High healthcare costs and the prospect of unexpected medical bills are leading worries for adults and their families. Lowering out-of-pocket costs is the public’s top healthcare priority, according to KFF, an independent source for health policy research, polling and news. I wrote a year ago about how our hugely expensive healthcare system is harming American society: “In addition to fueling the deficit and adding hundreds of billions to our national debt each year, the high cost of healthcare is crowding out other state budget priorities, undermining the competitiveness of American businesses and hurting American families.” The problem is not new,…

In the 2010s, software was king. Tech startups promised to disrupt industries with cloud-based solutions, and venture capitalists and the stock market poured billions into software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies. Today’s companies and entrepreneurs are tackling real-world problems in manufacturing, robotics, defense, and space exploration—and venture capital and the stock market are following the hardware trend. This shift isn’t just transforming industries; it’s impacting your wallet, from lowering the costs of consumer goods to new job opportunities in advanced manufacturing. The hardware renaissance is poised to reshape personal finance. Bringing Manufacturing Back Home Brooklyn-based Nanotronics is at the forefront of this movement.…

Higher education has been good to me. I graduated from a well-regarded undergraduate university with a diploma, my future bride and the best man at my wedding. I left graduate school with a job that has, so far, turned into a flourishing career. I’m living the American Dream. Yet, as my oldest nears 11, I’m wondering (sometimes doubting) if he (or the rest of my brood) should follow my wellworn path of getting a degree. The Case For College College’s benefits are well-known, but worth stating clearly: The obvious advantage is the opportunity to earn a high salary. “New York…

It feels like it’s been Black Friday for weeks already, but the best deals on popular products are likely still to come. The official Black Friday is Nov. 29, the day after Thanksgiving, and some big sales begin this week.When to shop Black Friday deals“Mid-month of November is when you start to see prices really start to pick up, and then Black Friday is when everything is going to really get discounted,” says Samantha Gordon, deals editor at Consumer Reports. According to Adobe’s 2024 U.S. Holiday Shopping Forecast, the strongest discounts of the season are expected to come between Nov.…

This year, California took the second of two steps to allow residents with unlimited assets to participate in its Medicaid long-term services and supports (LTSS) program. Advocates hoped the move would make the program far more widely available. Conservative critics feared it would become a budget-busting open door for the wealthy to take advantage of a public program. Both were wrong. Yet, the California experience may end up in the middle of a bruising battle over Medicaid LTSS, where conservatives try to tighten federal program rules while blue states try to ease them. California’s Changes Before California changed its asset…

Having the option to take an early retirement is a really nice thing to have. But how much money do you need to retire at 55? If you want to retire early, you’ll need a solid plan, control over your expenses, and savings outside of retirement accounts. Here’s how to find out if you can retire early. How To Retire Early Whether you’ve been diligently saving or recently experienced a sudden liquidity event, you may wonder if you can retire now. Perhaps unsurprisingly, your retirement age is a key part of your retirement-readiness. But in determining whether retiring at 55…

As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take the White House for a second term, the federal government could be staring down significant spending cuts that echo his early agenda, according to experts on both sides of the aisle. As Trump’s policies take shape, Americans face a critical question: will the cuts achieve their intended goals of reducing debt and inflation, or will they leave millions without essential services? For now, Trump’s allies argue that the short-term pain will lead to long-term gain. But for those on the receiving end of these cuts, the stakes couldn’t be higher. The Department of…

Utah adopted the Uniform Protected Expression Protection Act (“UPEPA”) in 2023 to substantially update its Anti-SLAPP laws. We now get to see apparently the first written opinion to interpret the Utah UPEPA. United Health Services owned a Utah facility known as UHS of Provo Canyon which provided psychiatric treatments to children and teens, including those suffering from substance abuse. The Provo Canyon facility came under substantial media scrutiny for its methods and also in 2020 ended up paying a $117 million settlement to U.S. and certain states for submitting claims for treatments that were not medically necessary. Enter Robert Bliss,…

When you think about some of the biggest sales of the year, Cyber Monday probably makes the cut. Whether you’re getting ready to snag major deals on items you’ve been eyeing all year, or want to get holiday gifts for less, here’s what you need to know about the upcoming sales. When is Cyber Monday?Cyber Monday is a major retail event that takes place on the Monday after Thanksgiving. In 2024, Cyber Monday is Dec. 2. The online shopping event can be traced to 2005 when the National Retail Federation gave the day an official name. What is Cyber Monday?…

The Department of Education quietly announced that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will be open for all families to complete as of November 18, 2024, as it wraps up final beta testing. While the official opening date is set for December 1, the Department of Education is wanting more families to start the process while it ensures there are no issues. So, while all families can start the FAFAS process as of today, it’s important to remember that this is still the end of beta testing, and some issues may arise. Families who want to start filing…