Finance
I spent 3 years looking for a car my grandfather would approve of after he left me money
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Chris Astrella, a recent car buyer in Las Vegas, Nevada. It has been edited for length and clarity. When my grandfather died, he left money for all of his grandchildren. I knew I would eventually need a new vehicle, so I put $25,000 of what he
New student-loan repayment glitches are throwing borrowers’ budgets into limbo
On August 1, Daniela Perez received three separate emails from her student-loan servicer, MOHELA. The first read “Your payment is due soon.” Then “Account is over 210 days delinquent.” Finally: “Loan default is approaching.” She immediately logged in to her account, which said she had missed 15…
We poured thousands into cheerleading instead of my daughter’s college fund. I don’t regret that choice.
My oldest daughter is entering her senior year of high school, and instead of adding savings to a college fund to send her off to school, I’ve invested heavily in her extracurricular activities over the past decade. This choice hasn’t always been easy and required careful deliberation, but now that…
My 90-year-old dad didn’t want caregivers in his home. He ended up gaining friends.
My mother and father, ages 95 and 90, respectively, are proud to still live in their own home. They enjoy a peaceful lifestyle that revolves around simple meals, afternoon trips into the English countryside, and reading the newspaper. However, their health has inevitably declined. Dad has had a…
I booked a $200 flight to Panama on a whim, then decided to move there. I found the community I was missing in the US.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Chrysten Crockett, a Cleveland native who moved from Atlanta to Panama City. Crockett, 36, owns a content marketing agency that she now runs from Panama. The following has been edited for length and clarity. I have no kids and I am not married…
When my brother had kids, I didn’t even want to meet them. It made me realize why I don’t want children of my own.
I’ve been saying I don’t want kids since I was a kid myself. In fact, as I got older, I became convinced I didn’t even like being around them. It wasn’t something I ever had to think twice about in my 20s, but since entering my 30s, it feels impossible to avoid, especially with taunts
I keep accidentally DMing TikToks to people. One of these days, it’s going to ruin my life.
This spring, I saw a TikTok that intrigued me. Befuddled me, maybe I should say. A woman sat on her bed and screamed into a pillow. The text across the middle of the screen read, “this feels worse than texting your ex.” A pinned comment said “She def doesn’t know about this audio lol.” Confusing,
Consumers are tightening their belts — just not on food delivery
Consumers are trying to save money — just not on $30 delivery burritos. DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Instacart all posted strong sales growth in their quarterly results earlier this month, showing that consumers are still willing to shell out for groceries and restaurant food delivered to their homes…
The modern parenting throuple
Molly and Sean Morse agree that they want their 5-year-old daughter to be ready for the AI future. By night they’re tech-free, telling stories with her, building fantasy worlds and characters and letting her imagination roam. Then in the morning, she uses an AI image generator like Midourney to…
America’s largest association of cattle ranchers says Trump’s plan to lower beef prices is ‘undermining’ farmers
America’s largest trade association of cattle producers says President Donald Trump’s plan to lower beef prices is political theater. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, which represents more than 175,000 cattle producers and feeders, said on Friday that the strategy would do more harm than…