• Short-term-rental site AirDNA revealed its new list of best places to invest in an Airbnb or Vrbo.
• AirDNA ranked cities on measures including occupancy, revenue growth, and home prices.
• Smaller spots with regional tourism and sectors that need temporary housing dominated the 2025 list.

The best place to start an Airbnb may not be a big-name destination like Jackson Hole, Aspen, or Palm Springs.

Instead, promising places to invest in short-term rentals usually have a combination of regional tourism and populations that are reliant on temporary housing, like traveling nurses or graduate students, according to Jamie Lane, an economist at analytics site AirDNA.

"The markets that do best have a mix," Lane told Business Insider.

Indeed, many of the top spots in AirDNA's new ranking of the best places in the US to invest in short-term rentals were midsize cities with affordable homes and growth potential. AirDNA evaluated places based on factors including how many nights per year current Airbnb and Vrbo listings were booked, growth in revenue per listing in the past year, and the cost of homes and apartments currently for sale.

Cracking the top 10 is Frankfort, Kentucky, a city of just 28,000 residents located an hour east of Louisville in the heart of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail — a short drive to a dozen famous distilleries, Lane said.

"While it seems like a small city, it's in the middle of a massive tourism industry," he told Business Insider.

Fairbanks, Alaska, which appeared on last year's list but jumped to the No. 2 position this year, has a robust summer travel market and a need for temporary housing for workers at nearby hospitals and a University of Alaska campus.

On a national level, the rate of new Airbnbs and Vrbos opening across the US has slowed after a post-pandemic surge. New listings grew only by 6.8% in 2024 from the year prior, compared to 14.4% in 2023 and 22.1% in 2022, AirDNA data showed.

New hosts may also face crackdowns as cities continue to rewrite the rules on short-term rentals in attempts to preserve housing affordability for locals. Lane said places including Oahu, Hawaii, were dropped from the list due to their especially tight rules for Airbnbs and Vrbos.

Here are the top 11 cities that AirDNA highlighted as the best places to invest in an Airbnb or Vrbo in 2025.

For each place, we included the projected average revenue potential, the previous year's listing growth in that city, and the annual occupancy rate, all according to AirDNA. From Redfin, we sourced each city's median sale price for homes to get a sense of how much an investment property might cost.

11. Montgomery, Alabama

Average revenue potential: $32,998

Listing growth: 28.9%

Occupancy rate: 54.6%

Median sale price: $175,000

10. Frankfort, Kentucky

Average revenue potential: $46,369

Listing growth: 64.7%

Occupancy rate: 56.1%

Median sale price: $227,000

9. Dayton, Ohio

Average revenue potential: $35,456

Listing growth: 17.9%

Occupancy rate: 58.3%

Median sale price: $115,500

8. Rockford, Illinois

Average revenue potential: $35,826

Listing growth: 27.2%

Occupancy rate: 56.9%

Median sale price: $151,500

7. Page, Arizona

Average revenue potential: $47,243

Listing growth: 9.7%

Occupancy rate: 62.1%

Median sale price: $303,000

6. Shreveport, Louisiana

Average revenue potential: $36,106

Listing growth: 10.1%

Occupancy rate: 57.3%

Median sale price: $169,9500

5. Crescent City, California

Average revenue potential: $51,318

Listing growth: 11.1%

Occupancy rate: 63.3%

Median sale price: $318,000

4. Columbus, Georgia

Average revenue potential: $39,986

Listing growth: 20.5%

Occupancy rate: 60.3%

Median sale price: $210,000

3. Akron, Ohio

Average revenue potential: $31,207

Listing growth: 33.2%

Occupancy rate: 55.2%

Median sale price: $130,500

2. Fairbanks, Alaska

Average revenue potential: $49,459

Listing growth: 17.4%

Occupancy rate: 66.5%

Median sale price: $240,000

1. Peoria, Illinois

Average revenue potential: $31,131

Listing growth: 21.1%

Occupancy rate: 58.9%

Median sale price: $165,000

• Federal job offers accepted before January 20 with start dates after February 8 'are revoked,' a government memo says.
• The Office of Personnel Management said agency heads can still seek "written approval" to renew a job offer.
• Agencies must also report monthly on job offers, new hires, departures, and head count, the memo said.

Newly hired federal workers expecting to start their new jobs next month could soon see their offers yanked by the federal government.

A memo providing further guidance on Trump's executive order mandating federal hiring freezes instructed federal agencies that "offers made and accepted prior to January 20" with an unconfirmed start date or later than February 8 "are revoked."

The memo, written by the US Office of Management and Budget and US Office of Personnel Management and sent to the heads of executive departments and federal agencies on January 8, states that if individuals were hired before noon on January 20 and have a start date earlier than February 8, their offers can remain in place.

"Those individuals should report to work according to their respective designated start date," the memo said.

Even if a job offer is rescinded, it might not be a done deal for the candidate. The memo said that the head of an agency can seek "written approval" from the OPM to renew the employee's offer after considering "essential mission priorities, current agency resources, and funding levels."

The memo also calls for reports from agencies included in the hiring freeze on the last day of each month. The reports call for information about candidates who were extended or accepted offers, new employees who started that month, and employees who departed that month. The report also calls for the total staff head count and any positions listed online, the memo said.

In a separate memo sent the same day, Charles Ezell, the acting director of the OPM, asked leaders of all federal agencies to evaluate their workforces and consider firing employees who have been there less than two years.

The memo requested that agencies identify all employees on probationary periods and "promptly determine whether those employees should be retained at the agency," by January 24.

Trump's federal hiring freeze went into effect on his inauguration day, preventing any vacant positions that existed before 11:59 a.m. on January 20 from being filled, and restricting the creation of new positions. There are some exceptions to the freeze, including roles tied to "immigration enforcement, national security, or public safety" and positions requiring "Presidential appointment or Senate confirmation."

The OPM move is in line with broader Trump administration efforts to reduce the size of the federal workforce.

The Department of Government Efficiency, the Elon Musk-led commission, is also working to recommend ways that the Trump administration could cut the size of the federal workforce, reduce regulations and federal budgets, and improve efficiency.

OPM declined to comment. The Trump administration and OMB did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

• As a frequent solo traveler, I prefer booking Airbnb stays over hotels. 
• When I book an Airbnb for a solo trip, I say it's for two guests so hosts don't know I'm alone. 
• Sometimes booking for two costs extra, but I'm willing to pay more because it makes me feel safer. 

Cozy cabins, luxury apartments, unique tiny homes including a converted wine barrel in Switzerland and a repurposed lifeguard tower in Miami — I've booked them all through Airbnb. 

As a travel reporter, I've stayed in accommodations throughout the US, Canada, and Europe. I often opt for Airbnbs over hotels because they tend to offer more unique experiences, such as sleeping in a treehouse in Ontario's wine country.

Usually, I travel solo. I've taken overnight trains in the US and Europe, spent seven nights on one of the world's largest cruise ships sailing the Caribbean Sea, and traveled by rail to Niagara Falls, Montréal, and Quebec City. On these trips, I explored new cities and unique accommodations — all by myself.

Now that I'm a seasoned solo traveler, I have many practices to ensure I feel as safe as possible when traveling alone — especially in other countries.

When it comes to staying in Airbnbs solo, my best tip is to book for two people

When I make an Airbnb reservation, I simply change the number of guests from one to two. Then, in my message to the host, I always say that I may have a friend joining me for my trip.

This way, my host doesn't think I'm traveling alone. Creating the illusion that I have someone else with me makes me feel more comfortable falling asleep at night in a stranger's place.

Booking for two sometimes comes with an additional fee, depending on the Airbnb.

For example, when I traveled to Rome and booked two nights in a livable art sculpture Airbnb, the price was $102 a night for one person and $145 a night for two people. In this case, a companion did end up joining me for the stay. But even if they hadn't, I would have been fine paying the additional fee to feel more secure about staying there alone. 

Solo travel can be daunting, especially when you're booking accommodation with an individual rather than directly through a company like you would at a hotel.

But after all my unique Airbnb experiences, I think it's worth booking them even when I'm alone. And booking for two makes me feel a little safer.  

• The economy will probably head into a recession in a few years, Kenneth Rogoff says.
• The Harvard economist thinks a slowdown is coming in the second half of Trump's term.
• The downturn will be influenced by factors like a slowing business cycle and tariffs, he suggested.

President Donald Trump's plan to engineer America's next economic boom will probably come up short in the coming years, according to Harvard University economist Kenneth Rogoff.

The Harvard professor and former International Monetary Fund chief economist said he believed the US economy would likely slow and enter a downturn in the second half of Trump's term as president. That outcome will be influenced by a number of policies Trump suggested he would implement, Rogoff said, speaking to Yahoo! Finance on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on Tuesday.

"I think the most likely scenario, with what I think are the most likely policies being passed, are strong, and then a slowdown into recession the second half of his term," Rogoff said. "It's just tough within the cycle not to do that."

Rogoff highlighted some of Trump's policies that could weigh on the economy. The president has promised to loosen regulation in the financial sector, a move that could potentially lead to "trouble down the road," Rogoff said.

"And also, when you goose up the economy with these policies, most of which are not structural, they're really demand policies, you're going to get that effect," he added of the potential for an economic slowdown.

Rogoff pointed to Trump's tariff plan, with the president promising to levy tariffs on imports from China, Canada, and Mexico as soon as February 1.

Economists have said the tariffs could lead to higher inflation and higher interest rates, an idea Trump has pushed back on. Trump levied tariffs during his first term as president without a significant inflation increase. However, his proposals for tariff policy in his second term are more expansive, explaining the difference in inflation forecasts.

Rogoff said the inflationary impact of the tariffs could be minor, though he believed the tariffs themselves would make markets nervous and could harm growth.

"The inflationary impact is not a big deal, quantitatively," Rogoff said. "More worrisome is that it's chaotic, it hurts these animal spirits that he's benefiting from. It actually leads to slower growth."

Trump has promised to "reignite explosive economic growth" over his four years in office, adding in his inauguration speech that tariffs could lead to "massive amounts of money" pouring into the US.

Wall Street is bullish that Trump's push to loosen regulation for businesses could boost growth. But any pro-growth policies from Trump will likely still be outweighed by "counterproductive" policies, Rogoff said, speaking in a separate interview with Bloomberg at the event.

Interest rates are also much higher than they were when Trump first took office in 2017, which is a wrinkle in any plans to juice the economy beyond already fairly robust levels of growth.

"Every campaign promise practically is something counterproductive — I mean, you can go to the tariffs, social security being not taxed, and on and on and on," Rogoff said. "He has a lot of constraints that he didn't face the first time. So I don't think you can expect quite the boom we got the last time," he later added.

Other forecasters have also issued downbeat outlooks for what could happen during Trump's presidency. Steve Hanke, another top economist, said the US could slip into a recession as soon as Trump's first year in office.

• Jamie Dimon and Elon Musk are continuing to make amends.
• The JPMorgan Chase CEO told CNBC they've "hugged it out."
• Dimon wished Musk the best with DOGE and said he'd "love to be helpful" with the government efficiency effort.

Jamie Dimon and Elon Musk are patching up their relationship after a yearslong feud.

Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase, told CNBC's "Squawk Box" in an interview that aired Wednesday that the two of them have "hugged it out."

"He came to one of our conferences, he and I had a nice long chat, we've settled some of our differences," he said in the interview.

Musk attended a JPMorgan tech summit in March, where he and Dimon spoke for an hour onstage, and Musk also visited Dimon's suite at the resort, The Wall Street Journal reported in June, citing people familiar with the matter.

In his CNBC interview, Dimon went on to call Musk "our Einstein."

He also expressed support for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) that Musk is leading. President Trump signed an executive order Monday to create DOGE and make it officially part of the White House. Its stated mandate now is to update the federal government's software and IT systems, a marked change from Musk's desire to use DOGE to slash regulations and federal spending.

"We deserve good government," Dimon said. "I don't think anyone thinks that sending another trillion dollars to Washington, D.C., will lend to good government so government needs to be more accountable. It needs to be more efficient, it should be outcomes-based."

Dimon said DOGE would have its work cut out for it, but he supports Musk's efforts.

"I wish him the best. It's going to be complicated, the federal government's complicated, you've read about all the people in it," Dimon said. "If we can be helpful to them, I'd love to be helpful to them."

Musk had floated the idea for DOGE in August during a live-streamed conversation with Donald Trump on X, formerly Twitter. Musk said he'd "be happy to help out" on a government efficiency commission — which Trump said he'd "love" — if Trump won the election. Musk spent upwards of $200 million in efforts to get Trump and other Republicans elected.

Dimon said last year that he does "actually like" the idea of "having an efficiency commission."

"I think governments have to become more efficient, more competent," Dimon said in an interview with CNBC in September. "And look at, when they take money, what do they get for it. I actually think it's a very good idea."

It now looks like Musk will lead DOGE alone after Ramaswamy dropped out earlier this week ahead of a possible gubernatorial bid in Ohio.

Dimon and Musk started reconciling last year after several spats and lawsuits over the years.

Their feud dates back at least to 2016, when JPMorgan walked away from underwriting leases for Tesla vehicles.

In 2021, JPMorgan sued Tesla and Musk for $162 million, saying Musk's carmaker "flagrantly" breached a 2014 contract pertaining to warrants sold to the bank. JPMorgan adjusted the value of warrants after Musk tweeted in 2018 about taking Tesla private, which he walked back shortly after. Tesla countersued, saying the bank was angry at being left out of Musk's business and that senior JPMorgan executives had "animus" toward Musk.

The SEC later charged Musk with securities fraud, and Tesla and Musk each agreed to pay $20 million to settle the suit.

The companies dropped their suits against each other in November and agreed for the case to be voluntarily dismissed with prejudice, meaning the claims can't be refiled.

• Video podcasts have taken off in recent years, and Spotify has taken note.
• The audio titan has been investing in video creators, including launching new tools and incentives.
• Here's how Spotify is taking on rival YouTube in video podcasting.

Spotify is betting on video to take its podcasting business to the next level.

The Swedish audio giant has been investing in video creators over the last year with new tools and incentives. Earlier this month, Spotify launched a program to pay creators a cut of the subscription and ad revenue from their video podcasts if they meet certain requirements. Earlier, the company rebranded its podcast platform as Spotify for Creators, nodding at the approach to blend in with the creator space.

Spotify's listeners are embracing video, too. About 250 million of its 640 million users had viewed a video podcast, the company said in November. One-third of its active US-based users watch videos on the app each month.

The podcasting platform is second to video giant YouTube in the US. In an April survey conducted by Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights, 31% of weekly podcast consumers said they used YouTube the most for podcast listening, while 21% said Spotify and 12% selected Apple Podcasts.

Still, Spotify is embracing its rival to help its podcasts expand their reach and find the right audiences, Jordan Newman, Spotify's head of content partnerships, told Business Insider.

"This is not a zero-sum game," Newman said. "There are incremental audiences on all platforms, and even some of the same audiences are consuming in different ways. And so I think if all you're doing is focused on one platform as a creator, you are not doing it right."

Here's how Spotify's podcasting platform compares to YouTube's, from the user experience to content to the content to discovery.

The podcast service

For podcast listeners, Spotify and YouTube's streaming services are looking more similar by the day, though they still have some key differences.

Both have free and paid tiers: Spotify Premium costs $12 per month versus $14 for YouTube Premium. Each gives users access to ad-free music and downloads for offline playback. Spotify's paid service also includes 15 hours of audiobooks a month, while YouTube's counterpart lets customers play videos with their phone screen off.

From a podcaster's standpoint, Spotify and YouTube also have much in common. Both platforms give creators access to dashboards with data on who's consuming their content and for how long. Both leave ads out of video podcasts for premium subscribers, although creators can insert their own host-read ads to generate extra revenue.

One key difference is how ad revenue is distributed: YouTube dishes out 55% of revenue generated from their videos to creators, while Spotify gives podcasters a slightly smaller cut in a 50-50 split.

The content

Spotify is best known for music and podcasts, much of which are also on YouTube. The video giant, of course, also has clips for everything from gaming streams to sports highlights to tutorials on tying ties.

But when it comes to podcasts, there's increasing overlap between the two platforms.

Spotify, which in 2019 said it would pour $500 million into the podcast marketplace, has been shifting away from exclusivity to reach.

For example, the chart-topping podcast "The Joe Rogan Experience," once a Spotify exclusive, is now available across all major platforms. Many podcasters at Spotify-owned studios, including The Ringer, are also creating bonus content exclusively for YouTube or going live on the platform following the demise of Spotify's live-audio features, Spotify Greenroom and Spotify Live.

"Most sophisticated creators are multi-platform, and they're optimizing their content for the platform in which it appears," Spotify's Newman said. "You'll find our shows are not just found on Spotify; they can be found on a number of platforms."

By putting podcasts across platforms, Spotify can also maximize advertising revenue, which was roughly 472 million euros, or about $491 million, last quarter — up a modest 5.6% from the year before, according to the company's earnings report.

Content discovery and listener loyalty

YouTube and other video platforms like TikTok and Instagram may have Spotify beat when it comes to content discovery. Those platforms' algorithms are adept at showing users what they didn't even know they wanted to see.

With skill and a lot of luck, anyone could theoretically go viral on platforms like TikTok or even YouTube. It's harder for a budding podcaster who's only on Spotify to break onto the top charts since the platform's users primarily find content by searching for it directly or through playlists that feature creators who are already trending.

That's why Spotify is focusing on listener loyalty to set itself apart. The platform is positioning itself as the place to be for creators to build a sustainable following.

The company said time spent on the app has risen from 30 hours a month in 2020 to 40 hours as of late 2024.

"We are so great at retention and loyalty," Newman said.

On other platforms, Newman said, users "may really engage for a minute with their content," but after that, there's a risk for the creator that "they'll never see them again."

He said that when users watch a creator on Spotify, "it's a strong bet that they'll come back week after week after week."

• Trump's administration asked federal agencies to compile lists of workers they could easily fire.
• It reflects Trump's goals to reduce government spending and reduce the federal workforce.
• Millions of Americans are employed by the US government. Here's how the agencies break down and what workers make.

President Donald Trump's administration is targeting federal workers' jobs.

On Trump's first day in the White House, his Office of Personnel Management asked agencies to compile lists of federal workers they could easily fire. Trump also signed an executive order on Monday establishing a hiring freeze on new workers to federal agencies.

It reflects the early priorities of the Department of Government Efficiency, which Tesla CEO Elon Musk is leading to cut government waste. Trump signed an executive order on Monday establishing DOGE as part of the White House with a mission of updating the government's technology systems.

While DOGE's stated goals in the executive order are narrower than originally proposed, Musk and Trump have previously voiced support for firing federal workers and eliminating federal agencies.

More than 2 million Americans collect their paychecks from the federal government, so Business Insider looked into which agencies employ the most people and what they pay on average.

The Trump press team and OPM did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.

The US government is the largest employer in the country

The US Office of Personnel Management showed eight cabinet-level agencies, which are at the center of the executive branch and have heads that report directly to the president, had more than 100,000 civilian employees as of March.

Almost half a million people were employed in the Department of Veterans Affairs, while the Department of Education had just over 4,000. The Treasury Department had more than 100,000 employees as of March. The overwhelming majority of those — about 94,000 — were employed in the Internal Revenue Service.

Most departments had six-figure average salaries, with the Department of Education and the Department of Energy having the highest averages.

It's still unclear if DOGE or the Trump administration will focus on cuts at specific agencies. In the past, however, Trump has targeted the Department of Education, saying in 2023: "One other thing I'll be doing very early in the administration is closing up the Department of Education in Washington, DC, and sending all education and education work and needs back to the states."

Musk said during October remarks that while the commission's goal was to cut spending by reducing head count, he'd consider giving impacted workers "very long severances" that could amount to two years' pay.

"The point is not to be cruel or to have people not be able to pay their mortgage or anything," Musk said during his October remarks, adding, "We just have too many people in the government sector, and they could be more productive elsewhere."

The US Office of Personnel Management says on its website that "severance pay is authorized for full-time and part-time employees who are involuntarily separated from Federal service and who meet other conditions of eligibility." A spokesperson for the office told BI that the severance policy was up to date and that it "cannot comment on the actions of future administrations."

DOGE's goals could also still change, and it's unclear which spending cuts Congress would approve. BI previously reported that the US spent $6.75 trillion in fiscal year 2024. With Social Security, health programs, and Medicare topping the spending list, they could be on the commission's chopping block. But Medicare and Social Security are forms of mandatory spending that would require legislation to change.

Are you employed by the federal government and have a story to share? Reach out to these reporters at [email protected] and [email protected].

• Goldman Sachs announced three new heads of investment banking this week.
• Kim Posnett, Matt McClure, and Anthony Gutman were named co-heads of investment banking, a new role.
• Meet the future leaders of Goldman's marquee business unit.

Goldman Sachs announced a leadership reshuffle this week that created a new layer of management for its all-important investment bank.

As part of the reshuffle, Goldman tapped three of its most senior dealmakers — who have personally handled transactions for the likes of Twitter, Uber, and United Airlines — to jointly oversee its investment banking unit: Kim Posnett, who has run tech banking; Matt McClure, who's led industrials coverage; and Anthony Gutman, who has been running investment banking services in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. They will sit under the heads of Goldman's global banking and markets unit, Dan Dees and Ashok Varadhan, and be responsible for the bank's M&A advice to corporate clients.

It's a big role and signals a new generation of leaders atop Goldman's marquee business. Goldman has been No. 1 in M&A advice for most of the last 20 years, including in 2024 when it nabbed 30% of the more than $3 trillion in M&A volume around the world, according to data from the London Stock Exchange Group.

The reshuffle comes as Wall Street generally braces for a thawing in mergers and public issuances as a new presidential administration gets underway. Last week, Goldman reported a more than 100% increase in profits amid an upswing in dealmaking activity.

It also comes as the bank prepares for at least another five years of leadership under CEO David Solomon and John Waldron, Goldman Sachs' president and COO. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Goldman's top officials, including Solomon, had been seeking ways to "signal to a younger generation of partners they are still climbing the ranks."

"This group of leaders represents the very best of our culture of excellence, client service and teamwork," Solomon said in announcing the news. "They have made outstanding contributions throughout their careers to our client franchise, operations and market-leading positions across our business."

Here's a look at the three new co-heads of investment banking — their careers, their accomplishments, and some of the clients they've advised.

Kim Posnett

Posnett has emerged as one of Goldman's brightest stars. Most recently, she served as global head of technology, media, and telecommunications banking, essentially running a unit responsible for advising some of the nation's top tech companies, including Amazon, Uber, Etsy, and eBay.

She was previously head of the firm's crucial One Goldman Sachs initiative. She also ran the IB services unit — an internal sales force for the investment bank aimed at boosting business opportunities and developing custom banking solutions for clients. She joined Goldman in 2005 and was named a partner in 2016.

In 2024, Posnett told BI that she doesn't buy into the concept of a star banker who wins all the business and dominates face-time with clients.

"For the firm to win, it's mission-critical that clients are comfortable with not just any one person but the entire coverage team," she said, adding that the bank will send as many as 10 bankers to meet with a prospective client. "Because if they're just comfortable with one individual, that's not really scalable, and that creates risk across generations."

Selected transactions:

• Advised Twitter, now known as X, in its $44 billion sale to Tesla founder Elon Musk
• Advised eBay in the $4 billion sale of StubHub to Viagogo
• Advised Silverlake in its $13 billion announced take-private of Endeavor
• Reddit IPO

Matt McClure

McClure has made his name as a banker to Goldman's industrial sector clients. During the pandemic years, for example, he crafted a variety of innovative structures to secure funds for companies that needed extra capital to get through a tough period in the travel industry.

As BI reported in 2020, McClure helped Goldman underwrite $120 billion across 85 debt financings for clients in the struggling transportation sector, including Delta, United Airlines, and Norwegian Cruise Line.

McClure helped United deploy what he characterized at the time as a "first-of-its-kind" transaction to raise nearly $7 billion in debt by leveraging the airline's frequent flyer program. Traveler rewards programs were previously an untapped source of liquidity, McClure told BI at the time.

"The way I would think about it is that you're extracting value from that asset class that perhaps wasn't being fully appreciated by the market," he said.

McClure joined Goldman Sachs in 1999 and was named a partner in 2010. Business Insider included McClure on a list of top investment bankers for 2019 based on total merger volume. McClure ranked fourth, having completed more than $101 billion worth of M&A transactions that year, according to data from MergerLinks.

Selected transactions:

• Represented Amcor in its reported $8.4 billion announced acquisition of Berry Global
• Helped facilitate Boeing's $24 billion capital raise
• $3.9 billion announced sale of Masonite to Owens Corning
• Canadian Pacific's $31 billion stock-and-cash acquisition of Kansas City Southern

Anthony Gutman

Gutman has headed up the Europe, Middle East, and Africa investment-banking divisions at Goldman and previously ran investment banking and IB services for Goldman in the United Kingdom.

He joined the firm in 2007 as a managing director and was elevated to the partnership in 2012. Before that, he worked at Citigroup. He was named co-head of UK investment banking alongside another senior partner, Mark Sorrell, in 2011, according to the publication Financial News. Previously at Goldman, he had served as co-COO of UK investment banking alongside Sorrell, and they were both promoted at the same time.

At Citi, Gutman was a managing director and head of hotels and leisure M&A, per FN.

Reed Alexander is a correspondent at Business Insider. He can be reached via email at [email protected], or SMS/the encrypted app Signal at (561) 247-5758.

• I'm a teacher who taught in Australia, England, and Switzerland.
• These educational systems were drastically different, but most of them prioritized academics.
• Instead, students need to learn these skills: critical thinking, creativity, and self-awareness.

When I left Australia to continue teaching overseas, I was told that my beliefs about education would be tested. Ten years later, after teaching in several countries, I couldn't agree more.

When I was in the Australian system, teachings about health and relationships were excellent, and science and literacy were brilliantly paired. However, the curriculum poorly represented Indigenous Australian peoples and their history.

I then found the British educational curriculum to be incredibly thorough. Grammar, maths, and history lessons are in-depth and, for the most part, pretty interesting. However, the curriculum is so packed that it places unrealistic expectations on both staff and students. I found it to be incredibly stressful.

In stark contrast, after moving to Switzerland, I taught at a Swedish international school. The Swedish system only focuses on "academic" skills like reading and writing after the age of 7. It took me time to adjust, but I quickly came to see that there is a very good reason for this approach: It frees up time for young children to really learn about themselves and the world they live in.

After all, it's not academic knowledge that is most beneficial to our children; this can be learned at any time in life. But it's crucial to learn soft skills at an early age.

From all my teaching experiences, I believe these three life skills are the most important.

Critical thinking

Our children live in a world of extremely influential social media, frantic news coverage, and AI-generated content. Children need to be taught how to navigate opinionated information, questioning who is creating the content and what purpose it serves.

Encouraging critical thinking also means giving our children the space and tools to listen, discuss, and respectfully defend their individual opinions — and, importantly, be open to changing their viewpoints based on new evidence.

I've had many philosophical discussions with people, only to get up from the carpet and be reminded that my conversation partners were 4 years old. Children are deep thinkers, and we can choose to squash their beliefs or encourage them to develop a stronger understanding of themselves and others.

Self-awareness

Comprehending what's going on in our bodies and brains has a huge impact on how we treat ourselves and the people around us.

Children need to be taught to listen to their own body signals (such as clenched muscles when feeling stressed) and emotional signals (such as feeling irritable when tired).

When they are able to identify what's happening, they can make informed choices about what they need — such as slow breathing, resting, or seeking support.

That said, not all stress is bad. We tell children that learning is fun, and often it is, but it's also challenging because our brains are forming new cognitive pathways. Helping children develop a growth mindset is vital. When people have a growth mindset, they understand that what they can't do yet, they will be able to do with time and persistence. They're also better equipped to solve problems that come their way.

Creativity

When we think of creativity, we often automatically think of the arts, but this skill includes any type of problem-solving — from choosing an appropriate mathematical equation to resolving a conflict with a friend.

Creativity is nurtured through space and time to think, test ideas, learn from the results, and then choose the next steps. It is open-ended and often self-led. It's not a coincidence that these are also the skills involved in entrepreneurial projects — from launching a successful business to solving problems in the community.

The soft skills, like creativity, we teach our children will continue to influence them throughout their lives.

After 10 years of teaching, I saw that I could impact children's learning differently, so I transitioned to children's illustration.

Now, I use my educator background to make accessible art with meaningful messages, helping kids to process their emotions, connect with others, and act with kindness. By immersing our children in important messages and targeted teaching, we can help them to internalize the skills and understandings that will enable them to thrive in any context.

Rita Jane taught in elementary schools for 10 years. She is now a children's illustrator based in Paphos, Cyprus. Connect on LinkedIn, and find her illustrations on Instagram.

• A union boss said Elon Musk was unfairly criticizing the federal workforce.
• Musk has pushed for an RTO for federal workers, saying the status quo is "not fair."
• Randy Erwin, the union leader, said Musk was too dismissive of their contributions.

The head of a major union of federal employees said he didn't think Elon Musk understood who federal workers are or what they do.

"I don't think he knows the first thing about federal government," Randy Erwin, the national president of the National Federation of Federal Employees, told Business Insider in an interview.

"Frankly, I don't think he cares," he added.

Erwin spoke with BI after President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday mandating that federal government employees return to the office.

It gave effect to an idea long championed by Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Musk, appointed to head up the new enterprise, laid out a vision of an RTO mandate for federal workers in November.

In a joint Wall Street Journal op-ed with Vivek Ramaswamy, who has since exited DOGE, the pair outlined their plans to cut costs and downsize the federal government.

"Requiring federal employees to come to the office five days a week would result in a wave of voluntary terminations that we welcome," they wrote.

"If federal employees don't want to show up, American taxpayers shouldn't pay them for the Covid-era privilege of staying home."

On Tuesday, Musk wrote on X, the platform he owns, that "pretending to work while taking money from taxpayers is no longer acceptable."

In another post, he said the executive order was about "fairness."

He wrote: "It's not fair that most people have to come to work to build products or provide services while Federal Government employees get to stay home"

Erwin said the image of the work-shy civil servant was untrue.

"There's this myth that federal workers aren't coming to work," Erwin said, describing the talking point as "a bunch of political BS."

A report by the Office of Management and Budget last August said that most of the 2.3 million civilians employed by the federal government already work in person, with 54% on-site and 10% fully remote.

Erwin said he believes Musk views federal workers as "innovation-blocking bureaucrats."

"I've got 110,000 members, not a single one would fit that description," he said. "They're out there, spread across the country, providing valuable services to the American people."

"I don't think he [Musk] knows the first thing about the federal workforce, who they are, where they are, and the valuable services that they provide," Erwin added.

Erwin was joined by another union leader in condemning the RTO mandate — Everett Kelley, who leads AFGE, the largest federal employee's union of some 800,000 members.

In a statement, he described remote work as "a critical tool for federal agencies to maintain continuity of operations in emergencies, increase disaster preparedness, and improve efficiency."

Erwin told BI that home-working was part of the appeal of government jobs, which typically pay less than private-sector ones. Without it, it would be harder to retain talent, he said.

"When you can't make anywhere near what you could be making in the private sector, some family, flexible work policies become a very, very important thing," he said.

• The US Air Force just got its first F-15 fighter aircraft upgraded with new technology.
• The technology is designed to improve the electronic warfare capabilities of the decades-old jets.
• The Air Force hailed the development as a milestone as it looks to modernize its fourth-gen planes.

The US Air Force just received its first F-15 fighter jets upgraded with advanced electronic warfare capabilities, a significant milestone for the decades-old aircraft.

The Air Force's 48th Fighter Wing said on Tuesday that two F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft equipped with the new system arrived last week at RAF Lakenheath, a British base that hosts American forces, including newer F-35A fighters.

One of the upgraded jets was assigned to the 494th fighter squadron, while the other went to the 492nd.

The new upgrade, known as the Eagle Passive/Active Warning and Survivability System, or EPAWSS, is designed to autonomously detect and identify threats to the aircraft and then take measures to disrupt them in self-defense.

The technology is intended to improve the F-15's radar warning and geolocation, among other features, giving the pilot more situational awareness when flying in highly contested environments.

Lt. Col. Timothy Causey, the 494th commander, said that "having EPAWSS operational at RAF Lakenheath significantly enhances our ability to detect and counter threats, ensuring the safety and effectiveness of our crews."

He said that "this advanced electronic warfare system, when combined with the F-35s, acts as a powerful force multiplier, transforming our operations and amplifying the 48th Fighter Wing's impact in the battlespace."

The US Air Force had been looking at ways to improve the capabilities of its F-15s, a fourth-generation fighter first introduced in the late 1980s and made by US defense contractor McDonnell Douglas, now Boeing.

F-15E fighter-bombers play an important role in US air capabilities. Jets from RAF Lakenheath were deployed to the Middle East last year as part of efforts to boost the US military's presence in the region amid tensions between Israel and Iran.

British aerospace company BAE Systems, which makes the technology, said last year after it completed operational testing that EPAWSS would allow aircraft to penetrate deeper into areas that are protected by modern air defenses.

"We're using agile software development to provide iterative upgrades to fielded EW systems — allowing our customers to defeat future electromagnetic threats," Amy Nesbitt, the EPAWSS program manager at BAE, said in April.

EPAWSS is standard equipment on the new F-15EX Eagle II fighters, but not the older aircraft. Around 100 older F-15E variants will receive upgrades. The Air Force earlier this month cleared the system for full-rate production under a contract worth nearly $616 million.

In its Tuesday statement, the 48th Fighter Wing hailed the delivery of the two upgraded F-15s as "a major milestone in the Air Force's ongoing efforts to modernize its fourth-generation fleet."

"By equipping these aircraft with advanced electronic warfare capabilities, the 48th FW is ensuring their readiness for operations in austere environments and supporting NATO's missions across Europe and the Pacific," the fighter wing added.

• JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said he was looking at tariffs as an economic tool.
• Speaking in Davos, he said they could help address trade imbalances and boost national security.
• "National security trumps a little bit more inflation," he said.

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said Wednesday that while tariffs may lead to consumer price increases, they have other potential benefits.

"They're an economic weapon, you know, depending how you use it," he told CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

President Donald Trump has said he intends to hit Mexico and Canada with 25% tariffs and China with an additional 10% tariff starting February 1.

Many economists and critics have argued that US consumers ultimately bear the costs of tariffs and that the strategy is at odds with Trump's promise to bring prices down.

Dimon acknowledged the debate over the policy's contribution to inflation but said there were important considerations aside from keeping costs as low as possible.

"If it's a little inflationary but it's good for national security, so be it," he said, adding, "National security trumps a little bit more inflation."

Dimon previously said he was "cautiously pessimistic" about the economy as a second Trump presidency begins, even against a backdrop of geopolitical uncertainties.

Tariffs, he said on Wednesday, can be a way to "bring people to the table" to address complex issues like unfair trade balances and state subsidies.

"We'll see how it gets played out," he said. "We're going to find out."

• I went on a trip to Venice with two of my children and made travel mistakes I wish I'd avoided.
• Our gondola ride felt overrated and I wish I'd researched more about the best places to eat.
• The hotel I booked was actually on a different island in Venice, not the main one.

I've visited more than 65 countries and consider myself an experienced traveler.

Sometimes, I prepare for trips by doing exhaustive research, and other times, I wing it and hope for the best. I've been to Italy a few times so, on a recent trip to Venice, I decided to play things by ear.

I thought it would be a better use of my time to concentrate on other parts of the trip, which involved taking two of my children through Europe from Rome to Warsaw.

Although my kids and I had a great time in Venice, there are five travel mistakes I wish we'd avoided.

Not staying on the Venice mainland

Most visitors to Venice, including us, come for the sites on the main island, like Piazza San Marco and Doge's Palace.

However, Venice is made up of over 100 islands that all include "Venice" in their address. This confused me when I was booking hotels and I ended up accidentally selecting an accommodation in Murano.

We had to take ferry rides to get from there to the main island of Venice and back throughout our trip, which ate into our travel time and budget.

I met plenty of people who intentionally chose to stay on quiet, laid-back Murano, but I wish I'd booked a hotel on the main island.

Going on a gondola ride

Like many visitors to Venice, I was convinced the highlight of our trip would be being paddled through the city's serene canals by a gondolier. However, our gondola ride was anything but the bespoke experience I'd been dreaming of.

Instead of leisurely floating through picturesque waters, our ride along Venice's main canal was mostly spent bumper-to-bumper with other boats while we listened to our gondolier chat with the gondolier in front of him.

Fortunately, we found a better way to enjoy the waters of Venice.

Later in the trip, my children and I took a laid-back rowing lesson with Row Venice, which was more fun than the gondola ride.

We learned to row a traditional Venetian boat on a nearly empty canal, and the instructor gave us a ride as part of the lesson.

Next time, I'd skip the gondola ride and book another rowing lesson.

Not getting up early

I'd heard Venice gets crowded (especially in the summer) and that getting there early is important to try to dodge crowds, but I'm a night owl.

I ignored this advice and figured that, as an experienced traveler, I'd be fine to navigate the crowds.

However, I was not prepared for just how crowded Venice's narrow streets would get during the day. We regularly found ourselves squeezing around other sweaty tourists in the narrow streets or waiting behind groups of people to look at landmarks.

I still had a great time in Venice, but I regret not setting my alarm earlier at least once to enjoy the city when it was calmer and less crowded.

Believing all Italian food is delicious

At home in the United States, Italian food is a staple of my family's diet. It's usually hard to go wrong with any pizza or pasta, so I didn't research where to eat in Venice.

I assumed all of the food in Italy would be delicious. Unfortunately, by being open to eating wherever, we wound up at a number of tourist traps with mediocre pasta and even worse pizza.

Toward the end of the trip, I started putting effort into finding the best traditional Italian food in Venice and found a few gems, including the oldest pizzeria in the city.

If I ever go back, I'll do more research about where to eat ahead of time. After all, Italy has so much incredible cuisine that there's no excuse for eating even one subpar meal there.

Not giving ourselves enough time to leave

There are no cars in Venice, so it's not possible to hop in a cab to get to the city's airport, train station, or bus depot.

On our way to leave the city, we had to navigate narrow walkways and bridges — with our luggage — on foot. Doing so took longer than expected and was stressful.

Next time, I'd allocate more time to just getting to our exit point in Venice.

• The UK has tracked a Russian spy ship in its waters twice in recent months.
• In November, a British submarine followed the vessel and surfaced near it to turn it away.
• British defense secretary Healey said the Russian ship is mapping undersea cables and gathering intel.

A UK submarine quietly tracked a Russian spy ship hanging around undersea cables in British waters last fall and then surfaced close to force the vessel to leave, the UK Ministry of Defense shared Wednesday.

The Russian vessel was again spotted in British waters this week, and UK Defense Secretary John Healey accused it of mapping out undersea infrastructure and gathering critical intelligence.

Healey addressed the House of Commons on Wednesday, discussing Russia's maritime activities. The Russian spy vessel Yantar, he explained, is in the North Sea after passing through British waters. Two Royal Navy vessels, the HMS Somerset and HMS Tyne, were deployed "to monitor the vessel every minute through our waters," he said.

Healey accused Yantar of mapping the UK's undersea cables in the area. "Let me be clear, this is a Russian spy ship used for gathering intelligence and mapping the UK's critical underwater infrastructure," Healey said.

Western officials have raised concerns about hybrid warfare and other threats to undersea cables critical to global data transmissions. Cables have been damaged multiple times in recent months. It remains unclear if these incidents, which have been linked to Russia and China, were intentional.

Healey said that he adjusted the Royal Navy's Rules of Engagement to allow UK vessels to sail closer to track the Yantar.

This week's appearance is the second involving the Yantar sailing in British waters in recent months. Healey confirmed on Wednesday that back in November, the spy ship was "detected loitering over UK critical undersea infrastructure." The MOD said the same.

In response, Healey deployed three Royal Navy vessels and a maritime patrol aircraft to shadow the Yantar. He also authorized a Royal Navy submarine to surface closely to the Russian spy ship as a deterrence measure, making "clear that we had been covertly monitoring its every move," Healey said. 

The UK defense secretary said the incidents were the latest examples of concerning Russian activity around critical infrastructure, especially in light of recent incidents.

Russia has long engaged in hybrid warfare tactics against NATO, and those have increased since the start of the Ukraine war. These tactics, along with other hybrid warfare efforts, are seen by officials and military leaders as tricky to respond to because they're just below the threshold of conflict. 

The UK's response includes sanctions on ships believed to be part of Russia's Shadow Fleet and closer communications with allies on tracking movements.

Healey also said the Royal Air Force would provide a P-8 Poseidon and Rivet Joint surveillance aircraft to the Baltic Sentry NATO deployment specifically to monitor undersea cables in the Baltic Sea. 

• In a post on X, DOGE criticized how much it costs to produce the penny.
• The debate over the penny, which costs more to make than it's worth, is decades old.
• DOGE alone can't take the coin out of circulation.

Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency is targeting one of the federal government's most notorious examples of waste: the penny.

Getting rid of the penny would be an early test of DOGE's influence: Could it help eliminate a piece of government inefficiency that has survived decades of reform attempts?

On Tuesday, DOGE's account on X highlighted the coin's mounting costs: In fiscal year 2023, taxpayers spent more than $179 million producing over 4.5 billion pennies, with each coin costing more than three cents to make.

Despite bipartisan recognition of the penny's costs since at least the 1970s, efforts to phase out or change the coin have repeatedly stalled in Congress, making it an ideal target for DOGE's efficiency campaign.

Lawmakers were considering the questions as recently as November, when Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, who founded the Senate's DOGE caucus, said changing the makeup of the coin could save significant money.

Material costs are largely to blame for the penny's high cost. While the coins were originally pure copper, they've been nearly 98% zinc since 1982, per JM Bullion. But zinc isn't as cheap as it once was. According to the US Mint's 2023 report, the penny's unit cost increased by 12.9%, more than any other coin.

Fewer people are using cash at all these days, according to the Federal Reserve's 2024 report on consumer payments. While the report doesn't break down penny usage, it found that 16% of payments in 2023 were made in cash, down from 18% the year before.

It's not clear from one post if DOGE plans to officially take on eliminating the penny — and Musk's group alone doesn't have the power to get rid of the coin. Congress would need to pass a law stopping the distribution of the coin or, in theory, the Treasury secretary could decide that the nation doesn't need to make any more.

Other countries, including Canada and Sweden, have stopped producing their pennies, and the US ditched its half-cent coin in 1857. Data for Progress, a progressive think tank, found in a 2022 survey that 58% of people agreed that the government should stop producing new pennies.

When President Donald Trump officially entered office Monday, he signed an executive order that made DOGE a "temporary organization" within the government and limited its scope to updating the federal government's IT systems. By posting about the penny, DOGE seems to be signaling it plans to give its two cents on far more than software issues.

• President Donald Trump said he'd impose high tariffs on Russia if it didn't end the Ukraine war soon.
• Trump said Wednesday that he'd also place more sanctions on Russia.
• US imports of Russian goods have collapsed, leaving Trump little economic leverage.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he'd impose high taxes, tariffs, and sanctions on Russia if its leader, Vladimir Putin, didn't end the Ukraine war soon.

The threat is largely symbolic because of the diminished trade between the US and Russia since its invasion began in 2022.

"I'm going to do Russia, whose Economy is failing, and President Putin, a very big FAVOR. Settle now, and STOP this ridiculous War!" Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social.

"IT'S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE. If we don't make a 'deal,' and soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries," Trump added.

Trump promised during his campaign that upon his return to the White House, he would swiftly end Russia's devastating invasion. The grinding conflict, which is nearing its three-year mark, has reduced cities in Ukraine to rubble and killed and wounded hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

On the campaign trail, though, Trump left it unclear how his administration planned to bring Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the negotiating table. Many war analysts said that getting the Russian leader to negotiate would be difficult while his forces were advancing.

Before the war, the US imported $29.7 billion worth of commodities from Russia, the majority of which was in oil, minerals, lime, and cement. But this trade cratered after Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, prompting the Biden administration to impose tariffs on many goods, metals, and Russian products.

Nearly three years into the war, the US's limited goods imports from Russia leave the Trump administration with few tariffs to collect as they aim to force Putin's government into peace talks.

There are signs Russia's economy is flagging. Inflation has been rising as Russia increases its spending on military systems and the lucrative contracts needed to recruit more soldiers. The existing sanctions, such as Russia's expulsion from the SWIFT financial network, may also be having an effect, with the US's Atlantic Council think tank projecting that pressures are mounting on Russia's economy.

Trump said in his Truth Social post that he was not looking to hurt Russia and that he had a good relationship with Putin. Hours after he was sworn into office on Monday, the US president said he was setting up a meeting with his Russian counterpart.

Throughout the war, Russia has also found ways to sidestep Western sanctions. For instance, Moscow has relied on its "shadow fleet" of vessels to move oil and circumvent embargoes on its energy exports.

Andy Kiersz, Business Insider's economic-data editor, contributed to this report.

• A Trump Justice Department official is threatening criminal probes to local officials.
• Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove said the DOJ will monitor officials who don't cooperate on immigration.
• President Trump repeatedly promised to begin "mass deportations" after retaking the White House.

A top Justice Department official on Wednesday made clear that federal authorities are watching local officials who defy President Donald Trump's immigration policies.

Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, who was previously part of Trump's private legal team, wrote in a memo to the entire Justice Department that "laws and actions that threaten to impede" Trump's actions harm "public safety and national security."

Bove's memo, published in full by The Washington Post, cites a new "Sanctuary Cities Enforcement Working Group," within the DOJ that will work to "identify state and local laws, policies, and activities that are inconsistent with Executive Branch immigration initiatives and, where appropriate, to take legal action to challenge such laws."

A DOJ spokesperson confirmed the existence of Bove's memo to Business Insider but declined further comment.

Trump and congressional Republicans have long complained about states and cities that refuse to fully cooperate with federal immigration requests under so-called "sanctuary policies." The American Civil Liberties Union and other organizations have repeatedly sued over the legality of holding someone solely based on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement request.

Some local officials, particularly Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, have defended policies that require officers to not fully cooperate with federal officials.

On Tuesday, Trump wasted little time in implementing the immigration restrictions he ran on during the 2024 campaign. He moved to end birthright citizenship, a constitutional guarantee. Trump also formally declared that illegal immigration is a federal emergency, part of any effort to involve US troops in border security. A host of Democratic state attorneys generals quickly sued to block the birthright citizenship order, and other legal fights are expected to follow.

Business Insider has spoken to over a dozen immigration researchers and policy analysts across the political spectrum. Conservative-leaning researchers have defended Trump's policies, arguing there will be benefits from deporting a large number of people in the country illegally. Economists, particularly those on the left and center, have warned that mass deportations could cause economic calamities.

It is also expected that a full-scale mass deportation effort would cost the federal government hundreds of billions of dollars.

• WalletHub recently published a report on the top US cities to find a job in 2025.
• Three cities in Arizona were among the top 10 best places to find a job, with Scottsdale at No.1.
• Except for Washington, DC, many cities on the list are smaller, perhaps surprising places.

The new year often brings hope for change. For those laid off or seeking a fresh start, it's also the perfect time to look for a job.

However, with a new political administration and fewer opportunities in white-collar industries, landing a job in 2025 could prove challenging, according to economists.

This is why choosing the right city could be crucial.

"It is important to look at more than just the number of jobs available or the unemployment rate," said Chip Lupo, an analyst at personal-finance website WalletHub, emphasizing that the quality of jobs — those offering good salaries, benefits, and overall satisfaction — is also important to consider when searching for new opportunities.

Some cities, like Norfolk, Virginia, have high rates of employment growth, while others, like Burlington, Vermont, offer the shortest average commute times, per WalletHub. Depending on your priorities, these factors could play a role in shaping your career choices.

To help with your search, WalletHub recently released a ranking of the best cities to find a job in 2025.

The study analyzed 182 cities, including the 150 most populated US cities and at least two most populated cities in each state, across 31 factors in two key areas: job market and socioeconomic factors.

WalletHub placed greater emphasis on the job market category because it "most heavily influence[s] a job seeker's decision in terms of relocation for employment," according to the report.

The data used for the ranking was sourced from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and others. BI also identified the cities' populations and median household incomes using July 2023 estimates from the US Census Bureau.

Here are the 10 best cities to find a job in the US, according to WalletHub.

10. Orlando

Population: 320,742

Median household income: $69,268

There's more to Orlando, ranked 10th on the report, than just Disney.

It's also, for example, a city with the fifth-highest availability of job opportunities and among the fastest-growing cities in America, according to WalletHub.

It secured 14th place in the job market category, which evaluated factors like job opportunities, employment growth, unemployment rate, and automation risk, among others.

9. Tempe, Arizona

Population: 189,834

Median household income: $77,643

Tempe is a sprawling college town on the outskirts of Phoenix, Arizona.

WalletHub's report ranked Tempe 17th in the job market category and 22nd in the socioeconomic one. According to the American Community Survey shared by the Arizona Commerce Authority, 25.2% of all employed individuals in Tempe work in education, healthcare, or social assistance, making these the city's largest employment sectors.

In addition to being a thriving economic space, the city is popular for building America's self-proclaimed "first car-free neighborhood."

8. Washington, DC

Population: 678,972

Median household income: $106,287

The capital city ranked eighth on WalletHub's index, scoring 11th in the job market and 36th in the socioeconomic category.

The US' capital and political center has the second-highest employment growth and the fifth-highest monthly average starting salary.

However, it ranked 181st among 182 cities for the longest average work and commute time.

7. Chandler, Arizona

Population: 280,167

Median household income: $103,691

Another city in the Grand Canyon State has been named one of the best places to find a job this year.

In the job market category, Chandler ranked 15th, reflecting strong employment opportunities and growth.

Additionally, its socioeconomic rank of 29th indicates a stable and supportive environment for job seekers in terms of housing affordability, transit access, and annual transportation costs, among other factors.

6. Charleston, South Carolina

Population: 155,369

Median household income: $90,038

Known for its historic charm, vibrant culture, and beautiful coastal views, Charleston, South Carolina, is the sixth-best city for finding a job in 2025, according to WalletHub.

The port city has a thriving job market, ranking sixth in the category, partly because of its booming trade and transport industry. It's also one of the three locations in the world — alongside Everett and Renton in Washington — where Boeing's wide-body jets get assembled.

Charleston also has the third-highest employment growth. Still, some people who have moved to the city in the past have found that its growing popularity has led to heavy traffic and a high cost of living.

5. Portland, Maine

Population: 69,104

Median household income: $76,174

Maine's biggest city is also the fifth-best place in the US to find a job this year.

The 2020 launch of the $100 million Roux Institute has spurred significant growth in Portland's tech sector, alongside a thriving bioscience and healthcare industry supported by over 400 life science companies.

Adding to its appeal, US News & World Report ranks Portland as the seventh-best city in the US for quality of life, making it a standout choice for job seekers seeking career opportunities and a good standard of living.

4. South Burlington, Vermont

Population: 21,043

Median household income: $97,229

WalletHub's 2024 safest city to live in the US is also the fourth-best city to find a job this year.

It fared well in the job market and socioeconomic categories, ranking fourth and fifth, respectively. It also has the second-most job opportunities among the 182 cities.

South Burlington has a diverse economy with several thriving industries, including healthcare and social assistance, retail, hospitality, and education.

3. Columbia, Maryland

Population: 104,681 (2020)

Median household income: $115,564

In 2022, WalletHub ranked Columbia, Maryland, the No. 1 city for finding a job in the US. This year, it remains in the top three, coming in at No. 3.

The city has maintained its spot partly because it has the highest median annual income. It also has the ninth-lowest share of jobs that are likely to be automated in the coming decades, offering long-term job security in a changing economy.

Beyond the job market offerings, Columbia stands out for its affordability. WalletHub notes that fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment is around 16% of the city's median household income, the sixth-lowest percentage in the country.

2. Pittsburgh

Population: 303,255

Median household income: $64,137

Pittsburgh ranks as the second-best city for jobs, thanks to a high number of job opportunities and the quality of companies.

It offers the most job opportunities per capita and the third-highest number of full-time jobs at top-rated companies.

The city's jobs are also highly rated, with residents reporting the ninth-highest job satisfaction in the country. It also has the fourth-highest percentage of workers with access to an employer-based retirement plan.

Beyond work, Pittsburgh is the fourth-best city for singles, has the 11th-best public transit system, and boasts affordability with the 18th-lowest median house price in the U.S.

1. Scottsdale, Arizona

Population: 244,394

Median household income: $107,372

Arizona's luxury hot spot, Scottsdale, is also the No. 1 best city to find a job in the US in 2025.

The city, which has recently become a second home to wealthy retirees, entrepreneurs, and CEOs, is at the top partly because it has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country.

It's also great for college students looking for their first work experience, as it ranks first in the number of paid internship opportunities available.

The high number of job opportunities is complemented by a high quality of life. The city has one of the highest median household incomes in the country and, with the 12th-lowest violent crime rate in the US, it's also a safe city.

• I tried every flavor of Snapple I could find and ranked them from my least favorite to my top pick.
• I thought Snapple's apple flavor tasted artificial, and the fruit punch was too sweet.
• However, I really enjoyed most of the lemonade varieties and was surprised by my top choices.

I grew up only a few miles from Snapple's former headquarters in Long Island, New York.

In the mid-90s, when the company's flavored iced teas and juices were an ubiquitous presence in convenience-store fridges and school lunches, it was a point of local pride.

Classmates would even claim personal connections to Wendy Kaufman, the company administrator who went on to star as the quirky "Snapple lady" in a popular series of commercials.

However, I mostly gave up sugary beverages before graduating from high school and haven't had many Snapple drinks since. Out of curiosity, though, I wanted to see if the company's products were still as tasty as I remembered.

So, I went to two different supermarkets, grabbed every flavor of Snapple I could find, and ranked them from worst to best. Here's what I thought of the 13 flavors I tried.

I didn't think Snapple's apple flavor tasted like apple juice.

I have two young kids, so I've finished off plenty of tiny boxes of apple juice in the last few years.

I thought I knew what to expect from Snapple's apple flavor, but I found it tasted more like apple-flavored candy than apple juice. It lacked any sort of tang, and in my opinion, it wasn't refreshing.

Snapple's fruit punch was much too sweet for me.

Unsurprisingly, all the Snapple flavors I tried were sweet. However, a few of them were so syrupy that they almost felt thick. This was definitely the case with the fruit-punch flavor.

This one tasted very sugary, almost like someone had dumped the remnants of all the other juices into the same bottle.

The grapeade tasted a bit like grape jelly.

I had high hopes for the grapeade, which had a color that almost resembled red wine. However, it had no tartness to it at all and tasted a bit like grape jelly.

I wasn't a fan of Snapple's orangeade.

After trying all the flavors, I realized I typically liked the lighter-colored beverages better than the darker ones. However, Snapple's orangeade proved to be an exception to that rule.

This one had no bite to it at all — almost like a creamsicle without the cream.

Snapple's Mango Madness used to be my favorite flavor.

I remember Mango Madness being one of my favorite flavors during the 90s Snapple craze.

However, it was one of the flavors that was so sweet it had the viscosity of highly concentrated simple syrup — albeit with the pleasant and recognizable mango flavor I enjoyed in my youth.

The peach tea wasn't as good as I remembered it, either.

Snapple's peach tea was another staple of my youth. It tasted exactly as I remembered, but this time around, I didn't like it as much. The peach flavor wasn't very subtle and drowned out most of the tea flavor.

The iced-tea-lemonade flavor was just OK.

I'm a big fan of iced-tea-lemonade drinks and typically enjoy the version from Arizona iced tea. However, I didn't remember ever trying Snapple's version before.

I didn't hate this flavor — but I didn't love it either. In my opinion, it was blandly sweet with some lemon flavor, and didn't have the earthiness of tea or the tartness of lemonade.

The raspberry tea was better than I had remembered.

The assertive raspberry flavor in Snapple's raspberry tea was better than I remembered. It tasted more like candy than actual raspberries, but was fruity, tasty, and different.

Snapple's lemon tea was a pleasant surprise.

Snapple's lemon tea always seemed a bit boring to me. However, I was surprised by how much I liked it. It had a nice sweet-tea flavor with just a hint of lemon, and none of the odd, dry-throat sensation that sometimes follows bottled iced teas.

I really enjoyed Snapple's take on pink lemonade.

I'm a sucker for pink lemonade, and Snapple's version got an added boost because it froze a bit in the back of my refrigerator, creating delightful pink-lemonade slush. However, I liked it even after it melted.

It was, of course, incredibly sweet, but I liked the lemon flavor and thought it would work well mixed with an unsweetened iced tea or seltzer.

Snapple's watermelon lemonade tasted like a Jolly Rancher.

Snapple's watermelon lemonade was a bit more muted in color than the pink lemonade, but it wasn't muted in flavor.

Watermelon was the prominent flavor here, and I thought it tasted just like a watermelon Jolly Rancher (which is my favorite).

I really enjoyed Snapple's Go Bananas flavor.

When I first saw this flavor in the supermarket, I expected it to be my least favorite. Although I like bananas, I tend to dislike anything banana-flavored.

However, the Go Bananas flavor also contains pear-juice concentrate, which I could definitely taste when I took a sip. The banana flavor wasn't overwhelming and gave the drink a tropical vibe.

I could imagine myself throwing this in the blender with some ice cubes and rum.

The kiwi-strawberry flavor was my favorite.

Snapple's kiwi-strawberry flavor was another one that was better than I'd remembered. It was sweet with strawberry flavor and had some nice tanginess to it. This felt like a good potential cocktail mixer or a base for a punch.

• I frequently shop at Costco and share a membership with my dad.
• My boyfriend and I like to split grocery items like the Skippy creamy peanut butter.
• When I need an easy breakfast, I reach for the Kodiak Power Cakes flapjack-and-waffle mix.

Many people say Costco is best for shoppers with big families. However, I think it's a great place for anyone to stretch a dollar and maximize a shopping trip — which is why I convinced my dad to get a Costco membership for us to share.

Years later, I still don't pay for the membership, and I visit the store with my boyfriend almost weekly. We don't live together, so we love finding new Costco items to stock up on, freeze, or share.

Here are some of my favorite things to get at Costco.

The Kirkland Signature artichoke hearts are delicious by themselves or in a dip.

I love warm, creamy artichoke dip, and these marinated hearts are perfect for the job. They're also amazing on their own, in a salad, or served with a sprinkle of salt for a low-calorie snack.

The Kirkland Signature artichoke hearts come in a set of two large jars, so they're perfect for splitting between households. 

The Kirkland Signature rotisserie chicken lives up to the hype.

The Kirkland Signature rotisserie chicken is one of the store's most famous items, and for good reason. It's well-seasoned and can feed one person for a week or serve as a meal for a family of four.

I like to pinch off a chunk of leg meat with skin and dip it into the juice at the bottom of the bag for a quick snack. I also make a delicious chicken salad with the meat and use the bones for broth.

If I can't finish a whole bird, I cut it up and freeze it for later.

I use the Kodiak Power Cakes flapjack-and-waffle mix to make a tasty breakfast.

When I want a flavorful pancake without added calories from butter and syrup, I reach for the Kodiak Power Cakes flapjack-and-waffle mix.

This mix has a whopping 14 grams of protein per serving and is made with 100% whole grains, so it's nutritious and tastes good. I also love adding vanilla extract and oat milk for an extra punch of flavor.

The mix is packaged into three easy-to-store bags, so I distribute them among the family.

The Kirkland Signature salted grass-fed butter feels high-quality.

The Kirkland Signature salted grass-fed butter is made with just two ingredients: cream and salt.

I find it has a creamier consistency and tastes saltier than other versions I've had, so I use less butter than I normally would when I cook. I enjoy it on fresh, crusty bread or in brown-butter chocolate-chip cookies.  

If you're looking for a delicious cheese, check out the Kirkland Signature Parmigiano-Reggiano.

The Kirkland Signature Parmigiano-Reggiano is both delicious and versatile. I like to grate some on top of pasta or add it to a charcuterie board with fig or apricot jam and green or kalamata olives.

I absolutely love the Kirkland Signature organic 1% low-fat milk.

One of my greatest challenges is finding milk that lasts beyond a week once it's opened and tastes good — to me, some brands are a little too watery.

The best part about the Kirkland Signature organic milk is that its expiration date exceeds that of other dairy products I've tried. For example, the milk I bought at the beginning of November didn't expire until the start of January.

The Kirkland Signature super-premium vanilla ice cream is rich and creamy.

There's nothing like good-quality vanilla ice cream, and the Kirkland Signature brand is my favorite store-bought version.

This dessert is creamy, full of vanilla flavor, and doesn't have those weird crunchy ice crystals that some brands tend to have. I usually enjoy it with chocolate syrup, though I occasionally go rogue and drizzle balsamic vinegar on top. 

The Kirkland Signature ice cream comes in a two-pack, making it necessary but difficult to hand a carton off to a family member or friend.

I recently started buying Annie's organic mac and cheese variety pack.

I don't typically seek out organic products, so I wasn't sure what to expect when I first picked up the Annie's mac and cheese variety pack. However, this is hands down the creamiest, cheesiest boxed brand I've tried.

Each 12-pack comes with three flavors, including classic-, white-, and aged-cheddar variations. I make this mac and cheese with Kerrygold butter and Kirkland Signature milk to ensure maximum sauce creaminess. 

I like to add the Kirkland Signature smoked salmon to my morning bagels.

I used to get a bagel and schmear with salmon every Sunday morning, but with this Kirkland Signature smoked fish, I can throw a sandwich together whenever I want.

It takes just a few minutes to prepare — I squeeze lemon on the salmon and then stack capers, red onion, a boiled egg, and tomato on a bagel with cream cheese.

This salmon comes in a two-pack, so I can keep one portion in the fridge and freeze the other for later. 

The Skippy creamy peanut-butter twin pack is the unsung hero of my pantry.

These huge jars of Skippy peanut butter — weighing 3 pounds each — seem to last forever.

I pair it with a healthy scoop of grape jelly and spread it on plain white bread. I've also mastered a peanut-butter-and-jelly smoothie, and I love to swirl a spoonful of the spread with yogurt and fruit for breakfast.

One jar goes a long way, so I like to send the other container home with my boyfriend.

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