March Madness Bets Are Wrecking America’s Credit
Millions of Americans are wagering on March Madness this year, and the numbers are staggering. The American Gaming Association projects this year’s NCAA tournaments will generate $3.3 billion in legal bets. New York alone recorded $554.7 million in wagers during the first week of the tournament, with sportsbook operators posting a historic $57.6 million in …
Tax Prep Checklist
With Tax Day—April 15—just over two weeks away, now is the time to get your paperwork in order. A good starting point is a tax organizer or checklist, which can help you track income, investment interest, and charitable contributions in one place. Tax checklists are widely available online, and if you work with an accountant, …
Travel Tips to Spend Less and See More
A great trip doesn’t require a massive budget—it requires a decent plan. Here’s what the data actually say about keeping costs down without giving anything up. Overpaying for flights is easy to avoid. Booking domestic flights one to three months out saves up to 25 percent compared to last-minute purchases, and flying Monday through Wednesday …
The Repair Movement Fixes More Than Broken Objects
For decades, consumer electronics and household goods have been designed around a single assumption: when something breaks, it will be replaced. That logic has shaped manufacturing and retail while steadily eroding everyday repair skills. A growing movement is now pushing back by reintroducing repair as a shared civic practice. Volunteer-run repair cafés and fix-it clinics …
Research Shows Music May Measurably Reduce Pain
Researchers have found that music can meaningfully reduce how people experience pain, according to a recent study published in Scientific Reports. The team reported that listening to music can even lessen patients’ reliance on pain medication across both acute and chronic conditions. “Pain is a really complex experience,” Florida State University psychologist Adam Hanley told the …
Holiday Icon: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Turns 99
The nearly century-old Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is gearing up for its 99th outing tomorrow, and expectations are high. The event has quietly become the most-watched entertainment broadcast in the country for three consecutive years, surpassing the Oscars and even the World Series, as reported by NPR. The parade’s earliest era offered a very different …
Historic Donations Mark Long-Overdue Investment in HBCUs
After decades of chronic underinvestment, historically Black colleges and universities are finally seeing an influx of support on a scale that matches their national impact. Since the start of the 2025 school year, more than a dozen HBCUs have received over $700 million in unrestricted gifts from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott—funding that leaders say will strengthen …
Alaska Tests New Kind of Dual Solar-Food Farm
A pilot program in Houston, Alaska, is demonstrating how a solar farm can double as a food farm—and so far, it’s working, according to The New York Times. The approach, known as agrivoltaics, grows crops directly beneath and between rows of solar panels, making the land do double duty. In this project, the vegetables harvested …
Prospective Young Buyers Feel the Housing Market Squeeze
If you’ve doom-scrolled through TikTok real estate content lately, the vibes are confirmed: buying your first home is harder than ever. According to the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) 2024 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, first-time buyers represent just 24 percent of all purchases. That’s a historic low down 32 percent from the previous …
Revised Rules Poised to Boost 2026 HSA Use
Health savings accounts (HSAs) may get a major glow-up in 2026, thanks to new federal rules set to roll out next year, per CNBC. These accounts let people set aside pre-tax dollars for qualified medical expenses—everything from prescriptions to copays—helping lower overall health-care costs. The changes stem from updates baked into last summer’s federal budget …