have to get through a little bit of a, of a difficult time.

Caroline Woods:
Okay. So what sort of dip are you looking for to put some of that money to work. What does dicey look like?

Rebecca Walser:
You know, I think.

Caroline Woods:
Because we, we I mean, we have a 3/10 of a percent decline in the S&P 500.

Rebecca Walser:
Right now. The thing is that you really have to look at your stop losses to this is something that you have to analyze and you have to say, are myself losses too shallow to be automatically triggered as the volatility picks up closer to the election? What they were all of these things that something that people need to look at because people can get stopped out and they don’t mean to be because they just didn’t realize that the volatility was so high.

Rebecca Walser:
So, you know, I’m saying that, you know, a 10% pullback wouldn’t surprise me at all. It would not be surprising. And I would definitely be looking to buy the dip, something that was more than 10% when we started to look at what’s the structure, what has changed do we need to really be. But we’re as you can hear, Caroline, we’re really prepared for things to get dicey because we’re expecting that we’ve got a lot of fires that are just being contained right now.

Rebecca Walser:
They could pop off at any time. So.

Caroline Woods:
So the advice for the everyday retail investor who maybe wants the 10% decline to have a buying opportunity, but what’s the strategy as they think about investing their all time highs, not wanting to miss out on potentially higher returns, but also preparing for what could be a correction? Yeah.

Rebecca Walser:
It’s exactly what we’re doing. So the first thing you need to understand is what is your actual risk appetite. You need to go online. There’s a bunch of free tools. Take a really, in-depth analytical analysis tool of what is your risk once you know your risk tolerance. And it’s not usually on the scale from 0 to 99 zero B no risk nine nine B and you’re like, you’re you know, you’re leveraged and and you’re 401k and put it in the Nvidia.

Rebecca Walser:
So that would be the most risk. So once you know your risk appetite that’s how much dollars we would want to look to put towards capital work on the frontier. That’s the risk. Those are the I those are the quantum. So those are the the the storage the memories. Everything that’s ancillary to I we would want the financials are not we’re not looking at right now even though interest rates are going up.

Rebecca Walser:
Financials are in a disruption period. The next 60 months we’re going to see massive changes with the way banks are. That’s why clarity failed because banks did not want deposit flight. And they are afraid to death of DeFi and decentralized stablecoins and financing. So banking is going to transition the next 60 months. So I would stay on the I quantum frontier for your risk budget.

Rebecca Walser:
Everything else you could look at, you know, short term duration, low, you know, high yield money markets that are paying well, that could be your liquidity play. You want to make sure you have a good 3 to 6 months if you can, of of liquidity. Just because we could go through some rough times. And then I would look at staples, utilities and energy on the short term to be defensive of any kind of declines.

Caroline Woods:
Okay. All right. Just quickly, you gave us a smile. You gave a state of dog, you gave us micron McDonald’s. Any other quick names you can give us that you’d buy regardless of a dip?

Rebecca Walser:
ExxonMobil. Okay. Yep. All right.

Caroline Woods:
I think it’s a great time to pivot to a rapid fire game of this or that you’ve played before. Quick questions, quick answers. No hedging. Okay. Are you ready Rebecca actually I tried.

Rebecca Walser:
This was the hardest.

Caroline Woods:
All right. Stocks pausing or breaking down.

Rebecca Walser:
Breaking I pausing pausing.

Caroline Woods:
Fourth quarter positive or negative. Positive ten year above 5%. Stocks or treasuries.

Rebecca Walser:
And gun stocks.

Caroline Woods:
If you can only choose one rest of year stocks are hard assets.

Caroline Woods:
Stocks. I buy the leaders or find the next winners.

Rebecca Walser:
Buy the leaders.

Caroline Woods:
Micron or Nvidia is gone.

Rebecca Walser:
You’re so hard. Oh, God us micron.

Caroline Woods:
But a both you would say both both the for sure Oracle down 25% year to date opportunity or trap.

Rebecca Walser:
I don’t like our debt picture. So I stay away from Oracle.

Caroline Woods:
AMD AMD near all time highs. Attractive or expensive.

Rebecca Walser:
Attractive. Based on what she’s done she deserves all the credit.

Caroline Woods:
Attractive one non-tech stock you’d buy that you didn’t already mention.

Rebecca Walser:
Oh my gosh. I, I already mentioned geez, like McDonald’s. Come back. I just think, I.

Caroline Woods:
Think one area of the market, you would not put new money to work right now. Financials highest conviction investment for the rest of the year.

Rebecca Walser:
Nvidia.

Caroline Woods:
Bitcoin at 85,000. Opportunity or trap? Opportunity gold more than 20% off the highs. Bargain or wait for lower.

Rebecca Walser:
Absolutely. Bargain. Don’t wait.

Caroline Woods:
Have you thought of a stock that you haven’t already mentioned.

Rebecca Walser:
Tomorrow with me? Definitely not Nike. Nike not Nike. Okay.

Caroline Woods:
What else is on your don’t buy list?

Rebecca Walser:
I’m, I don’t really have a don’t buy list. I can think of lot right now, and I’m just doing bad on the stock.

Caroline Woods:
No, no. It’s okay. Finish these sentences. The market is underestimating.

Rebecca Walser:
So political risk.

Caroline Woods:
And investors make one move. Right now. It should be.

Rebecca Walser:
Stay in and leave it there.

Caroline Woods:
Rebecca Walzer, I always appreciate you joining us. Thank you for playing along and letting me put you on the spot. We appreciate your picks, too. That’s Rebecca Walzer, founder and CEO of Walzer Wealth Management. If you enjoyed this street talk, check out our interview with Rich Ross. He’s a bit more bullish and lays out the path to 8300 by year end.

Now, Franklin Templeton CEO Jenny Johnson is challenging a crucial assumption behind that rally. Johnson, whose firm manages nearly $1.8 trillion, told CNBC that AI has not meaningfully powered today’s productivity gains.

Instead, she credits earlier digital technologies, including cloud computing. The payoff may be real, but adoption could take considerably longer than markets expect.

That shocking take comes at a point when investors and the biggest companies in tech are pouring money into the increasingly capital-intensive AI buildout.

For perspective, Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Meta Platforms are expected to spend roughly $630 billion on AI infrastructure in 2026 alone, as reported by Reuters.

Johnson remains constructive on earnings and the economy, but her unusually concise AI verdict raises a provocative question: have stock market valuations moved much faster than AI’s measurable impact?

Franklin Templeton CEO says AI payoff is still ahead

“AI is not yet in the system.”

That seven-word verdict from Franklin Templeton CEO Jenny Johnson challenges the market’s biggest assumptions which is that the current AI spending is already transforming economic productivity.

U.S. productivity is running at roughly 2.5%, but Johnson told CNBC, “I don’t think any of that is AI.” She instead attributes much of the improvement to earlier digital advances and cloud computing.

For context, the latest BLS data, shows that nonfarm-business productivity rose 2.2% year over year in Q2, down from 2.9% in Q1 and 2.5% in both Q3 and Q4 of 2025. Quarterly annualized growth also remained modest at 0.8% in Q1 and 1.4% in Q2. 

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Her point is about timing, not AI’s ultimate potential. Businesses first use new technology to improve existing processes. Only after they understand it do the “leapfrog” applications emerge.

Johnson compared the moment with the iPhone, whose app ecosystem was difficult to imagine at launch. She also noted that electricity took 30 years to penetrate manufacturing. “You can’t possibly imagine it until you start to play with it,” she said.

That lag matters for investors. Johnson worries technology companies have shifted from capital-light models toward capital-intensive ones, while not all spending has reached their bottom-line.

Nevertheless, she feels strong consumer spending, record earnings and tight credit spreads have kept her broadly constructive.

Strong economy is doing AI’s work for now 

Johnson’s broader point is that markets do not need an AI productivity miracle to keep climbing, at least not yet.

“As long as the consumer, the economy stays strong [and] corporate earnings stay strong, the market’s going to continue to go up,” she said. Her private-credit team reports that 70% of its middle-market borrowers are beating internal models.

Outside data support that resilience. 

FactSet expects S&P 500 earnings to rise 28.9% in Q3, potentially marking an eighth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth. Single-A corporate spreads stood at just 65 basis points on Sept. 22, supporting Johnson’s instruction to “follow the money, follow the bond market.”

But robust earnings should not be confused with proof that AI is driving the economy.

FactSet found AI mentioned during more than 65% of S&P 500 second-quarter earnings calls. Yet a Federal Reserve review showed only 18% of U.S. businesses had adopted AI by year-end 2025.

PwC’s 2026 CEO survey was more sobering.

56% reported no significant financial benefit from AI, while only 12% achieved both revenue and cost gains. Strong earnings support today’s market. AI’s promised productivity windfall must still earn its valuation.

How investors should play AI’s reality gap

Johnson’s argument does not justify abandoning AI stocks but it argues for becoming more selective about what investors are paying for.

The clearest opportunities remain businesses converting AI demand into revenue and cash flow, especially semiconductor, cloud and networking leaders. 

However, the rising capital intensity changes the equation. More spending on chips, data centers and power can lift revenue today while depreciation, financing costs and weaker free-cash-flow conversion emerge later.

Investors should therefore track AI revenue separately from cloud growth, while comparing capex growth with operating income and free cash flow. If spending keeps accelerating without corresponding margin expansion, Johnson’s concern becomes harder to dismiss.

The broader economy provides a temporary cushion. 

Strong corporate earnings and tight credit spreads suggest that recession and default risks remain contained. A widening in spreads, weakening earnings revisions or deteriorating consumer spending would change that calculus quickly.

The practical move is not to sell AI indiscriminately.

It is to favor profitable, cash-rich leaders with visible monetization, while demanding a larger margin of safety from companies whose valuations depend on productivity gains that have not yet appeared.

Related: Nasdaq just put SpaceX stock investors on notice

After a scorching season filled with backyard barbecues, neighborhood pool parties, and after-dinner drinks on the back patio, autumn has officially arrived. The cooler mornings are perfect for sipping coffee on the front porch, but the warm afternoons will soon give way to chilly days that require bundling up before you head outside. While spring is most commonly associated with tidying up the home, a fall refresh can be extremely helpful as you’ll soon be spending more time indoors. 

Clearing out spring and summer home decor and replacing it with fuzzy blankets and pumpkin decorations is a good first step, but your fall cleaning checklist should also include clearing out any clutter that’s accumulated over the past few months. Fall is all about embracing the coziness, and that’s harder to do when there are messy piles of shoes or charging cords strewn about the living room or bedroom. This doesn’t have to be an intensive process. In fact, there’s a simple way to tidy up your house in minutes — open the top of a bench with hidden storage and toss everything inside. 

Streamline your space with a storage bench

A storage bench is one of the most practical furniture investments you can make. The seating works double-duty with built-in storage, and they come in just about every shape, style, and size, so you can definitely find one that blends with your interior decor. Some storage benches are large enough to comfortably sit two or three people, while others are more compact, serving as a footrest or a single seat.

Nearly a decade ago, I bought a storage ottoman, a smaller counterpart of the storage bench, and it’s still with me after multiple cross-country moves. It’s always handy to have another seat available when you’re hosting a holiday party or game night with the extended family, but the multipurpose design with hidden storage adds another layer of convenience. Mine has been used as a catch-all over the years, storing swimsuits in winter, office supplies when I was in a studio apartment without a desk, and now it’s stuffed with old journals and notebooks filled with precious memories.

The beauty of a storage bench or ottoman is that they can go pretty much anywhere in your house, whether you need to organize the entryway or spruce up the hallway. They’re also quite affordable, so adding one to your space won’t break the bank. The Songmics 43-Inch Folding Storage Ottoman Bench is currently ranked as Amazon’s no. 1 bestseller in ottomans, and it’s 28% off with a limited-time deal. As a result, shoppers can score the $50 tufted bench with a massive 35-gallon storage space for just $36. The study seat has a 660-pound weight capacity, and if you ever need to rearrange, you can fold the bench flat and quickly stow it away thanks to its collapsible design.

Songmics 43-Inch Folding Storage Ottoman Bench

How to use a storage bench

There are countless ways to utilize a storage bench in your home. Here are some of the most popular ways to set up a storage bench.

• At the foot of the bed in the bedroom. It’s nice to have seating in the bedroom when you’re getting dressed in the morning. An end-of-bed bench with storage is great because it’s low enough that you won’t accidentally kick it in your sleep, and you can use it to store fitted sheets or quilts that are hard to fold and look sloppy on linen closet shelves.
• In the entryway or mudroom. Are you a shoes-off household? Or maybe you routinely kick off your shoes by the front door when you get home? Placing a storage bench where you take your shoes on and off not only gives you a seat for this task, but it also provides a spot to hide away your unworn footwear. You can also use it to organize umbrellas, scarves, and other items you frequently need when heading out the door. 
• In the living room by the couch. Adding a storage bench in front of the couch creates an instant footrest or ottoman. Depending on the style you choose, a storage bench can also work as a coffee table for even more versatility. You can place throw blankets, your tablet charger, DVDs, and the less-used remotes inside for easy access when you need them. 

Storage bench deals at Amazon

Every home has its own unique style, and it’s likely that Amazon has a storage bench deal that fits your particular needs. If the selection above wasn’t quite what you require, we’ve listed more deals on seating with hidden storage at Amazon, including spacious benches and smaller footstools. All of these options are highly rated and available for under $45.  

Songmics Faux Leather Storage Bench

Hausfrau Ottoman Storage Bench

Olixis Oval Teddy Fabric Storage Bench

Dumos 30-Inch Folding Storage Bench

Glaxyfur Oval Velvet Storage Bench

Onbrill 25-Inch Storage Ottoman

Songmics Flipping-Lid Storage Ottoman

TheStreet Shopping is your guide for shopping insights and advice. We look beyond the price tag to find the best value in home, tech, and wellness gear based on product features and real-world use. Read more about our Editorial Standards and How We Choose Our Shopping Deals.

Why we love this deal

If there’s one thing no home can ever have too much of, it’s storage space. That’s why items like standalone pantries, mini-dressers, and sideboards are so incredibly popular. That said, we found an item on sale at Amazon that may be the greatest of them all. We could hardly believe our eyes when we saw this extra-long dresser, especially at such a low price point.

The Huuger Extra-Long Storage Dresser is on sale for $140. This is quite the treat, considering it’s a furniture piece that measures 7 feet long and offers 15 drawers of storage. We don’t know about you, but that’s about double the size of any ordinary dresser. Just don’t wait too long to grab one, as they could run out at this price ahead of October Prime Day.

Huuger Extra-Long Storage Dresser, $140 (was $150) at Amazon

Why do shoppers love it?

This is a special piece of furniture, and it’s the kind of dresser you don’t see very often. Starting with the obvious, the overall dimensions are 94.5 inches long by 11.81 inches wide by 26.75 inches high. That means it’s more than 7 feet long, which makes it a rare find. Those dimensions make it one of the most useful dressers you can buy. The length makes it ideal for a large bedroom or even as a TV stand in the living room. The drawers provide ample space for electronic components, remote controls, and any extra wires you may want to keep close at hand. 

Speaking of the drawers, you’ll have 15 equal-sized drawers to store everything from clothes to accessories. They have a tri-layer fabric and MDF design, and the dresser’s frame is made from powder-coated stainless steel. The drawers can fold flat when not in use, and there’s a waterproof engineered wood tabletop that covers the length of the piece. The dresser cuts a striking silhouette against any wall, and it’s incredibly versatile in terms of what purpose it can serve.

What’s more, the attractive curved ergonomic handles on each drawer are modern and practical. The dresser is available in five colorways, so there’s definitely something for just about any decor style. Prices may vary by color variant, so double-check before adding one to your cart. Whether you plan to use this dresser as a hallway catchall, a bedroom clothes receptacle, or a living room TV stand, you won’t be disappointed. 

Related: Amazon’s $120 farmhouse storage cabinet has a space-saving design

Amazon shoppers were very excited about this dresser. One said it was “an incredible amount of storage in one piece,” before adding, “The 15 drawers give you plenty of space to separate clothing, linens, accessories, or just about anything else.”

Shop more deals 

• Songmics Bellah 2-Drawer Mini Dresser, $22 (was $25) at Amazon
• Furologee 2-Drawer Mini Dresser and Charging Station, $34 (was $46) at Amazon
• Max Houser 2-Drawer Mini Dresser, $37 at Amazon

The Huuger Extra-Long Storage Dresser is the ideal piece of furniture for anyone who feels that they never have enough storage space. At just $140 for Prime members, this dresser will have you feeling extra lucky for an extra long time. However, if you don’t get yours now, they may sell out before you get your chance.

On Sept. 21, Chief Executive David Ricks told CNBC that 700,000 seniors have started GLP-1 treatments since Medicare began covering obesity drugs in July. Seven out of every 10 of those new patients chose a Lilly medicine, he said.

Lilly now earns most of its money from two products: the diabetes shot Mounjaro and the obesity shot Zepbound, which share the same active ingredient, tirzepatide.

A newer pill, Foundayo, gives it a third way to reach patients. Washington just expanded Lilly’s biggest market, and Lilly is taking most of the new demand.

Eli Lilly is capturing most of Medicare’s new weight-loss patients

Ricks called the rollout “very encouraging” and said the wider growth of the GLP-1 market “is what we had hoped,” according to CNBC. Eligible Medicare members can get their weight-loss prescriptions for a flat fee of $50 a month through a temporary federal program called Bridge.

Medicare covers about 66 million people who are 65 or older or living with a disability, and Lilly has said roughly 20 million of them qualify under Bridge. The program is set to run until the end of 2027.

Medicare had treated obesity as a lifestyle problem rather than a disease for decades. With that barrier gone, the question for investors is who captures the new patients, and the early answer is Lilly.

GLP-1 drugs mimic a stomach hormone that reduces appetite and slows digestion, so people eat less and lose weight.

Until July, most seniors could not pay for these drugs because Medicare was prohibited by law from covering weight-loss treatment. The $50 copay changed that, and Lilly is getting the largest share of the new sign-ups.

How Zepbound and Foundayo pill are widening Lilly’s lead

Zepbound is the main driver. Ricks said doctors are steering patients with the highest body weight and the most health complications toward the injection, and many stay on it. “That’s where Zepbound plays a big role,” he said.

The pill is also important for a different reason. Foundayo reached the U.S. market in April and is now taking about one-third of new patients who start an oral GLP-1, a share Ricks said grows weekly.

Many people avoid GLP-1 shots because they dislike needles, so an effective pill can reach patients avoiding the injection.

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Foundayo brought in $98 million in the second quarter, which was its first full three months on sale, CNBC reported. Increased pill production could widen Lilly’s profit margins, since it avoids the costly manufacturing and cold-storage steps that injection pens require.

To keep up with high demand, the company began building a $6.5 billion factory in Houston on Monday, Sept. 21. The plant will produce the drug’s main ingredient and is expected to open by 2030.

Where Lilly stands against Novo Nordisk, and what analysts see next

Lilly’s rise has come at the expense of Novo Nordisk (NVO), the maker of Ozempic and Wegovy, which reached the weight-loss market years earlier.

In the second quarter, Lilly held about 61% of the combined U.S. obesity and diabetes drug market, compared to Novo’s roughly 39%, according to CNBC.

Related: Jim Cramer sends strong 5-word message on surging biotech stock

Most analysts covering Lilly remain positive, though their price targets vary widely. Guggenheim’s Seamus Fernandez, a veteran biopharma analyst, kept a Buy rating and raised his target to $1,284, pointing to strong U.S. tirzepatide sales, Benzinga reported. 

Berenberg lifted its target to $1,400, which implied about 25% gains, noting Lilly’s record of turning research spending into returns, GuruFocus confirmed. Citigroup’s Geoff Meacham set an even higher $1,600 target.

LLY trades near $1,165, up about 8% in 2026 but down roughly 7% over the past month, and it remains below its 52-week high of $1,292.65. A price-to-earnings ratio near 39 also sets a high bar for results.

What the Medicare win means for LLY stock investors

The Bridge program shows that Washington is willing to pay for obesity treatment, which supports the case for years of high-volume sales. However, there are some limits worth considering before treating the win as a permanent one.

Bridge is temporary and expires at the end of 2027 unless it is renewed. Without insurance, these drugs cost about $1,000 a month. If a million seniors begin taking them, it will strain the federal budget and force the government to demand lower prices from drugmakers. 

On the other hand, supporters argue that paying for the drugs now will save Medicare money later. They believe helping seniors lose weight will prevent expensive future treatments for heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes. This potential for long-term health savings is the main argument for covering these drugs on a large scale.

For anyone holding or considering LLY, watch Foundayo’s prescription growth and the company’s third-quarter results, due on Oct. 29. Also, pay attention to any news regarding whether the Bridge program is extended.

Related: Morgan Stanley uncovers major Bristol Myers stock signals

Why we love this deal

With the nights getting darker earlier, finding ways to light up your outdoor space can make it feel cozier and offer a year-round outdoor experience. String lights, ground lights, and lanterns all help liven up your outdoor space, but if you have a canopy that you enjoy using, opting for lights that are made for your canopy helps create a fun and easy ambience.

The Lumry Go Solar Curtain Canopy Lights offer a large lighting option to brighten up your outdoor space. These waterproof waterfall lights attach to your gazebo or patio awning and can be easily used with the remote. Shoppers can get these lights for just $20 at Amazon.

Lumry Go Solar Curtain Canopy Lights, $20 (was $22) at Amazon

Why do shoppers love it?

This solar light curtain uses PVC cable that prevents tangling and offers a more durable option, with a large-capacity battery that can charge in as little as four hours of full sun or two hours with a USB charger. It features a remote that allows you to easily change the settings and timer, and even turn the lights off from inside. You can choose from multiple timer settings, including four hours, six hours, or eight hours of light. They also offer eight lighting modes, including combination, wave, sequential, slow glow, flash, steady on, and more, and they can be adjusted to four different brightness levels.

Related: Walmart sells $40 solar Christmas lights that don’t need outlets for 63% off

They’re super easy to hang with the included 10 hooks and can be hung either indoors or outdoors. The waterproof, snowproof, and sunproof design makes them perfect for your patio, and they can easily roll up to take with you camping or to the next tailgate, along with your pop-up canopy. The IP65 waterproof rating keeps them working even in heavier storms. They can also be placed along the fence, on the front entryway, or in the garage to have light when you get home in the evening. They also provide a 30-day money-back guarantee and 24-hour customer support for any problems that may arise. 

Details to know

• Size: These 10-foot by 10-foot lights feature 300 individual LED lights to brighten up your space. 
• Remote: The USB-rechargeable remote makes these lights easy to use. 
• Customization: They feature a timer with different auto-off timing options, and offer multiple light modes. 

One shopper wrote, “These have been installed on our patio for a month and have held up extremely well in our hot Arizona summer. They are bright enough to add good ambience, and the RGB color choice adds some nice flexibility to your lighting. The remote control is a nice touch as well and stops us from having to go out to turn it off. Highly recommend for the vibes.”

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The Lumry Go Solar Curtain Canopy Lights offer an easy lighting option that can be hung up with the included hooks and paired with the included remote to make lighting easy. The solar component saves money, and the curtain of lights adds a nice touch to any outdoor experience for only $20 at Amazon.

Apple shares touched $345.34 intraday on Sept. 23, a new all-time high, before closing at $339.75, according to Yahoo Finance.

The stock was pointing higher again in premarket trading on Sept. 24. Apple is now up 25% for the year, and its market cap sits just under $5 trillion.

What the Apple stock record means for John Ternus

Ternus is not a household name the way Tim Cook was, or Steve Jobs before him. He joined Apple’s product design team in 2001, became a vice president of hardware engineering in 2013, and joined the executive team in 2021.

Cook moved into the role of executive chairman when Ternus took over. The transition on Sept. 1 was Apple’s first CEO change since Cook succeeded Jobs in 2011.

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The stock’s move since then has been a clean endorsement from the market. The rally was not there when the transition was announced. It built on what Ternus did in his first major moment as CEO: the iPhone Duo launch on Sept. 9, as TheStreet reported.

Bull Theory pointed out that Apple is now up 118,900% from its dot-com crash lows. Bank of America analyst Wamsi Mohan has a $370 price target on the stock, above where it is trading now.

What the iPhone Duo is and why it matters for the stock

The iPhone Duo is Apple’s first foldable phone. It opens from a 5.4-inch front screen to a 7.6-inch internal display. It supports the Apple Pencil.

Pre-orders open Oct. 16. The device ships Oct. 23. It starts at $1,999 and goes up to $3,199 for the top storage tier.

That pricing puts it well above anything Apple has sold before. It also creates a new ceiling for iPhone average selling prices. Deepwater Asset Management’s Gene Munster estimated the Duo could account for 10% of Apple’s total iPhone revenue next year even if it sells in relatively limited volume.

Foldable phones have been a niche category. Samsung, Huawei, and others have sold them for years. Apple is entering the market late, but its track record in premium hardware categories suggests it can capture significant share.

Analysts expect around 6 million Duo units in the first cycle. That would be a small slice of Apple’s total iPhone business but enough to move the revenue mix toward higher-priced devices.

What iPhone 18 demand looks like in its first week

The iPhone 18 lineup went on sale worldwide on Sept. 19. Early demand looked strong, even though Apple raised prices by $100, according to Yahoo Finance.

“While supply constraints are likely playing a role, we think that demand is holding up well through the first week of the cycle,” Evercore ISI analyst Amit Daryanani said.

Daryanani noted that supply constraints may be inflating early sell-through data. Ships that have not arrived yet cannot be sold, so short supply can make demand look stronger than it is. He said he still believes demand is genuinely holding up, which is a different conclusion from saying supply is the only reason stores are selling out.

iPhone 18 Pro shipping times have been slower to extend than they were for the iPhone 17 Pro in 2025, which some analysts read as a sign that early demand is not as strong on the flagship line. The standard models appear to be tracking better.

What investors are watching from here

Apple’s Q4 earnings are due Oct. 29. That report will show whether iPhone 18 demand and early Duo interest are showing up in revenue. It will also give investors the first read on how Apple is executing under Ternus.

The Duo’s Oct. 23 ship date comes just six days before earnings.

Pre-order data from Oct. 16 will give Wall Street an early read on consumer interest in a $1,999 phone. A strong pre-order signal would confirm the thesis that Ternus’s first major product call was the right one.

Apple’s AI rollout is another variable. Siri got a significant update through iOS 27. Apple has been criticized for moving slowly on generative AI relative to Google and Microsoft. The Siri overhaul is a first step. Investors will want to see AI features that drive upgrades, not just headlines.

Regulatory risk from the DOJ antitrust case and India’s consumer regulator are also in the background, though neither appears to be an immediate catalyst for the stock.

At nearly 39 times earnings, Apple’s valuation leaves little room for disappointment. The rally has built high expectations into the share price. Ternus will need the Duo to sell, the iPhone 18 lineup to hold, and the AI roadmap to develop visibly over the next two quarters to keep the momentum going.

Related: AT&T CEO drops 4-word verdict on new Apple iPhone Duo

The latest numbers from the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office show that the 3.1 million international visitors who crossed into the U.S. in August 2026 are a 11.8% drop from the same month a year ago. While the summer did bring an influx of arrivals for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the overall numbers for July were still a 7% decrease from the same month in 2025.

For airlines, these shifting trends have meant having to continuously review flight networks to prioritize high-traffic routes and cut any underperforming ones that for many carriers are ones to U.S. cities.

Norse Atlantic Airways axes New York route, cuts all but 1 flight to U.S.

Air Canada has recently confirmed another round of flight cuts to cities such as New York, Detroit, and Orlando from Toronto and Montréal. Air France and Lufthansa also cut or downsized dozens of U.S.-bound routes this year.

The latest carrier to join that list is Oslo-based budget airline Norse Atlantic Airways. The airline started flying out of the Norwegian capital in June 2022 with a vision of bringing the low-cost business model to transatlantic flights and at its peak ran dozens of flights to European capitals like Berlin, Paris, Rome, and Athens from U.S. cities including New York, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, and Orlando.

Related: Germany is the latest country to urge for travel caution in the U.S.

After pulling out of LAX and canceling some other U.S. routes earlier this year, Norse Atlantic is now also cutting two flights from New York’s JFK to London Gatwick (LGW) and Rome Fiumicino (FCO) airports. Both routes will be phased out by Oct. 25.

The schedule cuts first reported by watchdog website AeroRoutes mean that Norse Atlantic will now run only one last remaining flight to the U.S. between Orlando International (MCO) and LGW while redirecting its fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes to holiday flights to Thailand from Scandinavian cities such as Oslo and Stockholm.

The airline also runs a seasonal route between London and Cape Town in South Africa that is especially unusual for a low-cost airline.

‘We remain mindful of our capacity allocation:’ Norse Atlantic CEO

All of this is a remarkable pivot for a carrier that once built its entire business model on connecting the U.S. and Europe.

The route cuts are part of general cost-cutting measures as Norse aims to reduce its expenses by $50 million by 2027. Its most recent earnings report was a second-quarter net loss of $70.6 million USD as well as a revenue drop of 34.8%.

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“As fuel prices remain elevated, we remain mindful of our capacity allocation in the coming months in line with our flexible fleet deployment strategy,” Norse Atlantic Chief Executive Officer Eivind Roald said in a statement without elaborating on the reasons for the lower traveler numbers. “Bookings for the upcoming winter season continue to show promise.”

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Had you completed the purchase of a home that day with a $300,000, 30-year loan, the mortgage rate would have been around 5.99%. And you were looking at a principal-and-interest payment of $1,795 a month.

The next day, the United States and Israel attacked military bases all over Iran. Oil prices jumped. So did gasoline and diesel prices.

The war has persisted in fits and starts for seven months. In addition to oil and diesel prices, overall inflation and interest rates are higher, even as U.S. economic activity remained resilient.

And, in a Sept. 23 report, economic consulting giant S&P Global said global output was growing at the fastest rate in more than five years.

Despite the war, despite the stress.

That was far faster than anyone expected. So, investors in U.S. Treasury securities promptly pushed the 10-year yield to as high as 5.14% before it fell back to 5.12% — a level not seen in about 19 years, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The result: Financing your new home just got more expensive. Getting that $300,000 might require a rate of about 7.26%, which translates into a monthly payment of $2,049.

The payment, we’re sorry to say, is up 14.2% from what you thought you might be paying if you’d been able to close the sale on Feb. 27.

The rate is the highest on a 30-year loan since basically May 2024, according to data from Mortgage News Daily.

10-year Treasury yield soars amid that darn war

You are now conducting your life in an environment dominated by the Federal Reserve’s concerns about sticky inflation and, of course, those deep concerns about the ongoing Middle East war.

The latter has pushed global oil prices up more than 60% this year.

Related: Why $5 gasoline is about to force a major holiday shift

Average U.S. gasoline prices are holding stubbornly above $4.45 per gallon, according to data from both  AAA Fuel Prices and GasBuddy.com.

Diesel prices, averaging $6.514 a gallon nationally, are up about 83% in 2026 and 74% since the war erupted, AAA data shows.

The economy is going through a big-time reset

Needless to say, homebuyers and sellers have become dismayed by the wrenching changes in the economic environment.

So have home builders, home lenders, and retailers, such as Home Depot and  Lowe’s, whose businesses closely track the housing market.

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Investors were also dismayed by the Sept. 23 uptick in bond yields.

U.S. stocks fell quickly, with the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index off 0.8% to 7,706. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.7% to 51,512, and the Nasdaq Composite Index slid 1.1%, to 26,936.

Futures trading suggests U.S. stocks will open lower and slide lower during the day.

The prod for higher rates currently starts from the Fed and Chairman Kevin Warsh, who vows to bring price stability to the United States. For Warsh, that means an overall inflation rate of 2% a year. The Fed has failed to meet that goal for at least 60 consecutive months.

Since Warsh took over as chairman in May, the Fed’s interest-rate statements have included this phrasing: The Fed “will deliver price stability.”

The key questions for now, besides the war

All the market turmoil this week (and, really, for much of the summer) leads to two questions:

Is this the high for interest rates? Sadly, no, according to Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America Corp. The Fed will probably raise its key interest rate at least once more in 2026 after a quarter-point increase on Sept. 16, he told CNBC this week, as InvestingLive noted.

It’s now at 3.75% to 4%. Expect another rate increase in 2027. His evidence: Fed Governor William Barr pointedly told a Chicago audience this week: “Inflation is above our 2% target and not clearly trending toward target in a timely way.”

Will this bond revolt derail the economy? Maybe not yet, Ohsung Kwan, chief equity analyst at Wells Fargo, told CNBC in an interview. With all the projected investments coming in artificial intelligence, he said, “Amazing things will happen in 2027.” But 2028 was beginning to worry the bank.

One person probably won’t be happy about higher rates: President Donald Trump. For many months, he has called for interest rates to be cut substantially, including right after the Fed’s recent rate increase, its first in three years.

Home builders are already concerned

The National Association of Home Builders said on Sept. 16 that its most recent survey of builder sentiment showed builder confidence shrinking because of rising rates in particular.

Problems include rising materials costs, fuel and diesel costs, and labor shortages.

Related: Costco limits motor oil purchases as crude hits 4-month highs

That long-standing frontrunner will soon be nestled between two ultra-long-haul flights that Australian flag carrier Qantas Airways is preparing to launch by 2028.

What the airline dubbed as Project Sunrise will launch a 22-hour flight from Sydney to London in October 2027, and an 18-hour flight between Sydney and New York will follow by mid-2028.

The Singapore Airlines route, meanwhile, takes just over 18.5 hours of air time in the direction of New York and over 19 hours in the direction of Singapore.

The two Project Sunrise flights were first announced in 2017 as aircraft manufacturer Airbus was developing an A350-1000ULR model capable of running the extremely long flight.

The first model left for its maiden journey from the Airbus base in Toulouse in June 2026, and the new Qantas Airways flights have now been set for October 2027 for the Sydney-London route and mid-2028 for the Sydney-New York route.

Qantas Airways will sell tickets for Sydney-New York flight in August 2027

The airline also confirmed that tickets for the New York flight will go on sale in August 2027 after years of excitement and discussion. The route was hyped by both Qantas Airways and aviation insiders for covering a distance not previously possible.

The flight will traverse 9,942 miles (16,000 kilometers) and cut the current fifth-freedom flight that Qantas runs from Sydney to New York with a stopover in LAX by just over three hours.

Related: There is a new luxury sleeper train option for a cross-Australia trip

“Reaching New York nonstop completes a vision we set out many years ago, and it’s a moment of enormous pride for the thousands of our people who have been working hard to make Project Sunrise a reality,” Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson said of the milestone, as Simple Flying reported.

How to be the first to buy a ticket on the new Qantas flights to New York and London

As it is launching earlier in October 2027, tickets for the nonstop Sydney to London flights will go on sale in February of next year.

While prices for the New York and London flights have not yet been shared, Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace previously said nonstop flights would cost approximately 20% more than the current ones with a stopover, Upgraded Points noted.

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For those who leave from Sydney, the 21-hour Qantas flight to New York with a stopover in LAX currently starts at $1,900 USD for a return ticket. The airline’s existing flight to London with a stopover in Singapore starts at $1,500 USD for a return ticket in economy.

When numbers are crunched and a little extra for the novelty is added, the new Project Sunrise flights are expected to start at $2,000 USD and go up for higher fare classes and peak travel periods.

“Demand in and out of New York on Qantas has nearly doubled since 2023, and the appetite for non-stop, ultra long-haul flying has also continued to grow,” the airline had previously said of the new route.

Related: American airline brings back very long flight to New Zealand

Why we love this deal

Breezy lounge sets and sandals aren’t the only way to elevate your style. Some accessories have the power to instantly upgrade any look, whether you’re out for weekend brunch or attending a wedding. A necklace, in particular, is a versatile accessory that can do just that, and we spotted a discount on a popular pick at Amazon.

The Swarovski x Ariana Grande Heart Necklace is an eye-catching statement piece that features romantic details and effortless charm. Originally $350, it’s on sale now for only $186. Thanks to a 47% discount, you save $164 on a versatile necklace you can wear day or night.

Swarovski x Ariana Grande Heart Necklace, $186 (was $350) at Amazon

Why do shoppers love it?

This tennis necklace isn’t your average accessory. Crafted in collaboration with Ariana Grande, it features glamorous accents that the actress and pop star is known for. The necklace has 0.88-inch heart pendants throughout, each featuring sparkling Swarovski crystals with mixed cuts and a halo of clear pavé. It’s the perfect blend of timeless style and trend appeal, with a classic silhouette and just the right amount of playful, romantic heart details. 

The rhodium-plated necklace comes in a white finish, which adds to its fun yet sophisticated look. It’s versatile enough to wear at a formal event, like a gala or a wedding, or on the days or nights you want to get a little dressed up. It works well as a single necklace with enough detail to shine on its own, or you can wear it layered with other pieces to add more depth and extra style.

Related: Walmart’s $18 Swarovski rose earrings come in three shades of gold

Details to know

• Length: 14.88 to 17.88 inches.
• Necklace style: Tennis.
• Clast type: Fold over.

“I loved this collection. It looks very elegant and delicate,” a shopper said. They added that it’s “perfect for special occasions or even everyday wear if you like something more refined.” Another reviewer said it looks “high quality and shines beautifully,” making it a sparkly addition to any look or outfit.

If you love the look of this heart necklace, you’re going to want to see the rest of the collection, too. You can get the design in different styles, including a Heart Pendant Necklace, a Necklace and Earrings Set, a Heart Crystal Choker Necklace, and a Heart Y-Style Necklace. And the best part? These pieces are also on sale, with up to 69% off. 

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The Swarovski x Ariana Grande Heart Necklace is a stylish and elegant piece that you’re going to want to add to your jewelry collection, and it’s on sale for just $186, thanks to $164 off and a 47% discount.

One can leave a comfortable surplus to heirs, while the other runs short of money years before reaching the end of a normal retirement. The outcome depends on whether steep declines occur during the years when the retiree withdraws money from the portfolio to cover regular monthly expenses. 

Morningstar’s State of Retirement Income report calls this vulnerability sequence-of-returns risk, a timing hazard that grows more dangerous once portfolio withdrawals begin.

How withdrawal timing during a bear market erodes retirement savings

Each share sold to cover expenses during a steep decline permanently reduces the portfolio’s earning base, leaving fewer shares to generate returns when markets recover. Continued monthly withdrawals during a downturn widen that gap with each passing month.

Hartford Funds data show that bear markets have occurred roughly every 3.5 years on average since 1928. Stocks lost an average of 35% during the typical downturn, which lasted about 9.6 months across 27 declines in the S&P 500 Index since 1928, the firm reported.

Wade Pfau, professor of practice at the American College of Financial Services and founder of Retirement Researcher, estimated in his 2014 paper, The Lifetime Sequence of Returns, that the compounded return in the first 10 years of retirement explains roughly 77% of the final outcome.

Morningstar’s research raises the stakes for new retirees

Pfau, along with Michael Finke, professor of wealth management at the American College of Financial Services, and David Blanchett, head of Retirement Research at Prudential Financial, addressed on ThinkAdvisor the importance of the early retirement years. They described the five years before and after retirement as the “retirement risk zone,” when portfolio losses carry the greatest long-term weight.

Morningstar research examined what happens when steep losses arrive during the first years of retirement withdrawals.

The report found that retirees who faced poor returns in their first five years and continued spending without adjustment were significantly more likely to exhaust savings.

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The base-case safe withdrawal rate is 3.9% for new retirees holding 30% to 50% of their portfolios in equities, Morningstar noted.

That rate sits below the widely cited 4% rule because today’s elevated valuations amplify volatility during the withdrawal years that shape long-term outcomes.

The Shiller cyclically adjusted price-to-earnings ratio remained above 40 in mid-2026, a level the metric has exceeded only during the dot-com era, GuruFocus showed. 

Higher starting valuations historically produce weaker early returns, compounding the sequence-of-returns risk Morningstar identified as a leading risk for new retirees facing early-year portfolio losses.

How a cash buffer keeps retirees from liquidating stocks during a downturn

Morningstar’s bucket approach to retirement portfolio planning recommends holding one to two years of portfolio withdrawals in accessible cash or short-term instruments as one approach to managing the risk. 

That figure refers to the portion of expenses not already covered by Social Security, pensions, or other guaranteed income.

The key number to calculate is the monthly gap between essential expenses and guaranteed income from Social Security, pensions, or annuity payments. 

A retiree with $5,000 in monthly essentials and $3,000 from guaranteed sources needs $24,000 to $48,000 in reserves to bridge one to two years without touching equities.

Morningstar also found that flexible withdrawal strategies, in which retirees temporarily reduce discretionary spending during weak markets, support higher initial spending than rigid approaches. 

The report indicated that every dollar of nonessential spending deferred during a decline is a dollar the portfolio retains for the rebound.

Dana Anspach, founder and CEO of Sensible Money, told Morningstar’s “The Long View” podcast that holding enough cash to cover near-term spending removes the pressure to sell equities during a downturn and gives retirees room to adapt if conditions worsen.

<strong>I know I don't have to adjust my spending for five years. It's covered. I have time to make adjustments if this turns into a more prolonged bear market</strong>.

Hartford Funds data shows roughly 42% of the S&P 500’s strongest trading days over the past two decades occurred during bear markets, the firm found. 

A cash buffer is what enables retirees to stay invested long enough to capture those gains, rather than locking in losses by exiting equities during the decline.

How to determine your personal exposure to sequence-of-returns risk

Morningstar’s retirement-planning research and Finke’s conference guidance outline steps retirees can follow to measure their personal exposure to sequence-of-returns risk well before the next downturn.

The first step involves totaling monthly costs that cannot be deferred, including housing, food, insurance, and healthcare. Subtracting guaranteed monthly income from Social Security, pensions, and annuities from that total reveals the portfolio-dependent spending gap.

Multiplying that gap by 12 to 24 produces the reserve figure that Morningstar recommended for maintaining equity positions through a full bear market cycle. 

Comparing the result to current accessible cash and short-term holdings reveals whether the household enters the next decline with a surplus or a shortfall.

Households that complete this assessment before a bear market arrives can hold equities through volatility, Finke noted at the 2026 Morningstar Investment Conference.

Related: Retirees with $500K IRAs face a tax trap at age 73

In a Substack post on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, “Big Short” investor Michael Burry said he added “in some size” to four short bets, Seeking Alpha reported.

They target Micron Technology (MU), Nebius Group (NBIS), Palantir Technologies (PLTR), and the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX).

In the same post, he bought more of five stocks sitting 29% to 65% below their 52-week highs. He is shopping the empty aisle while shorting the crowded one.

The 5 stocks Burry now calls full positions

The five stocks Burry highlighted include QXO (QXO), Build-A-Bear Workshop (BBW), Sprouts Farmers Market (SFM), Birkenstock Holding (BIRK), and MercadoLibre (MELI). Burry said all had “corrected tremendously” and are now full positions, according to Seeking Alpha.

Here is where each closed on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026.

• Down 56% from its $27.61 high, building-products distributor QXO closed at $12.28, near its $11.14 low, and its 18 analysts rate it Strong Buy with a $29.11 target, according to Stock Analysis.
• Down 65% from its $74.38 high, stuffed-animal retailer Build-A-Bear closed at $25.96, according to MacroTrends, after an August outlook cut, Reuters reported. It sits near its $24.15 low, with four analysts rating it Strong Buy at a $43 target, Stock Analysis confirmed.
• Down 45% from its $119.98 high, natural grocer Sprouts closed at $66.07, near its $64.75 low, and its 16 analysts rate it Buy with a $95 target, according to Stock Analysis.
• Down 38% from its $50.73 high, sandal maker Birkenstock closed at $31.68 on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, near its $29.93 low, and its 23 analysts rate it Buy with a $51.19 target, Stock Analysis noted.
• Down 29% from its $2,548.50 high, Latin American e-commerce leader MercadoLibre closed at $1,799.24, above its $1,495 low, and its 24 analysts rate it Buy with a $2,264.88 target, Stock Analysis indicated.

Wall Street agrees with Burry here. All five carry Buy or Strong Buy ratings from analysts polled by S&P Global, with targets implying 26% to 137% upside, according to Stock Analysis.

Prices kept sliding anyway, with QXO and Sprouts each down nearly 4% the next day, based on the same data.

While Burry is doubling down on these beaten-down value plays, his strategy tells a two-sided story. On the other side of the ledger, he is taking aggressive short positions against the market’s high-flying AI and tech darlings.

Why a PC maker’s warning matters to Micron bulls

Burry’s chip case leans on Jason Chen, CEO of Acer Inc., which buys memory rather than sells it.

Chen said memory is tight only in the most advanced DDR5 chips, DigiTimes reported, and accused suppliers of hyping shortage fears to protect margins.

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Stock Analysis values Micron, the memory-chip maker at the core of the bet, at $1.21 trillion, so a memory slump would reach ordinary index funds.

It fell 2.2% to $1,071.88 on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026, within a 52-week range of $154.65 to $1,255, the same data shows.

Burry is saying Sell, while 49 analysts polled by S&P Global say Strong Buy with a $1,515 target, according to Stock Analysis.

Micron sits about 2% above the roughly $1,051 where he first shorted it, Stocktwits reported, leaving that short slightly underwater. Shorting SOXX stacks the bet, since Micron made up 7.9% of the fund on Monday, Sept. 21, 2026, Stock Analysis noted.

Nebius, an AI cloud provider, fits the memory thesis less neatly. It fell 4% to $226.61, within a 52-week range of $73.52 to $299.86, and its nine analysts rate it Buy with a $276.26 target, according to Stock Analysis. It is raising cloud prices for the second time in three months, Reuters reported, hardly a sign of glut.

Palantir, the data-analytics software firm, rose 3.7% to $191.79, within a 52-week range of $106.37 to $207.52, Stock Analysis confirmed. Its 31 analysts rate it Buy, but their $195.57 target implies just 2% upside, the same data show.

Palantir and Nebius announced a joint AI offering in a press release on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, so Burry is shorting both partners.

A narrowing market is Burry’s real target

The Nasdaq 100, which Burry called historically top-heavy, closed at a record 30,732 on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, CNBC reported. Yet the share of its members above their 200-day moving average, a long-term trend gauge, fell from 77% to 56% since mid-August, BTIG’s Jonathan Krinsky noted. Fewer stocks are carrying the rally.

Micron alone is worth more than 10 times the roughly $116 billion combined value of Burry’s five buys, based on Stock Analysis data. He is betting that gap narrows.

Acer and other PC makers have begun using chips from China’s ChangXin Memory Technologies, Tom’s Hardware reported.

When buyers build their own exit from a shortage, the pricing power behind that boom deserves a closer look, and Micron’s report on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, will be its first test.

Related: Michael Burry’s blistering message on economic inequality

When it comes to tequila, he believes that prices matter and shared that cheaper brands, like his company’s El Jimador, have benefitted from that.

“So if you take the tequila category, and if you just take 750, so don’t lock down on one size across, the category, pricing-wise, is down between 1% and 2%. A lot of that — what is happening within the tequila world is you are seeing trade down. So if you look at the different price points within tequila, over $30 is tough. And that’s where Herradura is and a lot of the other big brands that you all know,” he said during his company’s first-quarter earnings call.

In tequila, he noted, price has mattered more than brand loyalty.

“If you look at the $20 to $30 or even $15 to $30, it’s actually still growing. And so El Jimador is benefiting from that. Interestingly, I didn’t know that El Jimador, within that price point, that $15 to $30 price point or $20 to $30. It was — this time last year, it was the #9 brand in that price point. Today, it’s #4,” he added.

When it comes to whiskey, however, specifically his company’s Jack Daniel’s brand, Whiting shared that consumers aren’t trading down, but they are spending less.

Jack Daniel’s fans show loyalty

While tequila drinkers have been willing to make substitutions, Jack Daniel’s fans have stuck with the brand.

“Okay. Well, as I think we’ve been talking about, and I’m not sure when this trend really started, but it is a couple of years ago now where smaller sizes started growing much faster than big sizes,” Whiting said.

That has given Jack Daniel’s drinkers more options to stick with the brand.

“And we’ve always cited it’s — that’s an economic thing where a consumer, if they’ve got a $20 bill in their pocket and they want to go and they love their Jack Daniel’s, they would rather buy a smaller size bottle than have to go to a cheaper brand or whatever else they might do. So that’s been kind of a macro thing now for years. So I think that’s interesting,” he said.

Americans have been trading down

Jack Daniel’s consumers have proven loyal, but their choice to opt for smaller sizes is not unique, according to Supermarket News.

“Consumers have engaged in a variety of tactics to ease the impact of inflation, including both trading down to smaller, more affordable pack sizes, and in some cases buying larger pack sizes to save money over the long term,” the website reported.

Sally Lyons Wyatt, executive VP and practice leader at Circana, told Supermarket News that one practice has become more common.

“In general, within food and beverage and also in other categories outside of food, we have seen a ‘trade down’ mentality to fight higher prices,” she said.

McKinsey consumer research found that nearly one in four consumers globally said that when trying to save money, they would buy their preferred brand in smaller quantities rather than switch stores or brands.

“The top way that consumers trade down is that they will look to purchase the same product, but they will purchase a smaller size or a lower quantity of it,” McKinsey analyst Christina Adams said.

Of course, some consumers simply decide they can’t afford their favorites.

“In some instances, they have just walked away from categories because they cannot afford them at any price,” Wyatt said.

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On Sept. 24, Qualcomm (QCOM) announced it had renewed its global patent license agreement with Apple, effective April 1, 2027. The companies did not disclose the financial terms or duration of the new agreement.

The deal extends an important part of Qualcomm’s relationship with Apple, even as the iPhone maker shifts toward its own modem chips.

Qualcomm’s relationship with Apple spans two parts of its business. QCT, Qualcomm’s semiconductor business, supplies chips including modem systems, while QTL licenses the company’s patent portfolio to device makers.

Apple has been moving away from Qualcomm’s modems as it develops its own chips to avoid paying billions annually to Qualcomm.

In its latest iPhone launch, only the iPhone 18 Pro Max U.S. models use the Qualcomm modem. The rest all use Apple’s own modem. A modem is the chip that connects a smartphone to cellular networks, and Qualcomm is one of the world’s leading suppliers of that technology.

The new agreement announced Thursday, Sept. 24, however, is on the licensing side of Qualcomm’s business. Even when Apple uses its own modem, its devices may still rely on cellular technologies covered by Qualcomm’s patents.

“We are pleased to extend the Apple license agreement,” John Han, executive vice president of Qualcomm Technology Licensing, said in a statement.

But to Qualcomm Chief Financial Officer Akash Palkhiwala, the Apple deal is just one piece of a much bigger transformation underway.

Qualcomm pushes beyond Apple and smartphones

Qualcomm is trying to reduce its reliance on smartphones and expand into data centers, automotive, and IoT, a strategy CEO Cristiano Amon has described as turning Qualcomm into a “platform company.”

“In the next two years, we’ll become this company with three major businesses: data center, smartphones, and auto/IoT,” Palkhiwala explained to TheStreet in an exclusive interview at the Snapdragon Summit 2026.

“Think of it as three legs of the stool with each almost equal in size.”

Related: Qualcomm stock gets harsh reality check after semiconductor rally

Qualcomm’s handset chip sales fell 20% year over year to $5.1 billion in the fiscal third quarter reported in July, partly driven by weaker smartphone demand amid rising memory costs.

Qualcomm’s automotive business, meanwhile, continued to grow. The company reported $1.59 billion in automotive revenue, up 61% from a year earlier. It also said in June that it expects its automotive business to generate $10 billion in annual revenue by fiscal 2029.

Qualcomm targets $15 billion in data center revenue

Data center revenue was not in its July earnings. But Palkhiwala said the business is expected to account for $15 billion of Qualcomm’s expanded $40 billion non-handset revenue target by fiscal 2029. The company had previously targeted $22 billion in non-handset revenue.

“We were previously not in the data center business, so that drives most of the increase,” he said.

Earlier this month, Qualcomm announced a deal with Amazon (AMZN) to develop custom silicon and infrastructure for AI data centers, a major step in its push into the AI market. Palkhiwala added that the company is also working with Meta (META) and one more hyperscaler that’s not disclosed.

Related: Qualcomm’s new Amazon deal sent the stock soaring 9%

“Qualcomm is a new player in data center, and it’s a massive, trillion-dollar market that we have a small share of right now,” Palkhiwala said. “The goal we have laid out is approximately 5% of a trillion-dollar market.”

Palkhiwala said he isn’t too worried about hyperscalers cutting AI spending.

“For a new player, you shouldn’t think about the overall spending impacting us directly,” he said. “These companies are excited to be working with us and we see data center and AI as a tremendous opportunity.”

Palkhiwala also said robotics is another opportunity for the company and is not included in its current $40 billion target for 2029.

“We view robotics as an automotive-like market. Autonomous driving is similar to robotics, using the same type of sensing and requiring AI in the same way. We’re seeing it as an extension of our auto business within the larger category of physical AI,” Palkhiwala said.

“We hope to raise the $40 billion target again,” he said. “That would be the goal.”

Related: Citi doubles down on Micron stock ahead of earnings

Bank of America just told clients there is more to the case than the numbers show. In a research report shared with me, BofA Securities analyst Ebrahim Poonawala reiterated a Buy rating and a $250 price target on Morgan Stanley on September 20, implying about a 21% increase from the September 18 close of $202.58.

The note came after Poonawala, who covers U.S. banks for BofA, met with Andy Saperstein, Morgan Stanley’s Co-President and the executive who oversees every wealth channel at the firm. The conclusion was that Morgan Stanley owns a piece of the wealth business that competitors will struggle to copy, and the reason is a workplace platform many investors have never studied.

Inside the meeting that reinforced BofA’s $250 target

Poonawala’s meeting with Saperstein reinforced his view that Morgan Stanley can keep adding net new assets, which is the fresh client money flowing into the wealth business each quarter. That flow drives recurring fee income. According to a BofA Global Research report shared with me, the combination of the firm’s advisory business, workplace platform, and E*TRADE creates a client acquisition pipeline that competitors will find hard to replicate.

Saperstein has run the wealth management division for years. He joined Morgan Stanley in 2006, became head of U.S. wealth management after the Smith Barney deal in 2009, and was later named Co-President alongside Chairman and CEO Ted Pick. 

Morgan Stanley makes money in three main ways. It advises wealthy clients and manages their assets, runs an institutional securities business covering trading and investment banking, and manages assets for retail and institutional investors.

The Carta partnership and EquityZen deal explained 

The reason for BofA’s call centers around Morgan Stanley at Work, the division that handles employee equity plans, retirement services, and financial benefits inside large companies. Poonawala says the moat comes from owning the cap table infrastructure, which is the record of who owns how much of a company. The firm strengthened that position with its Carta partnership, first announced in October 2024 and expanded again in September 2025, according to a press release.

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The partnership made Morgan Stanley at Work the preferred equity management platform for late-stage private companies heading toward an IPO. When those companies eventually go public, their employees land inside Morgan Stanley’s ecosystem, giving the firm a pipeline of younger clients and future assets.

Morgan Stanley then confirmed the addition of EquityZen, a marketplace where employees of private companies can sell shares to accredited investors. The deal closed on January 27, 2026. Wealth Management head Jed Finn described the acquisition plainly. “Bringing down fees allows more clients to transact and build wealth in a frictionless, holistic way,” Finn said in a Morgan Stanley press release.

E*TRADE, international ambitions, and the risks worth watching

E*TRADE gives Morgan Stanley what BofA calls strategic growth optionality, including a path into digital assets. Morgan Stanley completed the rollout of spot crypto trading on E*TRADE in July 2026, letting clients buy Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana through a Zerohash partnership. That places Morgan Stanley alongside the same self-directed traders who chase crypto exposure inside apps like Robinhood and Coinbase.

Related: Bank of America raises price targets on 10 software stocks

Outside the United States, Saperstein signaled that Morgan Stanley is unlikely to chase a large deal. “If there was a great acquisition, we would’ve found it by now,” he told Poonawala, according to a BofA Global Research report shared with me. The plan is to grow overseas through partnerships, where Morgan Stanley supplies wealth and local institutions bring the clients.

Morgan Stanley shares remain sensitive to capital markets swings, and a slowdown in IPO activity or a sharp market correction would cut into fee income. The stock also trades close to a 52-week high of $232.25, leaving limited room for error if third-quarter results, due October 14, disappoint on net asset inflows. 

What the $250 target could mean for MS stock investors

Poonawala said Morgan Stanley’s per-share profit growth should beat that of other big banks, due to strong wealth inflows and a busy period for trading and dealmaking. He also said a stock pullback would be a good time to buy more shares, because the workplace advantage he described should hold up well beyond any earnings report.

Morgan Stanley makes more of its money managing people’s wealth than from traditional banking. If you already own a financial sector ETF, adding Morgan Stanley stock on top of that gives you more exposure specifically to wealth management and capital markets. 

If you want to bet directly on companies moving from private to public and the wealth business that follows them, MS is one of the more direct ways to do that. If you are new to investing, consider buying shares a little at a time instead of buying a large amount right before earnings are released on October 14.

Related: ServiceNow investors must consider latest alert from Bank of America

In 2026, rival brand Louis Vuitton confirmed it would close its only store in Guizhou, a province in southwest China, in August, while Harvey Nichols shut down its only store in Ireland in September.

Now, part of a historic luxury brand’s retail business could disappear.

Founded in 1851 in Schönenwerd, Switzerland, Bally is a fashion house known for producing high-end shoes, handbags, leather accessories, and ready-to-wear clothing.

Bally has been owned by U.S. investment firm Regent since August 2024, when Regent acquired the Swiss luxury brand from JAB Holding.

Bally could close its last store in Germany

Bally could soon close and liquidate its one remaining German retail store at Outletcity Metzingen, where the brand has operated since 1997.

The closure would mark the end of Bally’s last remaining dedicated retail store in Germany, more than a century after the brand opened its first location in the country.

Employees at the Metzingen store have already been informed of the possible closure, and preparations are reportedly underway for a potential clearance sale of the existing stock, WirtschaftsWoche reported.

The brand’s future in Germany remains unclear. Administrators have described the situation as difficult and pointed to a sluggish flow of information from Bally’s parent company in Switzerland, Fashion Network reported.

The Metzingen store had not officially closed as of Sept. 23, 2026, meaning the potential shutdown remains a developing situation.

Why Bally could end its physical store presence in Germany

The potential closure comes as Bally’s German business faces insolvency proceedings, while its Swiss parent company is undergoing a separate restructuring.

B.D. Retail Deutschland GmbH entered provisional insolvency administration on Sept. 16, 2026.

Provisional insolvency administration is an initial phase of German insolvency proceedings that allows a court-appointed administrator to assess the company’s financial situation and help determine how the case should proceed.

On June 15, the Zug Cantonal Court granted Bally Schuhfabriken GmbH a provisional debt-restructuring moratorium through Oct. 15, 2026.

During the restructuring period, the Swiss parent company also ended shoe production at its Caslano, Switzerland, facility after 175 years.

The developments add to a series of financial and operational changes for Bally as its parent company works through a restructuring.

Fashion retail rivals close stores and exit markets

Bally is not alone in navigating a difficult retail environment. Several luxury fashion companies have closed stores or announced additional shutdowns as they adjust their businesses to changing consumer demand and shifting market conditions.

For some of these companies, store closures are part of a broader effort to reallocate investment toward stronger brands, markets, and locations.

Here’s some of my previous coverage of recent store closures:

• Capri Holdings: Closed 41 locations across its brands in the year ending June 27, 2026.
• Prada Group: Closed 10 Versace stores since the end of 2025 and plans to shutter more locations while relocating select boutiques to stronger markets in 2026 and 2027.
• Kering: Closed 133 locations across its brands in 2025, with an additional 100 store shutdowns scheduled worldwide in 2026.
• Ferragamo: Closing roughly 70 stores between 2025 and 2026.
• Burberry: Closed 21 locations during fiscal 2026.
• Tapestry: Closed 64 directly operated stores during fiscal 2026.
• Zegna Group: Closed 14 stores during the first half of fiscal 2026.

Related: Popular mall retailer continues closing stores in 2026

In the early 1980s, while I grew up in a reasonably wealthy household, sneakers were something you purchased either at the beginning of the school year or when you wore out or outgrew your current pair.

The term “sneakerhead” wasn’t common yet, and while some sneakers (probably not the ones I wore) were cooler than others, they weren’t really a fashion statement yet. That cultural change, however, was coming; it just hadn’t reached Swampscott, Mass., quite yet.

“Most sneakerheads credit the advent of their subculture to the rise of athlete-endorsed shoes in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Converse’s Chuck Taylor All-Stars had dominated the basketball courts for decades — and brands like Puma and Adidas started to get in on the action,” according to National Geographic.

The explosive growth, however, traces back to 1985 and the emergence of Nike’s Air Jordan partnership with Michael Jordan.

“What transformed sneaker culture into a true phenomenon was the 1985 release of Nike’s Air Jordan 1s. In 1984, Michael Jordan was a talented rookie who had yet to play in a professional game. Despite that, Nike — better known then as a running shoe company — saw Jordan as the future of their brand and signed him to a five-year, $2.5 million endorsement deal,” the website reported.

Sneakerheads, sneaker collecting, performance-based sneakers, and regular old sneakers are different things. Consumers are still buying shoes, but increasingly buying shoes they perceive as necessary, useful, or versatile, while postponing discretionary purchases.

That has proven to be bad news for Zumiez.

Zumiez sees sneaker sales drop

Zumiez, which describes itself as a “leading specialty retailer of apparel, footwear, equipment and accessories for young men and women,” saw its net sales drop for the second quarter ended Aug. 1, 2026 by 2.5% to $209.0 million from $214.3 million in the second quarter ended Aug. 2, 2025. Comparable sales for the same period decreased 2.1%, according to an earnings release.

“Net loss in the second quarter of fiscal 2026 was $2.7 million, or $0.17 per share, compared to a net loss of $1 million, or $0.06 per share, in the second quarter of the prior fiscal year,” the company added.

CEO Rick Brooks blamed the declines at least partially on falling sneaker sales.

“Second quarter results came in below last year driven by weaker performance in the U.S., which was primarily driven by continued softness in footwear as well as lower traffic levels,” he said.

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The drop was not isolated to one quarter.

“The footwear category has been the most significant headwind, accounting for 70% of the total U.S. sales decline from the prior year through that timeframe. Footwear has been challenged since the second quarter of 2025, and the year-over-year comparisons get easier as we head into the fourth quarter of this year,” Brooks said during the chain’s second-quarter earnings call.

He made it clear that Zumiez was trying to correct the problem.

“We are certainly trying a lot of different things. And we have some things that are working to offset, but it is not working at a level that is able to deal with the big brands that are trending down,” he said.

The company plans to respond by working with footwear partners and trying to bring more unique products to its stores.

Zumiez is closing stores

CFO Christopher Work shared the company’s plans to close some underperforming stores.

“We plan to close approximately 16 stores during fiscal 2026, including 10 in North America and 6 internationally,” he said during the earnings call.

That’s actually an improvement over the 25 stores the company had planned to close previously.

Brooks noted the drop in transactions, which could be related to fewer customers visiting its stores. That trend has been unfolding for a while.

Traffic for the brand dropped while overall mall visits, where many Zumiez stores are located, grew.

“Shopping mall foot traffic continued to grow in July, with visits up 0.5% year over year at outlet malls, 4.3% at indoor malls, and 5.1% at open-air shopping centers — extending the sector’s positive momentum into the second half of the year,” according to Placer.ai.

Customers also spent more time at the mall.

“Visit duration grew at all three mall formats in July, reversing a decline that had persisted since February. Average visit durations were up 0.6% year over year at outlet malls in July, 0.2% at OASCs, and 2.7% at indoor malls,” the data showed.

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U.S. shoe sales are complicated

Shoe sales aren’t shrinking, but strengths in some areas have covered up weaknesses in others.

“The U.S. footwear industry delivered modest dollar growth during the first half of 2026, with total sales increasing +1%, compared to the same period last year,” according to Circana. “While consumers remained selective in their discretionary spending, higher average selling prices (ASP) continued to offset weaker demand reflected in a decline in units sold.”

Basically, people are buying the shoes they need for athletic and hobby reasons, but being more selective with other purchases.

“Performance footwear remained the industry’s standout growth engine in the first half, generating +6% dollar growth coupled with an increase in units sold. Running shoes continued to lead gains, with category dollar and unit sales both climbing +13%. Cross-training, golf, volleyball, and other activity-based categories also posted gains as consumers continued investing in products that support movement, wellness, and active lifestyles,” Circana shared.

RTM Nexus CEO Dominick Miserandino explained why these trends are bad for a lifestyle retailer that caters to teens.

“Parents will still replace the shoes their kids outgrow, but the second or third pair is easy to postpone. That is where Zumiez gets squeezed: The customer may still like the product, but liking it and needing it are two very different things when the family budget is tight,” he told TheStreet.

Related: Once-trendy drink chain closes 130 locations

Zuckerberg just said that’s about to change.

Speaking at Meta Connect in Menlo Park on Sept. 23, Zuckerberg laid out how the company plans to make money from Muse, its personal AI agent, according to Yahoo Finance.

Meta will take a small cut of transactions Muse completes on behalf of users. The fee will come from merchants, not from the users themselves.

Zuckerberg touts Muse revenue potential

“We believe that Muse will make you money,” Zuckerberg told a room full of developers. “We are standing behind this by making Muse free for a huge number of tokens with the expectation that over time we will profit by taking a small fee from transactions.”

Muse launched on Sept. 8. On the free tier, users get 100 million tokens per week. Meta also offers paid tiers at $20 a month for 500 million tokens and $100 a month for 3 billion tokens, according to Benzinga. More than 1,500 developers applied to build connectors for Muse within its first week.

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Muse is designed to run inside a dedicated cloud virtual machine with a visible browser window so users can watch it work. Meta’s Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang said the company is also developing an encrypted Muse mode targeting a rollout by December 2026 to wall off access to sensitive data.

Zuckerberg confirmed that Muse users will soon be able to create a distinct digital avatar for their agent and video chat with it in real time. The physical avatar is named Jolly, and the personalization push is part of Meta’s effort to make Muse feel more like a personal assistant and less like a search engine.

What Meta’s Muse AI agent can buy for you

Wang highlighted a wave of new retail integrations. Muse now supports PayPal and can shop at Walmart, Best Buy, Gap, Sephora, Wayfair, and American Eagle. For travel, it connects to Expedia. For groceries, it connects to Instacart.

The integrations mean users can describe what they want and let Muse search, compare options, and complete the purchase without opening individual apps or websites. Muse is also getting its own email address, allowing it to handle correspondence on a user’s behalf.

Mac computer control went live on Sept. 17, meaning Muse can now take over a Mac and operate any app on it. It also works with Box and GitHub for file management and code.

Wang said the agent is coming to Meta VR Glasses for on-the-go voice access. A dedicated handheld device called Muse Charm is in development for users who want access without a phone or glasses. Zuckerberg said it should be available before the holidays.

Why Muse offers Meta a different business model

Meta’s existing ad business works by charging companies to reach users on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

The transaction-fee model works differently. Meta earns money when Muse completes a purchase, not when it shows an ad. If Muse helps a user book a trip on Expedia, Meta takes a cut of that booking. If it buys groceries through Instacart, Meta takes a cut of that order.

Zuckerberg framed this as a model where Meta’s interests align with users’. If Muse actually saves people money or helps them buy things they wanted, Meta profits from the outcome. In contrast, the ad business gets paid regardless of whether the user does anything after seeing the ad.

How large that fee would be and how it would be calculated were not disclosed at the event. Meta has not explained the specific mechanics of how it collects from merchants or what share of a transaction it would keep.

Zuckerberg told investors in July that some agent products would adopt results-based pricing, whereby businesses pay when Meta produces an outcome.

The transaction-fee model on Muse extends that logic into consumer shopping. It represents a meaningful shift from an attention economy to a participation economy.

What investors are watching on Muse

Muse became the top app on both Apple’s App Store and Google Play shortly after launching on Sept. 8. Sensor Tower estimated it reached 560,000 daily active users after only 11 days.

Meta’s stock rose 11% on Monday, Sept. 21, following Muse’s launch, as investors assessed early numbers. Wells Fargo and KeyBanc Capital Markets both raised their Meta price targets on the back of that early adoption data.

The open question is whether those early users become habitual shoppers through the agent.

Buying something through a chatbot requires a level of trust that casual usage does not. Users must connect payment methods, grant Muse access to their accounts, and let it act on their behalf. That trust takes time to build, and one bad transaction can erode it fast.

Retailers are another variable. Walmart, Best Buy, and the other launch partners have agreed to the current integration. As Meta’s cut of transactions becomes clearer, some merchants may push back or negotiate.

Amazon, Google, and Apple each have their own commerce layers, and none of them will sit still while Meta builds a toll position between consumers and checkout.

Related: Meta stands to gain as Mark Zuckerberg makes shocking decision

Why we love this deal

Adding extra comfort to your day is always a good idea. Whether you need something comfortable to wear while you’re getting ready for work in the morning, going about daily tasks, or relaxing on the weekend, a soft pair of fleece pants is a wardrobe staple. They’re great for sleeping on cold nights, long road trips, camping, or enjoying the backyard bonfire. Soft, warm pants are almost a necessity during the colder months, and we’ve found the most affordable pair you can think of.

The ​​Wrangler Ultra Comfort Microfleece Pants are only $5 at Walmart. These fleece pants are ultra-comfortable and keep you warm on extra-cold nights. The soft fleece is comfortable for extended wear, and the classic plaid coloring is perfect for fall and winter. You can save 58% on these pants at Walmart.

Wrangler Ultra Comfort Microfleece Pants, $5 (was $12) at Walmart

Why do shoppers love it?

These relaxed-fit pants are made of a soft brushed fleece that stays super soft even after washing. They feature an elastic waistband with a drawstring cord for a customized fit, and are made for convenience with a functional fly. This makes them super comfortable for all-day wear. They have convenient on-seam pockets that let you hold your phone or keys while taking the dog for a walk or running out to grab some food, and they are machine washable for easy care. They can also be rolled up and kept in the car for emergencies, and easily packed down for long trips. 

Related: Amazon is selling fleece sweatpants for $18 that come in 17 colors

They’re available in three colors on sale, including red and Navy plaid, Military green and black plaid, and Navy and Denim plaid color combinations, all available in select sizes, and they come in sizes M to 2XL in specific colors. They’re an extremely affordable option to stock up for the family for Christmas morning, or to lounge around the house during your weekends. 

Details to know

• Sizes: Choose from M to 2XL
• Colors: These are available in four colors, all for $5, including red, gray, green, and black.
• Material: The soft brushed micro fleece is warm and comfortable for all-day wear and lounging around the house 

One reviewer wrote, “These are super warm for lying around the house. I recommend them.”

Another shopper wrote, “These are my son’s favorite pajama pants — he asked me to get him a second pair.”

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The Wrangler Ultra Comfort Microfleece Pants combine affordability, comfort, and easy care into one pair of pants. They’re super soft and comfortable, keep you warm during chilly days, and provide a customized fit for anybody. The inclusive sizing and different colors offer an option for almost everyone, all for just $5 at Walmart.

You can see why the strategy keeps resurfacing. Filling a 15-gallon tank with regular gas now costs about $67, roughly $20 more than a year ago, based on AAA’s national average.

Diesel is worse. At $6.52 a gallon, it costs $2.83 more than it did a year ago, and that cost rides along on every truck, tractor, and delivery van that moves the things you buy.

Farmers and truckers want relief before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, and Republicans in competitive races are pressing the White House to act, according to Reuters. On Tuesday, Sept. 22, President Donald Trump gave them the answer they wanted to hear.

A day later, his own energy secretary said the solution would backfire, causing problems at the gas pump.

What Energy Secretary Chris Wright said about a diesel export ban

“The blunt tool of banning diesel exports definitely doesn’t work,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said at an event in New York on Sept. 23, Reuters reported.

He then spelled out what would happen. “If you can’t export the diesel that comes out of our refineries, you run out of places to store it, and you have to reduce U.S. refining, which would put upward pressure on gasoline prices and jet fuel prices,” Wright said.

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Public disagreement with the president from a cabinet member is relatively uncommon in this administration, Reuters noted.

Wright has held this line for months. “We produce more diesel fuel than we consume,” he told CNBC in May, adding that if the U.S. stops exporting diesel, “we got to turn our refineries down. That would make no sense at all,” he said, according to Newsweek.

Why the president backed a ban on diesel exports

President Trump endorsed the idea on Sept. 22 during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the United Nations General Assembly. “I’ve called for it. I’ve called for it within my people,” he said when asked whether he supported blocking diesel shipments abroad, Axios reported.

Asked when a decision would come, the president said, “Fast, one way or the other.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the administration is examining “whether it’s feasible in terms of the overall refining capacity,” and whether a full or partial ban would work, Axios reported.

The cabinet is split. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has raised high diesel prices with the president. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum warned a ban could invite retaliation from countries that ship fuel to the U.S., which could hurt states like California, according to Reuters.

A White House official said President Trump “wants to see gas prices at the pump fall and is evaluating all the options on the table.”

How a diesel export ban could raise gas and jet fuel prices

Refiners can’t make diesel by itself. Every barrel of crude they run comes out as a mix of gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and other products, so cutting one means cutting all of them.

U.S. exports of distillate fuel, the category that includes diesel, averaged 1.61 million barrels a day in the week ended Sept. 11, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). U.S. distillate production runs about 5.3 million barrels a day, based on EIA figures cited by Time.

In my analysis, that ratio decides the debate. Close an outlet for roughly 30% of output and refiners have two choices: store the extra diesel, which Wright says they can’t do for long, or run less crude, which also means less gasoline and jet fuel.

Energy analysts largely agree. Here is where the key voices stand:

• Energy analysts at TACenergy wrote that losing exports “would force many plants to cut run rates, and reduce their output of gasoline (and numerous other products) as well, which becomes counterproductive,” according to Reuters.
• “Restricting U.S. energy exports would only compound the problem,” American Petroleum Institute CEO Mike Sommers said, according to Time.
• Analysts told Time a ban could lower diesel prices at first on the Gulf Coast and in the Midwest, while West Coast prices could rise if supply can’t be rerouted fast enough.

What record diesel and gas prices mean for your wallet

National average diesel hit $6.5217 a gallon on Sept. 23, up from $5.6074 a month ago and $3.6933 a year ago, according to AAA. Regular gas was $4.4744, up from $3.1719 a year earlier.

I ran the fill-up math. A 15-gallon tank of regular costs $67.12, about $19.54 more than a year ago. A 20-gallon diesel fill-up costs $130.43, about $56.57 more.

In California, diesel averaged $8.4387 a gallon on Sept. 22, according to AAA’s state averages.

Diesel costs also show up in prices you don’t pump yourself. They reach your grocery bill through trucking, and jet fuel costs are already squeezing airlines, with American Airlines’ CEO warning about rising fuel bills last week.

What happened the last time Washington weighed a fuel export ban

This debate has happened before. In 2022, when the Biden administration weighed limits on refined-product exports, the oil industry’s two biggest trade groups pushed back in an Oct. 4, 2022, letter to then-Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

“Banning or limiting the export of refined products would likely decrease inventory levels, reduce domestic refining capacity, put upward pressure on consumer fuel prices, and alienate U.S. allies during a time of war,” wrote API President Mike Sommers and American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers President Chet Thompson. No ban followed.

Russia is running the experiment now. Moscow has extended its own diesel export ban through Oct. 31, pulling barrels from a global market that was already short on them.

What to watch before a decision on diesel exports

The president promised a quick call, so the next few weeks matter. Watch whether the administration picks a partial ban, which Bessent floated, over a full one.

If you drive a diesel truck or run a small business with a fleet, budget for prices to stay high either way. Neither a ban nor the status quo adds refining capacity overnight.

If you heat your home with oil, pay attention, too. Heating oil is a distillate, so the same supply squeeze reaches your furnace as winter arrives.

Wright summed up his case at a Daily Caller event last week, according to Newsweek. “We need more supply, not less supply,” he said.

For your wallet, the bigger risk is what a ban would do to refinery output, and through it, to the price of gasoline.

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The median retiree left the workforce at age 62, the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) reported in its 2026 Retirement Confidence Survey. Active workers set a median target of 65, and that three-year gap erodes contributions, employer matches, and years of retirement savings.

Suze Orman, personal finance expert and host of the “Women & Money” podcast, warned that counting on a longer career to fill a savings gap carries more risk than most workers assume. 

She pointed to a provision under federal law that lets workers between 60 and 63 boost their 401(k) contributions beyond the standard limit, but only for a narrow eligibility period that most workers overlook.

SECURE 2.0 opened a 4-year 401(k) window that closes at 64

Orman highlighted the “super catch-up” contribution in her blog post, urging workers approaching 60 to act on it before the eligibility period ends. 

The super catch-up, created by the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022, allows workers between the ages of 60 and 63 to contribute $11,250 per year above the standard 401(k) limit, bringing the annual maximum to $35,750 for the 2026 tax year, according to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

That amount goes beyond the regular $8,000 catch-up contribution available to all workers 50 and older, and the enhanced ceiling disappears the calendar year a participant turns 64. Workers who miss the window revert to the lower catch-up limit with no way to reclaim the lost contribution room.

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A worker who maxes out the super catch-up from age 60 through 63 would contribute $143,000 over that span, compared with $130,000 under the standard catch-up for workers 50 and older, based on IRS contribution limits.

The base limit alone would total $98,000 over the same period, Moneywise reported. The $45,000 difference comes entirely from the enhanced allowance, and years of investment returns on those extra dollars could widen the gap before withdrawals begin.

Workers whose FICA wages from their employer exceeded $150,000 in the prior year face an added rule under the same law, because all catch-up contributions must flow into a Roth 401(k).

That trade-off means forgoing the upfront tax deduction in exchange for tax-free withdrawals later, the IRS confirmed.

EBRI data reveals why counting on working longer falls apart

The EBRI 2026 Retirement Confidence Survey found that 46% of retirees left the workforce earlier than they had originally planned. Among those who departed ahead of schedule, 41% cited a health problem or disability, and 35% pointed to changes at their employer such as downsizing, the survey showed.

About 74% of active workers told EBRI they planned to work for pay after retiring, but only 31% of retirees reported actually doing so, which suggests many Americans are building financial plans around income that may never arrive.

Orman argued in her blog post that building an entire retirement blueprint around continued employment creates a vulnerability workers cannot control, because health crises, corporate layoffs, and caregiving obligations operate on their own timeline and rarely offer advance warning.

<strong>Planning for retirement as if you will work until 65 or beyond is not wrong, but it cannot be your only plan</strong>

Orman added in the same post that workers who recognize that risk while still in their late 50s have tools like the super catch-up available to them, rather than confronting the gap after an involuntary exit from the workforce.

How Orman says workers should prepare before the window opens

Not every employer plan includes the super catch-up provision, and employers are not required to adopt it under the SECURE 2.0 Act, Moneywise reported. 

Orman urged workers approaching 60 to verify their plan’s terms with their human resources department or plan administrator and calculate how the enhanced limit would affect their total balance over four years.

Orman also recommended eliminating mortgage debt before leaving the workforce, calling a paid-off home “one of the most powerful things you can do to reduce what retirement actually costs.”

Removing the monthly payment lowers the income a retiree needs from savings and Social Security each month, which gives the rest of a portfolio more room to grow.

Why the super catch-up demands a decision and not just awareness 

Orman’s broader point is that the provision rewards action within a defined period, not passive awareness that it exists.

Workers who learn about enhanced contribution limits but treat them as a future consideration face a constraint that most retirement planning tools do not impose: a firm eligibility cutoff that the IRS will not extend.

Orman’s framing leaves workers with a binary choice: confirm access to the super catch-up and commit to the higher deferral during the eligible years, or accept a permanently lower lifetime contribution total.

Few retirement provisions frame the cost of inaction in such concrete and irreversible terms.

Related: Suze Orman warns of a 401(k) match error costing workers

I recently reported on how Walt Disney World is steadily increasing the cost of its resort hotel rooms for 2027, and found out that a 2024 LendingTree survey revealed that a staggering 45% of parents with young children went into debt to afford their Disney vacation. They went into an average of $1,983 in debt.

What’s more, 59% of them had no regrets. 

The Walt Disney Company’s Q3 2026 earnings report revealed the Experiences segment brought in $10 billion in revenue for the quarter, up 10% year-over-year, driven by domestic attendance up 3% and per-capita spending up 4%. More people are coming to the parks, and each one is spending more once they’re there.

“We’re certainly not discounting our way to volume growth,” Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro said during the Q3 earnings call, pointing to 4% per-capita spending growth as proof.

As long as consumers view a Disney trip as a meaningful investment worth going into debt for, the company retains significant pricing power, redefining what “value” means. 

And, its latest value definition has just been released. 

Disney World pushes peak 2027 ticket prices above $200

Walt Disney World has officially released its theme park ticket prices for the first 10 months of 2027, and the numbers reveal some of the most significant peak price increases in the resort’s history, according to a recent report by Inside the Magic. 

However, the biggest shock may still be yet to come. Because Disney has not yet released its pricing for November and December 2027 (traditionally the busiest and most expensive times of the year), Inside the Magic’s theme park journalist Brittni Ward warns that the true ceiling for 2027 holiday tickets will likely push these records even higher.

Below is a quick overview of how the peak one-day ticket prices have increased for the January through October 2027 timeframe compared to the previous year, as reported by BlogMickey. 

The new peak ticket prices by park

• Magic Kingdom: Rose from $209 to $219 (a $10 increase)
• EPCOT: Jumped from $199 to $214 (a $15 increase, the first time EPCOT has crossed the $200 mark)
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Climbed from $204 to $209 (a $5 increase)
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom: Remains unchanged at $184 

The current date-based pricing calendar can also be tracked directly on Walt Disney World’s official page.

Previous price increases, breaking the $200 psychological barrier 

Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios both broke the $200 mark back in 2026. What’s new for 2027 is EPCOT joining them for the first time, pushing all of Disney World’s headline parks past that threshold.

Ward notes that spending over $200 for a single day at a Disney World park once “sounded almost unbelievable,” but steady, incremental hikes over the last couple of years have slowly pushed peak prices closer to the edge.

Disney’s move away from standard daily admission in favor of a date-based model is what allowed for this gradual surge in costs.

Maintaining lower prices during off-peak seasons provided the company with the justification it needed to dramatically raise the cap during peak travel windows, resulting in EPCOT breaking the $200 barrier for the first time in 2027.

The real impact on consumers

While a $5 or $15 per ticket increase may seem small and insignificant at first glance, especially when you count the total amount a typical family plans to spend, the truth is, it makes an important difference. 

When you multiply that increase across a family of four over a multi-day vacation, it adds a massive strain to a family’s budget. For example, a $10 increase can add $160 extra for a family of four on a four-day stay. 

And this is only for ticket prices. A family should also account for resort prices that also increased for 2027, the optional services like Lightning Lane, and dining options. Each $10 increase makes the total sum heavier on the wallet. 

However, travelers with flexible schedules can still find options at lower price points. 

Here’s some of my other recent travel news coverage:

• Marriott finally fixes major pain point for key travelers
• TSA finally lifts an annoying airport restriction after 25 years
• Americans losing more protection over delayed flights

Disney chose not to apply a uniform percentage increase across the entire calendar, leaving base ticket prices for off-peak days unchanged from 2026. On the lowest-demand dates, single-day admission still starts at $119 for Disney’s Animal Kingdom and $139 for Magic Kingdom.

The financial impact falls primarily on families bound by school calendars and traditional work holidays. Because Disney has yet to publish ticket rates for November and December 2027, the current peak price of $219 may not remain the highest once the winter holiday dates become available.

Disney recently hiked its resort prices for 2027 as well 

These record-setting ticket hikes come just weeks after I reported on Walt Disney World quietly raising its resort room rates for 2027.

Room rate tracking from MouseSavers reveals that staying on-property is becoming significantly more expensive across every tier. Value accommodations like Pop Century, traditionally positioned as budget-friendly, will now range from $300 to $350 a night during peak spring dates, while Deluxe properties like the BoardWalk Inn cross $1,000 per night.

When stacked on top of the new peak admission rates, lodging alone will push a week-long stay into the multi-thousand-dollar range before a family even accounts for food, transportation, or add-ons like Lightning Lane passes.

How families can lower Disney World’s cost

Rising hotel rates significantly impact total vacation budgets, with multi-night stays pushing even “Moderate” category resorts into premium territory. For example, a seven-night stay at a mid-tier property like Port Orleans Resort – Riverside can reach between $2,690 and $2,950 for the room alone, while rates near $400 a night at Coronado Springs challenge traditional expectations of middle-ground lodging.

To help manage these expenses, families can utilize a few core strategies:

• Target off-peak dates: Because Disney uses date-based pricing, choosing slower travel windows yields lower room rates.
• Watch for special offers: Disney regularly releases seasonal promotions, package deals, or Annual Passholder discounts closer to travel dates.
• Consider off-site lodging: Staying outside Disney property offers potential savings, though families must balance lower room rates against forfeiting on-site perks and convenience.

Despite the substantial financial commitment required for an on-site stay, demand remains strong, with Walt Disney World continuing to attract approximately 50 million visitors annually, according to MagicGuides.  

Bottom line: many families find a trip to Disney World worth the cost, even the debt. However, that doesn’t mean they aren’t looking for ways to save as much as possible, and the best way to do so is to watch for seasonal promotional discounts close to their travel dates.

Related: Delta Air Lines quietly ends 17 routes while adding new flights

Analyst Atif Malik lifted Citi’s target to $1,300 from $1,150 on September 23, keeping his Buy rating intact. Micron closed Tuesday at around $1,093. The new target implies roughly 19% upside from there, Investing.com reported.

Micron reports fiscal fourth-quarter results on September 30. SEMICON West runs October 13-15 in San Francisco. Malik is stacking two catalysts back-to-back and saying the memory pricing setup going into both of them is better than the market is pricing in.

What Citi is modeling ahead of earnings

Malik raised his August and November quarter estimates after revising his assumptions on blended DRAM pricing higher. He now models fiscal fourth-quarter revenue of $51 billion and earnings of $31.45 per share, both above the Wall Street consensus. He also expects upside to guidance when Micron reports on September 30.

The pricing assumptions behind those numbers are specific. Citi models blended DRAM average selling prices up 20% quarter over quarter in the current period and another 13% in the following quarter. NAND prices up 34% and then 15%. If those hold, Micron’s operating leverage kicks in hard. Memory manufacturing has high fixed costs. Better prices flow almost directly to the bottom line.

More Micron:

• Michael Burry increases his bet against popular chip giant
• Bank of America doubles down on Micron stock after AI bombshell
• Micron stock jumps as investors look beyond GPUs in AI chip trade

That confidence is backed by recent data. On the fiscal Q3 call, CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said “DRAM and NAND industry demand continues to significantly exceed industry supply” and expected that to persist beyond calendar 2027. DRAM prices in Q3 had already risen in the low-60% range. NAND prices were up in the mid-80s, Yahoo Finance reported.

SEMICON West is the next catalyst Citi is watching

Malik flagged SEMICON West, running October 13-15 in San Francisco, as the event to watch after earnings. The conference brings together chip manufacturers, equipment companies and suppliers. Citi expects equipment makers there to talk about shortages in DRAM, multilayer ceramic capacitors, printed circuit boards and optical components.

If they do, it reinforces the supply constraint story. Constrained supply with strong demand means higher prices. Higher prices mean better margins for Micron. The conference becomes a de facto confirmation of the thesis Malik is already running.

Micron shares have already done a large round trip. The stock fell 35% from its prior high before recovering 34% from the July low. That volatility reflects real uncertainty about whether the AI memory demand cycle is durable. SEMICON West is a chance for the industry itself to answer that question publicly.

The structural case Citi is making

The DRAM and NAND markets are undersupplied. Citi expects supply growth to remain in the low-20% range, while demand, driven by AI infrastructure and enterprise storage, continues to outpace it. Prices are expected to peak in the second quarter of 2027.

Micron has also locked in a significant amount of that future revenue through customer contracts. The company has 16 Strategic Customer Agreements in place, of which 14 represent roughly $100 billion in minimum contracted revenue through 2030, backed by $22 billion in customer deposits and letters of credit. That is not speculative demand. That is contracted.

AI inference is adding another layer. As companies deploy AI models at scale, enterprise SSD demand is picking up. Citi expects that to offset weaker consumer NAND demand, which is more cyclical and sensitive to economic conditions. The enterprise side of the storage business is becoming a more durable revenue source than the consumer side ever was, TipRanks reported.

What the risks look like

The bull case breaks if AI infrastructure spending slows. That is the macro risk sitting under the whole thesis. Memory manufacturers could also expand capacity faster than Citi expects, easing the supply constraints that are driving prices higher. Customer inventory builds could delay orders. Consumer electronics demand is already soft and could get softer.

Micron is also not cheap on a trailing basis even after the round trip. The stock trades at a forward P/E of roughly 7 times on consensus 2027 earnings estimates that have been climbing fast. That looks low. But memory is a cyclical business and the market has burned investors before who trusted the cycle too close to its peak.

Citi’s $1,300 target sits below where some other analysts have gone. The Street-high heading into earnings is above $2,000. The thesis is not that Citi is the most bullish voice on Micron. It is that a firm raising estimates and a target the week before earnings, with specific pricing models and a clear catalyst in SEMICON West, is signaling something worth watching heading into September 30.

If Mehrotra confirms on the earnings call that demand is still running well ahead of supply, the SEMICON West setup becomes even cleaner. If he signals any softening, the round trip the stock already did once this year could happen again. That is the trade Malik is making and investors are now watching it in real time.

Related: Nvidia, SK Hynix send strong signal to Micron investors

Why we love this deal

Almost everything we interact with on a daily basis requires the same thing, and that’s electricity. Perhaps the most vital of these to our daily work goals and entertainment needs are our smartphones and tablets. Unfortunately, these devices don’t yet run on their own self-sustaining power sources, so we have to find other means to keep the juices flowing. One of the best tools available for that task is a portable solar charger. These handy little inventions allow you to charge them on the go and keep your devices powered even during an outage. One of Amazon’s best examples of this type of charger is currently on sale for Prime members, but even the regular price is a great deal.

The Errbbic Portable Solar Charger is available for just $36 if you’re an Amazon Prime member. This charger is worth every penny, considering that you’ll virtually never be stranded again without power for your phone or tablet.

Erratic Portable Solar Charger, $36 (was $40) at Amazon

Why do shoppers love it?

This charger is one of the most convenient portable electronics you can buy, and the affordable price doesn’t hurt either. Its 49,800mAh of power is enough to hold a charge for many hours, and it can fully recharge smartphones and tablets quickly. Most smartphones will charge up to 60% in just 30 minutes. Furthermore, it has enough power to keep a full-sized laptop charged so you can keep doing your work, even when you may not have access to a wall outlet. Speaking of which, you can charge this power bank using a wall outlet or by placing the solar panel facing the sun. 

While many portable chargers maintain a lower power capacity to keep size and weight down, this model is highly portable while still maintaining one of the highest power capacities you can get in this price range. The charger also includes four different built-in charging cables. These cords include USB-A, USB-C, Micro-USB, and Lightning cables. That covers just about any phone or device you’re likely to require with this charger. It also includes a magnetic charging ring on the back, so you don’t even have to plug your device in to get a good power-up. The magnetic charger can transfer 15 Watts per charge. 

In addition to all of its charging capabilities, it also has a built-in dual LED light. It can double as a flashlight in a pinch, and it has a rugged rubberized outer shell that protects it from bumps and drops. You have three colorways from which to choose, so you may want to buy one for each member of the household at this price.

Related: Stay ready for emergencies with Amazon’s $75 2-in-1 solar device that has 9,500+ 5-star ratings

Amazon shoppers raved about this charger. One said it “works great,” adding, “I hang it from my belt, and it keeps my devices charged all day.”

Shop more deals 

• Roxicosly Emergency Weather Radio, $50 at Amazon
• Qauyyw Hand Crank Emergency Solar Radio, $33 (was $36) at Amazon
• Eoxsmile NOAA Emergency Weather Radio, $49 at Amazon

The Errbbic Portable Solar Charger is the quickest and easiest way to ensure that you never run out of power on your smartphone or tablet. At just $36, it may also be the cheapest way to do that. Just don’t wait too long to buy, as they may sell out at this price.

In April, Disney World rolled out price increases for 2027, affecting single-day tickets and dining plans, according to a report from AllEars.net. It also quietly raised resort hotel rates for March 2027 earlier this month.  

The changes came after new Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro said at Disney’s annual shareholder meeting that the company aims to “provide a fair amount of choice and flexibility for guests” regarding pricing. 

“When it comes to how we think about pricing, we focus on offering a wide range of options at different price points so that families can visit in ways that work for them, whether that’s during a value season or taking advantage of multi-day ticket savings or even special offers,” said D’Amaro.

Disney World ends free water park admission perk

Amid recent pricing changes, Disney World has officially ended its free water park admission perk for Disney Resort hotel guests on Sept. 9, according to a recent report from Inside the Magic.

The perk launched in 2025 and allows guests staying at participating Disney World Resort hotels to receive free admission to a Disney water park on their check-in day.

When the perk was first introduced, it was available to guests for the entire year of 2025. However, this year, the perk’s availability was cut short, restricting it from May 26 through Sept. 9.

Despite the perk ending early, Disney confirmed on its website that it will return in the summer of 2027.

Related: Disney shutting down key theme park app by fall

“Enjoy this water park perk – and other great benefits – when you stay at a Disney Resorts Collection hotel in summer 2027, excluding the Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort,” states Disney on its website. 

In the meantime, consumers have two options to gain admission to Disney World’s water parks. 

They can purchase Disney World’s 1-Day Water Park Ticket, which is currently $74 (before taxes) for visitors over the age of 10 and $68 for those between the ages of 3 and 9. 

If visitors want unlimited admission to Disney World’s water parks, they can purchase the Disney Water Park Seasonal Pass for $89 (plus tax), which will give them access to Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach.  For guests between the ages of 3 and 9, that prices goes down to $83 (plus tax).

The pass is valid for use through May 15, 2027, except on blockout dates from Feb. 19 to 21, and March 20 to 28.

Disney’s U.S. theme park demand rises as it adds more discounts

The perk’s removal comes at a time when Disney has been rolling out more discounts and promotions amid concerns about the affordability of its theme park vacations.

In 2024, a LendingTree survey found that 24% of U.S. consumers have taken on debt to pay for a Disney vacation, with unexpectedly high costs cited as a major factor. Among parents of young children, the share was significantly higher, reaching 45%.

Concerns about Disney’s affordability continued into the following year, as the Wall Street Journal reported that some Disney executives were allegedly worried that rising costs at the company’s theme parks and resorts were pricing out middle-class families.

Since then, Disney has introduced new discounts to attract price-conscious consumers. This year specifically, it has added new deals such as up to 30% off select Disney World hotel rooms for stays most nights between May 1 and Oct. 4th. 

More Travel News:

• Airline to launch unusual new flight to Cayman Islands from the U.S.
• There is a very cool Irish version of swimming pigs in The Bahamas
• Unexpected country is most luxurious travel destination for 2026
• Low-cost airline launches easier way to get to Sri Lanka

It also introduced a new free dining plan for kids (ages 3 to 9), which visitors can obtain when purchasing a qualifying package at a Disney World hotel that includes a dining plan for guests at least 10 years old. 

Additionally, Disney World added an afternoon ticket deal that ran from May 26th to July 29, allowing guests to get a discounted ticket for visits to the theme park after 2 p.m.

After launching additional discounts earlier this year, Disney revealed in its latest earnings report that its U.S. theme park attendance increased by 3% year over year in the second quarter of 2026. 

On an earnings call on Aug. 12, D’Amaro said that spending is increasing at Disney’s domestic theme parks, which are “performing significantly better” than its competition.  

Also, Disney Chief Financial Officer Hugh Johnston noted that future Disney vacation bookings are up, with demand remaining healthy.

“Demand is strong across domestic parks and cruises,” said Johnston. “Consumer products also had a terrific quarter, benefiting from the IP (intellectual property) strength we have. Looking forward, the forward bookings at Walt Disney World are up nicely, and the cruise line bookings also look very healthy as we look out to our book of business.”

In a recent analysis, Thomas Paulson, an analyst and head of market insights at Advan Research, said the U.S. theme park industry had a strong summer season, led by visits to Disney World in Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood in California.

This was due to several factors, including increased spending by higher-income consumers. 

“Fueling the strong season was exceptionally strong spending by the more affluent consumer, a strong line-up of new attractions at the parks (+Epic), and strong success at the box office,” said  Paulson.

Related: 50-year-old theme and water park to close forever after summer season

Transcript:

Phillip Snyder, CLU, The Warner Companies

Okay.

Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network

Well, dad, it’s always great to see you. Thanks for popping by the program this morning.

Phillip Snyder, CLU, The Warner Companies

Good morning, Jeff.

Always nice to be with you.

Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network

Do you recollect what year this is for you in the life insurance and executive benefit industry?

Phillip Snyder, CLU, The Warner Companies

Lord, probably 45 to 50 years in that range.

Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network

Okay, well, you’re an expert when it comes to a lot of these financial issues. It’s someone that I go to personally about not only life insurance, but financial. So I appreciate you coming on the program.

Dad, I wanted to, the reason why I reached out to you outside of just talking to you in general, because I love you, is there was a survey recently through LIMRA, which is a major life insurance association, lobbying group, whatever. They put out the World Life Insurance Report. And in the findings, it said that life insurers are losing clients at an alarming rate.

And I wanna get your reaction to that because I wanted to drill down into that. So let’s get your top line. When you read that article and you saw the survey, what did you think?

Phillip Snyder, CLU, The Warner Companies

Well, some of that is not surprising. I think they’re referencing younger buyers. Yes.

Who, for whatever reason, at their point in life, and I think most of them are under the age of 40, now are interested in buying life insurance, but they’re also disillusioned because they’re not really getting the care and treatment and follow-up that they need. And they don’t really know enough about what they bought or what they hope to buy to make an informed decision or to feel comfortable keeping what they did buy. So those are the issues.

Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network

So does that track, look, you just said you’ve been in the life insurance and executive benefit industry, which uses a lot of life insurance products for the last 40, 50 years. Is that kind of track with your experience and expertise in dealing with younger people? Because to me, it just makes sense.

Phillip Snyder, CLU, The Warner Companies

Well, the answer is, of course, obviously my clientele is not younger people today and it’s more business oriented. But sure, I go back to my early days in the business and I think what I learned to do early on is that you need to educate people. You need to educate them as to why you think at least, and hopefully they will concur that they should buy life insurance.

What’s the purpose of it? How does it function? How do the various products actually work?

What are the options available to them? What flexibility is built into that in case things change? I mean, if you spend the time upfront creating relationships with clients, that’s gonna serve everybody’s best interest in the longer term.

Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network

Okay, so, well, hold that thought. I wanna get your reaction to this. Because according to the report, 40% of policyholders, that’s a pretty significant number, almost 50%, say they rarely or never hear from their insurer after buying a policy.

So that tells me the customer service part, and that’s primarily probably done by the advisor, that’s not being done. Maybe there’s an opportunity here for people like yourself that are advisors, hey, touch your customer a little bit more, retain your customer.

Phillip Snyder, CLU, The Warner Companies

That has been a problem since day one when I came into the industry.

Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network

Okay.

Phillip Snyder, CLU, The Warner Companies

The follow-up is really pretty bad in a general sense. That’s clearly there are those people within the industry, salespeople and companies that identify the fact that we’ve got to maintain relationships with people. These are not short term, buy something and move on to the next one.

These are relationships you’re trying to cultivate and maintain. And it just requires effort and commitment to do that. And really a general interest and a professionalism in what you’re doing.

And if you do those things, then you’ll be able to maintain your… Almost, you’re not gonna retain all your client relationships. And candidly, you probably don’t wanna retain some of them over time.

But at the same time, you really need to make the effort and realize that you’re helping people, not in the short term, but in the long term.

Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network

It’s interesting to hear you say that from day one, that when you were in a business… So this is before, no offense, Deb, but this is before computers or mainstream computers. This is before probably the calculator, well, at least the digital calculator and before technology.

So it seems like it’s always been an issue. Technology today allows anybody, any advisor, to reach out directly to their client through email, through text, through telephone. Yeah, the good old telephone, right?

So I feel like the technology exists. All it takes is the effort. Or like shows like you coming on BRN, this is an opportunity for you to interact with your clients in a way that maybe they haven’t always seen you.

I mean, they’ve seen you in person, but they’ve never seen you on air.

Phillip Snyder, CLU, The Warner Companies

So that… Over the years, I’m sorry. Look, I still have client relationships now going on 40 or more years.

We’ve worked through their business interests, through their personal interests, through their children, now grandchildren in some cases we’re helping. But there are some that I haven’t maintained relationships with over the years for a variety of reasons, some of which maybe the fault may lie with me to some degree, but for the most part, you sort of, you’ve got to make a commitment. That’s what it’s all about.

And you can’t be successful at this business if you don’t do that.

Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network

Is it more that it’s a focus on the sale? So most people, I don’t want to lump people in categories, but my experience has been that people in our line of work, they focus on the acquisition phase of the relationship because that’s the one that typically pays and it’s so hard to upsell products. So maybe it’s the focus of the advisor, the insurance company that it’s about acquisition and less about customer service.

Again, I don’t want to pay with this broad brush, but that’s just been my experience. Let’s go out and get the client and keep doing that.

Phillip Snyder, CLU, The Warner Companies

Yeah, I agree. Well, at the company level, I think there are clearly companies that take the time to train and really support their producers, we’ll call them, their marketing teams, and that gives them the wherewithal to maintain relationships. They cultivate the materials to target their clientele and they know more about their clientele than many of the other companies would otherwise know about their clientele.

But the way that business is oriented, the sale of individual life insurance products, for the most part, are high front-end commission products. And I think that’s a contributing factor and still remains a contributing factor because a salesperson who’s really not into it, that this is just a job, it’s not a career, and I’m doing this to make money, they’re going to run out and they’re going to sell as much as they can to people and move on to the next one because that’s where they make their quick money. But the reality is much of what we do in our practice here is revenue is generated over a long period of time, meaningful revenue.

So we’re interested in cultivating real relationships that not only benefit the client, but also benefit us. You need revenue to support the business you sell.

Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network

Yeah, but the upfront costs of onboarding a client. So getting that client, you get a new, it could be an individual, you get a new insurance client. You’ve got to go through the process of getting them enrolled.

They usually have to take a medical exam unless it’s a guaranteed issue, right? There’s a big upfront cost. So wouldn’t it make sense, you want to keep that client for a long period of time in order to pay that revenue and also earn back that upfront cost.

It just doesn’t make sense to me. Maybe I’m missing it.

Phillip Snyder, CLU, The Warner Companies

Well, you’re 100% right, but that’s not the way everybody sees it, unfortunately. We spent a lot of time upfront with people long before we even begin to make a sale, we’ll call it. We’re trying to learn about the people, learn what they have, learn what they think, learn about their family, learn as much as you can as to what makes them tick and what their motivations are and what they want to accomplish.

And that takes time. That takes a lot of time before you even make a proposal to people. You’ve got to learn about the people.

Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network

Dad, I want to ask you about, I know you’re not a huge user of AI, but I’m sure people in your firm use it. Customers more and more can get information from, they can just put a query in into one of these large language models and say, compare three products for me. Does that change?

I don’t even know if that information, by the way, is accurate. I have some questions, personal questions about the accuracy of some of these large language models, because if they’re built by humans, they’re going to have the same fallacies as humans. But let’s set that aside for a second.

People are using this as a tool, that is a tool. Does that change the relationship? I can just go out and look up insurance products and do a comparison through AI, and therefore I’m gone in three years or two years or one year.

Phillip Snyder, CLU, The Warner Companies

Yeah, well, clearly it has an impact. And you see that because you see it, if you look on TV, you’ll see all the ads running for $27 a month, you can get $8 million of insurance or whatever, some ridiculous ads like that. But those are just quick in and outs.

Really undermine what most of the real pros, the really good people in the insurance industry are trying to do is create relationships. I mean, I still have relationships with clients. I’ve sold something for 30 or more years ago.

And frankly, people haven’t bought anything from me in a long time, and I’m generating no revenue, but we’re still meeting with them, we’re still talking, we’re still delivering service to them. It’s not ideal for us, but that’s the commitment we made. Okay, and that’s what we wanna honor.

Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network

What motivates you? So maybe the motivation, let’s talk about motivations of the advisor community, because obviously you, what motivates you to stay in the business that has changed dramatically over, especially over the last decade? What has motivated you as an individual?

I mean, obviously I know you, the audience doesn’t know you. So what has motivated you to stay in the business? What makes you get up every morning at your maturity and come to work every day and on Saturdays to do your job?

Phillip Snyder, CLU, The Warner Companies

No two people that I call are alike. Everything is different. Everything is a new opportunity and a new challenge.

And I learn new things every day, and it’s fun. It’s not fun every minute of every day. There are challenges.

There are things that don’t go my way or whatever the case may be, but it’s still fun to get out and talk with people and meet people of all different types. And we’ve been successful doing that over the years, business people, everyday people, government workers, whatever, high-end, middle-income people. They’re all just people, and they’re interesting to talk to.

And it’s a lot of fun to be helpful to those people. It’s very fulfilling to do that.

Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network

So you’re more of a professional problem solver on a personal level than you are just a churner. So maybe that’s the difference. And do you see that?

I mean, you have people of all ages in your practice. So do you see, I don’t want you to call anybody out, but do you see differences between generationally from the younger brokers or advisors to someone like yourself?

Phillip Snyder, CLU, The Warner Companies

No, we don’t. Well, first of all, in this practice here, we don’t have too many young producers, as it were. We do have a couple of new people who are relatively new to the industry, but they’re catching on to what the real MO is and what we’re trying to do here.

But everybody else here, for the most part, is very professional. They really are interested in doing it the right way, helping people, helping them understand what their need may be, how to fulfill the need, understand the products, understand the pricing, the options, the flexibility, and the changes that occur over time. People’s lives change.

And the reason they may have bought something five or 10 years ago may no longer exist. So you’ve got to review everything, their ownership, their beneficiaries, their assets, things of that nature. You’ve got to do all that.

If you want to be a true pro.

Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network

Yeah, I think that’s part of it. I think that you’re fighting this endless battle against information consumption, where people get it, how they get it, the frequency they wish they get it. And so you’re one of many touch points.

Not you in particular, but the advisor, the product producer. That’s kind of what you’re fighting against day in and day out, because people are getting it on their little device. Dad, I’m going to have to leave it there.

Really interesting conversation. Always great to see you. And thanks for joining us.

And I look forward to having you back on the program again very soon.

Phillip Snyder, CLU, The Warner Companies

Always my pleasure, Jeff. I wish you the best. And we’ll talk a little later today.

Have a good day.

Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network

You too. Thanks, Dad.

Phillip Snyder, CLU, The Warner Companies

Bye-bye. Okay.

Why we love this deal

The seasons may change, but your garage will always be the place to store your gardening tools, hardware supplies, sports equipment, holiday decorations, and all the miscellaneous junk that’s too useful to throw out. While it’s easy to haphazardly throw all those items into your garage whenever you’re done using them,  it makes for chaos later down the road when you actually need to find something, and like all disorganized rooms, a cluttered garage can quickly get overwhelming. With a few cabinets and storage units like the Melmine 5-Tier Storage Shelf, you can better maintain a limited-size space and find what you need when you need it.

The $60 shelving unit is on sale for 38% off during a Walmart Flash deal, making the bestseller only $37 for a limited time. Even with the $10 shipping fee, it’s still a great deal that couldn’t come at a better time now that the seasonal turnover is occurring with summer fading away and fall in full swing. 

Melmine 5-Tier Storage Shelf, $37 (was $60) at Walmart

Why do shoppers love it?

If there’s one word to adequately describe this shelf, it’s “heavy-duty.” Constructed with a powder-coated steel frame, which resists chipping, scratching, rust, and everyday wear and tear, it’s built to withstand up to 2,000 pounds total, with that measuring out to about 450 pounds per tier. As a five-tier unit, there’s ample space to hold plastic storage bins, filled with smaller items, as well as large power tools, automotive supplies, gardening gear, gas cans or propane tanks, and so much more.

Measuring 35.5 inches long, 15.8 inches wide, and 72 inches high, each tier is spaced out fairly evenly but you can adjust the individual shelves to accommodate larger or smaller items and hold them more securely. You could even split the entire unit in half to make two different standing units if that would better suit your needs.

Related: Amazon’s $136 farmhouse storage cabinet holds over 1,000 pounds

The corners have a rolled-edge design to eliminate scrapes or cuts from sharp corners, and there’s a special anti-tip bracket included to ensure stability and eliminate wobbling during use.

Details to know

• Dimensions: The shelf measures 35.5 inches long, 15.8 inches wide, and 72 inches high. 
• Material: Powder-coated steel frame.
• Weight capacity: 2,200 pounds (450 pounds per tier). 

Shoppers say this unit is an “attractive storage shelf” that’s very sturdy and easy to assemble. It’s deep enough to store multiple boxes and containers which is a huge plus, and the adjustable shelves allow you to fit a variety of different things on each tier. Strong and spacious it holds plastic bins just right with no overflow over the front edge, and many shoppers can’t recommend it enough. 

Shop more deals 

• Hyper Tough 4-Shelf Plastic Shelving Unit, $30 (was $35) at Walmart
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Stay organized and find everything when you need it thanks to the Melmine 5-Tier Storage Shelf, on sale for just $37 at Walmart during a limited-time Flash deal.

Vanguard’s How America Saves report, covering nearly five million workplace retirement accounts through 2025, suggests the picture is more complicated than the headlines imply.

Participation across Vanguard-administered plans reached a record 86% of eligible employees in 2025, with automatic enrollment driving that rate to 94%. The average total contribution rate also reached a record 12.1% of pay, combining worker deferrals and employer matching across those plans.

Those records rest on default contribution settings that most employees never chose and have never revisited since they were hired.

Nearly 4 in 10 plans still default workers at 3% or below

Nearly 4 in 10 automatic enrollment plans, or 38%, still default employees at a contribution rate of 3% or below, the Vanguard report showed. 

Vanguard recommends a combined total of 12% to 15% of pay, including employer matching, a threshold more than triple the most common default rate.

The share of plans starting workers at 4% or higher has climbed from 27% in 2005 to 62% in 2025, but gains have stalled since 2023. A worker who contributes 3% and receives the average employer match of 4.7% of pay would reach a combined rate of just 7.7%. 

That rate falls well below the 12% floor. For a worker earning $90,000, the shortfall amounts to about $3,870 per year.

Compounded at a 7% average annual return over 30 years, that annual gap grows to roughly $365,000 in foregone retirement savings, according to standard time-value-of-money projections.

Vanguard Managing Director of Workplace Solutions Lauren Valente said in a June 2026 press release that while the industry’s progress on plan design has fundamentally expanded access to retirement savings, the system must continue strengthening defaults to close remaining gaps.

<strong>Continuing to strengthen the system means helping Americans manage short-term financial pressures while staying on track for long-term retirement security and expanding solutions that support them at every stage of their journey</strong>.

The Vanguard report data reinforces that view, with 22% of participants deferring less than 4% of their income and only 25% saving more than 10%.

401(k) auto-escalation caps create a second ceiling on retirement savings

Automatic annual deferral increases now appear in 71% of automatic enrollment plans, the highest adoption rate in the report’s 25-year history. The report found that 40% of those plans cap annual increases at 10% of pay, affecting 43% of participants enrolled in the feature.

A worker who starts at 3% and climbs by 1% per year would hit a 10% ceiling after seven years in the same plan.

Combined with the average employer match, that ceiling produces a total rate of about 14.7%, barely clearing the bottom of Vanguard’s recommended range.

More Vanguard:

• Vanguard’s new 401(k) numbers have good news for Millennials
• Vanguard doubles down on U.S. stocks with 4 new ETFs
• Vanguard sends urgent warning on major 401(k) growing problem

Vanguard recommends that plan sponsors set escalation ceilings where participants save at least 15% of pay, including employer contributions, the report noted. 

A 10% cap falls short of that benchmark, and only one in three plans currently set caps between 11% and 15%, the report showed.

The share of participants saving at target levels has risen by only four percentage points since 2021, from 47% to the current 51%.

That pace suggests current plan designs alone are not narrowing the adequacy gap fast enough for the millions of workers approaching retirement.

T. Rowe Price confirms the savings gap widens without auto-increase

T. Rowe Price’s 2026 Reference Point analysis, covering more than two million active plan participants, reinforces Vanguard’s findings on default contribution gaps. 

Plans pairing auto-enrollment with an opt-out auto-increase kept deferral rates at the level of voluntary enrollees, who tend to contribute at higher levels, the firm found.

Plans lacking that escalation feature produced consistently lower deferral rates among defaulted participants than among those who enrolled voluntarily, the data showed. 

The gap was widest among older workers who switched jobs, with participants over age 50 in plans pairing auto-enrollment with opt-out auto-increase contributing an average of 8% in their first three years. 

Peers with 10 or more years at the same employer contributed 12%, showing how a job change can reset saving behavior, the firm reported. Loan usage was more than 30% higher in auto-enrollment plans than in voluntary plans, at 21% versus 16%, the analysis confirmed. 

That disparity suggests financial strain runs higher among the broader population that automatic features bring into the retirement saving system, the firm noted.

The two figures Vanguard says shape retirement readiness

The first major indicator shaping retirement readiness is a worker’s current deferral rate plus employer match, measured against the firm’s 12% floor. The second is whether the plan’s escalation ceiling reaches 15%.

Although the above two figures together carry the greatest weight, Vanguard’s 25-year dataset also identifies three plan-design levers that most influence retirement outcomes: the default rate, automatic escalation, and the employer match.

Record enrollment rates have not translated into adequate contribution levels for roughly half of all active participants. That divide between record-high participation and persistent savings shortfalls is the central tension running through all 25 editions of the How America Saves report.

Related: Vanguard flags costly blind spot in 401(k) Roth savings

Happy Thursday. Stocks were falling Thursday as investors reacted to surging Treasury yields and ongoing geopolitical worries.

The bond market sell-off sent markets sharply lower on Wednesday.

The 10-year Treasury yield, which is tied to mortgage rates, jumped to 5.11%, reaching its highest level since 2007.

The yield on the 2-year note climbed to 4.897%, its highest level since 2023, while the 30-year Treasury yield rose more than 3 basis points to reach a post-2004 peak of 5.438%.

“There is an important nuance behind the rise in yields,” Daniela Hathorn, senior market analyst at Capital.com, said. “It would be easy to attribute the move to renewed inflation fears following the Middle East energy shock, but the evidence suggests that is only part of the story.”

Hathorn said market-based longer-term inflation expectations have remained relatively contained. Instead, she said, real yields have risen substantially, suggesting investors are demanding higher inflation-adjusted returns rather than simply pricing in an uncontrolled acceleration in consumer prices.

“The latest PMI reinforces that interpretation,” Hathorn said. “The economy is not merely avoiding recession; it appears to be accelerating. S&P Global reported the strongest business activity growth in more than five years, alongside increasing capacity constraints and faster input-cost growth.”

“That combination tells bond investors that the economy may be capable of sustaining higher real interest rates than previously assumed.”

Separately, Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Washington Wednesday, where he was met with a rare planeside greeting from President Donald Trump after their top officials agreed to extend a trade truce until January, the Associated Press reported.

Why we love this deal

The garage is one of those spaces that always seems to get messy. You reorganize, get rid of excess clutter, and invest in all the right storage cabinets and shelves, and yet, when you need to find something, you can’t, either because it’s buried under a pile of miscellaneous items or because you simply don’t even know where to look.The solution to this problem? Utilizing your space more efficiently and relying on other storage mechanisms, like the hanging Topzivalia Tool Organizer and Charging Station, instead of simply throwing another freestanding storage unit somewhere, is the way to calm the chaos and use what garage space you have to its fullest potential.

The wall-mounted unit, which usually retails for $73, is on sale for 45% off at a 30-day low price of $40 at Amazon. A four-tiered storage organizer that doubles as a charging station, you get two products for the price of one. 

Topzivalia Tool Organizer and Charging Station, $40 (was $73) at Amazon

Why do shoppers love it?

Heavy-duty with a 12-minute fast installation process (or so the brand says) this 2-in-1 organizer and charging station is convenient in a few ways. For one, this four-tiered shelving unit, which measures 33 inches long, 85 inches wide, and 15.7 inches high, provides lots of space to store all kinds of drills, batteries, wrenches, and more, with special hooks along the bottom to hang your power tools. With a weight capacity of 650 pounds, it’s robust and sturdy enough to hold multiple drills, drivers, saws, sanders, and other cordless power tools, along with non-electric hand tools, rakes, shovels, brooms, and mops along with smaller accessories like batteries and small parts. In total, the brand boasts that it can hold up to 40 different tools across all four tiers at once, and with the adjustable straight and wave-shaped hooks, it can accommodate different handle sizes and shapes with ease. 

Not only that, but the organizer has an integrated charging station built right in, with a UL-listed power strip providing four outlets to charge batteries or tools simultaneously. It gets its power by being plugged in with a super long cord that reaches conveniently around the workspace but won’t get tangled or caught up in any of the tools. This eliminates the hassle of a separate charging station where multiple cords are woven up into a mangled mess. You can simply go grab the power tool you need and know that there’s no worry about it being on low battery or completely dead. 

Related: Amazon has a storage shed with 15 square feet of storage space for $105

Unlike a cabinet or free-standing unit, this organizer is wall-mounted which means you can install it on any wall and keep it up and out of the way, leaving more room for floor storage. With your purchase you get all the hardware you need to install it, and it can go on multiple surfaces. It’s made with thick heavy carbon steel and has a powder coating that resists rust and abrasion, ideal for garage environments. 

Details to know

• Dimensions: The shelf measures 33 inches long, 8.5 inches wide, and 15.7 inches high.
• Material: Alloy steel with a powder-coated finish.  
• Weight capacity: 650 pounds.   

Not only is the assembly process as quick and easy as the brand promises, but the wall-mounted unit is so sturdy and spacious when it comes to storage. The adjustable hooks allow you to customize it to fit your power tools and create the configuration that you want, and they feel heavy-duty enough to hold heavy or bulky tools. According to shoppers, “it’s a simple but really practical addition” that makes areas feel much more organized. “This wall-mounted organizer is a practical way to get awkward tools off the floor and into one designated spot,” one shopper said. “It provides useful storage without taking over an entire garage wall.”

Shop more deals 

• Sakugi 5-Tier Storage Shelves, $45 (was $55) at Amazon
• Amazon Basics Rectangular Tool Organizer, $14 (was $17) at Amazon
• Fleximounts Overhead Garage Ceiling Storage, $146 (was $195) at Amazon

Perfect for the workmen who is always completing a home project or the person who wants some sanity in their messy garage, the Topzivalia Tool Organizer and Charging Station is the gift that keeps giving back, and at only $40, it’s an absolute steal.