• Trump's tariffs on China could mean higher prices for wedding dresses.
• Some 90% of wedding gowns are made in China.
• David's Bridal says it's working to shift production outside China to avoid the added costs.

As if planning a wedding wasn't already stressful enough, President Donald Trump's trade war could make it even pricier to say "I do."

The Trump administration has issued a combined 145% tariff on many imports from China, where the vast majority of wedding dresses are produced.

That means the average wedding dress — which retails for about $2,000, according to a survey by The Knot, a wedding planning site — could end up more than twice as expensive if retailers pass the additional costs down to the consumer.

Bridal retailers told Business Insider that the tariffs have been a huge disruption to their industry. The National Bridal Retailers Association, which represents over 6,000 independent brick-and-mortar bridal stores around the United States, said as many as 90% of bridal gowns are produced in China.

"The overriding feeling is despair," Angie Oven, a bridal shop owner and president of the NBRA, told BI after a meeting she held with 75 of the group's members. "There's a little bit of PTSD right now because a lot of us really just recovered from COVID."

Oven, who owns The Bridal Gallery in Salem, Oregon, said shops are working closely with manufacturers to find solutions. The group is also appealing to lawmakers to push for bridal gowns to be added to a tariff exemption list.

"Our No. 1 goal is to be removed from the tariff list," Sandra Gonzalez, vice president of NBRA and owner of Sparkle Bridal Couture in Sacramento, said.

Although Americans often associate China with cheap goods, bridal shop owners said the quality of dresses produced in China at scale is remarkable, from the lace to the boning to the sometimes 10,000 beads handsewn onto the gowns.

"We do not have the infrastructure to produce the quality of goods that brides are demanding of us," Gonzalez said. "To build the factories and train the people, that would take a whole generation."

Price increases and uncertainty

Alicia Adams, owner of Her's Bridal & Special Occasion in Minden, Louisiana, said the price of gowns is already going up. Some manufacturers are raising the wholesale price of gowns by as much as 30%, while others are, at least for now, trying to absorb the cost.

"Now that it's over 100%, obviously those manufacturers and designers aren't able to absorb those costs," she told BI. "They're going to have to pass it down to us, which means we would have to pass it down to our brides."

Adams said some bridal stores might try to absorb the costs, but at the current tariff rate, it likely won't be feasible. Some might instead absorb 50% and then pass the other half on to shoppers.

Complicating the situation is that many bridal gowns are made-to-order, meaning some brides have already picked out and paid for dresses now being produced abroad. When those gowns are delivered, they could be hit with a huge tariff for which the bride or the bridal shop never planned.

Vanessa Gerstner, whose wedding is this September in Italy, told BI she's waiting for a dress she ordered in November to arrive from Australia — where tariffs on imported goods are 10%.

"I'm hoping that I won't get another huge charge on top of what I've already paid, but since it is being shipped directly to me and not a bridal salon, I think, from my understanding, I would have to eat that cost," she said.

She said the additional fee "isn't terrible," especially compared to other brides who are now opting for cheaper dresses than they originally planned due to the increased tariff costs.

Bridal consultant Alina Garza, who works at One Bridal in Annapolis, Maryland, said in a video posted to TikTok last week that dress designers have already reached out to her to say they'll be raising prices by up to 20%. Two are US designers that source fabric from India and China, she later told BI by direct message.

One commenter said she was "not able to sleep over this" and planned to have items from China shipped to Mexico, where she would pick them up. Another said the factory making her dress has paused all shipments.

Shifting production out of China

Trump has said one of his motivations for the tariffs is to encourage more manufacturing in the United States. But while big bridal companies are considering shifting production out of China, they aren't necessarily looking at the United States.

Kelly Cook, CEO of David's Bridal, the largest wedding retailer in the United States, told BI that the company is not "tariff-proof" but "tariff-resilient," in part because it has 36 design and production facilities around the world, including in Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Myanmar.

In anticipation of tariffs, the company has been proactively shifting its production out of China over the past few months. Cook said the company has lowered its China-based production from 50% of its total just several months ago to 30% today.

The company is also working to help its partners, who primarily manufacture dresses in China, shift production to their facilities in countries that haven't been hit quite as hard by tariffs.

As of Friday, Cook said David's Bridal had not raised prices. "We want to do everything in our power not to pass anything on to the customer," she told BI.

The smaller bridal shops said they were also working with their manufacturers to avoid passing on costs to brides, but the longer the high tariffs remain, the harder that will be. Still, they said many bridal shops now have plenty of gowns in store that brides could take home, free of tariffs.

Adams, who owns the shop in Louisiana, said it's still too soon to tell how severe the impact will be and that she didn't want to cause fear among brides. "We don't want to freak people out and then a month later everything goes back to normal," she said.

Still, Adams is also concerned that if tariffs do raise prices, it could deter brides from visiting their local brick-and-mortar bridal stores, many of which are longtime fixtures on their local main street.

"We hope people in Washington will give a little," she said. "They don't want people to not get married and not celebrate life moments."

Several companies have made it clear to U.S. customers that price rises are a result of the Trump administration's tariff agenda.

Liverpool will face West Ham United in a Premier League matchup on Sunday, and you can catch all the action live with FuboTV.

Wolverhampton will face Tottenham in a Premier League matchup on Sunday, and you can catch all the action live on Peacock.

Chelsea will face Ipswich in a Premier League matchup on Sunday, and you can catch all the action live on Peacock.

The T-shirt, created by U.S. designer Conner Ives, has been worn by the likes of Troye Sivan and Pedro Pascal.

The agency responsible for managing the country's retirement system is now in the immigration enforcement business.

Why it matters: President Trump's aggressive deportation push is fast becoming a whole-of-government campaign.

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Driving the news: There are hundreds of thousands of immigrants in the U.S. with "temporary parole" status — granted through various Biden-era programs. They received Social Security numbers in order to work.

• A White House official tells Axios the Department of Homeland Security identified more than 6,300 of these folks who, they say, are on the FBI terrorist watch list, or with FBI criminal records.
• The Social Security agency moved their names into its "Death Master File," a database of dead people. They have since renamed the file the "Ineligible Master File."

Zoom in: Inside the Social Security Administration, officials worry that people will be mistakenly added to the list, upending their lives.

• "Some agency staff have since checked the names and Social Security numbers of some of the youngest immigrants against data the agency typically uses to search for criminal history and found no evidence of crimes or law enforcement interactions," staffers told WashPost.

Between the lines: Getting on this list by mistake can wreak havoc on someone's life — employers, landlords, credit agencies, and insurers all check it.

• Americans who've been accidentally declared dead have lost health insurance coverage.
• The idea is to force people out of the country. "President Trump promised mass deportations," says spokeswoman Liz Huston. "And by removing the monetary incentive for illegal aliens to come and stay, we will encourage them to self-deport."

Getting off the list isn't easy. "There's a whole 'I'm not dead' routine that goes to the agency's processing centers," Marcela Escobar-Alava, the agency's former chief information officer, told Axios earlier this month.

• The centers are backlogged, and recent staffing cuts will likely make that worse, she says.

Catch up quick: Social Security isn't the only non-immigration agency now involved in the immigration crackdown.

• The Internal Revenue Service reached an agreement last Monday with the Department of Homeland Security to share the tax information of undocumented immigrants with immigration authorities.

Zoom out: The President has vowed not to cut Social Security benefits. Instead, the White House argues its plan is to increase benefits by eliminating income taxes on cash benefits, a boost to retirees checks.

• The White House official also said the agency is developing "AI-powered tools to handle simple tasks like password changes and benefit notifications." That would free-up more staff to work on more complex cases, they said.

Yes, but: In February, the agency announced it would cut 7,000 employees. Many top career officials with decades of experience have left; more took "deferred resignation" offers, while others are being reassigned into new roles.

• Some of these folks might not be qualified to carry those roles out, worries one current employee who's been with the agency for nearly a decade,
• "It's not even like walking on eggshells," said this staffer, who asked for anonymity fearing retaliation. "It's more like walking on broken glass."

• My husband wanted to retire early, so I agreed to do the same, but I hated it.
• I went back to work while my husband remained retired and focused on saving money.
• Since I wanted to keep spending money, we often fought until we made a compromise.

I recently watched a webinar and was ready to push the "count me in" button and spend $3,000 on the program. However, I restrained myself because I value my marriage.

Dave and I used to be in sync as entrepreneurs. We ran his accounting firm and my consulting company out of the same office. We went to lunch daily, where we would share our goals, challenges, and wins. We freely spent money on business, pleasure, and family.

Dave loved his clients but not accounting itself, so he wanted to retire early at 55. I loved my clients and my work, so retirement was the last thing on my mind. But when Dave was ready, I agreed to give it a try.

It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.

I retired with my husband, left the city, and started a new life

We went full-on with the retirement experience. We moved to a remote mountain ranch covered in redwoods, got three dogs, raised peacocks and chickens, bought a horse for our daughter, and took long walks in the woods.

Dave built fun things like a library, a teepee, a fully plumbed outhouse, and a gazebo nestled in the trees for our spa. He was in heaven.

I loved the lifestyle, but at 50, I missed the challenge of consulting and the satisfaction of teaching. Trees are great to look at, but they make lousy seminar participants and block the internet. My frustration was growing.

Retirement wasn't working for me

Dave called one morning. He was emptying our office and said, "I'm just going to get rid of all your training room chairs."

The words stabbed like a knife through my heart, and I lost it. I realized what that meant and fell into a chair, moaning that my life was over. No more clients, no more seminars, no more networking, no more anything — except trees, trees, and more trees.

Dave was dumbfounded. He said, "But we agreed to this." I told him I'd honor our agreement, but I didn't know how I could be happy letting my calling die in the woods.

He decided that we should move back to the city since I wanted to get back into action.

I was stunned. I knew how much he loved the mountain ranch, but I was grateful for the suggestion and agreed. We turned the ranch into a VRBO rental and returned to the city.

Back in the city, I restarted my business, our daughter went to school, and Dave continued his retired lifestyle. Retirement didn't just affect his activity level; it affected his mindset about money.

My husband is now in money-saving mode, while I want to spend

When we were both making money and could easily make more when we needed it, he was much less miserable. Now that he is on Social Security, he wants to spend almost nothing and make sure we have enough money to live on until we die.

My focus is the opposite. I don't want to hunker down. I want to expand. I see the business landscape changing at the speed of light, and I want to take every course, attend every conference, subscribe to every newspaper and magazine, and try every new gadget. All of these things take money.

When I first started rebuilding, Dave let me loot our retirement account, but then he put his foot down, and fireworks flew. After having the first real fights of our marriage, we finally came to a truce.

We agreed that I would no longer touch our nest egg, but I can spend anything I currently earn in any way I want. I only touch one bank account we set aside for my income and expenses. He handles everything else as if we are both retired.

I like to think that I'm the kite, and he's the string. It works for us.

• About 10 years ago, my husband and I decided to try homesteading.
• We wanted to be self-sufficient and moved to a 93-acre farm in rural Maine.
• Over time, we realized that it was harder than we thought and didn't actually save us money.

In 2015, my husband and I packed up our belongings — including half a dozen geese and a library of self-sufficiency how-tos — and moved our lives from two acres in a coastal suburb to a 93-acre farm in rural Maine.

My dream was to create a self-reliant life. Having grown up on stories of rural heroes from Thoreau to the Nearings, I wanted to embody an alternative to the life paths I observed around me. I did not want to climb any corporate ladders or buy into consumer culture. Instead, I believed I could scratch a more unconventional lifestyle out of Maine's rocky soil.

We started with chickens but realized that wouldn't actually lower the price of eggs

Like many beginning homesteaders, I was blissfully unaware of the cost of the lifestyle. In my mind, and according to all the books I read, we could reduce our income needs by limiting our expenses and cutting out 'wasteful' spending, like nights out and new clothes. Our needs would be further reduced by cutting out trips to the grocery store, instead growing our own food.

I knew that we would not be immediately self-sufficient. In fact, until the pandemic made working from home a necessity, I commuted in to work on rural country roads throughout our life on the homestead.

We started with chickens, like many other homesteaders do. Chickens have always been the 'gateway livestock' because they are small and easy to house, it's not hard to find someone to take care of chickens if you leave for the weekend, and chicks are relatively inexpensive at your local Tractor Supply. These days, chickens are more popular than they have ever been. With the price of eggs soaring, people believe that they can get 'free eggs' by putting some chickens in their backyard.

The problem is that chickens are actually a terrible way to get cheaper eggs. Over our years of homesteading, we learned that the costs to house, feed, and care for a few backyard chickens far outweigh the cost of simply paying for eggs, even at current record-breaking high prices. When we looked at our budget, we realized we were always paying more for chicken feed than we were saving on eggs.

Not only that, we quickly learned that chickens prefer to lay in spring and summer and sometimes don't provide eggs all winter, and they seemed to be a magnet for predators that would find any crack in the coop and decimate our flock. Birds can also be a health risk — we eventually lost our flock to Avian Flu in the spring of 2022, a disease that has grown more threatening to humans over the years.

The majority of our livestock choices ran us into similar problems. In order to get milk from goats, you have to breed them. That meant that every year, our Nigerian Dwarf goat would give birth to between one and five kids, and because we did not want an ever-expanding herd, we needed to sell them. The problem was, this was always a struggle; this adorable goat breed had become very popular, and every homesteader nearby had goat kids for sale. Visits from the vet were necessary to keep our herd healthy, and fencing was an ongoing cost — the saying among farmers is that a fence that can hold water can hold a goat. Because of their escape antics, goats also proved ineffectual at clearing brush, the fringe benefit we hoped they'd offer.

It's harder to be self-sufficient than I thought

My perspective on homesteading at the beginning may have been naive, but it was reinforced by countless homesteading writers and influencers who promote the lifestyle as sustainable. It took years for me to accept the realities of farm life. In the summer months, it was easy to replace many groceries with homegrown produce, but in winter, stored root vegetables and pickles became tiresome. While our animals did help us manage our land, they never did the work the way equipment could or saved us backbreaking labor. Few, if any, homesteads are truly self-sufficient. And those that are often only manage such a lifestyle through a radical lifestyle.

Even Thoreau — seen by many as the father of the self-reliance movement thanks to his seminal work Walden — had his mother do his laundry for him while he was living 'self-sufficiently' at Walden Pond. The Nearings relied on a steady stream of eager apprentices and income from books and speaking tours. A self-sufficient life did not mean frolicking with baby goats in the green fields. Instead, we learned the hard way that it looked more like spending early mornings injecting sick goats with medications, and crawling out of bed in the middle of the night to stoke the wood stove.

We had never expected it to be easy, but the continuous growth of to-do lists and tasks made it feel that for every bit of progress, there was more work to be done. Working constantly to keep up with our projects meant little time for anything else, from family and friends to pleasurable or intellectual leisure activities.

Some homesteaders I knew found lucrative side hustles, like promoting the lifestyle on social media or through writing, or happened upon another niche that provided income. For us, and most others, permaculture farm and small-scale livestock husbandry did not provide a livable wage. True self-sufficiency — the romantic vision of living off the land with little need for external income — proved to be an illusion.

Today, we still live on our remote farm. We keep a garden and even have a few goats that we neither breed nor milk but have as pets. We enjoy watching those goats kick about the yard and eat fresh fruit when it is in season, but we no longer strive to depend only on ourselves.

In the end, the real lesson of our time on the farm wasn't how to be self-reliant, but how to balance ideals with reality. And perhaps, most importantly, it taught me that rejecting one system doesn't mean escaping work — it just means choosing a different kind of labor.

• My parents divorced after 19 years of marriage.
• I had a hard time accepting that people I loved so dearly could grow to hate each other so much.
• Several years after the divorce, my parents moved in together and it's reshaped my view of love.

My divorced parents live together. It's something I used to be ashamed of and lie about whenever people would ask.

I'd say they lived separately or simply pretended they were still married. Now, I own it.

I don't know if this arrangement between my parents will last forever, but I'm happy they've found a way to make it work.

My parents lived apart for several years following the divorce

My parents divorced after 19 years of marriage when I was 17 and my sister was 10. It was a difficult time for everyone.

I found it hard to accept the idea that people I loved so dearly could grow so hateful toward one another.

The only thing that gave me solace was knowing they would no longer live together, so their arguments wouldn't ring through our adolescent ears.

My sister and I could try to have a relationship with both of them, separately and without bias. This, of course, took a while to achieve.

For the first few years after their divorce, me and my sister were in a constant battle of taking "sides." At one point, it felt like a competition of who — my mom or dad — could survive divorce better.

The financial struggle was apparent on both sides, and the resentment had overpowered everything of the happy life they once knew together.

Then, the pandemic hit.

My mom, a front-line nurse, developed debilitating long COVID and lost her job and income.

When my mom fell on hard times, it was my dad's idea to let her move into his home temporarily for a maximum of six months. Those six months have turned into four years.

At first, my sister and I felt like we were going through a second divorce

When our dad made the initial offer to our mom to move back in, my sister, who was living with my dad, and I — who lived out of state but came home often for monthslong stays in summer and winter — were beside ourselves.

At first, things were as you would expect for two divorcees living together.

They couldn't be in the kitchen at the same time. The fights were reminiscent of what we'd hear during their marriage.

It felt like we were going through a second divorce. However, within the second year, the situation started to improve.

In 2022, we even had Christmas dinner as a family for the first time in 10 years.

My mom made her famous lasagna and we watched "White Christmas" together in the family room.

They still have completely separate lives

Four years after they moved back in together, my parents are still divorced, and the divide between them is still there.

They have their own social circles and don't often hang out together unless me and my sister are present.

However, it's interesting to watch how preferences from 19 years of marriage can never fade.

My mom doesn't think twice before switching over my dad's laundry, and he always brings home an extra slab of ribs when he runs to Portillos, my mom's favorite meal.

It took a while for them to find the proper boundaries to make this living arrangement work, but eventually, they found a decent enough common ground.

I don't know if this situation will last forever, but it's shaped how I look at love

I never thought I would have hope when speaking about my parents' relationship.

Growing up, I always had a preserved idea of love. I would frequently ask myself, "Where does the love go?"

However, since my parents have learned how to cohabit, I've learned that love doesn't leave, it just changes shape, no matter the resentment or hatred that might be attached.

Although sometimes dysfunctional, their care for one another has found ways to overpower the hate.

I never thought I would experience the day where I looked at this situation as convenient. Yet, here I am, feeling lucky that I got both my parents back.

I now come home for the holidays to one family in one house. A reminder that love has the power to evolve into something that can still surprise and inspire.

• 42-year-old Vanessa Voss purchased a Cybertruck last year to help advertise her business.
• In the last two weeks, she and her business have received threats online, over the phone, and on Reddit.
• Voss spent $436 on a self-defense course for her office and directed her employees to leave before dark.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Vanessa Voss, a 42-year-old business owner living in Tacoma, Washington. Business Insider has verified her identity and recent harassment. This story has been edited for length and clarity.

Last year, we purchased a Cybertruck for solely business purposes.

It has our logo and branding on it, along with my photo on the front. We also have a Silverado and a Jeep Cherokee that is wrapped in my logo. It just made sense then to buy a vehicle that allowed further marketing and advertising for our business.

I'm the owner of Voss Insurance Group, an agency that helps people navigate retirement and transition to Medicare. We don't work for the federal government but we facilitate enrolling people in prescription drug coverage, Medicare supplements, and Medicare Advantage.

Part of what my agency does is do a lot of branding and advertising related to the enrollment and Medicare process by offering free guidance and local services.

The purchase was made before people set Cybertrucks on fire or took strong political stances on Tesla. The edges of the vehicle are flat and it allows for enough description and visual components to increase our branding.

As of two weeks ago, we have been harassed online, over the phone, and via email for having a Cybertruck.

Now, me and my business are under attack

The very first phone call that I received was from a gentleman saying that he was going to kill me.

The blocked caller also told me that I am a Nazi, cussed me out, and said I should kill myself. That day, I received a total of 12 phone calls, some of which were blocked and others that weren't.

I filed a police report over the phone after the initial death threat. I tried to report every number that called and we are still documenting calls and voicemails. There's not a lot the police can do as far as harassment unless someone shows up at our home or at our business and becomes violent. A police sergeant I'm friendly with recommended that I keep the Cybertruck in my garage until things subside though.

The calls have continued, although they've died down a little since that first weekend. The callers leave voicemails saying I should be embarrassed, that we need to take the trash out, and that I'm going to need a warranty because something is going to happen to it.

They even posted a picture of my vehicle in the driveway of my residence on Reddit so that people could further attack us on social media.

We also received three really terrible Google reviews and two on Yelp. We spent hours trying to get them removed and eventually were able to.

Most of the calls are directed at me, but some of my employees have also experienced harassment. One of my agents was speaking to someone who originally seemed interested in buying insurance and then started sending replies to her emails that were very vulgar.

We received a call this week from a gentleman who threatened to spread the word about my business negatively to the community. He was treated with professionalism but we did have to hang up on him for tying up our phone lines.

I believe it's a coordinated attempt since different people have been calling. They all communicate similarly, saying things like, "We'll tell everyone" or "We'll spread the word about you."

I hired a self-defense instructor to come to my office

I don't feel like I'm at the point where I am scared for my life, but I am certainly taking precautions to protect my staff. We are an office of four women and our building rests right on a busy street.

Soon after the harassment began, I paid $436 for a two-hour self-defense session. The instructor is scheduled to come to my office to teach my staff self-defense tactics in the event that the situation becomes violent, or if people physically show up here at my office or at my home. The session will focus on a number of methods including verbal de-escalation, active shooter and intruder response training, and escape from common holds.

My employees are a little uneasy. I work really hard to give them a really safe environment and make them feel welcome, but we can't control what society does. We had a conversation about protecting ourselves in the office and leaving before it's dark. We also made sure to tint the windows in the Cybertruck so people can't physically see us, although my husband is the one who drives it.

I feel disheartened

I am very disheartened by the fact that people think it's okay to attack any individual.

Under no circumstance is it okay to harass an individual. I don't think that these people really understand the role we play in helping people with Medicare and retirement. They're just assuming that we're adding to what's going on from a political stance.

If Social Security or Medicare were to dissolve, I would be the first out of a job. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense for me to support one way or the other. I just want to help people with Medicare and make sure that people who are retired have some peace of mind.

We all have opportunities and careers, but that doesn't mean we agree with everything that happens in the world.

I'm just more baffled than anything. These are behaviors exhibited by grown adults, which blows my mind. There is no level of respect that these people are giving us without even reaching out and getting our side of the story. It's just straight attack mode, which is really unfortunate.

I haven't considered selling the Cybertruck because it takes a whole lot of courage to consistently grow and work and strive really hard to be successful in business and help the community. I am not one that will be bullied. I'm just not going to allow a group of people to bully me into actually trading in my vehicle.

"In February of last year, I earned five figures by live-streaming daily," the high school teacher told Newsweek.

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

Welcome back to our Sunday edition, where we round up some of our top stories and take you inside our newsroom. Aspiring entrepreneurs, take note: A new AI startup founded by Yale students aims to compete with LinkedIn — and we got a hold of the pitch deck it used to raise $3 million.

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On the agenda today:

• Her father created Spider-Man. She was cut off from the Marvel empire.
• Microsoft is mulling job cuts that could happen as early as next month.
• Trump is reviled from Canada to China. American tourists are paying the price.
• Our reporter visited Hooters and saw why the chain is facing bankruptcy.

But first: House hunting is about to change.

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

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This week's dispatch

The Great Zillow Zap

Many of us lurk on real estate portals like Zillow and Redfin, even if just for fun. Now, users are coming across properties on these sites that appear to be "off-market" but are actually for sale … if you know where to look.

Our housing reporter extraordinaire James Rodriguez published a must-read story this week about how new rules for real estate agents are pushing listings away from catch-all platforms toward exclusive brokerage sites. I sat down with James to learn more — and to get his prediction for what's next in the housing market.

James, this week you wrote about changes that mean fewer home listings are making it onto sites like Zillow, or are taking longer to land there. That's no fun for lurkers! But overall, does this shift benefit buyers, sellers, both or neither?

Buyers are, for sure, the big losers: They just want to see all the homes available for sale, and it's getting tougher to do that. For sellers, they might benefit from a private test run within a brokerage before their property hits very public Zillow. But Zillow says it will penalize sellers who try to do this, and there is certainly a benefit to reaching the widest possible range of buyers. The true winners will be the big brokers and agents who end up controlling access to listings and boosting their bottom lines.

In the last year or so, the rules around brokerage commissions and listings have changed — are home buyers and sellers truly better off? Or not so much?

The short answer is not really. The status quo is hard to overcome: Agent commissions are roughly the same, and consumers are confused about all the new rules (or don't even know about them). That said, as the news continues to spread, there will be more opportunities for savvy buyers and sellers to negotiate better outcomes. That's why I've spent a lot of time breaking down these changes and what they mean for the average person.

You wrote in October that it looked like the housing market would de-freeze by spring. How is that prediction working out?

There are definitely some bright spots. Buyers have a lot more options this spring: I wrote that inventory would be the big figure to watch, and the number of homes for sale in March was up almost 30% from a year ago. But both sides are, understandably, cautious right now: The typical mortgage rate jumped this week to around 7%, and there's a lot of economic uncertainty, to put it mildly. Stay tuned!

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Growing up Marvel

JC Lee has been widely portrayed as the villain of the Stan Lee story: the spoiled, impossible child who exploited her father, then failed to protect him in his final years.

People close to JC and her father tell a different story. "The main thing JC inherited from her father is she has a real knack for surrounding herself with con men," one of Stan's closest confidants said. Now, JC is ready to tell her side of the story.

The tumultuous life of Stan Lee's only child.

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Microsoft mulls more job cuts

Another round of Microsoft cuts could come as soon as May, focusing on middle managers, non-coders, and more low performers, according to people familiar with the matter.

It's unclear how many roles will be slashed. However, some Microsoft organizations want to increase their "span of control" and decrease the ratio of product managers or program managers to engineers, sources told BI.

Inside layoff discussions.

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Make America Hated Again

As spring and summer vacations roll in, some American tourists are finding an unseasonally icy welcome abroad. Treated with awkwardness, pity, or straight-up hostility, they're starting to rethink their travel plans.

For American expats, their home country becoming the global frenemy means some conversations about President Trump are unavoidable. Even when Americans leave the US, its politics follow them.

Warning: traveling while American.

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What happened to Hooters?

Hooters of America filed for bankruptcy in March. BI's Alex Bitter went to one location to find out why. He said the signature tank tops hadn't gone anywhere, and the fries were underwhelming.

Hooters is known for its scantily clad waitresses, but the CEO of the chain's founding group wants to make the restaurants more family-friendly.

So long, "Bikini Nights."

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This week's quote:

"I've been concerned about Elon Musk back since he was at PayPal, and then with the purchase and dismantling of Twitter."

— Actor Alex Winter, who helped kick-start the global Tesla Takedown movement.

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More of this week's top reads:

• America is about to become one giant yard sale.
• Elon Musk's xAI is hiring workers to push its chatbot Grok to the limit.
• Mira Murati doubled the fundraising target for her new AI startup to $2 billion. It could be the largest seed round in history.
• Canada has billions in US real estate. Trump's threats put that at risk.
• A new wave of tech investors is supercharging a boom in female founders.
• MrBeast wants to build the next Disney. Here's what his company's CEO is pitching to investors.

• Jensen Huang shot down comparisons to Elon Musk and yelled at his biographer. The author told BI what Huang is like.

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

• Business Insider spoke to 6 cybersecurity recruiters about the top names to have on your résumé.
• Recruiters said the companies can vary depending on the sector of cybersecurity you work in.
• Recruiters mentioned Palo Alto Networks, the NSA, Big Tech, and the Big Four consulting firms.

If you work in cybersecurity, having the right skill set is a top priority — but having a strong name on your résumé doesn't hurt.

Domini Clark, founder and CEO of Blackmere Consulting, told Business Insider that "it's not terribly important" for entry-level candidates to have the most well-known names on their résumés. In fact, working for small companies can sometimes help provide a broader understanding of the space.

But as you climb the career ladder, Clark said a well-known company can provide "credibility" and indicate strong leadership experience exposure to handling enterprise problems.

While success in some tech career paths can be closely tied to the major tech giants or FAANG companies, cybersecurity can offer more versatility since it's integrated across almost every industry. Many companies have their own internal cybersecurity teams, for example, which means professionals in the field aren't limited to working at firms specializing in cybersecurity.

Business Insider spoke to six cybersecurity recruiting experts to hear which companies are considered the most powerful names to have on your résumé. Several mentioned that while there are big names in the industry, the right skills and experience are the top indicators of talent.

Recruiters also told BI that what is considered a top name depends largely on the sector of cybersecurity.

"A chemical company would be less interested in someone coming from Meta," said Brent Stokes, director of recruiting at staff company Blue Signal Search. In that case, an industry-specific company like Westlake would be of more interest.

Here's what recruiters said.

• You probably know Blake Lively from her roles in "Gossip Girl" and "It Ends With Us."
• She's also famous for her standout fashion, which she's worn at the Met Gala, premieres, and more.
• That said, Lively has missed the mark with a handful of her outfits.

In addition to being a Hollywood name and the subject of countless headlines, Blake Lively is also a style star.

The 37-year-old actor has been making fashion statements since the start of her career, from dramatic Met Gala moments to streetwear that pushes the envelope.

And many of her outfits have been stunning — even iconic. Others, however, could have been better.

Here's a look at the best and worst looks she's worn so far.

Economic Impact Payments were sent out to American taxpayers during the coronavirus pandemic.

• Kasia Kovacs moved to Budapest from the States in her 20s and then to London five years ago.
• She was born to Hungarian and Polish parents in the US, but doesn't plan on moving back.
• Kovacs loves living in London regardless of the relatively high income tax and lower wages.

I'm the daughter of immigrants, born and raised in the US.

Seven years ago, I scrapped the American dream and moved back to the continent my parents left just before I was born.

I lived in Budapest for two years, improving my language skills and connecting with my family in Hungary and Poland. Then, in 2020, I moved to London.

Recently, several other Americans have had a similar idea.

Google searches for "dual citizenship," "expat," and "citizenship by ancestry" spiked the week after Donald Trump won the US election in November.

The UK Home Office released data in March showing that 6,100 US citizens applied for UK citizenship in 2024. 1,700 of the applications came in the last three months of the year, coinciding with Trump's reelection. This marked a significant jump from 2023 when fewer than 5,000 US citizens applied.

I've been in the UK for nearly five years — which means I can apply for British citizenship next year — and I've learned a lot about living as an American emigrant in that time.

Moving to the UK may not be the most financially savvy move

Wages are on average lower in the UK. In spring 2024, the median weekly salary in the US was $1,143, compared to $917 in the UK, according to data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and Office for National Statistics, respectively.

My friends ask how I make a smaller salary stretch in the city. London can be expensive if you want to live alone in an fancy area, but it doesn't need to be.

My lifestyle choices keep my costs manageable. I share a flat and walk, or take the bus wherever I go. I've learned which local pubs have the most affordable pints and rarely go to fancy restaurants.

I work in the news industry, and I was lucky enough to find both full-time jobs I've had in London within a few months. Ultimately, I didn't find job hunting more difficult in the UK than in the US. But it helped that I have a right to work in the UK with the pre-settled status I got through my EU citizenship.

There's another big financial factor to consider in the UK: taxes

In the US, you could pay anywhere from 10 to 37% in federal income tax; however, these jumps are incremental. In comparison, income tax ranges from 20 to 45% in the UK and 40% taxation applies to annual income over £51,271, around $65,750.

As an American citizen, I need to pay US tax on my UK income during the years when I don't qualify for the foreign-earned income exclusion. The silver lining to paying double tax is that I don't have to calculate and file my taxes in the UK; they are filed automatically through my employer.

I'm OK with paying the higher income tax rate in the UK because I know a good chunk of my taxes go to a social safety net, including the National Health Service (NHS), education, and welfare services.

I don't want to imply that the UK is a utopia.

For instance, the UK conservative party's austerity measures have hollowed out the NHS, leading to overworked doctors and long wait times. The current Labour government announced significant cuts to the welfare budget in March.

But in my day-to-day life, I appreciate the things my taxes fund: public transportation so I don't need a car, sidewalks, lots of green spaces so movement is integrated into my daily life and public healthcare. I also worry about my safety much less than when I was in the US.

For me, all this makes living in the UK worth it.

My life feels more fun and fulfilling on this side of the Atlantic

People often ask me when I plan to return to the US, the answer is: I don't. I feel like I live a good life here.

I love London. I have a much better work-life balance than in the US, so I can immerse myself in the city's history, parks, and pub culture.

My favorite time of year is summer when the sun appears, and the whole city vibrates with excitement for the European or World Cup football games — soccer to Americans.

I'm also grateful for the ease of travel. I've eaten tapas in Madrid on Thanksgiving, watched the sunrise in the Alps, and lounged in an Italian villa in the summer.

I try to keep my travel costs low by typically booking a budget airline and staying in modest accommodation or with family and friends.

The UK is a worthy travel destination too. There's a comprehensive train system that makes traveling around the country easy, and I often explore walking trails.

These aren't the hikes I'm used to in the US, but there's something charming about a long muddy walk ending with ice cream by the Cornish sea or a hot meal in a Lake District pub.

The key to feeling like you belong abroad is building community

Having lived in three countries during my adult life, I've learned a somewhat unwelcome secret: You must put yourself out there to meet people in a new place, even if it's nerve-racking.

I found some of my closest friends by showing up to meetups solo. I joined the 'London New Girl' Facebook group, attended events through a women's group called New Circle Society, and organized a meetup for fans of the Who Weekly podcast.

Over the years, strangers I've met at those events have become my community. I've grown to believe that cultivating meaningful relationships is a factor of a life well lived. These connections are part of the reason I'm staying put.

My advice for people considering living abroad is don't just think of it as a fresh start but as an opportunity to integrate yourself into another culture and community.

Sometimes, I wonder what life would have been like if I had stayed in the US. I miss my family and friends in America every day.

Truthfully, I feel more at home in the UK than I ever did in the US.

I feel lucky to make this choice — and anyone who can move abroad should acknowledge the value of that opportunity.

• I frequently travel from Los Angeles to Hong Kong to help care for my aging parents.
• I've made the trip five times in the last 12 months, leaving my own family behind.
• Caregiving across continents is challenging, but I'm happy that I'm able to help them.

Two days before Christmas, my brother called me in a panic. Our 86-year-old mother had suddenly become erratic and verbally abusive, and he needed help caring for her.

"Can you come?" he asked.

Listening to the weary tone in his voice, I knew I had to say yes.

Later that night, I was on a plane to Hong Kong, 7,200 miles from my home in Los Angeles. It was my fifth such trip in 12 months, crossing the Pacific to help care for my aging parents.

This last visit was especially challenging. I was leaving my children alone for the holidays, and I had purchased a one-way ticket, uncertain when I would return. I ended up staying for more than three months.

My trips home have become more frequent

In many respects, Hong Kong is my home. I was born there. My parents, originally from India, have lived there for decades. I moved to Los Angeles in 2000 after getting married.

For many years, I maintained only tenuous ties with my birthplace. Given the importance of the joint family tradition in our culture, my parents are fortunate to live with my brother, his wife, and their children. Like many parts of Southeast Asia, domestic help is relatively affordable, ensuring my parents are well cared for. Under those circumstances, I rarely returned in the years after I left.

But as they have aged, everything has changed. My brother and sister-in-law travel frequently and don't like to leave my parents without a family member despite their paid caregivers always being nearby. My other siblings have work commitments that prevent them from flying back and forth to lend a hand.

I am widowed. My sons are young adults, and I am not bound to a demanding job. So the responsibility in recent years has largely fallen on me.

I quickly started to leave my mark

A few days after I arrived in Hong Kong, I took my mother to a neurologist. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, which explained her aggressive and abrasive behavior. She was prescribed medication.

As a relative outsider, I was able to observe certain triggers and mitigate them. Dinner in our house had traditionally been served at 8:30 p.m., followed by some TV watching until at least 11, by which time my parents' nerves were often frayed.

I implemented a new schedule: dinner at 7:15 and lights out at 9:30. They argued at first but eventually relented. The difference was profound. Combined with effective medication, our home life was transformed.

But the process was difficult. My mother fell twice while I was there. My father, wheelchair-bound and nearly blind, struggled alongside her. Both have lost their hearing.

The activities that once brought them joy and united our family — long Sunday lunches at new restaurants, visits to relatives, and travel— are now beyond them. Their world has narrowed, and all they have is each other. Watching their decline is, for me, heartbreaking.

My family needs me, too

Meanwhile, my boys kept asking when I was coming home. In addition to missing the holidays with them, I also missed one son's birthday, college visits for the other, evacuations during the horrific fires in California, and the daily rhythm of our lives. The 15-hour time difference meant they would absentmindedly call me at 3 a.m. my time, not realizing I had been up for hours managing my parents' care.

I have already booked two more flights to Hong Kong in the coming months. As long as my parents are alive, I plan to return every few months, staying for weeks at a time. Caregiving for older parents is inherently challenging. Doing it across continents is infinitely more so. There is also the aching reality that the next time I go back, my mother may not recognize me.

Yet, despite the exhaustion and the sacrifices, I wouldn't have it any other way. When I was leaving Hong Kong to return to Los Angeles, my mother, despite her haze of confusion and forgetfulness, hugged me tightly, tears in her eyes, and said, "Thank you for everything." That was reward enough.

"If you don't know that [these are] stress signs, you may not know that your dog is trying to communicate with you," an expert said.

• Primark has a big presence in Europe, but it's now opening clothing stores in the US.
• The chain sells affordable items, putting it in competition with Old Navy and T.J. Maxx.
• I visited a Primark store in Virginia to see what it's like.

You've probably heard of T.J. Maxx or Forever 21 as places to buy cheap clothes.

But for US shoppers, Primark might not be a familiar name — yet.

The Ireland-based retailer has 460 stores globally, most in the UK and Europe. The company sells "affordable choices for everyone," according to its website. Owned by Associated British Foods, it has become as familiar a name in the UK for inexpensive clothing as Old Navy in the US.

It has also spent the past decade operating stores in the US, especially in the southern states, since opening its first American location in Boston.

Primark said that it had 29 stores in the US at the end of 2024 and plans to open more this year. Among them is an anticipated flagship store in Manhattan's Herald Square — not far from department store Macy's longtime home.

I wanted to see what shopping at Primark is like and whether it differentiates itself enough from other US stores that sell affordable clothing.

The concept makes sense — many shoppers have spent the last few years trying to save money and mitigate the effects of inflation on their budgets. However, several established retailers here in the US already cater to people trying to fill out their wardrobes at reasonable prices.

I went to a store in Virginia that Primark opened last year. Here's what I found: