October 26, 2025
- McDonald’s Continues it’s Dividend Domination
- Mortgages are Becoming more Affordable
- Welcome back Toys R US
- Yes, the Government is Still Shutdown
- AWS falls Victim to Hackers?
We live in an age of overreaction. Every tweet, headline, and market swing gets blown out of proportion within seconds.
The loudest stories dominate the day — but rarely the future. Meanwhile, the slow, meaningful trends shaping our economy, finances, and daily lives slip quietly by.
That’s what this weekly series is about: the things we underreact to.
The stories that didn’t make your group chat, but probably should have. Because while the crowd is chasing noise, smart people are building, saving, investing, and preparing.
Here are five things I underreacted to this week that actually matter.
#1. McDonald’s Raises Its Dividend by 5%
McDonald’s (MCD) has paid dividends since 1976. As of October 2025, they’ve raised it 49 years in a row, just one shy of the coveted “Dividend King” title.
As of 2025, McDonald’s operates more than 44,000 restaurants globally across over 100 countries, making it the largest fast-food chain in the world by unit count
The newest increase bumps the quarterly dividend from $1.77 to $1.86 per share — about a 5% hike.
In a market chasing hype stocks and crypto fads, McDonald’s reminds investors what steady looks like: profits, discipline, and almost half a century of consistent shareholder reward. Boring? Maybe. Effective? Absolutely.
Lets take a closer look at this Dividend Giant:
If you bought one share of McDonald’s Corporation (ticker: MCD), your dividend income as of October 2025 would be $1.86 per quarter or $7.08 per year.
McDonald’s pays dividends quarterly—typically in March, June, September, and December—with the next payment set for December 15, 2025, following an ex-dividend date of December 1, 2025
I currently own 5 shares of MCD, earning over $35 a year in Dividends! Check it out in the Portfolio!
#2. Mortgage Rates Continue to Fall
After years of painful highs, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate dropped to roughly 6.2%, its lowest point in more than a year.
Dave Ramsey’s phrase “buy the house, rent the rate”
That shift might reopen the housing market for families who’ve been sitting on the sidelines or offer a window for refinancing.
It’s not dramatic, but it’s quietly powerful. Cheaper borrowing fuels everything from new home builds to small business loans.
Those who move early, before the crowd catches on, tend to benefit most.
Ready to BUY check out simple steps to get you ready.
With another Fed Rate decisions expected this week, rates Could continue to fall to close out the year.
#3. Welcome Back, Toys “R” Us
At its peak in the early 2000s, Toys “R” Us operated roughly 1,600 stores worldwide — about 800 to 900 in the United States and another 700–800 international locations.
Are the 1990’s making a comeback!
well no – but it sure does feel like it.
After collapsing under $5 billion in debt and shutting down all U.S. stores in 2018, Toys “R” Us is staging a comeback — opening new flagship stores and seasonal pop-ups for the 2025 holiday season.
It’s a case study in brand endurance. When a company connects to people’s memories, it doesn’t disappear; it just waits for better management and market timing.
The resurrection of a 70-year-old brand says something about value, nostalgia, and the long game.
#4. U.S. Government Shutdown Hits 26 Days
As of October 26 2025, the ongoing federal government shutdown has lasted 26 days, making it the second-longest in American history behind the 35-day record from 2018-2019.
Most people shrug, but this matters: hundreds of thousands of federal workers aren’t being paid, contracts are frozen, and agencies that feed critical economic data are dark.
It’s not just Washington gridlock — it’s a stress test on the nation’s paychecks and patience; especially those in the Military.
Curious as to why some people aren’t feeling the shutdown – Find out HERE!
#5. The AWS Outage That Broke the Internet
Tech and Retail Giant Amazon had a not so great week here and abroad.
On October 20, 2025, Amazon Web Services (AWS) suffered a major outage that temporarily disrupted large portions of the internet.
The issue started in AWS’s primary US-EAST-1 region in Northern Virginia — the backbone for much of the modern web.
A “race condition” between two automated systems managing DNS records corrupted data, triggering a cascading failure that crippled services like DynamoDB and EC2. Thousands of sites and apps worldwide went offline for hours.
AMZN is up apporx. 50% over the last five-years
It’s a reminder of how fragile the digital world really is. Nearly everything — banking, logistics, even smart homes — depends on a few centralized cloud providers.
One glitch, and the world pauses. For investors, technologists, and regular families alike, that’s worth underreacting a little less to.
Bottom Line
From a fast-food giant rewarding consistency to the world’s biggest cloud proving its fragility, this week’s quiet stories point to one theme: reliability still wins — until it doesn’t.
The smart move? Notice what others overlook, prepare accordingly, and keep building your own version of stability.
And if all else fails — at least you’ll have fries and a solid internet connection while the rest of the market panics.
Catch the full “Things I Underreacted To” breakdown on Home and Pocket (Facebook or HomeAndPocket.com). It’s like financial news, but with common sense — and fewer charts that make you feel bad.
As Always – Thanks for Reading and be sure to Subscribe below!
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