👰 “r/bride” — Reddit’s wedding surge. 401k “Modest Millionaires”. Farmer’s $12B bailout. +Pickle pop.

0:28This is Nick. That's a story for another pod. Yetis, that's your warning. And these are your three fantastic stories for today's T-Boy. For our first story, the new go-to source for wedding planning, it isn't Pinterest, it's Reddit. Reddit. And the subreddit on weddings explains why this stock has quintupled in just 18 months. For our second story, farmers are getting a$12 billion soybean bailout, while China's trade is at all-time highs. Besties, this is the trade war paradox, and Jack and I will explain it all. And our third and final story, a record number of Americans are now millionaires.

1:03Most of them thanks to their 401ks. So we'll share our three-step advice on how to become a 401k millionaire. But yet is before we hit that wonderful mix of stories. I mean, what a mix of stories. Love the mix of stories, Jack. Are you tasting more sour lately? Yeah, because the data shows the fastest growing flavor in America right now is pickle. That's right. We're in the middle of a unprecedented pickle pop. A brine boom. A fermentation frenzy. Get this, Americans buy$12 billion worth of pickles every single year. Jack, can you sprinkle on some context? That's one left. It is. Because pickles are now on 30 % of America's restaurant menus.

1:43Yeah, the pickle's been promoted from condiment to appetizer. According to Yelp, searches for pickle restaurant are up 32 % so far this year. Jack, we need a pure play pickle chain out there. Searches for pickle martini are up 600%. Hey, bartender, make it extra, extra dirty. Even searches for pickle store are up 7 ,000 % in five years. Jack, pickle store isn't even a real thing. I don't know why you'd search for it. Yet. So much untapped pickle demand in this country that Popeye's launched a whole pickle-themed menu. And McDonald's just dropped a Grinch-themed pickle happy meal. And one of the fastest growing brands at Whole Foods Market, it's called Hot Girl Pickles.

2:22Yeah, personal favorite, it's the Hot Girl Pickles. Yes, millennials are obsessed with gut help, so this makes sense. And yes, Gen Z likes provocative flavor combos that feel like a dare to your taste buds, and then they film it and post it on social media so it goes viral on TikTok. Put it all together, and we're in our pickle era. It's a big deal, Jack. It's a big deal. Let's hit our three stories. Fifteen years before this song, two boys from the Northeast met in a dorm that had an idea to cause a cultural storm. It's the best one yet, but the best is the norm. Jack Nick, that's it. I don't even think they need to practice.

2:5650%, that's a fat tip. T-Boy City on your at-list. If you know, you know, cause we ready to go. We can't wait no more, so just start the show.

3:08Start the show. First, a quick word from our sponsor.

3:19Monarch. All right, Yetis. One lobster roll? No joke. 50 bucks on Nantucket. And why is that a problem, Jack? Because we're going to Nantucket this summer on a joint family T-boy trip. It's a write-off. It is expensive, but we will travel with peace of mind because our finances are organized in Monarch, despite the lobster rolls. Monarch is the personal finance app that tracks everything. Accounts, investments, savings goals, and spending. Get your first year of Monarch Core for half off, just$50 with promo code T-boy. Monarch shows visually how much you're spending this month compared to the average month, which is really useful.

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4:21That's 50 % off your first year at monarch.com with code T-Boy. Beer-O Premium Non-Alcoholic Beer. All right, Yetis, a little behind the scenes here. Before our New York City live show back in April, Jack and I went sober for two weeks. True story. Couldn't risk getting sick. I didn't want to be groggy. I couldn't afford a hangover. It was New York, baby. Okay, but Jack, celebrating the wins is what we do. And so for our live shows, we crack open something special. So we drank Biro, the premium non-alcoholic beer brand co-founded by Tom Holland. Yeah, I actually first saw it at my grocery store.

4:55Delicious tastes like a celebration, feels fantastic, and looks legit. More on the looks in a sec. And if it's good enough for the actor who played Spider-Man, it's good enough for us. You see, it pairs well with pickleball game, a profitable earnings report, or with the best podcast. So, Yetis, if you want to celebrate the wins with all the taste of a premium lager or IPA, but none of the alcohol, there's no better choice than Biro. Okay, pause the pod. Did we mention the can is straight up gold? This thing will stand out at every one of your next parties. Trust us, we've done it. Only beer we know that actually upgrades the scene like a promotion.

5:28So, Basties, if there's a win you're celebrating every day, Biro is the non-alcoholic brew brand you got to bring. So use code T-Boy for 20 % off your first order at BureauBrewing.com. For our first story, Reddit stock has 5X'd since their IPO 18 months ago, and you can see why if you're wedding planning right now. Because the subreddit on weddings went viral this year, and the reason is anonymous. Oh, besties. It's not technically wedding season, but it is wedding planning season. Yes, it is. So a New York Times reporter who's getting married posted the two options she's thinking about for wedding gowns on Reddit.

6:12One of them's an A-frame. One of them is more of like a princess puff on the shoulders, if you know what we mean. But Jack, what were the results of that post? It got 200 ,000 reviews, 1 ,600 comments. She ended up going with wedding dress number two because one Redditor called the first wedding dress option, quote unquote, about fugly. Okay, personally disagree with that one, but we support the bride and her decision. But the bigger story here is Reddit for wedding advice? Reddit for weddings? Is that a thing? Besties, we're talking about Reddit here, an internet repository for opinions and advice from strangers on anything.

6:44The stock is up 45 % this year and it has 5X'd since the Reddit IPO last summer. But pause the pod, Jack. Is that because of nuptials? Millions of strangers weighing in on your most personal life decision? Yes, it is, Nick. Wow. Weddings, they're the fastest growing subreddit in the community. Not in spite of anonymity, because of it. Besties, let's jump in t-boy style. Let's look at the subreddit r-wedding, which was started in 2008, two years before Pinterest even launched. Say Yes to the Dress was only in its second TV season and Instagram didn't even exist when this subreddit was created. And yet, in just the last year, that wedding subreddit has gone viral.

7:24Jack, what kind of numbers? Views 6X'd this year to 471 million, and the number of posts and comments has quadrupled. Oh, and it's not just the subreddit on weddings in general. There is the subreddit DIY wedding, which has tripled in the last year. Big Budget Brides has quadrupled. And wedding planning now has 263 million views. The advice ranges. It's a lot of how-to stuff, like how to save money when planning a wedding. Mason jars make a wedding more affordable. Or how to splurge if budget's not an object. Yeah, there's a new thing called a champagne ATM. Press a button and all your guests get a lot of champagne.

7:59I didn't know Costco did wedding cakes until researching on Reddit for this story. And yes, it's a huge Costco wedding cake. Now, it's not totally clear why Reddit's wedding-related volume has absolutely surged this year. Yeah, one theory we've noticed is that AI chatbots are sending traffic back to Reddit. After all, Reddit has a licensing deal to train Jack GPT with Reddit content. So if you ask a chatbot a question about, like, the best best man speech that you can craft, what's going to happen? The answer is probably sourced from some dude's Reddit post. Okay, speaking of which, Jack, unlike Pinterest, it's grooms who are getting wedding advice on Reddit, not just the brides.

8:40That's right. 30 % of Reddit's wedding community is comprised of men. Because dudes like Jack and I got opinions on flowers too. Do I want white roses? Yeah, I want white roses. Full disclosure, Jack, my biggest wedding regret is we didn't have more Icelandic poppies. Have you seen an Icelandic poppy? Have you seen an Icelandic poppy, my friend? Have I? Yeah. I stole some from your wedding. So Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Reddit? Reddit's superpower is also Spider-Man's. It wears a mask. Yetis, there are a million places you can find info on the internet. but they all come with a bias.

9:16Instagram is too polished to be authentic. Google shows you paid ads and SEO-optimized content. Well, relative to those online resources, Reddit's anonymity has become its strongest asset. Ironically, the fact that users are anonymous on Reddit drives some really intimate replies. And you can see that in the subreddit, wedding. The anonymity is why you're willing to put yourself out there and ask questions about your personal wedding plan. And the fact that you're posting anonymously is why you're willing to say, my wife decided to do blank and it was a horrible idea. Do not do that. We could have used more Icelandic poppies.

9:50Reddit, it isn't driven by algorithms, influencers, celebrities, or AI. It is driven by upvotes made by strangers on content posted by strangers. On the rest of the internet, anonymity breeds cruelty with trolls. But on Reddit, probably because of the moderators who can kick you out, anonymity fosters honesty. So add it all up and just like Peter Parker and Spider-Man keeping his mask on to better save the world, so is Reddit. For our second story, China's trade sector is all-time high-ing as America's farmers need a bailout. This is a trade war paradox. We basically broke up with China, but China is now hooking up with the rest of the world.

10:30Yetis, this summer, farmers in America's heartland lost their biggest customer. Not Chipotle. Nope, China. China, it was a trade war retaliation. China stopped buying our American good old-fashioned soybeans. So President Trump this week is paying farmers directly$12 billion. It's a soybean bailout, and he says that it's funded by the tariffs of the trade war. Now, we should point out the same exact thing happened in 2018. China stopped buying American soybeans, so President Trump did a farmer bailout. But Jack, I got to ask, if China is not buying our good old-fashioned American soybeans from Iowa, where is China getting their soybeans from these days?

11:07Argentina. Ah, Argentina. Now, besties, we're not sure if the edamame tastes different over there, but China is buying different beans either way. And it's ironic that it's Argentina soybeans, because we gave Argentina a$20 billion bailout earlier this year. Yeah, Jack, this is a pretty messy situation. M-E-S-S-I, by the way. It's also part of a bigger trend. Yes. By the way, that's your second pun joke of this podcast, I want to point out. Three more and someone gets the press that cha-ching button. The bigger trend is that China is replacing U.S. trade with other countries. Basically, China has moved on and is dating around.

11:39Oh, and by the way, besties, China is glammed up for it. They just announced their best year ever in trade with the rest of the world. China has been the trade war enemy number one, but its exports are actually up by 5 % in 2025. Every time America puts up a trade barrier, China just finds some other willing buyers out there. Get this, every South American country except Colombia has China as its number one trade partner. Actually, Jack, get this, China's exports to Asia and Africa are up 14 % and 25 % compared to last year. Even the European Union, our historic ally who backs us on whatever foreign policy thing we're caring about right now, has increased their purchases from China by 8 % this year.

12:22Yet he's added all up and only the United States is buying less from China this year, 19 % less from China. If the United States had collaborated with the rest of the world in confronting China, we could have isolated them to change the way that they trade to be more fair. But instead, we declared a trade war against everyone, and it's looking more and more like we isolated ourselves. We are the only country in the world buying less from China right now, and everyone else is just hanging out more with China. Yeah, which leads to this wild hero stat. What is it, Jack? China's trade surplus will be$1 trillion this year.

12:56We repeat, for the first time since, like, ancient Rome, a country has exported a trillion dollars more than they imported. For the first time ever, Nick. Ever. The Romans didn't have trillion-dollar numbers. No, no, no. Julius Caesar, we know you're listening, but yeah, yeah, sorry, buddy. So we're soft boycotting China, but the rest of the world is buying trillions of dollars more than they ever have from China. They're hanging out at the party, and they're playing a lot of fun music. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies watching this trade war paradox? China's biggest strength is decisiveness.

13:28Yetis, back in 2020, China's President Xi announced their strategic five-year plan. It was the Communist Party's 14th five-year plan, and it just ended. So let's look at the scorecard and see how they did. Jack, the key part of this Chinese five-year plan was shifting from low-quality exports to high-quality exports. And you know what? It's been a big success. They're not just exporting cheap plastic toys and cheap furniture anymore. They have good cars, good computer chips, batteries, and drones, and a bunch of other high tech. Meanwhile, in America, polarized politics have flipped us from Trump's fossil fuel isolationism to Biden's green multilateralism, and now back to Trump's philosophy.

14:07We're indecisive. So yet is the new data? It's showing that China's handling the trade war just fine. China has found plenty of new friends. Not that we'd ever trade democracy for authoritarianism. Good point, Jack. But China's biggest advantage over America is its decisiveness. Now, a quick word from our sponsor. Top hats, baseball hats, Von Dutch hats. We wear so many hats on this podcast. Honestly, we're not great at all of them. No, we've been avoiding hiring someone to wear those hats instead of us, especially the Von Dutch one, because hiring and training can take forever. Well, I'm proud to say that we are hiring right now at T-Boy, and this is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs.

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15:17That's Indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need a hiring hero? This is a job for Indeed-sponsored jobs. NetSuite next. Yeah, remember that crazy news from Anthropoc recently that, like, use of their claw chatbot is up 80x? 80x, not 80%, 80 times more than last year. Yeah, with an X. That's a sign of how crazy fast the competition is adopting AI. So if you're feeling like your business is behind, there is NetSuite Next. You probably know NetSuite, the AI-powered business management suite that securely connects all your data. It's the unified suite that brings your financials, inventory, commerce, HR, and CRM into a single source of truth trusted by over 43 ,000 customers.

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16:32For our third and final story, 401ks are minting a generation of moderate millionaires. In fact, 1 ,000 millionaires are made every day from 401ks. So here is our three-step plan to modest millions. To make modest millions. Yetis, over the summer, Jack and I did a story that was financial advice. It actually got a whole lot of attention because it was kind of aggressive. Well, it was intense. Forget your password. Yeah, forget your password. It was some of our top stock investing advice. Set it and forget it. Put your money in the stock market and then don't look at your account again. Yeah, because I literally forgot my 401k password from UBS a few years ago, and then I checked back in years later,$200 ,000 out of nowhere.

17:15I had no idea. Good thing you didn't panic during a downturn in the cell. I still don't know the password. Now, the reason for that story is that at the time, the United States had just set a 401k record. Get this, the average American was saving 14.3 % of their income to put into retirement accounts like 401ks. Although that includes both the employee deferral and the company match. And that was an all-time high, baby. The 401k started going viral. It was the Addison Rae of retirement accounts. Oh, and it wasn't just the 401k. IRAs, HSAs, they started going viral too last year. Taking advantage of tax-advantaged accounts.

17:51Yeah, millennials, we were saving up like Nana down in Naples. And by the way, Jack, the Roth IRA hashtag, it's got 800 million views right now. But Nick, there's new news too. Yes, there is, baby. 401ks are minting a generation of moderate millionaires, according to the Wall Street Journal. That's right. The number of Americans with a million bucks or more in a 401k account is now at an all-time high. At Fidelity, they have 654 ,000 401k millionaires. That's the same as the population of Boston. At T. Rowe Price, the number of their 401k millionaires has doubled in just the last three years. That's hockey stick growth, baby.

18:30Now, Yetis, if your 401k does not have a million dollars in it, do not feel bad. Do not feel bad. Let's sprinkle on more context, Jack. Only 3 % of 401ks have a balance of a million dollars or more. What we're saying is that the vast majority of retirement accounts are actually less than a million dollars, despite this phenomenon. You're not popping bottles at the 401k club yet. Although our buddy Timmy is, whether or not he has a million dollars in that 401k. But those who are 401k millionaires are being called by the Wall Street Journal, moderate millionaires. Yeah, interesting distinction here.

19:02Moderate millionaires, because with the high cost of living, even people with a million bucks aren't feeling rich right now. Still, it's a good thing to have a million dollars in any bank account. And to do it, there are three keys to get there. And we whipped up all three. The first is to auto-contribute. The average employee in America defers 7.7 % of their income to go to their 401k. And that might get matched by your employer to get to that 14 % contribution. If not in your 401k, then do it in your IRA. Second is to play the long game. Most 401k millionaires have been contributing consistently for 20 years.

19:36That's a lot of paychecks. And do like Jack and I did and forget your password. Trust us, it works out. And the third key is our takeaway. So Jack, what's the third key to all our buddies trying to become 401k millionaires? Be aggressive. Be aggressive. aggressive. Yetis, this is financial advice. It's not for everyone, but it's how Jack and I have invested in our 401ks, so we wanted to share it with you. We put all our 401k balance into the stock market, into stocks, which is the most aggressive investment choice that you have. And you know what, besties? It ain't just us. For Americans in their late 30s, 88 % of 401k balances are in equities.

20:13They're in stocks. When we say aggressive, we mean stocks. They're the riskiest asset class, but they're also the ones that grow the most in the long term. You see, besties, when you get a 401k, you're typically given a menu of options of how aggressive you want to invest. But all those options, even the most aggressive one, is diversified. So the most aggressive choice isn't that aggressive. You're not putting all your eggs in one basket. So 88 % of 401ks in equities, that's the highest percentage ever. Millennials aren't banking on bonds. We are set on stocks. If you're approaching retirement, this advice isn't for you.

20:46Right, right, right. Because you don't want to lose your money in a stock downturn and have to sell it a lot. Good point, Jack. But if you're young, you know a downturn is a temporary dip. Stocks will recover and soar again in a year or two. Auto-contribute, play the long game, and be aggressive. B-E-A-G-R-E-S-I-E-V-E. Jack, could you whip up the takeaways for us for Saviche Wednesday? Reddit stock is surging as people flock to an algorithm-free, uninfluenced advice from strangers. And we can see the power of that anonymous intimacy in the Reddit wedding forums. Brides-to-be want anonymity. For our second story, as America bails out soybean farmers, China is boasting a record trade surplus.

21:25China's econ advantage over America, it's decisive. And our third and final story, every single day, 1 ,000 Americans become millionaires thanks to their growing 401ks. They're the modest millionaires, but millionaires nonetheless. But besties, this pod's not over yet. Here's what else you need to know today. First, the Fed finishes its two-day policy meeting today and is announcing their new interest rate policy. According to prediction markets, there's a 96 % chance of one interest rate cut by 0.25%. But Jerry Powell, all we want for Christmas is lower mortgage rates. Second, the biggest ice cream IPO in history just happened.

22:04Magnum is now publicly traded. This is a pure play ice cream parlor stock now worth nine billion bucks. Unilever's ice cream business has been split off and now it has its own stock trading on the market. Which includes Magnum, Ben & Jerry's, Talenti, Breyers. They still haven't solved the drama with Ben & Jerry, by the way. That may be an ongoing risk for the company. And finally, a wild new law that affects the whole tech industry. Australia has banned social media for kids. That's right, there's a new Australian law that blocks kids under 16 from using Instagram, Snapchat, or any social media.

22:35And it starts today. Today. It's one of the first ever national bans of technology to children. And we'll see how it affects the rest of the world. Jack and I are going to be following this all day as it goes live. Drop a comment if you want us to cover the story. Now, time for the best fact yet. This one whipped up by Jack wants to surprise me with a little bit on pickles. So I know pickles is something you eat, but it's also like a term, a phrase. Good point, Jack. We're experiencing a pickle pop, as we described earlier, in the broader economy. But that's not what I'm talking about. I'm saying like, I'm in a bit of a pickle.

23:05Can you help me out? Ah, the linguist pickle. Go on, go on. So the phrase in a pickle, meaning in a difficult situation, is basically just because pickles are stored in jars with brine and spices, which is a difficult situation to be in. Imagine if you're in a sealed jar with smelly liquid. You can't get out of that, man. It's a difficult situation, a.k.a. a pickle. Oh, in the baseball term? Yeah, Jack. Same concept. Wait, what's the baseball term? It's when a base runner is caught between two bases. That's a difficult situation. Yeah, that would be a really big deal. Hot girl pickle. Yetis, you look fantastic for Ceviche Wednesday.

23:44And Jack and I have an idea for you if you're still looking for a gift two weeks before Christmas Eve. Get yourself a Yeti bear. It's our Yeti dolls. It's a great toy. It's got a T-Boy shirt. They're adorable. It's a LeBooBoo Dupe, basically. We call it our economic support animal. You can buy them at tboypod.com slash shop. And if you put that Yeti doll in a jar with brine, then that doll's in a pickle. If you know, you know.

24:13And before we go, a happy birthday to Yeti Noah Connor down in Denver, Colorado. The first birthday as a married man. And you're looking fantastic, Noah. Happy ninth birthday to Grayson Stigsow in Duluth, Minnesota, who's been listening, get this, since the womb. We love you, Grayson. And we love you, Grayson's mom. And a special shout out to the Schmig children, Peter, Cecilia, Patrick, and Francesca, who are always celebrating the Rins and enjoying the pod in Mequon, Wisconsin. They're 12, 10, 8, and 6 years old. What a legendary group of best ones yet. Gotta love those round numbers. This is Jack.

24:51I own stock of Reddit, and Nick and I both own stock of Chipotle. Just like Superman kept his mask on to better save the world, so is Reddit. I think you gotta say Spider-Man because Superman didn't wear a mask. My bad, thanks. This episode is brought to you by Bill, the intelligent finance platform that helps businesses scale with proven results. Yet he's paying and getting paid? That is a pain for small and medium-sized businesses. Jack, did you send the invoice? Did they see the invoice? Did you remember to remind them to see to pay to remember to pay the invoice? If you drop the ball in any one of those steps, you don't get paid.

25:26Nope. And you're missing out on cash flow. You should not have to chase your customers. This isn't TAG. So powered by AI, Bill does all that, simply and automated so that you don't have to. ACH, credit card, check, international wire transfers. They probably do carrier pigeon bill pay if that's how you want to get paid. Bill is the intelligent finance platform trusted by nearly half a million businesses and 98 of the top 100 US accounting firms to manage, move, and maximize your money. They have securely processed over a trillion dollars in real transactions. That is proven infrastructure you can actually trust.

25:57So besties, talk to an expert at bill.com slash proven and get$150 gift card as a thank you. That's bill.com slash proven. Terms and conditions apply. See offer page for details.