• My son's principal told me he called a girl ugly on several occasions.
• As a mother and leadership coach, I worried I failed my son.
• Instead of judging him and myself, I taught him the power of words.

"Your son has been calling a girl ugly — repeatedly."

I froze. My stomach dropped. The words from the school principal felt surreal. My 13-year-old had called someone ugly. And not just once, but repeatedly?

I was shocked, but more than that, I was terrified. I felt like a failure.

I'm a leadership coach. I work with executives on empathy, accountability, and understanding, yet here I was, faced with the reality that I might have failed my own child.

The questions swirled. How did this happen? Did I not teach him better than this? Where did I go wrong?

At that moment, something clicked: leadership principles aren't just for the boardroom; they're for everyday life. Parenting is leadership, too. I had to approach this challenge with the same mindset I used to guide executives.

I decided not to judge my son, so I asked him questions instead

At first, my emotions boiled over. I wanted to tell my son how disappointed I was and to remind him of all the lessons we've discussed: kindness, respect, empathy. But I knew that simply reacting emotionally wouldn't help him grow.

Effective leaders don't react with anger or judgment. Instead, they choose a path of inquiry and growth. It's about creating a space where accountability happens without shame.

So, instead of scolding him, I asked him questions like: "Why do you think that happened?" and "What do you think the impact was?"

My son's answer surprised me. He wasn't trying to hurt anyone on purpose. "I was just trying to be funny," he said. "I wanted to fit in with my friends."

This moment hit me hard. I realized that he wasn't trying to be cruel; he was trying to make his friends laugh, to impress them.

When I took a step back to collect myself, a memory surfaced: I called a girl ugly in the eighth grade. I hadn't thought about that moment in years, but there it was — sharp, vivid, and undeniable. I didn't say it because I believed it. I said it to fit in, to feel better about myself, and to cave to the pressure around me.

Instead of scolding, I told him about the time I called a girl ugly. I used my vulnerability to help him see that everyone makes mistakes. This wasn't about labeling him a bad person but about helping him understand the harm in his actions.

"I know you're not a mean person," I said gently, "but you did a mean thing."

This conversation was about making him think, making him feel what the other person felt. I wanted him to understand the power of his words and begin to reflect on how to repair the situation.

I then encouraged my son to apologize — not just with words, but with sincerity. We practiced it together. I asked him to think about how the girl might have felt and what she might have been thinking when he said those words.

My son learned his lesson once he apologized

When the time came, his apology was heartfelt. But the girl's response was even more powerful.

"I'm OK with jokes," she said, "but I'm not OK when they're about my body or my looks."

It was a moment of leadership — on her part, on his part, and on mine.

At that moment, I felt something shift in my son. He understood that words have power — not just in the moment they're spoken, but in their lasting impact on someone's self-worth.

I've been a leadership coach long enough to know that people don't always behave as expected. Sometimes, good people do bad things, and even the most well-intentioned individuals make mistakes.

It's easy to react with judgment, to label someone's behavior as unforgivable. But true leadership is about offering grace and space for growth.

The key to this experience was replacing judgment with curiosity

When I first heard what my son had done, my first instinct was to judge him harshly. But judgment doesn't foster growth; it stifles it.

By embracing curiosity, I was able to ask the right questions — questions that led to reflection rather than defensiveness. By doing so, we had a real conversation about empathy, self-awareness, and becoming a better person.

This experience reminded me that we parents are not raising our children to avoid mistakes. We're raising them to learn from those mistakes and grow our understanding of ourselves and others.

Parenting is no different from leadership. The same principles we use to guide executives, employees, and teams can — and should — be applied to how we raise our children. By embracing curiosity, modeling accountability, and leading with compassion, we teach not just by our words but by our actions.

• When I saw the Los Angeles fires creep toward my house, I knew I had to pack an emergency bag fast.
• I grabbed the essentials, but then I remembered I needed to take photos of my birth mother with me.
• That's when I learned nothing I've ever purchased is as important to me as I thought.

It's amazing what you pack when a fire rages five blocks from the home you've lived in for 24 years and raised your kids in. It's amazing what you decide — in those panicked moments — is most valuable.

My daughter, 26, lives at home, and her friends, who evacuated from the latest fire in Hollywood, came to stay with us. We live in the flats of the San Fernando Valley. Wildfire danger is rare, and the same goes for floods and mudslides. That's why, 24 years ago, we chose this leafy cul-de-sac.

Like all Angelenos, I've spent the last few days scared and anxious, checking in with friends and watching communities and beloved institutions burn to the ground. I've heard from friends who've lost everything. A lifetime turned to ash.

At least everyone is safe, I kept telling myself. I've been coping as best I can, alternating between watching the news and attempting to dissociate with "Downton Abbey."

But one night this week, my daughter ran into my room and told me to turn on the news. There was a fire just blocks away. We grabbed our coats, ran outside, walked a block, and saw the flames on the nearby hillside. Families emerged from houses and buildings, carrying all they could manage, and rushed to their cars.

"What should we do?" my daughter asked.

I stood nearly catatonic. "I don't know. I just don't know."

We watched the Los Angeles fire department make water drops and watched more neighbors, stricken with fear, run to their cars. We decided to get back home and quickly pack the car.

I first struggled to find what was most valuable to me

I grabbed jewelry, passports, jugs of water, and the emergency earthquake kit my husband insists we keep updated. I packed underwear, toothpaste, and random toiletries as if hyaluronic acid was essential to my survival. My daughter carried bags of dog food and her favorite clothes. I then watched her take a giant plastic bin from the garage.

"What is that?" I asked.

"Pictures," she replied.

Suddenly, everything stopped — the noise, the fear, the rushing. Only one thing mattered: finding the photographs of my birth mother.

My birth mother and I never met, but I needed her in this emergency

I was adopted at three months old, and my records were sealed. At 31, after the birth of my daughter, I found my birth mother via a copy of my original birth certificate held in the New York Public Library. She had already died — in 1995, one day before my 27th birthday, before I found her, before I could tell I was OK, and before I could tell her that I understood.

After a decadeslong search, I found her husband (not my father), Andrew. In 2022, I met Andrew in Paris. After lunch and wine, he handed me a canvas bag and said, "This is for you."

Slowly, meticulously, I took out photograph after photograph — aged and loved — and contemplated the face, expression, and fabulous style of my first mother.

When I came home from Paris, I carefully laid out each picture on my hotel bed — some more than 40 years old — and snapped photos of them with my phone. I knew I needed a digital archive, but nothing could replace holding the images in my hand, touching her in the only way allowed. I then put the bag of photos in a box I kept under my bed.

I took the photos of Gloria with me, not fully knowing how much I valued them

My daughter shouted to me, "Everything I want is in my car!"

I let her know I was almost ready. Frantic to find the pictures of Gloria, I rifled through storage bags, and then I remembered the box. It was right there under the bed — below where my head rests each night.

I reached, retrieved it, and opened it. The bag of Gloria's photographs was safely inside. Hurry. I rushed to my car, placed the box beside my go bag, and hugged my daughter. We were ready. We were safe. And my first mother was with me — like she always is.

In the end, thanks to brave firefighters and water drops, we didn't need to evacuate. But the lesson of those frenzied moments will stay with me forever. Nothing I've ever purchased is as important to me as I thought.

• This post originally appeared in the BI Today newsletter.
• You can sign up for Business Insider's daily newsletter here.

Happy Saturday! Trying to pick a diet for 2025? Sometimes, it's best to keep it simple. That's what Jennifer Aniston does with her 80/20 rule, which is about eating healthy most of the time with some room for leniency.

On the agenda:

• The year's must-attend events for the world's wealthiest people.
• Netflix could finally win a best picture Oscar — right when it doesn't need one.
• A top nutrition scientist shares how to increase your fiber intake while still meeting your protein goals.
• The pressure to be a perfect parent now extends to childbirth.

But first: Throw it away. Seriously.

If this was forwarded to you, sign up here. Download Business Insider's app here.

This week's dispatch

The art of decluttering

It's my favorite time of year: After Santa drops off all his presents, my house is no longer recognizable — but I have a plan for that. It's time to harness my inner Marie Kondo and attempt to reorganize my home.

Before the holidays, I had already started intentionally throwing away items I hadn't used for months. Even the kids' toy basket (OK, fine, baskets) was touched by my decluttering bug. If anything was broken, it went into the trash bag. Don't worry; my 2- and 5-year-old didn't shed a tear.

I'm now moving my way from forgotten closet to forgotten closet, finding things I need and throwing away things that are no longer useful to me and my family.

Even though millennials have a reputation for being minimalists, the truth is we've also bought into the consumerism that makes America what it is, writes journalist Kelli María Korducki. "Millennials haven't been minimalists in years. In fact, we may have never been minimalists at all," she says.

For some, decluttering their physical space may not be enough; their digital lives may also need some tidying up. That's what writer Theresa Sam Houghton did after she realized bookmarking apps and unplayed podcast episodes were clogging up her smartphone. She writes that she's now "developed a weekly routine that helps me reign in digital clutter on a regular basis."

Are you convinced yet? If not, read this to see how decluttering helped one couple eliminate clutter and $32,000 worth of credit-card debt.

Billionaires' busy social calendar

The billionaire population is sparse, but birds of a feather tend to flock their private jets together. That is, you can typically find them all in the same place.

At the beginning of the year, they descend en masse to Switzerland for the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos. In February, you can spot them at the Super Bowl. Every July they head to a small town in Idaho for the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference, also known as billionaire summer camp.

Where the wealthy mingle.

Netflix on top

If the streamer's success at the Golden Globes is any indication, 2025 could be the year that Netflix finally wins best picture at the Academy Awards. But it doesn't need to.

After spending millions of dollars on best picture campaigns in past years, Netflix has cemented its place in Hollywood as the definitive leader in the streaming wars. With its attention in other areas — like its live sports push — a best picture nod for "Emilia Perez" would be a nice addition, but not a necessary one.

The Oscars extra credit.

Also read:

• The best-dressed celebrities at the 2025 Golden Globes
• Timothée Chalamet and Glen Powell took their lookalikes to the Golden Globes. Fans hope it's the end of doppelganger contests.

You probably aren't eating enough fiber

Grocery stores are filling shelves with high-protein versions of food, but top nutrition scientist Tim Spector said people who want to improve their diet should focus on consuming more fiber than protein. It's great for gut health and can ease constipation, among many other things.

The US Department of Agriculture's Dietary Guidelines for Americans for 2020 to 2025 found that more than 90% of women and 97% of men in the US don't meet the recommended intake of dietary fiber. Spector shared tips for eating enough fiber while also hitting your daily protein target.

More fiber, please.

Also read:

• A dietitian said eating high-fiber and fermented foods can improve gut health and boost energy in the winter. Here are her favorite recipes.

Everyone is suddenly obsessed with optimizing childbirth

When scrolling through social media as a pregnant person, you're often inundated with a million ways you can make the most of the birth experience. Plus, there's a growing industry of birthing influencers marketing their preferred birthing styles — from natural to ecstatic births — through sponsored posts, consulting services, and online courses.

While much of the talk centered on optimizing birth is well-meaning, how we give birth — or rather, how we think we'll give birth — has become the latest way we define, and judge, ourselves as parents.

The 'good birth' myth.

Also read:

• I wanted my child to be happy. To do so, I need to let go of my perfectionism.

What we're watching this weekend

• "The Traitors": Season 3 of the Emmy-winning competition series premieres on Peacock this week, with Britney Spears' ex-husband, Zac Efron's brother, and a former "Bachelorette" star among the new cast.
• "The Curious Case of Natalia Grace": Max is now streaming the final chapter of the ID docuseries about a Ukrainian orphan whose adoptive parents accused her of being an adult secretly posing as a child.
• "American Primeval": "Friday Night Lights" star Taylor Kitsch is a standout in Netflix's answer to "Yellowstone," a bloody and violent new drama set in the early days of the American West.

See the full list

What to shop

• Beat the cold: There's nothing like a bone-chilling gust of wind to remind you that your jacket needs replacing. Check out our guides to the best men's parkas for extreme cold and the best winter coats and jackets for men.
• Skill building: Get a leg up at work and learn new skills with a Coursera Plus annual subscription, which is 50% off right now. The deal offers access to thousands of classes from verified providers like Google, Microsoft, and IBM.
• RTO, but make it comfy: Just because you're back in the office doesn't mean you have to be uncomfortable. These are our favorite stretchy work pants for women that feel like sweatpants but look professional.

More of this week's top reads:

• 2025 TV shows we're most excited about, from the return of 'Stranger Things' to the new 'Game of Thrones' prequel.
• Norovirus cases are spiking across the US this winter. Here's why — and what you need to know to protect yourself.
• Why are mocktails so expensive?
• Review: I ate at Louis Vuitton's new café and while I enjoyed 'luxury snacking,' it's not a place I'm rushing to revisit.
• Brooke Shields says she's happier than ever with herself at 59. Here are 3 lessons she's learned about aging well.
• A glass of milk's worth of calcium has been linked to lower colorectal cancer risk. Here are 6 foods you might not know contain the mineral.
• 9 luxurious status symbols you might be tempted to buy in 2025.

The BI Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York City. Grace Lett, editor, in New York. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York. Amanda Yen, associate editor, in New York.

• Zenia Olivares has been customizing her New Jersey home for the last two years.
• She decided to add a partial wall to her open-concept living room to break up the space.
• Olivares said the new wall made the area more functional and aesthetically pleasing.

Zenia Olivares wasn't a fan of the shape of her living room when she bought her home two years ago.

Olivares, 34, lives in a 1935 bungalow in New Jersey with her husband and their two dogs. She's a full-time content creator, documenting how she has transformed her 2,800-square-foot house into the perfect home for her family on her social media pages.

"It's got a lot of original charm," Olivares said of her six-bedroom, three-bathroom house. "We've got the original Douglas fir floors and some of the original baseboard and trim, but there has evidently been a lot of stuff done to the house."

"It was updated in the '70s and the '80s and in the '90s, so there are layers upon layers of things that I've found just working on the house itself," she said. "It's like an onion."

Olivares' goal has been to make her home feel comfortable with vintage and transitional influences. She described her decor style as "real cozy," saying it "feels like a hug."

She's transformed nearly every space of her house, telling Business Insider she knew there was one room she definitely wanted to change when they bought the house: her open-concept living room.

The open-concept living room didn't feel right

When you enter Olivares' home, you're greeted by the living room, which was initially a large rectangular space. All of the other rooms in the house are nearly perfect squares, so the length of the space felt out of place to Olivares.

"The living room was too long, and it didn't quite make sense with the layout of the house and how everything else was," Olivares said. "It felt disconnected."

"I thought, 'What if I built something to separate the spaces?'" Olivares said.

She told BI she went back and forth about the idea as she and her husband continued to work on their home, as she wasn't sure a wall would work as the house changed.

Olivares revamped her fireplace and added columns to the ceiling, but she still felt like the living room was the wrong shape.

"I tried doing furniture as a divider, but it didn't quite work with the positioning of the door," she said. "I couldn't let the idea of a wall go."

Olivares isn't alone in her desire for separation in her home. The trend of open-concept living has become less popular in recent years, and realtors are seeing more and more people find ways to enclose rooms in their homes.

In mid-2024, Olivares decided to make her dream a reality, working with a contractor friend to build a partial wall in the middle of the living room.

Olivares used a partial wall to break the space up

Olivares knew she didn't want to fully close off the space to the right of her front door. Instead, she decided to add a partial wall, often called a pony wall, with columns.

She told BI she wanted to keep the "open feeling" of the large room but hoped the partial wall would create division.

"I also like the idea of being able to visually frame the stairs," she said.

Olivares and her friend worked together to add a large beam to the ceiling, to which they attached tapered columns connected to a pony wall below.

They made all the pieces themselves, also creating molding and staining the wood a darker hue that fit Olivares' vision.

Olivares also mocked up the new wall using cardboard boxes before they started any work to ensure she liked the look, which she recommends to anyone doing a similar project.

Because she didn't hire someone to work on her home, Olivares said adding the wall and columns only cost around $830. It also wasn't too time-consuming; building, installing, and staining the wood took just over a week.

She said adding the column to the ceiling was the most challenging aspect of the project.

"The ceiling is original plaster, and it is not in any way level whatsoever," Olivares said. "And it's overhead work, so that's going to hurt your shoulders and your back."

"It took me and my contractor friend an entire day to get that up there and for it to look as good as we could get it," she added.

The hard work was worth it for the final look.

Olivares loves the separate spaces

Olivares told BI she was able to bring her exact vision to life.

"I love it," she said of the pony wall. "I smile every time I walk through the living room, and everybody has to walk through the living room to get to one side of the house or the other. It's beautiful to look at, and it makes the spaces make sense."

"It makes it flow," she added. "It makes it function, and it looks right."

The functionality the new wall brought to Olivares' home has been a huge benefit of the addition. For instance, the wall created an area for Olivares to put her keys down when she walks through the front door.

Likewise, she placed her Christmas tree for 2024 in the corner next to her staircase, and the new wall helped to make it feel like a dedicated space.

She also plans to add a buffet bookshelf to the wall next to the stairs to make the new room feel even more intentional down the road. Looking at the wall, Olivares knows adding the barrier was the perfect choice for her home.

"Sometimes open-concept is a little too open," she said.

• Growing up, I didn't think I'd change my last name when I got married.
• But when I came out as a lesbian and met my now-wife, I changed my mind.
• Rather than choosing one of our existing last names or hyphenating, we created something new.

Before I came out as a lesbian, I was sure I wouldn't adopt the last name of my future husband. I knew I was going to be a writer and felt that I wanted to have a name that I could build a brand around, and like many closeted lesbians, I was sure I wouldn't be getting married until well into my career and my 40s. Thankfully, I made a lot of realizations six years ago when I met my now-wife. It also meant I had to revisit my previous stance on name changes. Since I found my forever partner, I actually wanted us to be tied together in name and in life.

But choosing whose name to pick became more challenging as we stripped away traditional gender roles. I could have pushed for us to use my name if I really wanted to keep the name attached to my bylines, but again, since we weren't relying on heteronormative practices telling us what to do, giving Taryn my last name didn't feel very symbolic. It became a transformative choice to decide upon a new married name for ourselves and our future children.

We looked at other last names, but nothing felt quite right

One thing remained true: I am a writer, and my other half is an artist. We both needed a name that could represent us in our aspiring careers. It felt silly to go on a last-name generator website, but it seemed like a good start to find some different options and see if anything sparked inspiration. It gave us a list — Cooper, Gardner, Baker, Stewart — but none of these last names felt right with either or both of our names.

I started to feel like I was undergoing a small identity crisis. This name was going to define me for the rest of my life. At least with my maiden name, I had 25 years to get attached to it. I might not have picked it myself, but it was the only thing I had ever known.

We decided to create a new name for ourselves

But then there was this moment where Taryn and I thought about creating a new name that tied us to our past and future. We tried different ways of combining our names phonetically. My last name was Ruffino, and hers was Smith. What we got was Suffino. It was the easiest combination that felt good on the ears. I looked up the name, and it had no origins at all. It also didn't quite look right to us, like a cheesy ship name.

That's when I really got to work researching different prefixes and suffixes. I knew "ino" from my last name meant little. When I looked at other ways to get that same "suff" or "saff" sound, I was reminded of the word sapphire, which also happened to be the stones we chose for our engagement rings.

Not to totally geek out, but the root origin of the word sapphire comes from the Greek word sappheiros, which means "blue gemstone." If we spelled our name Sapphino, we would get the meaning "little blue."

Another hidden meaning in the name is the origin of sapphic. Yes, the word that relates to lesbians. Sappho was the name of a famous Greek poet who wrote about her love of women. Long story short, our name can also be interpreted as "little lesbian" (my personal favorite).

And thus, the Sapphinos were born. It didn't take long to get used to at all. It felt right and the perfect way to share our identity with each other and the world. I'm just as excited to see where the name Kylie Sapphino takes me as I am to pass it down to my own family, knowing that it has such a special meaning to us and our story.

• Having a third child brought unexpected challenges and joys to our family life.
• Parenting each child requires unique approaches, as no two children are the same.
• Balancing time with a partner becomes challenging, requiring conscious effort to connect.

Becoming a parent is one of the most insane transitions in life. One day you're worrying about feeding and bathing yourself and the next your feeding and bathing responsibilities have doubled. As it goes, the more children you have, the more responsibilities you accrue. By the time my husband and I were settled in with two daughters, 2 years and 8 months apart, we felt our plates were full and our family was complete. But then the pandemic happened and we decided to have a third.

After the arrival of our third daughter, I discovered an assemblage of unexpected surprises — many of which caught me off guard, even as an experienced parent. At first it was more noise and a messier house. The washing machine literally never rests and the floors are always covered in crumbs. But then, there was more. Here are seven ways having a third child changed our lives in ways we didn't expect — some good, some a little tricky.

Experience means nothing

Even if you already have children, nothing will prepare you for the new newborn phase — especially after a five-year hiatus. I remember thinking the first few months would be like riding a bike; I would hop on the momcycle and take off without any wobbling. However, the way a newborn cries, eats, sleeps, poops, blinks will never be the same as your previous babies. Parents have to learn a whole new language of baby communication with each child. And it doesn't get easier; while newborns are a mystery, toddlers all seem to be a mystical unsolvable puzzle, too. Every child is unique, and parenting them will be unique, too.

You will be overstimulated

Have you ever tried making scrambled eggs while breastfeeding a newborn, quizzing an 8-year-old on their spelling words and watching a 10-year-old practice her ballet turns at the same time? That is what life with three is like on many days in our household.

Every child will need a new parenting style

My oldest never played in the bathroom. The second liked to throw things in the toilet. The third? Let's just say she knows exactly what toilet water tastes like.

Our youngest daughter is the most active, most curious, and the fastest child we have ever made. She doesn't subscribe to time out and she questions the majority of our rules (especially when it doesn't apply to her older sisters). Let it be known, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to parenting multiple children.

You and your partner may not see one another as much

It's all hands on deck with three kids in the house — and sometimes that means everyone is doing different things in different places. I never anticipated how little I would see my husband once our third was born. But once she was here, I finally understood how parents can say they start to feel more like roommates rather than a couple. Three children mean three different sets of appointments, extracurriculars, bathtimes, and bedtimes. To combat this, my husband and I have to make a conscious effort to schedule time to talk, let alone hang out without an offspring present.

You don't have to be the perfect mom

I really wish someone told me mom-perfection is pointless when I was pregnant the first time around. Perhaps it would have spared me the silly thought that I could try to "get it right" with my third. The truth is the best moms don't get it right. Mistakes are normal when you're a parent. If you set the bar too high with unattainable goals and expectations, you'll ultimately feel horrible every time you don't meet them. Instead of being perfect, just be regular — be loving, be funny, show your kids you're human with real feelings and admit that you sometimes make mistakes. In the end, as long as you don't give up, you'll be the best mom no matter what.

Lower your expectations, then lower them again

When I had just one or two kids, I was able to be on time for parties with a perfectly wrapped gift or warm delicious appetizer in hand. My girls were by my side, dressed in clean clothes with matching socks and a bow. Nowadays, I am lucky if I remember to change out of my slippers before I leave the house. And you know what — it's fine. You get used to things not being exactly how you used to like them and learn quickly that having low expectations is the way to live. After all, having low expectations isn't such a bad thing. Your family and friends will forgive you for being late and accept the chaos (as they're probably in a state of chaos on their own).

Your heart may feel like it's going to explode

I'm not talking from stress — I'm referring to the overwhelming sense of love, pride, and joy you will experience when you see your three children together.

I don't recall when I had the epiphany that having a third child is worth every challenge and bump in the road — but it happened. One day I looked around and knew I was right where I am supposed to be. Even though you feel three times as exhausted and three times as busy when you have your third child, you will also undoubtedly feel three times in love.

• Walgreens' CEO said the company is taking "creative" steps to address shoplifting and shrink.
• While anti-theft measures can be effective, they can also hurt a store's sales, CEO Tim Wentworth said.
• The pharmacy chain is in the midst of a multi-year turnaround effort to revive its retail business.

When it comes to its retail business, Walgreens faces a tradeoff when it comes to locking up items behind anti-shoplifting displays.

The Illinois-based pharmacy chain has long been one of the more vocal companies raising concerns about shoplifting in its stores — and its CEO said that the challenges continue.

In prior quarterly earnings calls, Walgreens executives mentioned "higher shrink" — or missing inventory — as a drag on profitability.

While the term didn't garner a mention in prepared remarks for Walgreens' fiscal first-quarter earnings call on Friday, CEO Tim Wentworth said in a call with analysts that the work to minimize shoplifting "is a hand-to-hand combat battle still, unfortunately."

The CEO also said the company's asset protection team is taking "creative" steps to address the issue in an effort to better avoid negative customer experiences.

"When you lock things up, for example, you don't sell as many of them," he said. "We've kind of proven that pretty conclusively."

Other companies are exploring additional ways to combat retail theft.

Walmart, for example, is testing technology with employees that allows them to use an app to unlock items protected behind anti-shoplifting displays. The retail giant is also piloting body cameras for front-line store workers at some Texas locations. T.J. Maxx has implemented body cameras for some employees as well.

Meanwhile, Walgreens is in the midst of a multi-year turnaround effort to revive its retail business.

American drugstores in general are in a tough spot as customers increasingly turn to options that have lower prices, better choices, and more convenience.

With Walgreens continuing to close underperforming stores and reinvest in successful locations, Wentworth said the company is testing out new systems to improve the in-store customer experience, like a digital check-in for prescription pick-up.

The CEO said the company is working on "getting to the right number of stores so that we can invest in them properly for the customer experience that needs to be — frankly, in too many of our stores — improved."

Walgreens delivered a big earnings beat on Friday, and its stock closed up over 27%.

Wentworth said the results reflect the company's "disciplined execution."

"While our turnaround will take time, our early progress reinforces our belief in a sustainable, retail pharmacy-led operating model," he said.

• Fight attendant salaries vary widely depending on seniority and number of hours worked.
• American Airlines pays the highest hourly rates for flight attendants, though pay at the Big 3 is fairly similar.
• United Airlines' flight attendant pay has been the same since 2021 as they negotiate a new contract.

Flight attendants at American, Delta, and United don't make nearly as much as their pilot colleagues, but the highest-paid cabin crew can take home a base salary of more than $70,000 a year — with some making six figures.

But the job is a far cry from your typical 9-5. It takes years of working grueling schedules and meeting high customer service and safety standards to reach the upper echelons of seniority at the US' Big 3 airlines.

Flight attendants are paid a base hourly rate, plus a per diem bonus if they are away from the airport where they are based. Some are paid for boarding. They can also earn more money by working holidays, flying at night, or holding a specialized position. Airlines also typically pay profit-sharing bonuses.

Pay increases with each year of service up to the 13th year.

Most flight attendants are guaranteed a monthly minimum, which varies by airline — meaning they will be paid for at least a certain number of hours each month whether or not they fly it, minus certain circumstances. Many work more than the guarantee.

Pay scales obtained and verified by Business Insider show American offers the highest hourly rates, followed closely by Delta. United's pay rates have been frozen since 2021 as the airline and union negotiate a new contract.

American Airlines

• First-year: $35.82
• 13th-year: $82.24

American offers the highest hourly rates thanks to a new contract ratified in September with the Association of Professional Flight Attendants.

The deal, which took five years of negotiations partly due to the pandemic, increased pay by up to 20.5% at the date of signing. First-years start at about $36 an hour, while 13-year flight attendants make about $82 an hour.

American guarantees 71 hours of pay a month for those with a pre-planned "line" schedule. "Reserve" crew, or those on call, have a minimum of 75 hours.

This translates to at least $30,500 for first-year crew and $70,000 for thirteen-year veterans before taxes and other earnings.

As part of the new contract, pay will increase in October 2025 and again each year through 2029. By then, hourly rates will increase to a starting base pay of about $40 per hour

American added boarding pay to its latest contract at 50% of a flight attendant's hourly rate, which is expected to go into effect in March. This will further up the cabin crew's annual salary. Historically, crew were not paid for boarding time.

American has historically not paid a high profit-sharing bonus. In 2023, it was just 1.1%. The new contract increased that profit-sharing formula to match Delta's, but the final amount will depend on American's year-end earnings. For 2023, the airline was the least profitable of the Big 3.

Delta Air Lines

• First-year: $35.50
• 13th-year: $79.80

Delta's flight attendants are not unionized. Their most recent pay bump was in June, which increased cabin crew salaries by about 5%.

First-year Delta flight attendants earn a base pay of $35.50 an hour, while 13-year crew members earn about $80 an hour.

Like American, Delta cabin crew get boarding pay equal to half of their hourly rate. In 2022, Delta became the first major US airline to offer the extra pay.

Flight attendant salaries at Delta vary based on hours worked a month and there is no contractual minimum.

Some Delta flight attendants who are trying to unionize say the lack of guaranteed hours could lead to lower pay than competitors.

A Delta spokesperson said flight attendants typically get 80 hours a month. This means first-year and 13-year flight attendants earn about $34,000 and $76,600 annually, before taxes and other earnings.

He added cabin crew can earn up to $1,200 extra annually for meeting monthly operating metrics.

Delta also consistently distributes the highest annual profit-sharing. It paid $1.4 billion to employees in 2023, which amounted to a bonus of 10.4% of employees' eligible earnings.

United Airlines

• First-year: $28.88
• 13th-year: $67.11

United has the lowest first-year base pay at about $29 an hour. Thirteen-year flight attendants make about $67 an hour.

United guarantees 71 hours of pay a month for those with a line schedule, while a reserve crew member gets a minimum of 78 hours. United does not currently offer boarding pay.

That amounts to United first-years making at least $24,600 a year and 13-year flight attendants making at least $57,000 annually before taxes and other earnings.

Failed negotiations between United and its labor union, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, have prevented pay increases, which is why the airline's wages are comparatively lower. Mediation of a new contract has been paused until at least early this year, so United cabin crew are still being paid 2021 rates.

A United spokesperson told BI half of the airline's cabin crew are at the top of the seniority pay scale, with average annual pay in that group hitting nearly $80,000.

That likely accounts for hours worked above the guarantee, as United said the crews have flexible schedules and can work when they want, or other ways to earn extra pay.

United said it has proposed a 22.5% raise and new boarding pay, among other offerings, as part of its contract negotiations.

The union told BI it wants industry-leading pay and better work rules and scheduling.

Despite lower comparative base pay, United flight attendants have earned high profit-sharing bonuses. In 2023, that was about 9.2% of their eligible annual salary.

Other ways flight attendants earn money

Extra pay opportunities can add tens of thousands of dollars to flight attendants' base rates and put the most senior crew members well into the six figures.

This includes working overtime, flying on holidays or during nighttime, or if they hold a skilled position. Airlines also offer flight attendants free flights for personal use as part of their employment benefits.

Skilled positions can include being the in-charge "lead" or purser, working in the galley, or speaking a second language. The premium pay ranges from $1 to $7.50 extra per hour, depending on the aircraft and whether the flight is domestic or international.

Flight attendants also get per diem pay, typically $2 to $4 for each hour on duty away from home, to cover work-related expenses like meals, laundry, and transportation.

Senior flight attendants can gross $100,000 or more annually, depending on how many hours they work. Premium and special skills pay help boost that. They can fly more hours by bidding for more than their monthly minimum or picking up trips dropped by other crew members.

People are saying "I do" later in life — and now, more say they'll never tie the knot.

The big picture: The median age of those getting married for the first time was nearly 30 in 2023, up two years from 2010, according to census data.

• Compare that to 1950, when the median age was around 22, per the U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey.

State of play: D.C., New York and California residents are the oldest at their first marriage, at around 31, while Utah, Idaho and West Virginia residents are the youngest, at around 27, recent data shows.

Stephen Miller, President-elect Trump's deputy chief of staff, is asserting himself as the key player in the White House's plan to pass Trump's sweeping agenda through Congress.   Why it matters: Trump trusts Miller implicitly, as does incoming Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, with whom Miller worked hand-in-glove on the campaign.

• Miller has become instrumental as Senate GOP leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) haggle over how to pass MAGA priorities, fast.
• Miller also gets Congress: While he initially called for a two-bill approach to immigration and tax reform, he has not publicly voiced his preference since Trump indicated he wants one "big beautiful bill."
• But Miller's allies inside Trumpland, not to mention senators and lawmakers, know that his top priority is immigration.

Zoom in: In a sign of the kind of power he wields, Miller presented alongside Trump during Wednesday's meeting with senators.

• Miller used the opportunity to provide a detailed plan of attack for Trump's first 100 executive orders, as Axios scooped.
• "Senators know that he's not just speaking faithfully to what the Trump Team wants, but he's offering counsel on how to enact the policies that we care about," said Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton.

Also in the meeting were Wiles, incoming deputy chief of staff James Blair and James Braid, Trump's incoming director of the Office of Legislative Affairs.

• While Miller talks policy, Braid — who previously served as Vice President-elect Vance's deputy staff chief in the Senate — and Blair will be taking over the process of getting the legislation passed.

Between the lines: Miller is one of the few Trump II officials who served in Trump I, and he served all four years, which was a rarity.

• He has frontline experience in the Senate, where he served as a top adviser to former Sen. Jeff Sessions.
• "It seems very clear that if you want to get a piece of legislation done, you got to work with Stephen Miller," a top adviser to a GOP senator told Axios.

What we're hearing:  Miller's allies — and even his enemies on the left — say that he derives much of his power from his deep understanding of immigration and the border.

• "No one knows more than Stephen on this," one Trump adviser told Axios.
• "Stephen is the Swiss Army knife for Trump: He does the policy, the politics and the media," a Trump insider told Axios.
• Miller is previewing his tactical plans to stem illegal immigration: "We are going to use the Defense Department to secure the border of our country," he told Newsmax.
• Miller did not respond to a request for comment.

Insiders say Miller, 39, has improved his bedside manner from Trump's first term, when he rubbed some staffers and Hill leaders the wrong way.

• "In the past, he would just bull rush to get his way and he didn't care what enemies he made," said a third Trump adviser.
• "Now he works the sh--t out of everybody. ... Yeah, he has the ear of the president, but now he gets allies so that he can just have surround sound."

The intrigue: Senators frequently discuss what they have heard from Miller on reconciliation strategy — more than any other Trump team member, a senior Hill aide told Axios.

• Miller is also discussing Trump's tax and foreign policy with lawmakers.

Zoom out: With inauguration 10 days away, House and Senate Republicans are locked in a staring contest over a tactical question that has consumed Congress: one or two bills.

• Trump seems content to let them fight it out. The House and Senate are basically pursuing two parallel tracks, racing for a finish line neither side can define.

The bottom line: Miller is seen by many as not just Trump's man on the Hill, but one of the most influential figures in Washington.

• "Stephen right now looks like he'll be the most powerful unelected man in the White House," said another Trump adviser, who added that "Susie Wiles is the most powerful Trump appointee, and Stephen knows that and she's happy to let him do his thing."

• The growing population of older Americans is facing unaffordable long-term care.
• These costs will also burden many younger people caring for older relatives and kin.
• Government incentives and public insurance could help address care affordability, experts say.

As the population of older Americans balloons, the financial costs associated with aging are, too.

Many millennials and Gen Xers are facing a stark reality: their parents and grandparents don't have the means to pay for long-term care — and they'll need to help foot the bill, especially since government aid often doesn't cover large parts of this care.

Many younger people end up leaving their jobs or working less in order to care for their aging family members — and that sacrifice can hurt them financially both today and in the future, including by shrinking their income and Social Security benefits, experts say.

"The bigger issue is you can create almost a cycle of poverty," Marc Cohen, a professor of gerontology at the University of Massachusetts Boston, told Business Insider. "It's not something that just sticks with one generation. The costs are borne communally."

Unprepared for a predictable crisis

Much like other forms of care — from emergency rooms to daycares — the labor and facilities needed for long-term care don't come cheap. A shortage of long-term care workers, coupled with inflation, has sent prices up in recent years. As the oldest members of the baby boomer generation near 80, the demand for these services is expected to rise sharply — putting upward pressure on costs.

Privately-provided long-term care — including assisted living communities and home healthcare — is largely out of reach for the broad middle class. Fewer than 15% of people 75 and over living alone in major US cities could afford to pay for assisted living or daily home health aide visits without dipping into their assets, per a 2023 report from Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies.

"It's the affordability issue, particularly in the middle market, that concerns us the most," Lisa McCracken, head of research and analytics at the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care told Business Insider.

Retirees and their families may not be able to rely on the government to help. Medicare, the government's health insurance program for older people, doesn't cover most long-term care, including assisted living, home healthcare, and nursing homes. Medicaid largely doesn't cover assisted living and home healthcare, and there are often long waitlists for the nursing home care it does cover. Some assisted living residents have been evicted after they spent down their savings and were forced to rely on Medicaid.

"A lot of people thought, 'Oh, well, doesn't Medicare pay for this?' and it does not," Cohen said. "And so people find out late in life that they don't have any protection against these costs."

That's what happened to Erika Gilles and her family. After Gilles' 78-year-old mother, Karen Proctor, was hospitalized for her chronic kidney disease last year, she quickly realized her mother's Medicare coverage wouldn't be enough to cover her long-term care. Overnight, her mother went from living independently in the house she's long owned to requiring dialysis treatment and constant care. But Gilles couldn't purchase private long-term care insurance because of her mother's pre-existing conditions.

Gilles, 57, found a group assisted living facility for her mother, who applied for a state subsidy to help cover the cost. If the subsidy doesn't come through, Gilles is worried they'll have to sell her mother's house in Sun City, Arizona.

"It's totally turned my life upside down. It's absorbed all of my time," Gilles said. "I don't think I'm ever going to retire."

It's not just a boomer problem

Gen X, many of whom are sandwiched between caring for their aging parents and dependent children, has fallen behind in their financial savings. A study conducted by Nationwide showed that 56% of Gen Xers were financially supporting either their parents or their kids. About a fifth of Gen Xers taking care of a parent said they had a significant amount of debt, and a similar portion said they were unable to save for retirement, the study found.

The number of US adults who care for a spouse, older parent or relative, or child with special needs has grown from 43.5 million in 2015 to 53 million in 2021, per a report from the insurance provider Guardian.

A separate survey of 35- to 60-year-olds conducted by Carewell found that 75% of those taking care of both a parent and a child said they struggled to save for retirement, while 63% said they lived paycheck to paycheck. Meanwhile, adult caregivers provided around $600 billion worth of unpaid labor last year, noted a separate report from the AARP.

Brandon Goldstein, a financial planner at Prudential, said he frequently works with clients struggling to care for their parents as they get older. In some cases, his clients are experiencing financial stress as a result of caretaking and have been forced to cut back on saving.

Some of them may need to bank on their own children taking care of them in the future, he suggested, given how much they've sacrificed in their own retirement savings.

"Having to reduce what you put towards retirement is going to put you in a situation where you might not have assets now, and you could — I don't want to call it a burden — but you might become this responsibility if you don't have assets to cover a facility," he told BI, adding that some may need to consider working for longer than they originally expected.

Ultimately, through ballooning Medicaid costs, taxpayers may be on the hook for the growing long-term care crisis. An increasing number of older people don't have kids or spouses to take care of them as they age, and those that end up needing long-term care may have to rely on Medicaid. About a fifth of baby boomer women don't have any children, and those who do have kids have fewer, on average, than previous generations.

A government-aided solution for long-term care?

Cohen argues that the private long-term insurance market is suffering from "a clear market failure" and policymakers need to step in to create a public option for middle-income people and their families.

McCracken said that in order to scale some of the most effective models of assisted living and other long-term care, private providers will need more government incentives and partnerships.

Cohen argued that public long-term care insurance would work well if most people paid into it because a relatively small number of older people require the most expensive care, like 24/7 nursing.

That option could resemble an earned benefit, like Social Security and Medicare, funded by a mandatory tax that people pay throughout their lives and collect when they retire. Rep. Tom Suozzi, a New York Democrat, has proposed legislation that would create a public insurance program for catastrophic long-term care funded by a payroll tax.

Some states have begun to address the issue. Washington State recently passed a 0.6% payroll tax to fund a new universal long-term care insurance program called WA Cares, which provides $36,500 in care per person, and will increase with inflation in future years.

Gilles said she wants to see the government or care providers figure out a way to lower costs.

"They've got to provide more support to families going through this," she said. "They've got to either make it more affordable, or they need to provide more resources, or not make it so expensive so that it's attainable for anybody at any income level."

Are you or someone you care for struggling with long-term care costs? Email this reporter to share your story: [email protected].

• Apple has yet to capitalize on the initial hype of Apple Intelligence.
• Analysts have adjusted their expectations of a "super cycle upgrade " for iPhones.
• This month, Apple will report its first earnings since launching Apple Intelligence.

Apple bet big on Apple Intelligence, but the iPhone upgrade cycle that some analysts predicted it would spark doesn't look like it's happened yet.

Apple introduced its AI venture in June last year during its Worldwide Developers Conference, and Apple Intelligence launched to eligible iPhones in October. Its availability is limited to iPhone 15 Pro models or later, which Wedbush analyst Dan Ives had said could drive a "golden upgrade cycle" among iPhone holders — and which would be a big sales boon for Apple.

Yet the tech giant got a rare downgrade to "sell" on Tuesday. Craig Moffett, senior analyst at MoffettNathanson, said the move was partly due to a lack of consumer excitement around AI, according to Bloomberg.

"Not only have we not seen any sign of an upgrade cycle, something that would be concerning enough on its own, but we have seen growing evidence that consumers are unmoved by AI functionality," Moffett said.

Apple had touted the iPhone 16, which went on sale in September, as the first iPhone built from the ground up for AI. William Kerwin, tech analyst at Morningstar, previously told BI that AI was Apple's "biggest story" of 2024.

Although there was a lot of hype around Apple Intelligence when it was first announced, analysts have had to adjust their expectations.

"The initial excitement from the announcement" has moved to "actually becoming expectations for a tepid growth cycle in the first year, and more aggressive expectations for year two," Morningstar's Kerwin said.

Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst in Taiwan known for his Apple predictions, wrote in a blog post that the iPhone 16 series sold about 37 million units during its first preorder weekend — a 12.7% drop year-over-year from the iPhone 15's release weekend, according to Kuo.

Wall Street was bullish on Apple stock following WWDC's AI announcements, but the full capabilities of Apple Intelligence are yet to come.

Gene Munster, managing partner at Deepwater Asset Management, told BI that the upgrade super cycle isn't completely off the table, but it may not happen in 2025.

Munster said he believes Apple Intelligence will "play a big role" in a super cycle that could take place in the last half of fiscal 2025 or in fiscal 2026.

"They still haven't put all the pieces in place yet," Munster said.

He added that there's "a lot of work to do" to get to a super cycle of iPhone upgrades.

Its fiscal fourth-quarter 2024 earnings period ended less than two weeks after the iPhone 16 came out, so it was too early to tell how revenue would be impacted by Apple Intelligence. Still, investors will get a better view with it reports Q1 2025 data on January 30.

• Ukraine added a modern German combat vehicle to its arsenal, poised to enhance its ground strategy.
• German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall delivered the first KF41 Lynx fighting vehicle late last year.
• The KF41 will undergo testing with hopes of starting domestic mass production of the IFV in Ukraine.

Ukraine received its first high-tech combat vehicle for testing and is expected to strengthen the country's frontline strategy and boost its defense industry.

Produced by the largest German arms manufacturer, Rheinmetall, the KF41 Lynx infantry fighting vehicle has a modular design that allows it to adapt to a range of combat scenarios, including command and control, reconnaissance, and medical evacuation.

Considered one of the most advanced IFVs in the world, the Lynx is known for its scalable protection, firepower, and high mobility, all while prioritizing its compatibility with future upgrades to adapt to modern combat.

The first Lynx vehicles delivered to Ukraine will be used to determine what modules may be needed — they can carry drones, electronic warfare systems, or anti-tank missiles — and then prepare a bigger order.

Future-proof combat vehicle

First unveiled at the Eurosatory Defense exhibition in Paris in 2018, it didn't take long for the Lynx KF41 to make waves due to its future-proof design.

The KF41, which stands for "Kettenfahrzeug," meaning "tracked vehicle" in German, is the successor of the KF31. With a more spacious interior than its predecessor, the KF41 can accommodate a crew of a commander, gunner, and driver, as well as up to nine fully equipped soldiers. It is designed to carry infantry to key objectives and with tailored firepower like autocannons to destroy enemy vehicles or strong points in the process.

The KF41 also features a more powerful diesel engine, allowing it to reach speeds of up to 43 mph. The tracked vehicle can also operate across various terrain and on long missions with a range of over 300 miles.

Depending on the armament and passengers, the combat vehicle can weigh over 40 tons, but it has a flexible suspension system to protect troops and payload without compromising mobility.

A lethal and formidable platform

The KF41 is equipped with a 35mm Wotan cannon that can fire 200 rounds a minute at targets nearly two miles away using an advanced 360-degree weapon sight system. The IFV can also be configured to launch anti-tank guided missiles, loitering munitions, drones, or other electronic warfare packages.

Not only is the German light tank armed to the teeth, it can counter a range of threats, from rocket-propelled grenades to anti-tank missiles. Its formidable modular armor can be equipped with active hard-kill weapon systems to destroy incoming missiles and rocket-propelled grenades, or it can take on a more passive defense by deploying smoke cartridges to conceal its location.

Germany's largest arms manufacturer

Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger announced the delivery of Lynx IFVs at the Ukraine Recovery Conference held in Berlin last June, adding that the company hopes to start "manufacturing these systems in Ukraine in the near future."

"It is now being tested by the armed forces so that a mass order may be placed as soon as possible," Papperger told German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

The delivery and production of Lynx IFVs in Ukraine is part of a larger effort by Rheinmetall to build "closer cooperation" with the country and bolster its waning defense industry. The Düsseldorf-based contractor also plans to open facilities in Ukraine to domestically produce munitions and repair armored systems. The publicly traded Rheinmetall, Germany's largest arms maker, reported €6.3 billion in group sales during the first nine months of 2024, a 36% increase.

After opening its first manufacturing facility in Ukraine last summer, Papperger recognized the vital role that ramped-up arms and ammunition production play in Ukraine's "re-industrialization and in strengthening its defense capability."

However, the Rheinmetall CEO added that more government support from other countries is needed in the long term, with the current industrial strategy likely lasting only six to 12 months.

"This is not enough if you are waging a war against Russia, a very dangerous counterpart," Papperger said at the June conference. "I really hope that this will not happen, but if Ukraine loses, Europe will have a very large-scale problem."

Aiding Ukraine in the fight against Russia

Ukrainian forces have suffered heavy losses in their mechanized forces, which include US-made Bradleys and outdated Soviet-era vehicles, heightening the growing need for fighting vehicles like the Lynx against advancing Russian forces.

"Why the Lynx? This is one of the most modern infantry fighting vehicle platforms," Oleksandr Kamyshin, then the head of Ukraine's strategic industries, said at the June conference in Berlin. "For our European partners, this is a good opportunity to test it in battle and make it better. And for our soldiers today, we need every additional vehicle that will help them stand at the front."

The domestic production of Lynx IFVs is also aimed at creating a more self-reliant defense industry in Ukraine while sustaining efforts to maintain and repair its fleet locally.

Rheinmetall isn't the only defense company setting up operations on Ukrainian soil. American defense contractor AeroVironment partnered with a Ukrainian company to locally manufacture its loitering munition, Switchblade 600.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 30% of the military equipment used by Ukrainian forces was domestically made, including sea drones, howitzers, glide bombs, and even its own missiles.

"The Ukrainian defense industry has been in decline for decades," Kamyshin said in June. "But today, it is reviving and making a significant contribution to Ukraine's economic recovery — also thanks to partners like Rheinmetall."

Zelenskyy said the efforts and support from the US and other European allies "have made us stronger." But defense experts have criticized Western governments for being too slow to provide essential military aid to Ukraine, forcing the country to become more reliant on its own supply.

President-elect Donald Trump's second term has also raised international concern about the US' role in providing assistance to Ukraine. On the campaign trail last year, the former president proposed his intention to cease support to Ukraine and negotiate a peace deal with Russia that would likely cede much of the territory it lost since the war began.

Ahead of his return to the White House, NATO officials are bracing for US support to diminish during his administration, sparking discussions to "Trump-proof" future aid packages to Ukraine.