Updated, April 10, 2025: This post has been adjusted to correct Jim Justice’s party affiliation. He switched from Democrat to Republican in 2017. Trump Late Night Post After nearly two months with no director, President Donald Trump announced that William “Billy” Marshall III would become the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Trump took to Truth Social to announce: “I am pleased to announce that William “Billy” Marshall III, of the Great State of West Virginia, a State I love and won SIX times, as the next Director of the Bureau of Prisons. Billy has a distinguished Law…

As President Donald Trump’s trade war heats up, economists are warning that the chances of the United States entering a recession are increasing. And if a recession happens while the federal student loan system remains mired in turmoil and relief options are eliminated, it could have major implications for borrowers. During economic downturns and periods of financial hardship, federal student loan borrowers traditionally have had a broad array of options to postpone or reduce their monthly payments. This would allow them to keep their student loans in good standing and continue progressing toward eventual payoff or student loan forgiveness. These…

Bureau of Prisons Announcement The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) issued a memorandum last week limiting the amount of halfway house placement for federal inmates from 12 months to 2 months. The result was that many prisoners who had dates to go to a halfway house or home confinement, both monitored by halfway house staff, had their dates moved. Now, after uproar from prisoners, advocates and civil rights attorneys, the BOP has rescinded that limitation. In its initial announcement the BOP cited budget constraints for the limitation and stated that “…. all individuals releasing to the community under Second Chance…

Here’s Who May Be Eligible For The IRS $1,400 Stimulus Check Payment Time is almost up to claim a missing $1,400 stimulus check from 2021. Millions of Americans received this third-round Economic Impact Payment under the American Rescue Plan, but some eligible people never received their money. The IRS estimates about 1.1 million taxpayers have unclaimed 2021 refunds – including missed stimulus checks – worth around $1 billion. As I noted in a previous Forbes post, April 15, 2025, is the final deadline to file a 2021 tax return and get any unpaid pandemic relief before it’s forfeited to the…

Student Loan Wage Garnishment Is Looming The federal government is ramping up its collections engine and could soon go after millions of Americans. One area of concern for the close to 10 million student loan borrowers who are delinquent on their loans is student loan wage garnishment, which could soon be making a comeback; however, there are others, including a recent policy change to Social Security overpayments that could lead to 100% withholding. Regardless of the reason, it’s crucial for individuals to understand their options when receiving a collections notice and to act quickly. After a three-year pandemic relief pause…

Market timing seems straightforward: buy when prices are low and sell when they are high. It has long enticed investors with the possibility of outsized returns, but doing so accurately and consistently is extremely difficult. Markets are influenced by a lot of variables and react rapidly to new information, leaving little room for accurate forecasting. This article explores why you shouldn’t focus on how to time the market and presents alternative investing strategies for building long-term wealth. Why It Is Difficult To Time The Market 1. Randomness And Volatility Markets are influenced by a complex web of interconnected factors: macroeconomic…

Something is happening that exemplifies the Latino community’s socioeconomic power, strength, and significance: The Latino Freeze Movement. The Latino Freeze Movement The Latino Freeze Movement is an economic resistance movement that leverages Latino spending power to foster respect and inclusion. Structural inequities are pervasive in Latinos’ lives, but they have started to erode primarily due to social policy commitments to diversity and equity. However, calls to eliminate or roll back these policies have begun to negatively affect previously achieved victories for equitable access and opportunity. The directive to dismantle policies designed to address diversity and inequities has ignited a call…

Blockchain infrastructure ↔ Traditional financeDigital assets ↔ Real-world usageStartups and protocols ↔ Institutional systems In November 2024, while crypto headlines fixated on volatility, the European Investment Bank (EIB) issued a €100 million digital bond on HSBC’s Orion platform—settling the same day using wholesale central bank digital currency (wCBDC) tokens issued by the Banque de France. Days later, Goldman Sachs announced plans to spin out its GS DAP® blockchain platform into an industry-owned utility. Neither event made headlines, yet both signal a profound shift in global finance. These aren’t innovation lab pilots—they’re strategic moves by financial titans rebuilding the core infrastructure…

When looking for new opportunities to grow your wealth, one of the most exciting sectors right now is artificial intelligence (AI). But for AI to reach its full potential, it needs the right infrastructure, and that’s where semiconductors come in. The traditional silicon-based chips that power everything from smartphones to data centers are starting to show their age. As the demand for more computing power—especially from AI—grows, we’re seeing limitations in energy efficiency, heat generation, and scalability. Creating a unique opportunity for investors to tap into a new wave of innovation in the semiconductor industry, where startups are developing groundbreaking…

Markets rallied. Wall Street cheered. But if you’re standing in the grocery aisle wondering whether prices are about to drop—the short answer is no. Today, President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on new tariffs for most countries—but at the same time, he raised tariffs on Chinese imports from 104% to 125%. The stock market surged in response: the S&P 500 climbed 7%, the Nasdaq jumped over 9%, and the Dow gained more than 2,600 points. Investors may have welcomed the pause as a cooling-off signal, but economists are still cautious. From a food perspective, this doesn’t resolve much. The…