Category: Finance

Many Americans struggle to pay for health care for themselves and other members of their families, even if they have insurance coverage. Some very big bills arise when the furriest members of their households get sick or just need an annual checkup: their dogs. Americans spend an average of about US$1,700 annually on their dogs’ […]

When it comes to political polarization in the United States, the Pittsburgh region offers a useful window into what communities can do about it. Pittsburgh is a “comeback city.” The once-prosperous steel industry may have declined, but universities, hospitals and technology are driving reinvention and a new emphasis on manufacturing. It’s also a city where […]

More than 6 million Americans receive paper tax refund checks annually. Often, those refunds go to purchase groceries or pay the bills. But this year, those taxpayers may be surprised to learn that the paper check they’re waiting for no longer exists. That’s because of executive order 14247, which President Donald Trump signed in 2025. […]

White and male professors continue to dominate U.S. hospitality and tourism education programs, our new research has found, even as the industry is growing increasingly diverse. This imbalance raises questions about who shapes the future of hospitality and whose voices are left out of the conversation. Our analysis of 862 faculty members across 57 of […]

Historically, corporate board rooms have been mostly white and mostly male. Yet the trend started shifting in the 1970s, in part due to gains from the civil rights era and pro-diversity efforts by activists and business groups. I have been monitoring the degree of diversity in the corporate and political worlds for decades. One useful […]

How would you feel if someone gave you a gym membership as a holiday or Valentine’s Day gift? What about Botox? Laser hair removal? Services like those are part of the estimated US$48 billion self-improvement industry. Does this suggest that many people would appreciate self-improvement gifts? Retailers seem to think so. The Planet Fitness chain […]

A variety show that’s still revered for its absurdist, slapstick humor debuted 50 years ago. It starred an irreverent band of characters made of foam and fleece. Long after “The Muppet Show”‘s original 120-episode run ended in 1981, the legend and legacy of Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo and other creations concocted by puppeteer and […]

The U.S. Supreme Court is currently reviewing a case to determine whether President Donald Trump’s global tariffs are legal. Until recently, tariffs rarely made headlines. Yet today, they play a major role in U.S. economic policy, affecting the prices of everything from groceries to autos to holiday gifts, as well as the outlook for unemployment, […]

Long-term care for older people is challenging for everyone. The costs are high and the quality of care is unpredictable at best, often falling short. The U.S. health care system is so hard to navigate that experts can find it aggravating. Even when people who need help with activities of daily living – a list […]

The U.S. seizure of an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast looks designed to further squeeze the economy of President Nicolás Maduro’s country. The Dec. 10, 2025, operation – in which American forces descended from helicopters onto the vessel – follows months of U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean and was immediately condemned by the […]