Author: Editor

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jen Podany, founder of Bluestone Sunshields. It has been edited for length and clarity.Near the end of 2024, my family of five had once again escaped Los Angeles for the quiet we found 10 hours south in Snowflake, Arizona.We’d been doing it for years, renting an Airbnb in Snowflake, a town of 6,000 in the middle of nowhere, switching off amid the miles of empty land.It had started as a stopover on our way to visit my husband’s family in New Mexico. We fell in love with the town, and from…

My husband and I have very different ideas about financial responsibility.When we’re feeling stressed about money, my instinct is to run the numbers and account for every financial what-if. He’s a big-picture dreamer who sees what something could become and is more willing to say, “We’ll figure it out.”His attitude has paid off before. He had the vision for our first home, which we bought for under $100,000 and recently sold for a decent profit after 13 years of renovations.I know some of the best things we’ve done together wouldn’t have happened without my husband’s willingness to take a chance,…

Cities in the US rank high globally in terms of economics, but they have some ground to cover in quality of life, according to a new report.For its 2026 Global Cities Index, economic advisory firm Oxford Economics ranked 1,000 cities across the globe based on five categories: economics, human capital, environment, and quality of life.Every category is viewed from an economic lens, even quality of life, where indicators include income equality and housing expenditure, among others.”The Global Cities Index records the progress cities are making across a comprehensive range of metrics,” Mark Britton, managing director of city services at Oxford…

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Laura Massetti, founder of Real Work Ready, which helps early-career professionals develop workplace skills. Massetti has more than a decade of experience in the corporate world, leading sales and marketing teams. The essay has been edited for length and clarity.I spent 15 years in the corporate world, leading sales and marketing teams. I loved mentoring early professionals, but I often found myself thinking: My goodness, I wish I could make this process go quicker.I never only look at whether someone could do the work. It is more about whether they could…

When my husband and I got married, we each had our own homes. I had a one-story, 3-bedroom home, while my husband had a 2-story, two-bedroom townhome. At first, we compared the pros and cons of each house. For instance, my house had a large yard, which can be a perk size-wise, but lawn maintenance was a chore.While my husband was willing to move, we ultimately chose his house, mainly because it was so close to his job. I knew from experience what a blessing an easy commute is, and I didn’t want him to have to give it up,…

Bonjour’s family budgeted $480,000 for the construction of the ADU. Of that total, they set aside $100,000 as a contingency fund.”As a realtor, and as someone who’s always telling people to ask all the questions, I also hate to be caught by surprise,” Bonjour said. “With the contingency budget, you build in extra money that you hope you won’t need. It’s something everyone should consider, whether they’re building a million-dollar home or a small casita in the backyard.”Unfortunately, unexpected costs, like hiring replacement contractors and installing a new electrical panel and solar panels, have exhausted the reserve. Bonjour said the…

Most chiefs of staff don’t stick around for very long. Covista CEO Steve Beard sees that as a feature, not a bug.Since taking the helm at the healthcare education giant five years ago, Beard has appointed four chiefs of staff, with a few months of overlap between hires to preserve continuity. He treats the role as a leadership rotation rather than a permanent job, bringing in people with backgrounds that match his evolving needs.His first chief of staff specialized in finance, the second in strategy, the third in technology, and the fourth, who started recently, in management consulting.”Each of my…

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Rachel Calaj and Felipe Rochi, a married couple in their 30s. Together, they run a wedding camcorder rental business that they started as a side hustle. The following has been edited for length and clarity.Rochi: I’m an SEO supervisor. I also had a second job in the SEO space, but I was terminated this summer, in early June.Calaj: I’ve been a school psychologist, typically hired through an agency to work for a district on a contract basis.We found out we were pregnant last December, and my contract ended in May. We…

After 20 years of balancing her corporate leadership roles with motherhood, Trisha Daab was ready for a break.”Life had felt like sprinting a marathon for as long as I could remember,” Daab, 47, told Business Insider. “I had no idea how tired I was until I stopped working.”In her year off, she tap danced, volunteered at a food bank, traveled to Disneyland and Alaska, and spent more time with her kids. By the end, she had decided she couldn’t go back to her old life.”My job often demanded that it came first — never-ending to-do lists, urgent emails, travel, and…

Christian Pineda, CEO and cofounder of Los Tacos No. 1, couldn’t fall asleep.He was caught in a scroll of enraged social media posts. The storm of customer indignation followed news last month that the beloved New York City taco chain had received an investment from the private equity firm TSG Consumer. The internet seemed convinced their favorite carne asada and adobada tacos would lose their quality, and Pineda had not expected the reaction.To remedy the situation, he said he felt it was his duty to address his customers directly. He woke up at 4:30 the next morning to clear the…