The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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Despite their reputation as a financially privileged generation, millions of baby boomers are slipping through significant cracks in the U.S. retirement system. A new source of financial strain on retiree budgets is homeowners insurance premiums, which have skyrocketed by 20% between 2021 and 2023. Between 2024 and 2030, 30.4 million Americans will turn 65. More than two-thirds of this final baby boomer cohort will be "financially challenged" in retirement, according to the Alliance for Lifetime...
If you've consumed any kind of news in the past few years, you've likely scrolled across the very clickable headline "These are the states that will pay you to move there" a time or two. More than just a headline, the concept of cities offering incentives for people to relocate is a movement that has gained significant momentum in recent years. According to MakeMyMove, more than 5,000 remote workers have made the jump to new states since 2019. And get this: collectively, they've snagged over...
In the search for top-shelf versatility in a vehicle, it's hard to beat the following seven-passenger SUVs. The Acura MDX, Kia Telluride, and Toyota Highlander are among the bestselling on the market, but they've got more than a few competitors that are also worth looking at. Many of today's three-row SUVs sport comfortable passenger and cargo space, the latest safety equipment, and even good off-road capability that will fit anyone's intrepid summer vacation plans. But how do you know which is...
Data breaches are incidents in which confidential information, including consumer data, is stolen from a company or organization. In the first half of 2024, the number of data breach victims surpassed 1 billion, according to the nonprofit Identity Theft Resource Center. That's a 490% increase from the same time last year, when the number of recorded victims was about 183 million. If your personal information was exposed in a data breach, the breached company may notify you. It's important to...
Car insurance rates have soared in post-COVID-19 years, and despite many insurance industry experts predicting slower rate hikes in 2024, data from the first half of the year shows a 15% increase in full-coverage premiums. Insurify's data science team projects a total 22% increase in 2024. Rate increases in 2024 are largely a continuation of hikes in 2023, a year that saw full-coverage premiums rise by 24% in response to insurers' record underwriting losses ($33.1 billion) in the year prior....
The holiday season feels a little less jolly considering the amount of waste generated by gift-giving. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates the amount of household garbage in the U.S. increases by 25% between Thanksgiving and New Year's. After the decorations come down, all that waste heads to landfills, producing a significant contributor to climate change: methane gas. "Greening" the holidays is essential, and one simple tip is to think more about how sustainable the materials are in...
If there is one thing that fans of any sport love, it's a scandal. A fallen hero, a desperate plot, or an outrageous scam always offer a major talking point when the latest misdemeanor has been broken to the public. Be it drug cheats in track and field events, scandals in the casino or anything in between, the shock factor is always going to make the headlines; and when it comes to headlines, they do not get much bigger than a gambling scandal. These scandals can entail the desire to bend the...
The holiday season is the perfect time of year to enjoy a cup of coffee, whether you're settling into a coffee shop armchair and catching up with friends, or pulling into a drive-thru for a quick reprieve while running errands. Fast food restaurants have pulled out the stops when it comes to winter-inspired flavors this year. Hers looked at the largest U.S. fast-food chains with exclusive holiday drink menus and ranked them from "healthiest" to least healthy. There's quite a range when it comes...
There's nothing quite like hitting the open road in a lifted truck, but not if you're worried about getting stopped by the cops. Every state has its own lifted truck laws, and no two states are exactly alike. Even if you plan on spending most of your time off-road, you need to comply with your state's rules and guidelines for lifted trucks. You may scoff at the idea of anyone telling you what you can and can't do with your truck, but these laws put an emphasis on safety. They're designed to...
When pilot Kenneth Arnold took off from Chehalis, Washington, in his single-engine airplane one afternoon in June 1947, he was looking for a lost military aircraft that had crashed. But what he found was something completely different—something that would set off a cultural obsession in the U.S. that persists today. While flying around Mount Rainier, Arnold reportedly encountered nine curious, wingless objects speeding through the sky at 1,200 mph, faster than any plane at the time could. Arnold...
It seems there isn't a day that goes by without a headline about contaminated food resulting in a recall or outbreak. In mid-November 2024, the Food and Drug Administration began investigating an E. coli outbreak from organic carrots sold at popular grocery stores like Kroger, Wegmans, Sprouts, and Trader Joe's, affecting people in more than a third of U.S. states. Earlier in 2024, a listeria outbreak from Boar's Head deli meats resulted in the recall of 7 million pounds of meat, 61 reported...
The holiday shopping season can be the most wonderful time of year for consumers—but it's the most important time of year for small business owners. Yet many small business owners find themselves in a tight spot, as the growth of online shopping transforms major retailers into the go-to for shoppers seeking both convenience and good deals. While e-commerce platforms take precedence, many small businesses don't even have a website—and those that do may lack digital accessibility. This puts the...
Pivot counties are the 206 counties nationwide Ballotpedia identified as having voted for Barack Obama (D) in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections and Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Media and political observers sometimes refer to these counties as swing counties. Trump won 179 pivot counties in all three of his presidential runs and won 175 of them by a larger margin in 2024 than in 2020. Harris won by a smaller margin than Biden in seven of the nine pivot counties they each won. Overall, pivot...
In the morning before class starts, one by one the students at the Würenloser Gesamtschule near Zürich in Switzerland turn off their smartphones and drop them into a simple wooden box at the front of their classroom. The devices will remain there until the gong rings at the end of their school day. "I don't even take it to school anymore," one 12th-grader says. "It only distracts me." His peers agree. "We talk more with each other instead of everybody staring at their screens," his friend s...
Taking photographs used to be a careful, conscious act. Photos were selective, frozen moments in time carefully archived in albums and frames. Now, taking a photograph is almost as effortless and common as breathing—it's something that people do all the time in the age of smartphone cameras with seemingly endless digital film. But the downside to capturing every moment is that it creates a mountain of those moments to save for the future. Those photos can be easily lost if they're not a...
The glitz and glam of Hollywood captures the attention of Americans starting from an early age. Beyond celebrities' Instagram Stories and red carpet poses, there are actors out there paying their dues and honing their craft in pursuit of a sustainable career or a fulfilling sideline. Submitting to casting calls is a big part of that journey. Whether you're a working actor or an aspiring one, you might be curious to know which movies and TV shows are casting roles near you. Backstage compiled a...
A courtyard at Harlem's Polo Grounds Towers, home to roughly 4,000 residents, was once characterized by several dilapidated wooden benches with remnants of red paint from years ago. Now, after a four-month community design process to engage residents, the courtyard has been transformed into Sprout, a playscape created by and for the residents of the public housing development, Next City reports Finished in June, Sprout features four bright green play structures built on the foundations of the...
The number of books banned in public schools over the past year skyrocketed to more than 10,000, with two states—Iowa and Florida—responsible for most of them, according to preliminary findings released by PEN America on Monday. The report comes during Banned Books Week, which first began in 1982 to raise awareness about the importance of free and openly accessible information. The rise in banned books during the 2023-'24 school year—nearly tripling from 3,362 bans PEN recorded the previ...
College comes with a lot of expenses. On top of tuition, fees, books, and housing, students also want to go out and have fun. But going shopping, to see a movie, or to meet friends for lunch or dinner isn't always easy on a student budget. Fortunately, there are widely available deals and discounts designed just for college students. Here's a roundup of student discounts from SoFi. Key Points - Major retailers like Amazon and Sam's Club offer special pricing and membership benefits to college...
Key Takeaways - Laxatives are designed for constipation, not weight loss, and can lead to serious side effects and dangerous complications when used incorrectly. - When you lose weight on laxatives, it's from water weight and stool, not body fat. This weight loss is temporary, and you'll likely regain the pounds once you rehydrate your body. The use of laxatives for weight loss is one of those diet fads that never seem to go away. They've been touted by celebrities, on TV, and in film as a way...
Quick question: How long does it take you to look at an email after you receive it? Okay, now how about a text message? For most, it's no contest; we check our emails when we get around to it, but we'll typically look at a text right away. That's why many people are receiving a lot more marketing texts lately. Companies have discovered that texts are a powerful way to reach customers and, more importantly, to get a response. Unfortunately, scammers and hackers have learned this, too, so understa...
The holiday shopping season in the United States has steadily shifted earlier each year, with consumers now seeing Christmas decorations, holiday discounts, and seasonal marketing campaigns as early as September or October. This trend, often referred to as Christmas creep, has altered the retail landscape significantly, influencing consumer behavior and shaping retail strategies for major supermarket chains. A range of studies have explored these trends, providing valuable insights into the...
In 2024, staying small on purpose seems to be paying off big for small businesses. They're keeping operations small and targeting niche, highly specialized customers. And some business owners find this strategy results in more time, energy, and money to intentionally capitalize on unique, small cap opportunities. The data tells the story of growth in small businesses for the year. According to NEXT, the Small Business Administration (SBA) reports awarding 38,000 SBA 7(a) loans under $150,000:...
Inflation has strained consumers' finances in recent years. It is also having an impact on the charities that depend on donations to do their mission-driven work. Even as charities feel the economic squeeze, however, those in the grant-giving, civil rights, social causes, and educational sectors have seen substantial growth in donations over the last year. Windfall analyzed Giving USA data, a collaborative study between Bank of America and Indiana University, as well as its own proprietary data...
Retirement will likely be the most significant expense of your lifetime, which means saving for retirement is a big job. This is especially true if you envision a retirement that is rich with experiences such as traveling through Europe or spending time with your grown children and grandkids. A retirement savings plan can help you achieve these financial goals and stay on track. There are all types of retirement plans to help you build your wealth, from 401(k) to Individual Retirement Accounts,...
