• My husband and I put everything in a shared Google Calendar.
• We are equally responsible for managing it.
• It's been a major factor in easing my mental load.

I was having dinner with some relative strangers, discussing managing our overscheduled lives, when I casually said, "I'm still married because of Google Calendar." The woman next to me erupted in peals of laughter. I was not joking.

My husband and I have been married for over 18 years. For many of them, the fight behind every fight was over the division of labor or mental load. Then, over time, those fights happened less frequently. Yes, this was in part due to therapy and increased self-awareness. We also capitalized on technology to help offload giant swathes of cognitive labor.

'Mental load' is the biggest thing you cannot see

A literature review from 2023 of 31 peer-reviewed articles acknowledged that "there is still no uniformly accepted definition of mental labor in the context of unpaid work," and proposed the following definition: "Mental labor related to unpaid work in the household and childcare is cognitive work that consists of managerial activities aimed at achieving communal goals (e.g., goals related not only to the individual, but also to the family, partner, children), which are directed toward a future outcome and goes undetected and unseen as a component of unpaid work."

When the term mental load entered the zeitgeist, I immediately recognized it. I also struggled to define the concept for my husband, so I appreciated content like this reel from relationship educator Jimmy Knowles, or musician and comedian Farideh's satirical song "Make a List."

A joint calendar cannot mitigate the enduring aspect of mental load, but it helps create some visibility and structure around medical appointments, extracurriculars, and holiday plans with the in-laws.

We happened upon this solution by accident

I would love to say sharing a calendar was a stroke of intentional genius, but the truth is it was a knee-jerk reaction born of desperation and frustration. I was acting as the de facto project manager for our household, and I was over it.

Our joint calendar emerged in January 2016. Over the course of the past nine years, it eventually became something my husband relied on as much as me.

"It just made sense, and it worked. I'd say it evolved, but I'd say it evolved fairly quickly," my husband told me when I asked how we managed to take this from a me-task to an us-task.

Now Google Calendar is sacrosanct. If it goes in there, it is happening, and we are each responsible for managing our own awareness of it.

We take equal responsibility for tasks, now

Often unpaid labor, both physical and cognitive, gets lumped together, and I think offloading some of the physical labor helped create better habits around mental labor. My husband does the dishes, same goes for kids' school paperwork. As he took on more, and I let go more, it became easier for us to continue along this new path.

Since my husband and I both take ownership of our shared calendar, I am no longer solely responsible for foreseeing and managing scheduling conflicts, school calendars, or scheduling childcare. Our calendar has become a shared brain space, mitigating the need for me to delegate what needs to be done. Adulthood feels a little less unrelenting because a handful of common tasks no longer live rent-free in my mind.

I realized how successful it was, ironically, when I forgot to add something to it

"It wasn't in the calendar!" my husband balked one night when I mentioned an imminent meeting I was headed out to attend. It was then that I realized how successful this little app had been for us. Not only were we both responsible, but I was so liberated from the mental load that I found the freedom to drop the ball.

Now, if we could just find a way to also manage communication from the dozens of newsletters, emails, and group chats from our kids' schools and activities.

• Inflation, growing demand, and TikTok have fuelled a rise in people buying cheaper "dupes" of expensive items.
• They range from deliberate imitations of designer clothing to cheaper versions of famous tech items.
• BI asked industry observers what to avoid when buying "dupes."

Inflation, growing demand, and the boosting power of TikTok have all fuelled the rise of "dupe" culture — taking pride in purchasing cheaper alternatives to high-end products.

But buying "dupes" comes with risk. A 2023 survey by Trustpilot of 1,000 American Gen Z and Millenial adults found that 49% had been scammed while trying to buy a dupe.

In most cases, respondents said the item was either poor quality, damaged, or didn't even arrive. In some cases, respondents said they'd needed medical treatment as a result of using what they'd bought.

Business Insider spoke with those experienced with dupes about what types of products to be cautious about or avoid altogether when looking for a bargain imitation.

1. Skincare

Jason Wingate, the CEO of Canadian sales and marketing firm Emerald Ocean, told BI any products that need to be applied to the skin were "categories where buying dupes is just asking for trouble."

He said doing so required careful consideration.

"While the packaging might look similar, what's inside could be untested," Wingate said.

Destiny Chatman, from UK savings app TopCashBack, said people should compare ingredients on off-brand products, and avoid anything with clear disparities from the original product.

"No two products will have identical ingredients; however, if major ingredients are different then you should probably pass," Chatman said.

2. Beauty

Ant Robinson, from price-comparison website HalfPricePerfumes, warned anyone looking for dupe fragrances to be aware some can be dangerous.

"The idea of a great fragrance at a fraction of the cost might tempt you, but counterfeit fragrances often contain dangerous — and sometimes, downright disgusting — ingredients," he told BI.

The US Customs and Border Protection has warned that counterfeit makeup and perfume products often contain hazardous ingredients and urged shoppers to focus on reputable retailers and sellers.

"Always make sure that the fragrance you're purchasing is from a legitimate retailer so you know that it isn't fake," Robinson said.

3. Luxury bags

Consumers should also exercise caution when purchasing dupes of luxury-brand bags and purses, Chatman said.

"If it visually looks similar to the original to you, then you should buy it but if there are main differences you can point out, then it's likely to also be visible to others," she said.

She said that sometimes, you can only compare a knock-off to its more expensive product when you try both of them, as, purses or bags cannot be tested in-store like makeup or perfume.

4. Tech

For Wingate, electronics and tech "are the biggest no-go" when considering buying a dupe.

"The safety risks from poor components and bad engineering are serious," he said, adding that he has seen counterfeit chargers catch fire and fake batteries leak. "It's not worth risking your safety to save a few bucks."

Stevie Johnson, managing director of influencer marketing agency Disrupt, told BI that large companies that sell tech products have to meet certain safety standards to avoid potential hazards in their products — and you can't be certain that their dupes are complying with those criteria.

He told BI he'd bought a cheap imitation pair of Airpods, which, except for a slightly poor microphone, he felt worked well, and was worth the saving.

But he said people should be wary of dupes of more expensive tech products, especially those that touch the body.

• Ahead of its shift to an all-EV future, Jaguar unveiled a new brand identity this year.
• The rebrand was roasted by many online. But some advertising vets have said it was a smart strategy.
• Jaguar's first new EV model is expected in 2025 — and industry watchers said it has to deliver.

Jaguar gambled big this year on a total brand transformation. And in 2025, the British luxury carmaker will need to prove all the fuss was worth it.

It's set next year to debut the first EV in its new all-electric lineup: After setting up global audiences to expect something big — this year's Jaguar advertising controversy was the talk of the industry and beyond — now it's got to deliver something that matches the moment its rebrand has created, industry watchers said.

A space-age concept car — presented in pink and blue — with swooping lines and curious interior features stoked some excitement for the brand, whose leaders have said it intends to go much more upmarket.

Sometime next year, if the company stays on its own timeline, we'll see the result.

"I think the biggest risk for them now is making sure the production model lives up to the promise and doesn't suffer death by a thousand cuts," Greg Andersen, the CEO of the Omaha, Nebraska, creative agency Bailey Lauerman, told BI recently. "Rolling out an unapologetic, future-facing brand along with a marginally better car might not go so well."

Here's how Jaguar — a favored vehicle of the British royal family, UK prime ministers, and James Bond villains — got to this point:

Jaguar's slumping sales call for a reset

Jag's sales had been slumping globally for years. In 2021, Jaguar first announced that it would ditch internal combustion engines and go all-in on EVs.

And in 2024, the nearly century-old Jaguar made major moves to ramp up that transition. Jaguar Land Rover, owned by India-based Tata Motors, said it would phase out production of all its current models by the end of this year.

In their place will come the new fully electric models, the first of which the company said would be unveiled in 2025 — and are expected to go on sale to the public in 2026.

A new Jaguar is born

In November of this year, soon after stopping new vehicle sales in the UK, Jaguar released the controversial new vision and brand identity.

The public reaction to the debut of Jaguar's new rebranding campaign wasn't quite as positive as the company may have hoped.

In particular, a promotional video Jag unveiled as part of the campaign — which also included an updated typeface for Jaguar's iconic logo, a redesigned leaping-jaguar mark, and a new creative philosophy to "copy nothing" — raised some eyebrows.

The video shows models clad in colorful, ultra-modern outfits doing things like exiting an elevator, painting a wall, and swinging a sledgehammer before they all sit down on a rock in a pink desert landscape.

Phrases like "create exuberant," "live vivid," and "delete ordinary," flashed across the screen. And notably, for a car company, there were no cars in the ad.

Social media users, late-night TV hosts, and some in the media roasted Jaguar over its decision not to include cars in the video, which was a viral sensation.

Even Tesla CEO Elon Musk weighed in, posting on X: "Do you sell cars?"

"The Late Show's" Stephen Colbert said on his program: "Where are the cars? Does Jaguar sell ketamine now?"

It wasn't just the lack of cars in the initial video that got people talking. A rash of criticism cropped up online and elsewhere, with some right-leaning personalities accusing the company of abandoning its traditional history and pushing into "woke" politics.

In response to the backlash, Jaguar's managing director Rawdon Glover told the Financial Times he was disappointed by "the level of vile hatred and intolerance" that he said the video garnered online, particularly against the models it featured. But he also said the campaign had drummed up positive buzz.

Marketing and rebranding professionals gave mixed reviews to Business Insider at the time — one called the campaign "bonkers," and another said it was a relatively successful rollout.

The ad industry vets all agreed that, at the very least, the rebrand sparked conversation.

Jaguar released a concept car to match its new image

A few weeks after its rebrand launch, at the beginning of December, Jaguar unveiled a design concept for its next generation of electric vehicles — finally pairing an image of a car with its "exuberant modernism" rebranding campaign.

The pastel-colored concept car — dubbed "Type 00" for zero tailpipe emissions and its status as car zero in the brand's new lineage — featured several novel design elements, like a glassless rear tailgate, a brass divider running through the middle of the cabin, and pedestals of travertine stone to support the floating seats.

When the concept car was released, several advertising veterans applauded it for continuing Jag's rebrand strategy.

"This is a master class in what rebranding can accomplish for a company — a new forward-facing product and brand, clearly designed for its new customer persona, that everyone is talking about," Jim Heininger, the founder and principal of the Chicago firm The Rebranding Experts, previously told Business Insider.

Others were less convinced.

Christos Joannides, the founder and creative director of the luxury branding agency Flat 6 Concepts in Los Angeles, said the concept car didn't do enough to ground Jaguar's new ethos in reality.

"By showcasing a production model with more realistic features, Jaguar could have conveyed its vision more effectively and provided tangible evidence of its direction," Joannides said. "As it stands, the concept car feels superficial and gimmicky, like a desperate attempt to be different without any real substance or coherent strategy."

Jaguar needs to deliver in 2025

For better or worse, Jaguar had a big year. And even bigger is the company's need to follow through next year.

The first model of Jaguar's new lineup — the electric four-door GT — will be unveiled in late 2025, the company has said.

It said the model would use dedicated Jaguar Electric Architecture, have a projected driving range of up to 430 miles on a single charge, and be able to add up to 200 miles of range after 15 minutes of rapid charging.

But with a price tag that could near $200,000, Jaguar's new models will really need to be incredible, EV news outlet Electrek argued.

With so much competition, it could still be a tough sell.

"Unless Jaguar's expectations for its upcoming line of EVs is tempered with a dose of reality, the company will be planning to produce far more vehicles than there will be buyers willing to take them home," analyst Sam Fiorani, vice president of global forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions, told Car and Driver.

Jaguar has said updating its brand for the future is the right move.

"We have forged a fearlessly creative new character for Jaguar that is true to the DNA of the brand but future-facing, relevant, and one that really stands out," managing director Glover said at the time the concept car was revealed.

We'll see next year whether it was right.

• Gig work apps like Uber and Instacart continued to attract millions of workers in 2024.
• The job can still be lucrative, though many workers pointed to challenges.
• From hackers stealing accounts to tip baiting, here's what being a gig worker was like in 2024.

Being a gig worker for Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Walmart Spark, and other apps came with opportunities and lots of challenges in 2024.

Millions of workers made grocery deliveries, dropped off takeout at doorsteps, and drove people to the airport through the apps. Workers involved in the gig economy told Business Insider that it's still a tempting way to make money.

At the same time, many told BI that they faced challenges working for the apps.

Here are some of the biggest factors that affected gig workers in 2024:

Gig workers said they made less money on apps like Uber Ears and DoorDash than in previous years

Workers' gross earnings on several gig delivery apps, including DoorDash and Uber Eats, fell in 2023, a study from Gridwise found in February. Uber Eats drivers, for instance, saw their earnings fall 15.4% on average — the largest drop of any service. Spokespeople for DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Instacart told BI that the study used incomplete data.

Many gig workers don't even earn the equivalent of their local minimum wage after accounting for expenses such as gas, researchers at the UC Berkeley Labor Center and the Center for Wage and Employment Dynamics found in May.

In some cases, good tips have also gotten harder to come by. Workers for some services, such as Walmart's Spark, told BI that customers continued to "tip bait" them, or offer a good tip when the workers accept a delivery only to take it back afterward.

Some gig delivery services struggled with hackers

Hackers have targeted roughly one-fifth of accounts on food delivery apps, online fraud tracker Sift found in May. That total includes both customer accounts, which hackers can mine for reward points, and the delivery workers' accounts.

Some delivery workers for Walmart's Spark service told BI that they saw signs that someone else was using their account. One said that Spark told her that she was logged into more than one device and her activity history on the app included orders that she had never delivered.

Some legitimate, policy-abiding workers struggled with having their gig work accounts deactivated, often with little explanation or recourse, meanwhile. One facial recognition ID tool used by Walmart's Spark to prevent the improper use of driver accounts even kicked some actual workers off of the app. Walmart said at the time that the facial recognition feature was working as intended and that users who thought that they were incorrectly deactivated could appeal the decision.

Gig workers started their own businesses

Instead of continuing to earn money through apps like Uber or DoorDash, some gig workers started their own businesses to cut out the middleman.

Uber and Lyft drivers with their own black-car services, for instance, told BI that they have been able to make more money by building relationships with clients directly, including many whom they met through rides via the rideshare apps. It's also allowed them to work on their own schedules — something that the rideshare apps have long promoted as a benefit of working for them.

Tony Illes, a delivery driver in Seattle, used a similar approach to start his own food delivery service. Illes told BI that he promotes his service through posters around downtown Seattle and provides estimated wait times to his customers through voice notes.

Cities implemented new pay laws for gig workers

Cities such as New York City and Seattle implemented new laws about gig work, especially pay, at the start of 2024.

In New York, gig workers delivering restaurant food now earn $19.56 an hour at minimum, a rate that will be adjusted for inflation each year. Seattle implemented a law — part of a package called "Pay Up" — that required Instacart and other delivery services to pay workers the equivalent of $19.97 an hour.

The companies fought back. In New York City, for example, DoorDash added a $1.99 fee that it said offset that city's pay law.

And in Seattle, Instacart shoppers in the city's suburbs said that the app was sending them on longer routes to avoid taking them within city limits — and paying them more.

Gig work has expanded beyond rideshare and delivery

Using apps to find work as an independent contractor isn't unique to rideshare and food delivery.

One report summary released earlier this month by the Roosevelt Institute investigated the expansion of such gig apps to nursing jobs at hospitals, care homes, and other medical facilities.

Like rideshare and delivery workers, many nurses and nursing assistants told the researchers behind the report that they appreciate the flexibility that working for the apps gives them. Many also dealt with problems similar to other gig workers, from being kicked off the platforms without explanation to navigating a workplace without an in-person boss or clear coworkers.

One IT worker who found work as an independent contractor in that field told BI in February that he enjoyed the freedom but had a hard time finding a full-time job again.

Do you work in the gig economy and have a story idea? Reach out to this reporter at [email protected]

• Korean Air is expected to stop flying the longest Boeing 747 passenger flight in March 2025.
• Airlines globally have been phasing out the massive jet in favor of less costly widebodies.
• Only four airlines are scheduled to operate the jumbo in 2025, representing 75% fewer 747 flights than in 2019.

Korean Air is among the last airlines still flying the iconic Boeing 747, but it's scheduled to pull the jet from a particularly long US route in 2025.

Route scheduling data from the aviation analytics company Cirium shows Korean Air plans to stop flying the 747 on its 7,153-mile route from Seoul to Atlanta — the longest 747 passenger flight by distance — in March. It will replace the 747 with the smaller Boeing 777-300ER, which has fewer seats on board.

Korean's 777 carries up to 291 passengers, depending on the configuration, compared to the 368 seats on the double-decker 747. Korean did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Korean may sell more upgraded seats on the 777 to make up for fewer total tickets sold per flight. Most of Korean's scheduled 777 flights to Atlanta are equipped with more high-dollar first and business-class seats than the 747.

The carrier is expected to fly the 747 to New York, Los Angeles, and Singapore next year but plans to retire the fleet fully by 2031. Reuters reported that Korean sold five Boeing 747s in May for $674 million as part of its phase-out plan.

Airlines globally have been phasing out the famous "Queen of the Skies" for years. Boeing ended production of the jet in December 2022 after 54 years and 1,574 units built.

While the 747 was already leaving fleets before 2020 — with no US carrier flying it by the end of 2017 — airlines accelerated retirements when the pandemic uprooted travel.

British Airways, Dutch flag carrier KLM, and Australia's Qantas all ditched the plane during Covid to help weather losses and better shape their future fleets.

The gas-guzzling four-engine 747 is costly and inefficient compared to newer twin-engine widebodies, like Boeing's 777 and 787 and Airbus' A330neo and A350, that airlines now more readily rely on.

The 747 also proved too big for airlines' needs, especially as point-to-point flying using smaller widebodies became more lucrative than the traditional hub-and-spoke model that warranted greater capacity.

Even narrow-body planes are starting to become more common on long-haul flights.

Airbus' family of extra-ranged A321neos is particularly revolutionizing this trend because they can target smaller markets with lower demand while still earning profits — and airlines favor that flexibility.

Only 4 airlines will fly the 747 in 2025

Compounding industry changes have dampened the need for jumbo-sized planes like the 747, and only four passenger airlines will still fly it in 2025.

Cirium data through November shows Air China, Korean Air, Lufthansa, and Russian carrier Rossiya Airlines have about 19,0000 collective 747 flights scheduled next year. They'll cover 35 routes.

That's a 75% decrease from the nearly 76,000 scheduled 747 flights across 25 global carriers in 2019.

In 2024, about 19,600 of the double-decker flights were scheduled.

South Korea's Asiana Airlines and Middle Eastern carrier Saudia contributed to this year's total but ceased 747 passenger flights in March and September, respectively. Asiana Airlines merged with Korean Air in December.

Lufthansa's more than two dozen 747 jets are expected to cover 21 routes from Frankfurt in 2025, totaling about 12,000 flights, per Cirium. That's about 63% of next year's total scheduled 747 flights.

The airline is retrofitting the aircraft with new seats, an investment that signals a future need for the fleet.

By comparison, Air China's roughly 4,450 scheduled flights would cover four routes from Beijing, Korean's 1,900 scheduled flights would cover four routes from Seoul, and Rossiya's about 750 scheduled flights would cover six routes from Moscow.

A dozen 747 routes are scheduled to serve North America in 2025, including New York City, Newark, New Jersey, Boston, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, San Francisco, Houston, Mexico City, and in Canada, Vancouver and Toronto.

The 747s are also expected to touch Brazil, China, Hong Kong, Japan, India, Argentina, Germany, South Korea, South Africa, and Singapore. Rossiya's 747 operations are expected to be limited to Russia.

The Russian airline is a subsidiary of flag carrier Aeroflot and restarted 747 operations in 2024, likely to take advantage of the 522-seat capacity as Western sanctions limit Russia's available planes.

Cirium data shows a majority of Rossiya's 2025 routes are set to fly to the country's Far East — suggesting the massive 747s are useful not just for tourists but also for cargo needed in the remote Russian region.

A new world's longest 747 passenger flight

When Korean stops flying its 747 to Atlanta in March, Lufthansa's 7,133-mile trek between Frankfurt and Buenos Aires would become the new longest passenger 747 flight by distance.

Korean's 747 flight between Seoul and New York would be the second-longest at 6,906 miles, followed by Air China's route between Beijing and New York at 6,838 miles.

Although not the longest by distance, Air China's New York service is the longest passenger 747 trek by flight time at about 17 hours. The longer-ranged Lufthansa and Korean routes reach about 14 hours and 16 hours, respectively.

Air China would run the shortest 747 flight in 2025, flying just two hours across 667 miles between Beijing and Shanghai. According to data from OAG, the route's nearly 7.8 million available seats ranked it among the world's top 10 busiest domestic flights in 2024.

The airline's other intra-China flights to Guangzhou and Shenzhen — and the only other 747 flights it operates besides Shanghai and New York — are about 1,200 miles, or roughly three and a half hours.

Rossiya is scheduled to fly a 747 route under 1,000 miles that hops between Moscow and Sochi, a popular beach town in southwest Russia along the Black Sea.

• Maya Ramirez, 31, has been attending diabetes camp all her life.
• In 2023, she attended a diabetes camp for adults for the first time.
• Adult diabetes camp gave her community and helped her process the grief of losing her mom.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Maya Ramirez. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I was born with a condition called congenital hyperinsulinism, which essentially means your pancreas releases insulin to an excessive level. The condition led to the removal of my pancreas at eight months old, resulting in me developing pancreatogenic, or type 3c, diabetes, which is a type of diabetes that happens after your pancreas is compromised or removed.

Diabetes camp as a kid helped me find community

My oldest brother has type 2 diabetes now, but growing up, I didn't have any friends or family with the condition. I didn't have a community and wanted to know other kids who could relate to what I was going through. Things changed for the better at 10 years old when I received my first insulin pump.

The medical device made me feel confident enough to go to sleep-away diabetes camp because it allowed me to better manage my diabetes without my parents' help. Diabetes camp is just like a traditional summer camp for children, but with a medical staff and camp attendees who are living with diabetes — often type 1.

I met several kids my age who were also living with diabetes and built friendships. From that point on, I went to diabetes camp every summer, and sometimes, if my parents would allow it, I would attend multiple camps each summer. One July, I hopped off one bus, went home to do laundry, and then hopped on another bus to attend another camp.

Eventually, I went from camp attendee to counselor. When I was around 16, I became a camp counselor in training, and then at 18, I became a counselor. I took two years off from working at diabetes camps in college, but now I'm working in an administrative role for a nonprofit based in California that supports families impacted by type 1 diabetes with community-building events and camps.

I went to an adult diabetes camp for the first time last year

Even though I'd been to many camps growing up, I attended an adult diabetes camp for the first time at the age of 30 in August 2023 through the nonprofit I work for. When we arrived, they gave us a schedule of activities to choose from. There were educational sessions led by medical staff, nurses, and even therapists.

One of the educational sessions focused on navigating pregnancy with diabetes. We learned about blood sugar management when pregnant, what type of doctor visits we should have, and where to find a support group. I'm at the stage where I may have kids soon, so the session was very informative.

People of all ages were in attendance. You have to be at least 18, but I saw a woman in her 70s when I went. The camp is way up in the mountains in California, and there's no cell service. But we had all the activities you think of when you think of camp — pool time, archery, arts and crafts, and hiking. One night, we had a traditional campfire with skits, songs, and s'mores, which was one of my highlights.

We all slept on giant outside decks. Each deck had a cot with a mattress, and we could sleep under the stars. August in California is typically super hot, so we were pretty toasty. There's something so peaceful and tranquil about sleeping under the stars with the sound of nature in the background. Even though we were in the woods, we had fully functioning restrooms and showers.

A lot of people living with diabetes sometimes feel restricted in what they can eat because some doctors and society, in general, have created a bad stigma about the relationship between diabetics and food. The message is, "Oh, you can't eat this because you have diabetes." At camp, it was instilled in us that we can still eat what we enjoy. We just have to figure out the carb count and administer a proper amount of insulin based on what our body needs. Luckily, the kitchen staff at the camp had a full carb breakdown on all the foods and measurements, so we didn't have to guess.

I processed my mom's death during camp

I lost my mom back in 2018, and when I think about my diabetes journey, I think about my mom. From day one, my mom pushed me to be independent and said, "Hey, it's just something you'll live with. You're not different; you're not weird." She didn't want diabetes to stop me from doing anything I wanted. When she died, I felt lost in life. She was my person.

During one of our adult camp discussion sessions facilitated by a therapist, I opened up about how her death impacted me and the worries I had about navigating diabetes without the person I had talked to most about the condition for my entire life.

The camp discussion finally allowed me to let out all of the feelings I had been navigating for years after losing my mom but hadn't processed out loud. Because of camp, I was able to process my grief around people who not only understood navigating a serious medical condition, but some also understood navigating a serious medical condition while simultaneously grieving a parent.

• An breakup text on my birthday was a shock I didn't see coming.
• It came while I was on a trip with my dad and brother, making stops in Serbia, Bosnia, and Croatia.
• Instead of meeting up with my now-ex at the end of the journey, I was able to extend the family trip.

Perhaps the worst birthday present in the world? A text from your situationship breaking things off.

I had just landed in Serbia with my dad, brother, and uncle. We were about to take a two-week trip to visit family and explore a few countries. Our plan was to start in Serbia where my dad was born, then move through Bosnia and Croatia with a final layover in London. There, I'd meet up with my label-less friend during my 24-hour layover. It was the perfect plan until I opened WhatsApp the morning of my birthday to a message saying it wasn't perfect after all.

I was initially devastated. My family had no clue what happened — I wasn't ready to explain my grief just yet — but my dad, brother, aunt, and cousin treated me to a tour of Belgrade, a traditional lunch, and a delicious glass of wine. At the end of the day, I resolved to make the best of the next two weeks. I refused to let anyone ruin my adventure, especially one as special as this. Little did I know that with some quick thinking and a bit of recklessness, the next two weeks of adventures would heal me in ways I never expected.

Reconnecting with my family was priceless

The main reason my father, brother, and I were in Serbia was to visit extended family. My dad was born in an area just outside the capital city of Belgrade. He and my grandparents immigrated to the United States when he was quite young, and besides a few visits at age 10, he hadn't returned in decades.

We explored Belgrade by foot, taxi, bus, and train. We celebrated Easter with my great-aunt, drank beers on the coast of the Danube, took shots of rakia in a lively kafana, and ate our weight in smoked meats. And even though half of us didn't speak the same language, we made memories to last a lifetime.

Exploring new places provided a fresh perspective

After our week in Serbia, my dad, brother, and I said goodbye to my uncle, rented a car and began our next adventure: driving to the small Bosnian village where my grandparents were born. On our way, we stopped in Sarajevo to explore the rich blend of cultures in the "Jerusalem of Europe." It was incredible to hear the imams calling everyone to prayer as we wandered the Old City.

Later as we continued through the countryside, I found myself lost in thought picturing alternate lifetimes. From the busy city to beautiful lakes to the near-deserted village of Cerni Lug, immersing myself in new spaces was the perfect opportunity to recenter and reflect on the values and practices I wanted the next chapter of my life to include.

Plans are nice, but spontaneity can heal all

I've had the privilege of traveling abroad before. My ideal travel style involves knowing where I'm going, how long I'll be there, and where I'll lay my head. My brother is the polar opposite, needing no plans at all. While these differences caused the typical sibling bickering, embracing the unknown was part of this trip's appeal. With our backpacks and our rental car, the three of us drove through the Croatian mountainside, stopping for gas, scenic views, and the occasional fresh roadside fruit.

At the start of the trip, I thought we'd end there — I would fly to London, spend my layover with my situationship, and then head home to Chicago. But as the days ticked by, I grew more adventurous and wanted nothing to do with the British Isles. I rearranged the entire return trip, booking a €50 (about $52 USD) Ryanair flight and securing last minute tickets to the Emilia Romagna Formula 1 Grand Prix. Sharing this unexpected experience with my dad was the perfect ending that I never expected.

Traveling with family can be a blessing and a curse. Typical stresses and family dynamics tend to compound, but you're left with a once-in-a-lifetime experience to explore the world with those you love most. Do I want to get dumped on my birthday again? No. But would I plan another European road trip? Absolutely.

• Wall Street banks are proving that generative AI is here to stay and the tech is not just a fad.
• Business Insider has reported on how some of finance's biggest banks are approaching generative AI.
• See how giants like Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan are weaving the tech into the fabric of their firms.

Wall Street bank leaders say generative AI is here to stay, and they're weaving the technology throughout the fabric of their banks to make sure.

From trading to payments to marketing, it's hard to find a corner of the banking industry that isn't claiming to use AI.

In fact, the technology's impact, made mainstream by OpenAI's ChatGPT in late-2022, is becoming cultural. Generative AI is changing what it takes to be a software developer and how to stand out as a junior banker, especially as banks begin dispatching autonomous AI agents. The technology is even changing roles in the c-suite.

From supercharging productivity via AI-powered search engines to figuring out the best way banks can realize a return on their AI investments, here's what we know about how Wall Street banks are embracing AI.

JPMorgan Chase

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon is a "tremendous" user of the bank's generative AI suite. We have the story of how he and other execs use AI at the bank.

• JPMorgan's AI rollout: Jamie Dimon's a 'tremendous' user and it's caused some 'healthy competition' among teams
• JPMorgan is making a big bet on AI. Here's how its private bankers are using it.

Dimon also laid out his vision for how America's largest bank will win the AI battle against fintechs through data. Meet the leaders of that mission.

• Jamie Dimon says he's out to win the AI arms race. See who he's put in charge of this critical mission.
• JPMorgan's Lori Beer just added 2 new tech leaders to her ranks. Meet the team behind the bank's AI future.

Mary Erdoes, the boss of JPM's asset- and wealth-management business, used these slides to outline how she wants to get her people ready for the "AI of the future."

• Here's how JPM boss Mary Erdoes wants to use AI to eliminate "no joy" work

Manuela Veloso has been focused on AI for decades. The former head of machine learning at Carnegie Mellon University, Veloso has been JPMorgan's head of AI research since 2018. She broke down seven main challenges her team is trying to solve with AI for the bank.

• JPMorgan's head of AI research Manuela Veloso breaks down 7 areas she's looking to apply the cutting-edge tech

Goldman Sachs

Goldman's top partners and CEO David Solomon are eager to see AI rev up their businesses. From realizing internal productivity gains to capturing more business as clients look to raise money in anticipation of AI development and acquisitions, here's what the top echelon is expecting.

• How AI will shake up Goldman Sachs, according to top partners and CEO David Solomon
• Inside Goldman Sachs' plans for AI, from helping non-tech workers do more with software to streamlining how code is documented

There is no AI without data, and there is no data strategy at Goldman without its chief data officer, Neema Raphael. Raphael gave BI an inside look at how his roughly 500-person team melds with the rest of the bank to get the most out of its data.

• Meet Neema Raphael, the data whiz key to Goldman's AI ambitions who's overseeing the bank's army of engineers and scientists

AI's impact has ripple effects that go far beyond technology. Goldman's chief information officer, Marco Argenti, predicts that cultural change will be critical to getting the bank to 100% adoption.

• Goldman Sachs CIO Marco Argenti says Wall Street's 'next big wave' in AI will come down to culture, not just technology

Many dollars are being spent on Wall Street's AI ambitions. But how do you measure the return on the investment? Argenti offers some tips on the calculus that can help firms prioritize where to invest.

• As AI usage ramps up on Wall Street, Goldman Sachs CIO details how the bank analyzes return on investment for the tech

Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley wants to turn employees' AI ideas into a reality. Here's an exclusive look at that process.

• Morgan Stanley has 30 AI projects in the pipeline. Here's how the bank sources employees' ideas for inspiration.

Morgan Stanley's wealth division is getting an AI facelift. See how the technology is transforming the jobs of the bank's 16,000 financial advisors.

• Morgan Stanley is betting on AI to free up advisors' time to be 'more human.' Nearly 100% of advisor teams use it, and here's how.

Thanks to its partnership with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, Morgan Stanley has ramped up its AI efforts. The exec in charge of tech partnerships and firmwide innovation opened up about how it all started.

• Morgan Stanley's new innovation head lays out his plan for more OpenAI-type partnerships
• A Morgan Stanley exec breaks down how the bank courts tech partners like OpenAI

Citi

Citi's top tech executive, Shadman Zafar, outlined the bank's four-phased AI strategy and how it will "change how we work for decades to come."

• A top Citi tech exec breaks down the 4 phases of the bank's AI strategy that will impact everyone from operations to wealth and product

Bank of America

Bank of America's chief experience officer, Rob Pascal, details how the bank's internal-facing AI assistant helps bankers collect, record, and review client data. Here are all the ways it's helping employees be more effective and efficient.

How Bank of America is using an AI-powered tool to help its bankers prep for client meetings more efficiently

AI hits the investment bank

Investment bankers are hopeful that corporate America's obsession with AI could kick off a new era of mergers, acquisitions, and IPOs. From execs stepping into recently created roles to accommodate the sector to industry veterans launching their own AI-focused M&A-advisory firm, meet 11 investment bankers poised to lead Wall Street's AI revolution.

• Wall Street is gearing up for an AI shopping spree. Meet 11 bankers poised to come out on top.

We spoke with four of those AI bankers about why 2025 is going to be all about AI pickaxes and shovels rather than pure-play AI deals.

• The deals 4 tech bankers think the 'AI arms race' could drive in 2025

AI could save junior bankers time by automating tedious tasks known all too well by Wall Street's youngest ranks. But it can also make it harder to break into the industry by shifting the skills required for entry.

• How AI will change the job of the junior banker and raise the bar to entry

A former Goldman Sachs managing director built an AI-powered networking tool to spur dealmaking. The budding startup, Louisa AI, already has a few clients, including Goldman Sachs, Insight Partners, and a global exchange.

• See the pitch deck that helped a former Goldman Sachs exec raise $5 million for an AI-powered networking startup that feeds deal ideas to bankers.

Here's how former investment bankers left their Wall Street jobs to build an AI startup to solve junior bankers' woes.

• See the pitch deck that helped former investment bankers raise a $7 million seed round for their generative 'AI consigliere' to bankers and analysts

• American Kathleen O'Donnell said she felt at home the first time she visited Greece.
• She moved away from the US in 2019 before settling full-time in Greece in 2022.
• She likes Greece's food quality but doesn't like how car-centric the country can be.

Kathleen O'Donnell, 39, doesn't think she will ever move back to the US.

O'Donnell said she felt right at home when she visited Greece during an almost yearlong trip to Europe, Southeast Asia, and Australia in 2018 and 2019. After moving away from the US later on in 2019, she decided to be in Greece as much as she possibly could. She's been living in the country full time since applying for a digital nomad residence permit in May 2022.

"The longer that I live here, the happier I am, the more I love it, the more that I feel at home, and the more that I feel really sure that I found the perfect place for me to live right now," O'Donnell said.

She still loves visiting the US. Even though she's unsure if she will live in Greece for the rest of her life, she said it's unlikely she'll return permanently to the States.

"I just don't think that it has the quality of life that I could find in most other places these days," O'Donnell, who has been to around 30 countries, said. "The lack of sense of community is really what gets me. It's a very isolated society."

O'Donnell said she thinks it's an exciting time for people interested in moving to a different country because many places, like Brazil, Italy, and Thailand, offer digital nomad visas.

What O'Donnell likes and dislikes about Greece

O'Donnell said she likes the quality and affordability of food in Greece, including the produce at her local farmers market. She said the market can be noisy, but she enjoys getting the chance to become familiar with the people there.

"That sense of community is another pro," O'Donnell said. "Even in Athens, which is a very large city, it feels like a series of small villages. You really get to know people around you."

She said she had become friends with many of her neighbors since moving to her apartment earlier this year.

O'Donnell also thinks it's easy to travel elsewhere, given Athens International Airport, and enjoys the country's weather.

Meanwhile, she finds getting a residence permit takes a long time. She said it took around half a year for a two-year permit to be approved and another month to get it.

"The date of that permit starts when you apply, not when you get it," she said, adding. "and you can't go anywhere but your home country in that time and you can't even travel through most of Europe."

She's waiting for her renewal, which she thinks could take at least a year. "In the meantime, you're just very restricted about what you can do, and that's pretty frustrating," she said.

O'Donnell also plans to buy an apartment and has found that this is taking a while.

"It's just a simple one-bedroom apartment, and it will probably take a full two years to complete this very typical purchase, which is just wild," she said. "I've been trying to buy a place since December 2021."

She also thinks that while Athens is vibrant and lively, it's car-centric, and the sidewalks could be improved. She thinks getting around is tough because she doesn't have a vehicle and likes walking.

Despite the cons, she said she still loves Athens and Greece overall.

"I am so happy here," she said. "I just have such a great quality of life. It's very different from the US."

What has your moving or travel experience been like? Share with this reporter at [email protected].

• I've had the chance to drive more than 30 cars since my return to Business Insider in May.
• Here's a collection of favorites from the cars I drove in 2024.
• They range from luxury cars from Mercedes and Porsche to mainstream models from Toyota and Hyundai.

After a five-year hiatus, I returned to Business Insider's transportation team this summer. I was fortunate enough to pick up where I left off, driving and reviewing the latest and greatest from the world's automotive giants.

Over the past six months, I've had the chance to drive more than 30 vehicles, ranging from sports cars and EVs to family SUVs and economy cars.

Here is a collection of my favorite test cars and SUVs from 2024.

Favorite economy car: Chevrolet Trax 2RS

With a starting price of $20,400, the Chevrolet Trax is GM's cheapest product offering in the US. Fortunately for consumers, the Trax is affordable transportation done right.

I was impressed by the subcompact crossover's attractive design, roomy cabin, and strong feature content, which includes standard Apple CarPlay/Android Auto integration and the Chevy Safety Assist suite of assistance tech.

Even fully loaded with optional extras and with fees included, my Trax test car in 2RS trim fell firmly under $30,000 with an as-tested price of $27,085.

Favorite midsize car: Toyota Camry XSE AWD

The Toyota Camry has been the best-selling passenger car in America for the past 22 years. This year, Toyota introduced the updated ninth-generation Camry, which features fresh looks, upgraded tech, and a new hybrid-only drivetrain.

The updates worked.

The new Camry isn't revolutionary but builds upon the excellence of past iterations, reminding us why Toyota's midsize sedan remains a sales powerhouse in a market dominated by SUVs.

Favorite family SUV: Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy

The first-generation Palisade has been an absolute triumph for Hyundai. Introduced in 2019, the Palisade has been a sales and critical success.

I was genuinely impressed by the Palisade's premium look and feel, especially in the high-end Calligraphy trim. The Korean family hauler also offers one of the segment's most comprehensive suites of tech and safety features.

Not bad for Hyundai's first attempt at a midsize, three-row family SUV.

Favorite luxury car: Mercedes-Benz E450 4Matic

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class has long been the standard bearer for midsize luxury sedans. This year, Mercedes launched the sixth-generation E-Class sedan, known internally as the W214.

I was impressed by my 2024 Mercedes-Benz E450 4Matic test car's smooth, mild-hybrid powertrain, refined cabin, and immersive tech experience. Overall, the new E-Class artfully blends elements of traditional luxury with the latest in advanced safety and infotainment technology.

Favorite hybrid: Mazda CX-50 Hybrid Premium Plus

The CX-50 Hybrid is Mazda's newest entry in the compact SUV market. I had the chance to spend a few days with a 2025 Mazda CX-50 Hybrid in Premium Plus trim. The CX-50's Toyota-sourced hybrid drive system delivered peppy performance with good efficiency. I also enjoyed the CX-50's athletic looks and its smartly designed cabin.

Favorite EV: Kia EV9 GT-Line

Despite the popularity of three-row midsize family SUVs, there are surprisingly few options in the EV space. One of the first offerings in the segment from a mainstream brand is the all-new Kia EV9.

The EV9 is terrific. It's got plenty of range, loads of infotainment and assistance tech, futuristic styling, and a roomy, adaptable passenger cabin.

Favorite luxury EV: BMW I5 M60 xDrive

The BMW 5-Series is one of the world's great sports sedans. With the launch of the new eighth-generation 5-Series this year, BMW also introduced an EV version called the i5.

Despite weighing a hefty 5,200 pounds, my 2024 BMW i5 M60 xDrive test car was a blast to drive. According to BMW, it can sprint from a standstill to 60 mph in a scant 3.7 seconds. I'm also a fan of its luxurious cabin and understated but attractive styling.

Favorite sports car: Porsche 911 Carrera T

The Porsche 911 is an automotive icon in the truest sense of the word, representative of what a sports car should be. It's meticulously honed to be perfectly docile for your daily commute and ruthlessly effective on the racetrack.

I spent some time behind the wheel of a 2025 Porsche 911 Carrera T Cabriolet with a striking Lugano Blue paint job. I was blown away by 911's crisp-shifting, six-speed manual transmission, beautifully tuned handling, and melodic twin-turbocharged boxer engine.

• In 2024, the rich largely got richer as tech stocks flew and markets experienced a postelection bump.
• However, some luxury titans shed billions amid an industry downturn.
• Here are the biggest billionaire winners and losers of the year, according to their net worth.

2024 was a good year to be a billionaire.

The S&P 500 gained 25% this year, while the Nasdaq grew 33%. The uberwealthy, many of whom are invested in companies on each index, benefited greatly.

The five billionaires who gained the most wealth in 2024 saw their net worths climb a collective $542 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index as of December 27.

These billionaires all come from the tech sector, where AI fever and a postelection rally pushed many stocks to all-time highs.

There were, though, those whose fortunes took a hit. Some billionaires whose money comes from luxury retail, which struggled this year, lost double-digit billions.

Here are the billionaires who gained and lost the most this year — and just how much their fortunes changed as of December 27.

The biggest winners of the year are…

Elon Musk: $239 billion richer

Elon Musk, who is worth $468 billion, nearly doubled his net worth in 2024, owing in no small part to the stock market's rally after Donald Trump's election victory. Since Election Day, he's become more than $200 billion richer.

His fortune is predominantly made up of Tesla stock and equity in SpaceX. Even though sales of electric vehicles have slowed down, Tesla's stock price has jumped more than 70% this year. SpaceX, meanwhile, has doubled in value in the past year and is now worth a reported $350 billion.

Musk, who gave more than $200 million to Trump's reelection efforts, has become an advisor to the president-elect, who tapped him and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead his newly created Department of Government Efficiency. Investors are bullish that his relationship with the commander in chief will benefit his companies.

Mark Zuckerberg: $85 billion richer

Mark Zuckerberg is riding on the success of Meta's strong year. The CEO, who is worth $213 billion, owns about 13% of the company's stock, making him its largest individual shareholder.

Meta's share price is up over 70% this year thanks to its strong ad business and push further into AI. The company announced its first-ever dividend in February, and its stock hit record highs multiple times this year.

Jensen Huang: $78 billion richer

The AI boom minted a new centibillionaire this year in Jensen Huang, who is worth $122 billion.

The Nvidia CEO and cofounder owns about 3.5% of the company, whose share price is up more than 175% year-to-date thanks to its dominance in the AI chip industry.

Larry Ellison: $70 billion richer

Larry Ellison, who is worth $193 billion, is the founder and chief technology officer of Oracle.

The database software company's stock, which makes up the largest share of his net worth, is up more than 60% year-to-date thanks to its cloud applications and infrastructure, which can be used to train AI.

Ellison also owns more than 1% of Tesla stock, which is worth $20 billion, according to Bloomberg.

Jeff Bezos: $69 billion richer

Jeff Bezos, the Amazon cofounder, remains the company's largest individual shareholder, owning nearly 9% of the $2.4 trillion company. His stake in the retail and tech behemoth makes up more than 80% of his $246 billion fortune.

Amazon's stock, which is up more than 45% year-to-date, surged after Trump's election. The company has also benefited from its leadership in e-commerce and cloud computing.

Meanwhile, some billionaires did experience hits to their fortunes.

Bernard Arnault: $31 billion poorer

This year was one of the worst years for luxury in recent memory, and Bernard Arnault has an 11-figure loss to show for it.

The CEO of LVMH, who is worth $176 billion, has a 48% stake in the company, which owns brands like Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior. Luxury labels have struggled this year, particularly in China, which has experienced a real estate crisis and high youth unemployment.

Françoise Bettencourt Meyers: $25 billion poorer

Francoise Bettencourt-Meyers, the heir to the L'Oréal fortune, is the second-richest woman in the world with a fortune of $75 billion.

The cosmetics company has struggled this year as sales in China took a hit. Its share price is down more than 26% year-to-date.

Carlos Slim: $23 billion poorer

Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, who is worth $82 billion, saw his fortune slip with telecommunications giant América Móvil's stock this year.

Colin Huang: $17 billion poorer

Nearly all of Colin Huang's $35 billion fortune lies in his stake in Pinduoduo, the parent company of fast-fashion retailer Temu, whose stock has fallen more than 30% this year.

In August, Temu announced it expected profits to fall in the future due to growing competition and changing consumer sentiment. The company took another hit following Trump's victory, given the uncertainty of how future tariffs may affect sales.

Francois Pinault: $14 billion poorer

Francois Pinault's fortune is another casualty of the luxury downturn this year.

He founded the luxury group Kering, which includes brands like Balenciaga, Gucci, and Saint Laurent, and the majority of his $22 billion net worth is tied up in the company, whose stock is down more than 40% year-to-date.

• The personal finance website WalletHub has ranked the best places to celebrate New Year's Eve this year.
• The site compared 100 of the biggest US cities on entertainment, food, costs, safety, and accessibility.
• Check out the top five cities to count down to 2025 here.

For those looking to ring in the New Year in style, you may be wondering where to find the best festive bang for your buck.

The personal finance website WalletHub has ranked the best places to celebrate New Year's Eve this year, using 26 metrics to evaluate three key areas for prospective partiers — entertainment and food, costs, and safety and accessibility.

The study looked at factors such as the legality of fireworks, nightlife options, alcohol and taxi prices, and neighborhood security.

Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale (100 representing the best conditions for budding NYE revelers). WalletHub then gave each city an overall score by determining their weighted averages across all metrics.

Here are WalletHub's top five cities to count down to 2025.

5. Chicago

Entertainment and food rank: 8

Costs rank: 76

Safety and accessibility rank: 52

Total score: 64.50

4. Las Vegas

Entertainment and food rank: 4

Costs rank: 80

Safety and accessibility rank: 48

Total score: 67.45

3. San Diego

Entertainment and food rank: 11

Costs rank: 56

Safety and accessibility rank: 27

Total score: 67.58

2. Orlando

Entertainment and food rank: 1

Costs rank: 53

Safety and accessibility rank: 89

Total score: 68.03

1. New York City

Entertainment and food rank: 6

Costs rank: 95

Safety and accessibility rank: 18

Total score: 68.67

• Some Americans "oversave" for retirement and end up sacrificing during their working years.
• Financial planners advised balancing savings with enjoying life to avoid regrets in retirement.
• This is part of an ongoing series on older Americans' regrets.

Joshua Winston, 70, did a pretty good job preparing for retirement: He ran two successful veterinary clinics, made smart investments, and lived frugally.

But a week after he retired in May, he was diagnosed with cancer. Now, Winston said, he regrets working such long hours during his career, often missing out on trips and date nights.

Winston is one of a few dozen respondents to an informal Business Insider survey who said they worked too hard during their careers or focused too much on saving for retirement, sacrificing family time, travel, or other leisure activities when they were younger. They're among the more than 3,600 older Americans who shared their life regrets through surveys or direct emails to reporters. This story is part of an ongoing series.

We want to hear from you. Do you have any regrets in life that you would be comfortable sharing with a reporter? Please fill out this quick form.

Some survey respondents thought they were behind on retirement goals and chose to bypass larger purchases, only to realize they were well-prepared and too cautious about getting there. A few said traumatic experiences, such as the death of a loved one or a catastrophic medical diagnosis, made them anxious about saving money in case of another emergency. Interviews with five Americans who thought they were too frugal point to the difficulties of knowing how to best prepare for retirement.

Dylan Tyson, the president of retirement strategies at Prudential Financial, described the mindset of an oversaver: "You're cutting back on living — not taking that extra trip or going to that concert or ball game with family and friends — because you're worried that you don't have enough saved."

Saving for an anticlimactic retirement

Winston, who lives in Arizona, spent much of his career in veterinary work. Throughout his life, he drove modest vehicles, lived in an upper-middle-class house, and was cautious about making larger purchases.

He retired with about $3 million but wished he'd spent some of that money on an assistant for his practice so he wouldn't need to work nights running an emergency vet helpline.

"That sucked up a lot of oxygen in my life. I never could watch a movie when I went out with my wife because I would get a dozen phone calls," Winston said, though he acknowledged the helpline helped make his practice successful.

He planned to spend some of his savings in retirement, but he was diagnosed with lung cancer in May and said life has "been hell" since then.

"I have enough money to live until 95 and go on vacations. I have a whole life ahead of me, and this is what happens," Winston said. "I have cancer, and I may not even enjoy the money I worked hard to save."

Tyson said that while a lot of retirement is "guesswork," people should try to determine how much lifetime income they'll need to achieve their retirement goals while balancing their spending needs, wants, and wishes.

"With millions of Americans facing uncertainty, we see the smartest of them taking action to create financial plans that focus squarely on the things that matter most," Tyson said. "Then they are protecting those goals by ensuring that they have secure, predictable income to fund their retirement needs and wants — freeing them to worry less and pursue their greatest wishes."

Working too hard and missing out on friends and family

Ruth Mills, 63, said she began saving later in life but amassed seven figures through frugal living and careful investing. The Minnesota resident had children in her early 20s and finances were tight. As a single mom, she held multiple jobs, working odd jobs as a part-time in-home personal care assistant in addition to full-time work. She worked her way up to a senior accounting officer for the state.

She said because she worked so much and cared for her children alone, she missed opportunities to go out with friends or travel more with family. She said a part of her wished she'd forgone some savings so she could have worked one less job or had hobbies.

"I did well saving for retirement, but so much so I was too frugal along the way and did not enjoy as much while younger as I worked too much," Mills said.

Mills said she pushed back a trip to Ireland that she's no longer physically equipped to take. She recently downsized her house and hopes to retire soon and use her retirement years to spoil her grandchildren and have an active lifestyle.

"Having all the money in the world is great, and I don't have that, but if you don't have the friends and people to spend it with at the end, it's a trade-off," Mills said. She added, "Having made the necessary sacrifices to save and invest earlier, I am looking forward to having the financial security to be able to afford the basic necessities and share adventures and experiences with the grandkids."

Ryan Viktorin, a financial consultant and CFP at Fidelity, said she sees three categories of "oversavers": people who experience an unfortunate event that keeps them from spending the money they've saved, people who worry they'll never have enough because of healthcare costs or market volatility, and people who continue working because they haven't mentally prepared for retirement, fearing it's monotonous or isolating.

She also said that baby boomers retiring now grew up hearing stories about their parents or grandparents going through the Great Depression.

"Sometimes I hear from my clients who have saved really well who say it's in their bones to continue to be frugal, and they feel like they can't really enjoy themselves or live their lives because they have to keep saving," she said.

Missing out on key family moments

Kirk, 75, said he didn't realize he was doing such a good job of preparing for retirement. The retired California attorney, who asked to use only his first name for privacy concerns, worked for various financial institutions and maxed out his 401(k). He amassed over $1.1 million in tax-deferred retirement savings. However, he feared an emergency or market crash would derail his plans for a comfortable retirement.

After retiring from his full-time job at 67, he realized there were opportunities he missed out on because he held back on spending. He regrets not going on a weekslong trip to France with his brother in his 60s; now, his brother has cognitive challenges that make travel difficult. On a trip to Hawaii, he signed his two children up for a helicopter tour but didn't go himself to save money.

"It would have been a great experience to have shared with them and talked about for years to come," Kirk said. "I could now pay for a dozen helicopter rides and not miss the money."

Viktorin said it's important to look at the gap between expenses and income and figure out where there's some wiggle room in your budget beyond saving for retirement, which may help alleviate some of these anxieties older Americans have.

"When you build out a financial plan, you can build out the 'what ifs' and see what it looks like," Viktorin said. "What if we took an extra trip and spent more money? What if we flew business class rather than coach or economy? What if we started to help our children more?"

Are you an older American with any life regrets that you would be comfortable sharing with a reporter? Please fill out this quick form.

• Chris Williams, ex-VP of HR at Microsoft, shares advice on how to bounce back from mistakes at work.
• He suggests employees take three steps: own it, fix it, and prevent it.
• Williams used these steps to fix a big mistake he made at Microsoft and was eventually promoted.

As the VP of HR at Microsoft, I saw a lot of people make mistakes. From simple math on their expense accounts to serious errors in judgment that required the local police to resolve. Also, much of what I learned about handling mistakes at work came from an enormous mistake I made years ago.

Everyone makes mistakes, but at work, it seems like they hit harder.

On the job, consequences often warrant more than simply, "Oops, my bad." Mistakes at work often cost a lot of money and might put jobs at risk — even your own. Here are the three steps you should take to help save your job or even career when you make an error at work: own it, fix it, and prevent it.

Own it

The first step to resolving an error at work is to take responsibility for the mistake. If you made the error, don't deflect, don't blame the computer, don't pretend it didn't happen. Own it.

Tell your boss as soon as possible before things spiral out of control.

For example, many years ago, I wrote the copy protection code for Foxpro, the database software that was eventually sold to Microsoft. I tested it on dozens of machines in every case I could find.

The very day we released a beta version, it froze the receptionist's computer — not just crashed it, but locked it up so the machine couldn't even boot. I quickly discovered it was my code that had caused it, and we had just sent that code to thousands of testers.

My code could've locked up dozens or hundreds of customer computers.

I realized my error wasn't that complex, so I immediately enlisted the help of all of my peers to discover the extent of the problem and potential fixes. My friend in shipping stopped the copies that had not been sent, and my colleague sent a message to every beta tester not to install the software. For some users, it was too late, so I quickly developed a tool to recover the frozen machines.

By the end of the day, I had a fix for the receptionist's machine that we could apply worldwide. We posted those steps as quickly as we could.

I survived the error with the help of my friends.

On the other hand, in very rare cases, the mistake is very serious, even potentially illegal. If you think what you've done exposes you or the company to legal liability, get some protection. It might be a good idea to consult a personal attorney right away.

Fix it

Often the best thing to do when you've made a mistake is to repair the damage. Correct the report and let everyone know it's been fixed. Clean up the mess on the shop floor. Make an adjustment entry to the inventory.

As a manager later in my career, I very much appreciated people who could say, "Hey, I broke this thing, but don't worry, I've already fixed it.

Whatever the mistake, a key part of owning the problem is fixing it. If the damage is out of your hands or beyond your abilities, at least understand and explain it as best you can. You are uniquely positioned to know how it got broken, that knowledge can go a long way to fixing the problem. So tell that part of the story too.

Also, it's never a good idea to fix things and hide them, pretending they didn't happen. Not only is that not true, but it has many negative effects. If your mistake is later discovered, the trust relationship you have with your boss is gone — maybe irreparably. Mistakes can be forgiven, but untrustworthiness is harder to repair.

There may have even been side consequences to your mistake that you didn't see, which could ripple far and wide. That glitch in the inventory could result in distrust of the inventory system overall and lead to far broader issues.

Prevent It

That leads us to the next step: stopping it from happening again.

As the person who made the error, you have a unique view of how similar mistakes can happen. You can provide insight into ways to prevent them.

In my case, I worked to ensure we had a broader selection of test machines and developed a new set of test cases for all our security code. I was probably the only one who understood the impact of my mistake and was the best one to implement changes.

Work with your manager to identify ways to prevent the error. Maybe it's as simple as a checklist. Perhaps more than one person needs to review it. Maybe there needs to be software or physical locks to prevent the possibility of the mistake again.

The one thing we all learn early on is to learn from our mistakes.

A mistake at work doesn't have to end your career

In my case, the error that I owned and fixed certainly didn't slow my career. Not long after, I was promoted to development manager for the company. I'm sure my transparency and ownership were part of the reasons I was trusted for that role.

When you make a mistake, the best way for the entire company to learn from it is for you to own the mistake, fix it, and work to prevent it from ever happening again.

Chris Williams is a former VP of HR at Microsoft. He's an executive-level advisor and consultant with more than 40 years of experience leading and building teams.

• Airline rewards programs have faced scrutiny over dynamic pricing and devaluation practices.
• Frequent flyers feel burned as airlines adjust rewards, and the DOT is investigating.
• Dynamic pricing can affect point values, leading some customers to prefer cashback over miles cards.

Sean Brown, 46, has logged close to 2 million miles on Delta, his preferred airline. But his loyalty is waning as dynamic pricing and devaluation practices have made their way to airline rewards programs and left some customers feeling burned.

"Unfortunately, there's been a pretty seismic shift in the industry," the healthcare IT executive said, adding, "That has really not sat well with me."

For years, some customers have forgone cheaper or more convenient flights from other airlines so they could earn points and perks with their preferred brand. Frequent flyers would get rewarded for their loyalty with predictable exchange rates to turn points into more flights, seat upgrades, and lounge access, among other perks.

But as air travel ramped up and more and more customers got in on the points grind airlines have gotten much more flexible about how they value rewards, offering some for cheaper and some for much more.

It's caused some previously loyal customers to jump ship — and even Washington is stepping in. In September, the Department of Transportation announced it was investigating major airlines' reward devaluation and dynamic pricing practices.

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg told BI he wants to understand the effect that these programs have on competition, and whether they're dissuading customers from getting the best price.

"One of the biggest concerns is devaluation. So the points are worth something one day and something else," Buttigieg said. "Another is some of the hidden pricing where the value of rewards is unpredictable or is concealed."

For Brown, the calculus has already shifted from spending on his preferred airline to whatever gives him the best value.

"I'll just tell you, the sentiment in the plane — doesn't matter where you sit if you're in the front, the middle, or the back," Brown said, "everyone is pretty pissed off at the fact that they're getting gouged left and right."

How points changed

Concern with how airlines calculate, redeem, and communicate about rewards points has reached Capitol Hill.

In May, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra and Buttigieg held a joint hearing on airline and credit card rewards. They wanted to investigate how credit companies might be devaluing their rewards or using what the CFPB called a "bait-and-switch scam" to lure in customers.

"Our initial review of the fine print suggests that credit card companies and airlines have the power to quickly and dramatically devalue those points by making it more challenging to redeem them or by limiting the inventory that can be purchased with points," Chopra said in prepared remarks.

Buttigieg said he's not interested in telling airlines or credit cards how to run their programs — instead, he just wants to ensure that they're transparent, consistent, and fair. He's also trying to figure out how to put his points to use: He and his husband want to use points toward a family trip after his job with the Biden administration winds down.

But his points may not hold the same value as they used to. Brett House, a professor of economics at Columbia Business School, said that airlines "have progressively rejigged their frequent flyer programs to require higher and higher bars to get access to clubs and other amenities or privileges that those programs provide."

It's a confluence of several different factors. First, to attract more customers after the 2020 slump, credit card companies issued all kinds of new perks and ways to earn points, such as higher sign-up bonuses or more points on things like restaurants and food delivery. On average, sign-up bonuses were worth $326 in 2022 — a nearly 20% increase in value since 2019, the CFPB found.

In response, customers hoarded those points, using their balances as a savings account for future travel. The CFPB found that by 2022, cardholders had an average of $156 worth of untouched rewards.

But with appetites for flights high in the wake of the pandemic, Gilbert Ott, the director of partnerships at the travel platform point.me, said there was a "logjam" — due in part to airlines struggling to scale back up again.

"When flights were coming back, they were completely full," he said. That made it a tough sell to convince airlines to make more point seats available, Ott said. To sell a seat for points, rather than cash, it really needed to be worth their while.

Enter: Dynamic pricing.

Airlines have long used fluctuating pricing strategies, but applying them to points and rewards is more recent. The practice has spread to other industries to help companies continually adjust to the highest price customers are willing to pay based on various factors like timing and demand.

American Airlines told BI that dynamic pricing allows them to offer some flights at lower rates. It does seem to work that way sometimes: As The Wall Street Journal reported, the lowest award flight cost on the carrier dropped after it rolled out dynamic pricing.

Delta, Southwest, and American all noted that they offer no blackout dates for rewards. Southwest said that it will continue to offer "uncapped reward seat availability and points that don't expire." A Delta spokesperson said that members can redeem points for things beyond vacation and flights, including premium drinks in its Sky Clubs, cheaper seat upgrades, and checked bags.

All of this adds up to a lot of guesswork in the points game. As Buttigieg notes, airlines used to provide charts showing just how much a flight would cost in points.

"I do think it's an interesting question to consider: Should there be some publicly sponsored source of information that at least tells you what you can expect from the airlines?" Buttigieg said. "But honestly, right now, it's so complex and convoluted, I'm not even sure such a thing is possible."

American told BI that it's "the only major U.S. carrier to continue offering an award chart to help guide members in mileage redemptions," and a search of other airlines did not turn up results for any others.

United reportedly got rid of its chart in 2019, and Delta reportedly pulled their chart even earlier. A United spokesperson said that since it moved to dynamic pricing in 2017, roughly half of its customers have gotten flights "for fewer points than our fixed award chart offered."

A rollercoaster of rewards' values

Thanks to dynamic pricing, depending on demand or timing, a flight might cost 500,000 points on some days and 50,000 on others. By one measure, the average economy rewards prices across almost every airline have risen since 2019.

An analysis from IdeaWorks found that, on average, mileage and point prices have risen by 28% since 2019. But there are still deals to be found. Ott's point.me compares points' values across different airlines and rewards programs. Dynamic pricing, he said, has brought some redemption costs down.

"There are some airlines that charge far less now in economy and just a little bit more in business," Ott said. "But because of the dynamic pricing, you have dates that are 500,000 points and a million points — because there's a seat now available with points on every flight, and there's only some dates where the lowest prices are available. "

For Meir Statman, a professor of finance at Santa Clara University and author of a book on financial behavior, the points game is getting "entirely iffy" and he has moved away from miles cards entirely — instead, he wants cash back.

He's not alone. While airline credit card rewards remain popular, cashback rewards have become the leading motivator for consumers to open new credit cards, per a report from EMARKETER.

J.D. Power's 2024 US Credit Card Satisfaction Study found that most cardholders are using cashback cards — consumers said that they were opting for the cards due to their lack of fees and were using the cashback rewards more frequently as a credit on their monthly statement.

"People figure out that those points for miles are not worth it, Statman told BI, adding, "When I'm getting a thousand miles and I thought that it was worth a cent per mile and now I find that this is worth, God knows what, but surely less than a cent per mile, I may as well get 1% in the form of a dollar than in the form of a mile."

Are you giving up on points or loyalty rewards? Contact this reporter at [email protected].

• Prosecutors accused luxury real-estate agents Oren and Tal Alexander of sex trafficking this month.
• They are the latest in a series of top figures in real estate accused of sexual abuse or harassment.
• Some in the industry say its structure, partying, and cult of personality are all partly to blame.

The Alexander brothers, luxury brokers who New York prosecutors accused of sex trafficking this month, are the latest in a series of top figures in real estate accused of sexual abuse or harassment.

The brothers, Oren and Tal, have denied the allegations.

Still, the accusations have made some in the industry — which is dominated by women but mostly led by men — reflect on its permissive, decentralized culture that parties hard and, too often, multiple people told Business Insider, puts women into uncomfortable or dangerous situations.

While it's far from a mass reckoning like Hollywood's #MeToo movement, the series of accusations against major real estate players over the past year and a half has prompted some in the industry to look inward and consider whether its traditional practices and lack of uniform safety precautions may have contributed.

Sue Yannaccone, the president and CEO of Anywhere Real Estate Inc., which owns multiple real-estate-brokerage chains, including Century21, Coldwell Banker, and Corcoran, told Business Insider that real estate has more to do to address some of these issues.

"Real estate is not unlike other industries that have had to, unfortunately, reckon with a pattern of discrimination and harassment of women," Yannaccone said. "Holding offenders accountable is an important and effective step in our progress, and there is still more work to be done across all sectors to ensure women can always thrive in safe, supportive, and equitable work environments."

The lax structure and low barrier to entry in real estate often mean careers are built largely on an individual agent's personality and charisma. It can also create opportunities for bad behavior to go unchecked, said Brian Boero, the cofounder of 1000watt, a real-estate branding and marketing company.

With over 1.5 million agents or brokers in the United States, it's similar to "the Wild West," he said. He added that many of them operate as independent contractors, acting as free agents.

"You have really good people, and you have really bad people. It's hard to paint this industry as a whole with a broad brush," Boero said. "The employee relationship does not exist, and people can, more or less, do whatever they want with very little supervision."

A series of accusations

Oren and Tal Alexander first rose to prominence as real-estate agents at Douglas Elliman before splitting off to found their own brokerage, Official Partners.

The Alexander Team, as they were commonly known, sold over $260 million in real estate in New York in 2023, the real-estate industry trade publication The Real Deal reported.

The Alexanders "used their prominent positions in the industry to induce other women to attend events and parties" where they later sexually assaulted them, prosecutors said in an indictment earlier this month.

Prosecutors accused Oren, Tal, and a third brother Alon, who works at the family's security firm, of operating a sex-trafficking scheme in which the brothers — and others — victimized dozens of women dating back to 2010. The brothers obtained drugs to "surreptitiously" give the women and planned the assaults in advance, prosecutors said in the indictment.

Attorneys for the three brothers, whom police arrested in Florida earlier this month, did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. The twins denied the allegations when they were first reported.

James Cinque, a New York attorney representing the Alexander brothers, told BI in response to a story published before their arrest outlining four women's claims of assault and sexual misconduct that he and his colleagues had "asked them not to comment while these matters work their way through the legal system." Cinque added they're "comfortable that they will ultimately be vindicated."

Meanwhile, the success of eXp, an emerging real-estate brokerage that has a market cap of about $1.8 billion, has been overshadowed by complaints of sexual misconduct against some of its agents.

Five female eXp employees, in two separate lawsuits filed in 2023, accused agents Michael Bjorkman and David Golden of drugging them at work-related events. Four of the women said they were also sexually assaulted, according to the lawsuits. The New York Times first reported the cases against Bjorkman and Golden.

Richard Schonfeld, an attorney representing Bjorkman, told BI that the lawsuits are "one side of the story." Peter Levine, a lawyer for Golden, didn't return requests for comment from BI but told the Times the charges against Golden were "baseless and without merit." Trial dates for both cases are set for 2025.

Representatives for eXp, who didn't return requests for comment from BI, emailed a statement to the Times, highlighting the industry's decentralized nature.

"The claims in this case stem from alleged assaults by independent real estate agents who were never eXp employees — which we handled with speed, seriousness, and deep respect as soon as the accusers brought it to our attention, in line with our values and with the law," it read.

The National Association of Realtors, the largest trade association for real-estate agents in the United States with more than 1.5 million members, is also facing troubling allegations.

One of the most notable involves Kenny Parcell, a Utah real-estate agent and former NAR president who resigned in August 2023 after The New York Times published an exposé detailing multiple accusations against him and the organization.

The Times' report was based on interviews with 29 current and former employees from NAR and its affiliates who said Parcell and other NAR and affiliated company leaders repeatedly engaged in abusive and inappropriate behavior, often without facing consequences.

In June 2023, Janelle Brevard filed a lawsuit against NAR, accusing the organization of sexual harassment, retaliation, and racial discrimination. In the lawsuit, Brevard, a Black woman, said she was fired from her role in podcasts, video, and marketing after ending a consensual relationship with Parcell.

Brevard ultimately withdrew her lawsuit after entering into an agreement with the organization, the Times reported. Brevard did not respond to repeated requests for comment from BI, and her attorney declined to comment.

"The allegations are not true," Parcell said in a four-page statement in 2023. "Nothing has changed" since then, he wrote in an email to Bl on December 23. "My resignation from NAR was in no way an admission of guilt — it was a good faith effort to put NAR and its members first," he said.

In response to a request for comment, a spokesperson for NAR said the organization's "new leadership has undertaken a comprehensive review of our policies and procedures and continues to work every day to help NAR employees feel respected and supported."

Parties, star-agent culture, and a long road ahead

The real-estate industry can feel unsafe at times, especially for women, as the job has inherent risks. Agents are commonly expected to meet with clients, who might be strangers, alone at homes that could be secluded or lack cell reception.

In a NAR survey of 1,423 licensed real-estate agents this year, women agents were twice as likely as men to report experiencing a situation at work that made them fear for their safety, and 54% of women carried a weapon or self-defense tool compared to 47% of men.

Still, Boero said the industry's internal culture — its hard-partying traditions and the "cult of the superstar" — also presented problems.

"The Alexander brothers were like that: high-profile, flashy, wealthy, did a ton of business. We tend to elevate, emulate, and worship those types of figures in this business. And they're not always men, but they frequently are," he said. "There is this cult of the top producer in the business that, I think, has maybe obscured bad behavior over the years."

Parties are also a central, sometimes problematic, component of real-estate culture. In an industry where success is often tied to how connected you are, brokers often frequent social events to meet and mingle with other brokers, current clients, and prospective clients.

"Parties and awards and all of that stuff is very big in this business, which means there's a lot of partying and drinking, sometimes at scale," Boero said, "which, again, sometimes creates the conditions within which bad people can do bad things."

Brooke Cohen, one of the attorneys representing all five plaintiffs in the eXp cases, told BI that socializing is often essential in real estate as an opportunity for making deals, networking, and advancing your career.

That means women can find themselves in uncomfortable environments. "It's important that in this industry some parameters are put in place," Cohen said. "We really would like it to be better for people who have to attend these events to do business."

Yannaccone said women's prevalence in the industry motivated her to create What Moves Her, a program that supports women in real-estate leadership.

"Our work is just one piece of a larger effort toward progress that includes not just the many brave voices of female agents and leaders, but many of our male counterparts as well," she said. "It's our hope that through our collective effort, we can help create an industry that truly operates on shared values of integrity, accountability, and good governance."

• France sent dozens of tank-killing armored vehicles to Ukraine to counter Russia's invasion.
• The vehicles were designed for recon and fire support but were ineffective on Ukraine's front lines.
• Instead, Ukraine repurposed the so-called "light tanks" as self-propelled artillery.

France is among several Western nations aiding Ukraine with both training and weaponry in a bid to turn the tide in its nearly three-year-long war with Russia.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, France has delivered military equipment and weaponry valuing more than 2.6 billion euros, in addition to training nearly 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers, according to the country's defense ministry.

Over the last few months, a French military task force trained a brigade of Ukrainian troops on effective fighting tactics and how to use French-supplied military weaponry, including the tank-destroying AMX-10 armored vehicle.

French and Ukrainian officials have referred to the AMX-10 as a "light tank," but it lacks the large-caliber armament and tracks typically equipped on tanks. Its light aluminum armor left it vulnerable to Russian artillery.

Better described as an armored reconnaissance vehicle, Ukraine initially struggled to effectively use the AMX-10 in its frontline defenses, instead adapting the vehicle's operations to the Ukrainian battlefield.

France's tank-killing armored vehicle

Hailed for its tank-killing capabilities and operational flexibility, France sent Ukraine more than three dozen AMX-10RC armored vehicles to bolster its frontline defenses.

Developed in the late 1970s, the so-called "wheeled tank" was designed for reconnaissance and close-fire support. It was used to scout and identify enemy positions while armed to rapidly fire on hostile threats.

The 30-foot, 18-ton armored vehicle has a range of about 500 miles and travels at speeds of about 37 mph on roads and about 9 mph off-road; it has less off-road maneuverability than tracked vehicles like tanks.

After about a decade of service, France stopped producing the AMX-10RC in favor of more advanced combat vehicles like the ERBC Jaguar, an armored scout vehicle armed with two anti-tank missiles and a 40mm gun.

Inside the AMX-10RC

The AMX-10 has a turret with two 7.62mm machine guns and a 105mm cannon, which is powerful enough to destroy a tank at close range.

Ukrainian forces operate both the AMX-10RC and AMX-10RCR, an improved variant of the armored vehicle featuring upgraded ceramic armor, more advanced optronics systems like thermal sights, and a self-defense system that automatically launches smoke grenades and decoys.

The AMX-10 can carry a crew of four people — a machine commander, a gunner, a loader, and a driver.

It can carry up to 38 shells for its main gun and 4,000 rounds for its machine guns. An AMX-10 crew featured on Ukraine's state-run Army TV said the vehicle's rate of fire can range from five to 12 rounds per minute, depending on the loader's efficiency.

Adapting to combat in Ukraine

Ukrainian troops initially struggled to integrate the AMX-10RC into their frontline strategy. The vintage armored vehicle's light aluminum armor left it vulnerable in high-intensity conflict zones, especially against Russia's more advanced artillery and defense systems.

Instead, Ukrainian forces took advantage of the wheeled platform's maneuverability and repurposed the armored fighting vehicles as self-propelled artillery that could engage hostile targets from afar.

The AMX-10 in action

Army TV, run by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, captured the AMX-10's capabilities in action in a video posted last week.

While filming a segment aboard the AMX-10, the Ukrainian soldiers and the television crew came under attack by a Russian drone. The personnel and TV crew weren't harmed, and the vehicle was not damaged.

Equipping and training Ukraine

In September, thousands of Ukrainian troops — most of whom had only a few weeks of basic training — were sent to eastern and southern France to hone their skills on the battlefield against Russia.

Named "Anne of Kyiv" after the former Ukrainian princess who became a queen of France, French authorities said the brigade will eventually consist of up to 4,500 troops specializing in infantry battalions, engineering units, artillery teams, and other roles.

The newly trained brigade is set to be armed with various French-supplied military assets and weaponry, including armored vehicles, artillery cannons, and anti-tank and antiaircraft missile systems.

A military task force of about 1,500 French soldiers trained Ukraine's troops on effective fighting strategies and skills and how to use and maintain the French-supplied equipment. Over 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers completed the training in France in late November.

"They have improved a lot," a French colonel told the Associated Press. "Now, they are able to fight. They are able to maneuver. They are able to use the different specialists and to use the different equipment they will have on the battlefield."

• I had the rare opportunity to fly in a historic jet trainer ahead of the Pacific Airshow in October.
• The T-33 Shooting Star was used to train US Air Force pilots on jet aircraft until the early 1960s.
• The flight was an unforgettable glimpse into aviation history as modern fighters rule the skies.

Strapped in the rear seat of the T-33's cockpit, I triple-checked the buckles and straps securing me. The clear bubble canopy sealed shut with a click, shutting out the aircraft's engine roar.

As someone who has solely flown on commercial airliners and once on a puddle jumper in Alaska, I didn't know what to expect until the jet's mounting speed on the runway pressed me back into my seat. The rush of adrenaline pulled my focus away from the sensation of the wheels leaving the ground as the world below transformed into a patchwork of shrinking buildings and roads.

As the sunset painted wispy clouds in a red-orange glow, I felt transported back to the Jet Age's earliest days, when competency at this aircraft's stick and analog controls was a make-or-break for US Air Force trainees.

Developed by Lockheed Corporation, the T-33 Shooting Star was a subsonic jet trainer designed to transition Air Force pilots from propeller-driven aircraft to the emerging era of jet propulsion in the late 1940s.

But the hourlong flight in the run-up to the Pacific Airshow in Huntington Beach, California, taught me to appreciate the iconic aircraft that paved the way for the cutting-edge jets that dominate today's skies.

America's first jet trainer

The US was among several countries around the world ushering in a new era of fighter aircraft toward the end of World War II.

The T-33 Shooting Star was instrumental in transitioning early military aviators — then already qualified to fly propeller-driven aircraft — to fighter jets. The jet trainer was a direct offshoot of the single-seat P-80 Shooting Star, one of the first operational jet fighters flown by the US Air Force, adding another seat to the cockpit to accommodate both student and instructor.

Equipped with a turbojet engine, the T-33 could reach speeds of up to 600 mph and altitudes of up to 45,000 feet. Just shy of 40 feet long, the jet trainer had a large clear bubble canopy, providing ample visibility to the pilots in the two-seat cockpit decked out with various flight indicators and engine gauges.

Lockheed manufactured over 5,000 so-called "T-Birds" between 1948 and 1959, used by air forces around the world until the fleet was slowly phased out starting in the 1980s. The US Air Force retired its last T-33, a variant modified for aerodynamic research, in 1997, ending the storied aircraft's five-decade tenure with the service.

While the T-Bird no longer trains military pilots, the aircraft's legacy has been preserved in aerial museums and heritage flights.

Seasoned airshow pilot

I flew with Greg "Wired" Colyer, a longtime performer at the Pacific Airshow. Colyer founded Ace Maker Aviation, operating three T-33 aircraft for aerial demonstrations like airshows.

A US Army veteran and aviation enthusiast, Colyer completed his fixed-wing training while studying at the US Navy's Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.

He told Business Insider he wanted to fly military helicopters until a knee injury prompted him to instead work as an air traffic controller for the Federal Aviation Administration for nearly three decades.

In 2008, Colyer restored his first T-Bird, aptly naming the historic jet trainer the "Ace Maker," teaching himself aerobatic maneuvers for airshows across the US. Aside from airshows, the California native also works as a test pilot instructor for the US Navy and Air Force.

Over the next decade, he added two more T-33s, the Ace Maker II and Ace Maker III, the latter of which I flew in.

"It was just one of my favorite planes as a kid," Colyer said. "It was our very first jet trainer and just an iconic piece of US history."

During the Pacific Airshow, Colyer put the T-33's capabilities on full display, dazzling spectators below with his self-taught aerobatic maneuvers.

The airshow also featured performances from the F-22 Raptor, a fifth-generation stealth jet considered to be the top US air superiority fighter. The Thunderbirds, the Air Force's aerial demonstration squadron, also wowed crowds at the airshow, flying in tight formations at near-supersonic speeds in F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft.

Inside the cockpit

After haphazardly climbing atop the T-33's wing, I peered into the cockpit and was immediately intimidated by the crowded display of gauges and controls.

As a Cold War-era aircraft, the T-33 didn't feature the digital displays or avionics that are routine on more advanced fighter jets. The T-Bird had primarily analog controls, leaving the pilot responsible for manually controlling the plane's speed, altitude, and flight path.

Colyer walked me through a crash course of the T-33's rear instrument panels — the airspeed indicator, altimeter, turn coordinator, heading indicator, radio controls, and various fuel and engine gauges monitoring temperature, pressure, and fuel state.

As a tandem trainer, the backseat also had a yoke and rudder pedals, allowing student pilots to practice controls and maneuvers. I was explicitly instructed not to mess with either.

Though rudimentary to an experienced pilot, I could see how it would benefit early military aviators to develop essential skills for operating the advanced jet aircraft of the time.

As a journalist, however, the mechanics of the aircraft were lost on me, but I paid close attention to two controls in the cockpit:

1. The switch that muted my transceiver so I wouldn't distract the pilot.
2. The lever that operated the plane's rocket-powered emergency ejection seat — for obvious reasons.

Preparing for takeoff

As Colyer strapped into the pilot seat, I settled in the seat behind him, my head barely peeking over the edge of the cockpit.

I adjusted my flight helmet and oxygen mask, snapping a few shameless selfies to show off in group chats with my friends and family after the flight.

Colyer's voice crackled in my headset as he communicated with the control tower. In an instant, the plane's engine roared to life as the plane taxied the airfield in Orange County.

A thrilling takeoff

With one final check-in, I signaled my OK with a meager thumbs-up to the pilot before we sped down the runway and into the air.

The acceleration pinned me against the seat, and I peered at the blurring silhouettes of buildings and aircraft surrounding us, slowly shrinking as we gained altitude.

Panoramic views

I had to stifle my gasp — lest I distract Colyer while he operated the aircraft — as we were soon graced with an unobstructed view of the skies through the glass canopy.

Experiencing the T-33 in action

While Colyer spared me from the thrills — and terrors — of complex airshow maneuvers, I was still acutely aware of the G-forces pressing down on me with every sharp movement of the aircraft.

A slight nudge of the yoke sent us banking into a turn, the horizon tilting dramatically. I was repeatedly startled by urgent beeping from the control panel, only to be reassured by Colyer that it was because the plane was idling to maintain slower speeds.

He said the T-33 was only going around 250 mph — a fraction of what the jet trainer was capable of and nearly half the speed he normally goes during airshow performances.

Trainers flying in tandem

We were accompanied by a former US Navy Texan T-6 during the flight demonstration. A fellow trainer aircraft, the T-6 is a two-seat jet trainer produced by Raytheon Aircraft in the 1990s and early 2000s.

The T-6 was primarily used to train students in basic flying skills through the Air Force and Navy's entry-level training program known as the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System.

T-33 touchdown

Time seemed to pass more slowly as we flew for about an hour, constrained by the fuel capacity of the T-33, which burns about 300 gallons per hour.

Descending back toward the runway, the adrenaline began to ebb before Colyer informed me that he would partially pop open the canopy to create additional drag upon landing. Lowering the visor on my flight helmet, I braced myself against rushing winds as the T-33 touched down with a thud and rolled to a halt on the tarmac.

The sky is the limit

After sharing the cockpit selfies and views with friends and family, I fielded a number of questions about the flight and whether I got to deploy any onboard weapons (trainer aircraft are not armed). It was a chance to reflect on the unforgettable experience.

In short, we flew in circles over Orange County, cruising at speeds slower than commercial passenger planes. I then spent the rest of the time ahead of the Pacific Airshow talking with demo pilots who operated more advanced frontline fighters.

But the experience was more than just a golden-hour flight in a vintage military jet trainer. The intense rumble of the turbojet engine, the array of analog gauges and controls, and sweeping views through the canopy offered a glimpse into what it must have felt like for early military aviators mastering jet-powered flight for the first time.

While I'm still holding out on future familiarization flight rides on modern fighter jets, my flight on the T-Bird will serve as a constant reminder of just how far US military aviation has come.

• There were some great TV shows in 2024, but only 15 earned a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
• The list includes a British spy series, a docuseries about Simone Biles, and a crime drama.
• Here are the shows that got 100% on Rotten Tomatoes in 2024.

2024 has been a solid year for television as shows like "House of the Dragon," "Fallout," and "Baby Reindeer" got audiences talking.

But while those three, in particular, were very successful, they didn't receive the hallowed 100% rating on the reviews aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes. ("Baby Reindeer" got 99%)

Instead, the list of perfect scorers includes a British Apple TV+ show about hapless MI5 spies, an animated series based on "League of Legends," and a crime drama based on books by Michael Connelly.

Here are all the shows that received a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Note: All scores were current on the date of publication.

"Slow Horses"

Synopsis: "A dysfunctional team of MI5 agents and their obnoxious boss, the notorious Jackson Lamb, navigate the espionage world's smoke and mirrors to defend England from sinister forces."

Critics' consensus: "The stakes get more personal than ever before in Slow Horses' superb fourth season, proving that this spy series is saddled up for the long haul with no signs of fatigue."

"Pachinko"

Synopsis: "The hopes and dreams of a Korean immigrant family across four generations as they leave their homeland in an indomitable quest to survive and thrive.

Critics' consensus: "Pachinko's second season continues the travails and triumphs of the Baek family with ever-expanding breadth without missing a beat, further cementing this soulful series as one of television's best."

"Arcane: League of Legends" season two

Synopsis: "The origins of two League champions, set in the utopian Piltover and the oppressed underground of Zaun."

Critics' consensus: "Expansive in scope while hurtling towards the endgame at a rollicking pace, Arcane's second and final season is a supremely satisfying capper to an epic saga."

"Heartstopper" season three

Synopsis: "Teens Charlie and Nick discover their unlikely friendship might be something more as they navigate school and young love."

Critics' consensus: "Heartstopper maintains its ooey gooey goodness while still allowing its young protagonists to grow in this fun, loving new season."

"Matlock"

Synopsis: "Brilliant septuagenarian Madeline 'Matty' Matlock, who, after achieving success in her younger years, decides to rejoin the workforce at a prestigious law firm where she uses her unassuming demeanor and wily tactics to win cases and expose corruption from within."

Critics' consensus: "Case closed -- this Matlock reboot is a winner thanks to the ever reliable Kathy Bates and the intriguing wrinkle it puts on the legendary series' original concept."

"Girls5eva"

Synopsis: "When a one-hit-wonder girl group from the 1990s gets sampled by a young rapper, its members reunite to give their pop star dreams one more shot -- this time while balancing spouses, kids, jobs, debt, aging parents, and shoulder pain."

Critics' consensus: "Sustaining a high note with enough finesse to go platinum, Girls5Eva's third season is just as daffy and jubilant as the first two."

"Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos"

Synopsis: "Acclaimed filmmaker Alex Gibney delves deep into the psyche of renowned Sopranos creator and writer, David Chase, to illuminate his life and career while offering a unique window into his unparalleled work on the iconic program.

Critics' consensus: "A thorough dissection of The Sopranos that gleans insight into both its production process and creator David Chase himself, 'Wise Guy' is essential viewing for fans of one of television's landmarks."

"Colin From Accounts"

Synopsis: "Ashley and Gordon are brought together by a car accident and an injured dog, and learn to navigate life together while showing their true selves, scars and all.

Critics' consensus: "Retaining its first season's laidback charms without resting on its hind legs, Colin from Accounts' second outing is as cranky, funny, and delightful as ever.

"Supacell"

Synopsis: "In South London, a group of normal people suddenly develop superpowers, and the only apparent connection between them is that they are all Black; as they deal with the impact of their powers on their daily lives, one man must bring them together."

Critics' consensus: "Finding a fresh approach to the superhero genre, Supacell works as both a savvy social commentary and satisfying entertainment."

"Such Brave Girls" season two

Synopsis: "Single mother Deb and her two daughters, Josie and Billie, attempt to piece their lives back together after their narcissistic father and husband finally leaves them."

Critics' consensus: "Painfully funny and sometimes just downright painful, Such Brave Girls is a spiky showcase for its trio of stars.

"Simone Biles: Rising"

Synopsis: "Simone Biles, the gymnastics superstar, withdrew from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to mental health concerns; after a hiatus, she embarked on a journey to rebuild her skills and mental fortitude, preparing for her triumphant return."

Critics' consensus: "Pairing the visual spectacle of Simon Biles' prowess with intimate insight into what makes her tick, Rising is an outstanding portrait of a champion."

"The Lincoln Lawyer" season three

Synopsis: "Idealistic lawyer Mickey Haller runs practice out of the back of his Lincoln Town Car, taking on cases big and small across Los Angeles."

What critics said: Rotten Tomatoes doesn't have a critics' consensus for the show, but the reviews it included said "The Lincoln Lawyer" packs enough twists into season three without trying to overdo things. It knows that it's a slick procedural series and it has fun exploring its core cast through the lens of a dramatic mystery.

"Geek Girl"

Synopsis: "Awkward teen Harriet strives to fit in, then she gets scouted by a top London model agent and learns that some people are meant to stand out."

What critics said: "Geek Girl" also doesn't have a critics' consensus, but the reviews praised the series for its wholesome Cinderella-like storyline. Some critics also applauded Emily Carey for her lovably awkward performance as Harriet Manners.

"Delicious in Dungeon"

Synopsis: "Adventurers make a foray into a cursed buried kingdom to save their friend, cooking up a storm along the way."

What critics said: Despite not having a critics' consensus, the reviews suggest that "Delicious in Dungeon" is a delightful watch and never takes itself too seriously, while also building out its world in an interesting way.

"House of Ninjas"

Synopsis: "Years after retiring from their formidable ninja lives, a dysfunctional family must return to shadowy missions to counteract a string of looming threats."

What critics said: The handful of reviews praised "House of Ninjas" for deconstructing a typical family dynamic through the lens of being warriors. Some said that it does struggle to balance its darker themes with moments of romance.

• Bogus health advice is widespread online, and often follows a few strategies.
• Misinformation can harm a person's physical and mental health.
• Look out for big claims and conspiratorial tones, Dr. Idrees Mughal advised.

A doctor who challenges nutrition misinformation online and wrote a book about common tricks, listed red flags to look out for.

Health misinformation can cause real damage to physical and mental health so it's crucial to learn how to spot it, said Dr. Idrees Mughal, a medical doctor with a master's degree in nutritional research.

Mughal was speaking last month at an online nutrition misinformation conference hosted by the Royal College of Medicine and the nutrition organization Nutritank.

It's impossible to be knowledgeable about all health claims, but being able to spot patterns can help you spot fakery, Mughal said.

He are his three red flags:

Absolute language

Words like "most," "top," "worst," "best," "always," and "never" do not belong in health advice because they don't consider individual differences, Mughal said. "No one who is truly evidence-based would use terms like these."

People have different needs and goals, and no one ingredient or diet can be the top way to eat for the whole population, he said.

Take nuts for example: They are a good source of fiber, protein, and healthy fats, and some studies suggest that eating them regularly is linked to longevity. But nut allergies are widespread, and can be fatal — so the advice won't work for everyone.

A quick fix

"The promise of a quick fix is always a massive red flag," Mughal said.

People are much more receptive to things that can be done fast. Silver-bullet-type content tends to garner more engagements, clicks, and likes, he said.

But chronic diseases that can be impacted by our lifestyle choices, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, require a long-term lifestyle management treatment plan. "If you didn't develop them overnight, you're not going to fix them overnight," he said.

Creating an 'us versus them' mentality

Health misinformation can undermine public health and lead to mistrust in medical professionals, Mughal said.

Some wellness influencers leverage this mistrust to market themselves and create an "us versus them" mentality, he said.

Rather than providing evidence-based information, they might say things like, "The healthcare industry doesn't want you to know this. I'm about to let you in on a huge secret," which frames them as an expert with hidden knowledge, he said. At the same time, it encourages you to distrust the more established authorities

"It's a very kind of predatory wellness marketing tactic," Mughal said.