10 Thursday AM Reads Confirm Reality Is Optional (Except Work)

It appears the titans of finance, in their morning scroll through the digital tea leaves, have stumbled upon a truly groundbreaking revelation: the U.S. economy might be… less than buoyant. Reports indicate that CarMax, a prominent purveyor of motorized personal freedom, experienced a rather precipitous drop in sales and, more critically, profits. One can almost hear the collective gasp from those who still believed that "growth" was a default setting, like Wi-Fi on an expensive espresso machine.

This "warning sign," heralded by a mere 20% dip in stock value – practically a Tuesday for some – has reportedly sent tremors through the hallowed halls of the stock market. It's a sobering reminder that even the most robust economic models occasionally bow to the inconvenient reality of people simply not buying as many pre-owned vehicles as they once did. Rest assured, while these seismic shifts in abstract valuations are debated over organic kale smoothies, the rest of us will continue to diligently navigate our own personal economic precipices, sans the luxury of merely "flashing a warning sign." Some realities, it seems, are non-negotiable.