Good Morning. Imagine selling up to live on a cruise ship, then getting dropped off in Cambodia over the fuel bill. Plus, Israel’s deadlock, Christopher Lloyd’s memoir, and the 1951 thesis that saved investors a trillion dollars (first time here? Join 523,000 Betterists).
Yesterday’s top link: 5 wealth habits Lewis Howes wishes he knew sooner
TOP STORY TODAY
Israel’s Deadlock
Israel’s election ended in a deadlock, with neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc nor former army chief Gadi Eisenkot’s on track for the 61 seats needed to govern. Official results are expected late Wednesday or Thursday.
Turnout topped 77%, and Arab Israelis, about a fifth of the population, voted in unprecedented numbers. With about 57% of votes counted, Netanyahu’s Likud is the largest party, and his bloc sits a few seats short of a majority.
The big question: who can govern. Most Jewish parties pledged not to partner with Arab-led parties, which could end up as kingmakers. Certifying the results will take several more days (what happens next, w/video).
The Last Port
A U.S.-run residential cruise ship ended its world voyage in Cambodia this week, telling 203 residents, mostly Americans, that their floating home is shutting down. The Villa Vie Odyssey had been scheduled to sail through November 2027.
The culprit is fuel. Monthly fuel costs per cabin, which averaged about $1,800, hit an estimated $6,000 to $8,000 in parts of Asia as the Iran war pushed oil to six-month highs. Residents had bought cabins to live aboard.
The company says it is restructuring and that passing the cost to residents was not realistic. Residents have been told to leave the ship, and the status of its 156 crew members is unclear.
Doc Brown’s Memoir
Christopher Lloyd, Doc Brown in Back to the Future, published his memoir, In My Own Time, on Tuesday. He celebrated his 88th birthday on the TODAY show (w/video) while promoting it.
The book is candid. He describes a lonely childhood on a Connecticut estate, back-to-back Emmys for Taxi, and years of addiction that led to rehab in 1993. He says he was never on camera under the influence.
He also goes behind the scenes of Cuckoo’s Nest, Taxi and the Back to the Future trilogy. He relapsed several times before getting sober on an April 1 that turned out to be the last time.
TOGETHER WITH SURFSHARK
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GET 1% BETTER
The Once-a-Week Wall Sit
Hold a wall sit for 2 minutes, four times, with 2 minutes of rest between holds. In a 100-person trial, doing that three times a week for four weeks cut systolic blood pressure by about 9.5 points.
The surprise: dropping to one session a week still kept it about 6.6 points down. Quitting erased the gains.
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The $91.50 Problem
In the 1950s, put $100 into a typical mutual fund and an 8.5% sales charge meant only $91.50 got invested. Then about 2% a year came out in fees. Jack Bogle, born into a family that lost everything in the Depression, spotted the flaw in his 1951 Princeton thesis: all investors together are the market, so the one sure way to come out ahead is to pay less. In 1975 he launched the first index fund for everyday investors. Vanguard, owned by its own fund holders, has since saved investors more than $1 trillion.
Before you buy any fund, look up its expense ratio.
THE MARKET
Business & Markets
▲ Boeing shares fell 10% after it pushed its next 737 Max production jump to 2027’s second half | The bigger 737 that just won FAA approval
▲ Jio Platforms jumped 21.5% in its trading debut, making it India’s second most valuable company | Bankers once pegged it at $170 billion
▲ Labubu maker Pop Mart’s quarterly sales fell 45% to 50%, and up to 75% in the Americas | How a $30 doll became a status symbol
TOGETHER WITH HUMECARE+
3 Questions to Ask Any GLP-1 Program
GLP-1 programs are everywhere now, and most compete on how fast they can get you a prescription. Before you sign up for one, ask what comes with it:
Does a clinician actually review you? At HumeCare+, an independently licensed clinician reviews every member and builds a personalized plan.
Does it track muscle, not just weight? Members get at-home 3D body composition scans that show how fat and muscle are changing.
What happens when you stop? The program includes guidance for life after the medication, plus a 24/7 care team along the way.
More than 20,000 Americans have used it, and it's rated 4.7/5 across 21,479 reviews.
Please support our sponsors!
THE OTHER 99%
5 Stories
▲ DNA testing tied Ted Bundy to a 1974 Utah murder, 52 years after hunters found the victim | The April case that cracked it open
▲ Yemen’s Houthis say they fired a missile at Saudi Arabia’s largest refinery, lifting oil to about $115 | The deadly Riyadh airport strike before it
▲ Four Corners flooding left thousands displaced or cleaning up, costing New Mexico hundreds of millions | The San Juan River’s record flood (see photos)
▲ Dune: Part Three’s final trailer puts Chani at the center of a conflict; it opens Dec. 18 | Pattinson joins the final showdown
▲ WNBA Finals Game 6 got bumped to 12:30 p.m. Thursday to make room for the Hawks | Angel Reese’s Finals record from Game 3
Fun Links
Bud Light’s brilliant marketing move [Video]
Holiday cards with your logo, since 1929 [Partner*]
Where data centers raised power prices most [Map]
Cornbread dressing with sausage [Recipe]
Daily fiber eased knee arthritis pain [Study]
Low testosterone makes sugar harder on your liver [Study]
Ford’s $30K EV can power your house [Article]
Trailer for WWII drama The Mosquito Bowl [Video]
Why 1% Better? Most self-improvement swings between burning out and rusting out. 1% Better is the antidote. In five minutes each morning, we help you get smarter about the news, your health and your money, with small tips you can use to get a little better every day.
