Category: Career and Relationships

I owned a second-tier franchise for one year before selling it for a $170,000 loss. That's an expensive way to learn what franchisors don't put in the pitch deck, but it means I know exactly what I'm talking about here. Franchises sell an appealing story: brand recognition, a proven system,…

Working part-time while on unemployment isn't just allowed — it's something most states actively want you to do. The alternative, where every shift you pick up wipes out your entire benefit, discourages work and makes a job search harder. States recognized that problem decades ago. In 2026, the rules work…

With a slowing economy, government and private sector reductions in force, and the prospect of a downturn always around the corner, you may get into work one of these days and hear that your position has been made redundant. Are you prepared for this scenario and its likely impact on…

The national unemployment rate was 4.2% in June 2026, and the economy added just 57,000 jobs that month — well below expectations, with leisure and hospitality actually losing jobs while healthcare and professional services kept growing. It's a mixed, uneven labor market, and it makes the question of where the…

"What's hers is hers, and what's mine is hers — that's how we share our money!" That joke lands because most couples never actually spell out how they handle money. Each partner just assumes the other shares their views, and that assumption is usually wrong. Money is one of the…

A 529 plan is the best-known college savings tool, but it's rarely the whole answer. Between financial aid, scholarships, work-study, and a few savings vehicles most people overlook, there's usually more room to close the gap than families assume. I've written separately about choosing a 529 plan in detail, so…

The typical American thinks they need $1.46 million to retire comfortably — up $200,000 from just last year's estimate. Meanwhile, the average Gen X 401(k) balance sits at $222,100, and roughly 28% of Americans have nothing saved for retirement at all. Against that backdrop, I still tell parents the same…

Raising a child from birth to age 17 now costs a median-income family an estimated $307,000 to $310,000, according to USDA-based estimates updated for 2026 — and that figure doesn't include college. In high-cost states like Massachusetts, California, or New York, it can run $400,000 to $500,000. That's a real…

Overtime pay in the United States is governed by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and the core rule hasn't changed in decades: covered, non-exempt employees must be paid time-and-a-half for every hour worked over 40 in a workweek. What has changed for 2026 is the salary level that determines…

No federal law requires your employer to pay you a dime of severance when you're laid off. Only two states — New Jersey and Maine — mandate it at all, and only in specific mass-layoff situations. Everywhere else, severance is 100% a negotiation, which is exactly why so many people…

If you're searching for a new job in 2026 — maybe after a layoff or severance negotiation — the resume help, mileage to interviews, and employment agency fees you're paying for are not federally tax-deductible, and haven't been since 2018. The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) suspended this…

The standard deduction for married filing jointly is $32,200 in 2026 — close to double the $16,100 a single filer gets, according to the IRS's 2026 inflation adjustments. That's usually the single biggest tax change marriage brings, but it's far from the only one. Your filing status is locked in…

We've all hit that wall — a stretch where work feels more like a chore than anything close to engaging. Feeling uninterested for a few days is normal. It becomes worth paying attention to when it drags on for weeks and starts showing up in your actual behavior. Here are…