The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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Consumer sentiment slides, but retail spending holds for now Retail and e-commerce are entering a fragile phase as they head into peak planning. Consumer sentiment is falling again, but the implications for the industry are more complex than a single headline suggests. Beneath the surface, spending remains unevenly resilient, shaped by rising costs, geopolitical instability, and widening financial pressure across income groups. For retail brands, the takeaway is not that demand is collapsing,...
How telehealth is reshaping access to mental health care in America As telehealth becomes a normalized part of healthcare, digital therapy platforms are helping expand access to mental health support by reducing traditional barriers such as geography, cost, and stigma. For generations, the greatest obstacle to mental health care was the courage it took to ask for help at all. That stigma has softened considerably over the past decade, but what took its place was something most people did not...
Tax refund fraud is surging in these states. Here's how to protect yourself before it's too late Whether you’re due to receive a tax refund this spring or not, it’s likely that there are scammers out there eager to get hold of your personal information. Each year, fraudsters take advantage of tax season to swipe personal details and, sometimes, even claim your tax return before you get a chance. With the addition of generative AI tools, which make impersonating tax officials a breeze, these sca...
Experts see a rising trend in pet humanization Sixty-nine percent of Millennials and Gen Z now view their pets as family members. It is a shift that has erased the old, rigid line between animal care and human lifestyle. Historically, our bond with animals was a functional trade: Dogs helped us hunt and cats managed pests in exchange for shelter. Now, that hierarchy is fading. Data from Euromonitor International confirms this isn’t just a social media trend. The hierarchy with humans at the t...
KinoMasterskaya // Shutterstock Movies and TV shows casting in Birmingham The glitz and glam of Hollywood captures attention starting from an early age. Beyond celebrities' Instagram Stories and red carpet poses, there are actors out there paying their dues and honing their craft in pursuit of a sustainable career or a fulfilling sideline. Submitting to casting calls is a big part of that journey. Whether you're a working actor or an aspiring one, you might be curious to know which movies and TV...
Tikkyshop // Shutterstock Movies and TV shows casting in Mobile The glitz and glam of Hollywood captures attention starting from an early age. Beyond celebrities' Instagram Stories and red carpet poses, there are actors out there paying their dues and honing their craft in pursuit of a sustainable career or a fulfilling sideline. Submitting to casting calls is a big part of that journey. Whether you're a working actor or an aspiring one, you might be curious to know which movies and TV shows are...
How to maintain weight loss after using a GLP-1 Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists are now widely used for weight loss. If you’re one of the millions of people in the U.S. taking one, you may be wondering what happens next. Do you need to keep taking it? What happens if you stop? Here’s what experts say about maintaining weight after GLP-1 treatment, reported by GoodRx, a platform for medication savings. Key takeaways: - Most people need to keep taking GLP-1 medications to pre...
How to save money on any budget When you’re already living paycheck to paycheck, learning how to budget to save money can feel out of reach. Rent, groceries, gas—it all adds up quickly. In fact, about one-third of U.S. adults say they’re living paycheck to paycheck, and more than 40% spend their paycheck within the first three days of receiving it. But don’t despair. Even if your budget is stretched thin, you can still start saving. "The most common thing I hear from people I work with is, ‘I...
Why direct mail is making a comeback: Small businesses turn to mailboxes to beat digital fatigue The economics of digital attention are reaching a breaking point for small business owners. According to the WordStream 2025 Google Ads Benchmarks, cost-per-click (CPC) increased for 87% of industries last year. For a lean enterprise, this inflation represents a significant drain on working capital. While the digital-first giants are chasing clicks, the mailbox is quietly becoming the most reliable...
No test can confirm perimenopause. Doctors say you should get one anyway If you’re in your mid-40s or older and having symptoms like hot flashes, brain fog, weight gain, sleep issues, and more, you might be wondering if a blood test can tell you whether you’re in perimenopause. It can’t. Hormone levels fluctuate too widely during this transition for any single test to tell you where you are on your menopause journey. But doctors strongly encourage getting a blood test during perimenopause to ru...
How to save money on any budget When you’re already living paycheck to paycheck, learning how to budget to save money can feel out of reach. Rent, groceries, gas—it all adds up quickly. In fact, about one-third of U.S. adults say they’re living paycheck to paycheck, and more than 40% spend their paycheck within the first three days of receiving it. But don’t despair. Even if your budget is stretched thin, you can still start saving. "The most common thing I hear from people I work with is, ‘I...
The mental health stigma is changing: What America’s increasing therapy rates reveal As more Americans seek therapy than ever before, shifting attitudes toward mental health are revealing a broader cultural change in how people approach emotional well-being. Nearly 9 in 10 U.S. adults now say that having a mental health condition is nothing to be ashamed of, and 83% report feeling comfortable talking about their mental health openly. That level of acceptance reflects a meaningful shift in how Am...
Retirement savings by state Tax-advantaged retirement accounts can give savers a leg up in building their nest egg. While many American workers qualify for Social Security benefits in retirement, these benefits are rarely enough to cover expenses — especially since retirement often brings added costs for health care and aging. On average, Americans have roughly one year’s worth of their current annual income saved in tax-advantaged accounts. For most households, that figure hovers around $80...
Currency and commodity hedging for middle markets More than five years of cross‑current volatility in currencies, commodities and interest rates has middle market companies thinking longer and acting faster about hedging risk. Markets moved hard in 2025: The dollar sold off roughly 10% in the first half, then settled into a tighter range, reminding treasurers that timing and tenor matter. "We’ve seen all kinds of things happen. What we’ve mainly seen is a real push to look at longe...
Districts nationwide continue to face school bus driver shortages Compared to 2019, there are now 21,000 fewer school bus drivers in America. Here’s how that affects your family. Maybe the bus didn’t come this morning. You got a last-minute text, scrambled to find another way to get your child to school, and they arrived 10 minutes late. If this sounds familiar, you’re not imagining things. The shortage of school bus drivers in America has been getting worse for years, and it’s still not fix...
Wedding travel trends and honeymoon ideas 2026 Weddings used to be all about The Big Day. But a major shift is underway. Instead of focusing on a single event and all its accompanying details, weddings have become a full-blown era that includes destination proposals, multi-day nuptials, and honeymoons that span multiple stops. Travel is increasingly central to how couples plan and experience this chapter of their lives. Rather than sticking to traditional rules and formats, they’re crafting i...
Beyond falls: The overlooked emergencies facing older adults Falls dominate the conversation about injury risk in later life. Federal data shows they are far from the whole story. When families talk about keeping an older parent safe, falls are almost always the first topic. That instinct is well-grounded. Among adults 65 and older, falls caused 41,400 deaths and an estimated 3,850,612 emergency department visits in 2023, according to CDC injury data. No other single cause comes close. The...
Why playdates are key to preparing young kids for school Playdates are the best way to prepare young children for school, according to a leading family psychologist. Dr. Martha Deiros Collado has 25 years of clinical experience and has conducted research by examining peer-reviewed papers (particularly longitudinal studies and meta-analysis) on playdates, school readiness, social play in the early years, socialization in 2-to 6-year-olds, loneliness and parenting. She said one of the most valuabl...
Why am I always cold? Possible causes, explained Feeling cold more often than others is not just uncomfortable; it can be a sign that your body is struggling to maintain its normal temperature. Everyone experiences chills or cold sensations occasionally, but if you find yourself consistently cold, it is worth exploring the reasons behind it. Your body’s temperature regulation depends on several factors, including metabolism, blood flow, and hormone levels. When any of these systems is off b...
Stem cell therapy for cerebral palsy moves closer to US trials Cerebral palsy affects roughly 1 in 345 children in the United States. About 764,000 children and adults live with the condition. Standard treatment focuses on managing symptoms through physical therapy, medications, and assistive devices. None of these treatments repairs the brain injury at the root of the condition. For families, this has meant a long wait for something better. In February 2026, a development out of Japan offered...
Your equity is about to become real money. Are you ready? SpaceX. Anthropic. OpenAI. The IPO conversation is louder right now than it’s been in years. If you hold equity at any of these companies, the next few months could be the most financially consequential of your career, not just because of what your equity could be worth, but also because of how much of it you stand to lose to taxes, timing mistakes, and concentration risk if you don't plan. These high stakes don’t just apply to tri...
What 37 election experts say could disrupt the 2026 elections There are always unanswered questions heading into any election. But usually those questions are more along the lines of “who’s going to win?” and less “will the federal government interfere with the election?” But here in 2026, President Donald Trump’s broadsides against the legitimacy of U.S. elections and efforts to overhaul election laws have generated lots of uncertainty — and anxiety — about whether this will be a normal electi...
Finance teams are using AI more than you think Ask most people outside of a finance department how much they think finance teams use artificial intelligence, and they'll likely underestimate it. That's one of the findings revealed inside the 2026 AI in Finance Report, where about a third of respondents say their team uses AI more than outsiders realize. It makes sense when you consider how AI actually shows up in finance work today. It's not always visible. It runs in the background of invoice p...
Energy stocks: The effect of the Feb. 28 strikes on Iran on shares of popular energy companies The escalation of conflict in the Middle East following the U.S.-Israeli military strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, 2026, sent shockwaves through the energy industry and financial markets. Oil prices surged amid global supply fears tied to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, and investors rushed to reposition for higher crude valuations. According to the data, there was plenty of upside. To add to the...
pan demin // Shutterstock How gas prices have changed in Florence in the last week Stacker compiled statistics on gas prices in Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL metro area using data from AAA. Gas prices are current as of April 20. Florence by the numbers - Gas current price: $3.82 --- Alabama average: $3.76 - Week change: -$0.13 (-3.2%) - Year change: +$1.07 (+38.7%) - Historical expensive gas price: $4.62 (6/10/22) - Diesel current price: $5.35 - Week change: -$0.12 (-2.2%) - Year change: +$2.03 (+6...
