The year 2018 marked the 30th anniversary of the discovery of the first gene in any animal that, when mutated, lengthened its life. In that case, the animal was a tiny worm; today, worms are the workhorses of aging research, but back then it was a novelty. The gene wasRead More →
This update corrects the spelling of Marie McCausland’s last name. Shutterstock Marie McCausland gave birth to a baby boy, Jeffrey, on Mother’s Day of 2017. The joyous occasion was quickly marred by a serious medical emergency. Four days later, McCausland was admitted to the hospital for postpartum preeclampsia, a rareRead More →
The sky-high cost of having a first child can also include leaving your STEM job. About four in 10 women (43%) leave their full-time employment in science, technology, engineering and mathematics following the birth or adoption of their first child, according to research recently published in the peer-reviewed Proceedings ofRead More →
Here’s something getting a nice high from recreational marijuana: snack food sales. Potato chip, cookie and ice cream sales all increased in Colorado, Oregon and Washington as recreational marijuana became legal in those states, according to a new study. Specifically, chip sales increased 5.3%, while cookie sales climbed 4.1% andRead More →
American teenagers are under pressure. Anxiety and depression are on the rise among American teenagers. Over 70% of teenagers say they see these mental-health issues as major problems among their peers, according to a new report released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. The groupRead More →
Teens of anti-vaxxer parents are taking a shot at immunizing themselves. Ohio teen Ethan Lindenberger went viral last fall after starting the Reddit thread, “My parents are kind of stupid and don’t believe in vaccines. Now that I’m 18, where do I go to get vaccinated? Can I get vaccinatedRead More →
You might have heard that Social Security checks are going up 2.8% next year, the biggest rise in seven years. That translates into an average benefit of $1,461 a month, up $39. While welcome, it’s necessary to remember that the increase is tied to inflation. Higher payouts will simply enableRead More →
Dear Moneyist, My husband and I grew up dirt poor — I mean he literally had holes in the floor where you could see the dirt. I was fairly better off, my single mother had been expected to marry and have no need for understanding how things like credit workedRead More →
Kids can bring happiness to their mothers and fathers, but parents need dough before they can delight in those expensive bundles of joy. Research on life satisfaction statistics largely show children don’t raise your level of happiness — and yet people still keep having kids, and then do it again.Read More →
Health can destroy wealth. More than two in three bankruptcies are caused by medical problems, either from bills, income loss due to illness, or both, according to new data in the American Journal of Public Health from more than 900 Americans who filed for personal bankruptcy between 2013 and 2016.Read More →
Republican and Democratic senators and President Donald Trump have found one issue they can unite behind: putting a stop to the unexpected medical bills overwhelming many Americans. Senators from both parties sent letters this month to a number of insurance providers asking for more information on billing and payment proceduresRead More →
Weeks after my father passed away from cancer in 2010, my newly widowed mother received a bill for $11,000. Insurance retroactively denied a submitted claim for one of his last chemotherapy treatments, claiming it was “experimental.” All of the prior identical chemotherapy treatments he had received had been covered, andRead More →
A short week on Wall Street brings a fairly light earnings slate, with one huge Dow component arriving at an anxious time for the retail sector. The key name to watch is Walmart Inc. WMT, +1.49% which will give a glimpse into the all-important holiday season and also provide informationRead More →
Amy Zhang, manager of the Alger Small Cap Focus Fund, explained last April how she had improved the fund’s performance since taking over the portfolio in 2015. She hasn’t lost her touch since that conversation. Here’s a link to the April 2018 interview in which Zhang explained her stock-selection processRead More →
Gossamer Bio, Inc., a company with six drugs in its pipeline, is planning to go public and has applied to list on the Nasdaq exchange under the ticker symbol “GOSS.” Three of the company’s drugs are in clinical trials, while the rest are still in preclinical stages of development. TheRead More →
Dear Moneyist, My uncle is 74 years old, recently diagnosed with the beginning stages of dementia and an old family friend is stealing two-thirds of his Social Security check. The “family friend” is my cousin’s ex-wife whom he had divorced some 35 years ago. They reconciled and she moved intoRead More →
Dear Moneyist, My niece took $60,000 of my late father’s money after she got power of attorney while he was on morphine. He died two weeks later. My sister’s name was on his bank account and she took money out of the bank. My nephew’s wife was administering the morphineRead More →
President Donald Trump bemoaned Thursday a lack of media attention for the “great earnings” coming out of Wall Street. Great earnings coming out of Stock Market. Too bad Media doesn’t devote much time to this! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 25, 2019 MarketWatch devotes a great deal of timeRead More →
Investors concerned about the big swoon for tech stocks at the end of last year received welcome news Wednesday afternoon. Three large semiconductor companies announced earnings beats after the market closed Wednesday, a welcome respite from the barrage of poor forecasts and plunging stock prices for chip companies in theRead More →
Global life expectancy for almost every nation will rise during the next two decades, with Spain overtaking Japan as the country with the longest life expectancy. Meanwhile, on the list of 195 countries, the U.S. will fall 20 places, from 43rd to 64th. The average U.S. lifespan as of birthRead More →
There’s a major smackdown going on between Al Roker, weatherman and presenter on NBC’s CMCSA, +0.67% ”The Today Show” and “The Biggest Loser” fitness trainer Jillian Michaels. The subject: The fashionable ultra-low-carb “Keto” diet. Roker follows it, along with a host of other celebrities. Michaels says it’s bad news. “SoRead More →
In the illegal drug business, there is a lot of money and safety in wholesaling — being a middleman instead of producing drugs or selling them on the street. As marijuana finds legitimacy, it may end up producing the same kind of system, judging by a California company that hasRead More →
Even if the economy is on a roll, many Americans aren’t feeling the benefit. Real wages effectively declined in 2018, according to figures from the PayScale Index, a formula from the Seattle-based salary comparison site. PayScale said the median wage increases, when adjusted for inflation, were only 1.1% since lastRead More →
Before the painful fourth-quarter stock market decline, steady dividend payers probably weren’t foremost in many investors’ minds. After all, the Federal Reserve was raising interest rates and the massive cut in federal corporate income taxes was setting up even better earnings and sales comparisons than usual. But the current lowerRead More →
The labor market has been in flux this year, but one thing hasn’t changed: Three industries have remained on top — education, health care, and social assistance. According to U.S. Census Bureau data analyzed by finance site Zippia, “education” — which actually encompasses health care, educational services, social assistance —Read More →
