Good Morning. Two-thirds of America's largest cities are losing children. The Sunbelt is gaining them. The difference comes down to affordability. Plus, KFC's auction, Ford's Nike strategy, and Shark Week schedule (first time here? Join the 1% Better movement).

Missed yesterday? Our most clicked link: the 10 most pretentious 80s movies

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Families Leave Big Cities

The number of children under 18 living in America's biggest cities has dropped 6% over the past decade, compared with 1% nationwide. The finding comes from a new analysis of census data through 2024.

Little kids are vanishing fastest. Children under 5 fell 15% in big cities versus 7% nationally. San Jose lost 34% of its under-5 population, the steepest drop anywhere. Cost is the common thread.

In New York, parents need $334,000 to comfortably afford child care for a two-year-old. Thirteen big cities gained kids anyway, most in the Sunbelt. Fort Worth and Jacksonville each grew 11%. Low fertility rates also potential issue.

SpaceX Loses Altitude

SpaceX closed at $113.50 yesterday, an all-time low. The stock went public at $135 on June 12, peaked at $225.64 four days later, and has lost roughly half its value since.

The slide followed a $20 billion bond offering to repay debt and fund AI data centers. Bond buyers put in $90 billion of orders. Stock buyers read the borrowing differently. Short interest hit 32% of float.

SpaceX reports its first public quarter August 4. Two days later, insiders can sell up to 911.5 million shares, roughly $106 billion worth. Only about 5% of the company currently trades. What to know about the upcoming August earning report.

▲ [Free Guide] Earn money by reading the news like Warren Buffett

Small Following? Get Paid

Major brands including Target, American Eagle, SoulCycle and Little Spoon have spent the past year launching programs that pay social media users with as few as 500 followers to post about their products.

The shift follows algorithm changes that now push content from accounts users never followed. Big followings no longer guarantee views, so brands are spreading budgets thin. Club Target already counts 15,000 members completing weekly posting challenges. Read about Target’s creator programs here.

Pay is thin. One Louisiana mother earned a $10 gift card for her posts. Still, 45% of US influencer spending goes to accounts under 20,000 followers this year, up from 19.5% in 2021.

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The 6pm Brain Rule

Rutgers researchers put 47 women on the same weight-loss plan. Everyone cut 500 calories a day. Everyone lost about 15 pounds in six months. Only one group got smarter.

The difference was timing. Half ate inside an 8-hour window, roughly 10am to 6pm. Half ate across the usual 12 hours.

The compressed group scored significantly better on spatial planning and problem-solving, with fewer memory errors. The more they shrank the window, the bigger the gain.

So far, only women have been tested, but it costs nothing and changes nothing except a clock. Stop eating four hours before bed. Run it 30 days to test your own benefits.

From Being Laid Off to Earning $250K/Year Reselling

In last week's poll, 26% of readers said they were interested in flipping items online (thrifting). Here's how to do it:

Josh Varnell got laid off seven years ago with 10 months of reselling experience. His wife gave him until Christmas to make it work. He's now a millionaire.

Here's the playbook (video):

• Buy where it's cheapest. Goodwill outlet bins price everything under $2 a pound. Yard sales run $2 to $5 an item.

• Learn one category cold. His wife took clothing and learned fabrics and brands on sight.

• Check comps before you buy. He grabbed a $5 Canon PowerShot at a yard sale. The last one sold for $137.

• Sell live on Whatnot, not one listing at a time. Never start bids at $1. Thirty viewers is a real business.

Be patient. Most quit after one slow show. That's leaving a flea market before lunch.

▲ KFC's original headquarters hits auction July 28 alongside Colonel Sanders' bow tie, price cut to $4.9 million

▲ Ford launches "Nike shoe drop" strategy with 1,000 limited Broncos at $57,350, chasing the $53 billion aftermarket

▲ Iranian video threatens Melania and Barron Trump, days after Tehran billboards named all five Trump children

▲ Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Masino set to exit company August 10, a year after the logo reversal sank sales 7%

▲ Kai Sato rigged a broken mast with PVC pipe and kayak paddles, drifting 34 days before rescue near Hawaii

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