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For small business owners constantly juggling invoices, bills, and cash flow, managing payments can be a time-consuming headache. Oracle NetSuite and BILL want to change that. The two companies have joined forces to create a more streamlined and secure way for U.S. businesses to handle accounts payable, right from within NetSuite’s AI-powered cloud ERP platform. Announced at SuiteWorld 2025 in Las Vegas, the new integration—known as NetSuite Intelligent Payment Automation powered by BILL—aims to help businesses speed up payments, reduce human error, and cut down on administrative overhead. For small businesses that rely on limited staff or manual accounting, the partnership could make a meaningful difference in both time savings and financial control. Evan Goldberg, founder and executive vice president of Oracle NetSuite, said the move aligns with the company’s mission to simplify financial management for growing organizations. “Accounts payable plays an important role in helping organizations manage cash flow, control costs, and build stronger vendor relationships,” Goldberg said. “Our strategic partnership with BILL will enable our customers to optimize payment processes within NetSuite. It will also help us continue to extend the value our customers get from NetSuite Intelligent Payment Automation, one of the most advanced, AI-powered accounts payable offerings on the market.” For small businesses, the advantages go beyond convenience. The integration enables users to make payments directly from their existing bank accounts—no separate systems, no complex setup. Activation takes only minutes, and the system supports all U.S. banks. Because BILL’s network already connects over eight million businesses, NetSuite users can link up with vendors quickly and securely. Security is another major selling point. BILL’s infrastructure includes encryption, multi-factor authentication, and fraud prevention technology, plus compliance with PCI DSS and SOC 2 standards. For businesses worried about phishing, double payments, or vendor fraud, those protections could add much-needed peace of mind. René Lacerte, CEO and founder of BILL, said the partnership helps extend BILL’s mission to make finance automation more accessible to smaller enterprises. “This partnership marks an important milestone in our BILL mission to make intelligent finance more accessible to growing businesses everywhere—delivering innovation where they need it most, inside the systems they rely on to run their critical operations,” Lacerte said. “As an industry leader in delivering AP automation to nearly half a million BILL customers, we’re proud that our powerful payment capabilities and extensive network are being embedded within the world’s #1 AI Cloud ERP—providing an entirely new way for businesses to pay faster, optimize cash flow and accelerate growth.” Beyond payments, NetSuite’s Intelligent Payment Automation uses AI to tackle tedious financial tasks that often eat up valuable time. For example, it can capture bills automatically using AI recognition, link them to corresponding purchase orders, and flag potential issues before payments go out. Businesses can also use natural-language commands to generate payment proposals or run batch payments—features designed to make accounting workflows feel less mechanical and more intuitive. For small firms, that could mean a faster month-end close and fewer costly mistakes. Automation also helps reduce reliance on manual data entry, which not only saves time but limits opportunities for error. And because the system is embedded directly in NetSuite, there’s no need for data syncing between separate tools—a common pain point for smaller finance teams using multiple systems. However, there are considerations to keep in mind. Small businesses that don’t already use NetSuite may find the platform’s cost and learning curve steep compared to lightweight accounting tools. Those already using NetSuite will still want to ensure the automation aligns with their internal approval processes and cash flow cycles to avoid over-automation or payment timing issues. For businesses already invested in NetSuite, though, this new collaboration could offer a more unified approach to finance management—connecting billing, payments, and reporting in one place. As automation becomes increasingly central to small business operations, partnerships like this one between NetSuite and BILL are reshaping what efficient back-office management looks like. NetSuite Intelligent Payment Automation is available now for customers in the United States. This article, "NetSuite and BILL Join Forces to Streamline Business Payments" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

For small business owners constantly juggling invoices, bills, and cash flow, managing payments can be a time-consuming headache. Oracle NetSuite and BILL want to change that. The two companies have joined forces to create a more streamlined and secure way for U.S. businesses to handle accounts payable, right from within NetSuite’s AI-powered cloud ERP platform. Announced at SuiteWorld 2025 in Las Vegas, the new integration—known as NetSuite Intelligent Payment Automation powered by BILL—aims to help businesses speed up payments, reduce human error, and cut down on administrative overhead. For small businesses that rely on limited staff or manual accounting, the partnership could make a meaningful difference in both time savings and financial control. Evan Goldberg, founder and executive vice president of Oracle NetSuite, said the move aligns with the company’s mission to simplify financial management for growing organizations. “Accounts payable plays an important role in helping organizations manage cash flow, control costs, and build stronger vendor relationships,” Goldberg said. “Our strategic partnership with BILL will enable our customers to optimize payment processes within NetSuite. It will also help us continue to extend the value our customers get from NetSuite Intelligent Payment Automation, one of the most advanced, AI-powered accounts payable offerings on the market.” For small businesses, the advantages go beyond convenience. The integration enables users to make payments directly from their existing bank accounts—no separate systems, no complex setup. Activation takes only minutes, and the system supports all U.S. banks. Because BILL’s network already connects over eight million businesses, NetSuite users can link up with vendors quickly and securely. Security is another major selling point. BILL’s infrastructure includes encryption, multi-factor authentication, and fraud prevention technology, plus compliance with PCI DSS and SOC 2 standards. For businesses worried about phishing, double payments, or vendor fraud, those protections could add much-needed peace of mind. René Lacerte, CEO and founder of BILL, said the partnership helps extend BILL’s mission to make finance automation more accessible to smaller enterprises. “This partnership marks an important milestone in our BILL mission to make intelligent finance more accessible to growing businesses everywhere—delivering innovation where they need it most, inside the systems they rely on to run their critical operations,” Lacerte said. “As an industry leader in delivering AP automation to nearly half a million BILL customers, we’re proud that our powerful payment capabilities and extensive network are being embedded within the world’s #1 AI Cloud ERP—providing an entirely new way for businesses to pay faster, optimize cash flow and accelerate growth.” Beyond payments, NetSuite’s Intelligent Payment Automation uses AI to tackle tedious financial tasks that often eat up valuable time. For example, it can capture bills automatically using AI recognition, link them to corresponding purchase orders, and flag potential issues before payments go out. Businesses can also use natural-language commands to generate payment proposals or run batch payments—features designed to make accounting workflows feel less mechanical and more intuitive. For small firms, that could mean a faster month-end close and fewer costly mistakes. Automation also helps reduce reliance on manual data entry, which not only saves time but limits opportunities for error. And because the system is embedded directly in NetSuite, there’s no need for data syncing between separate tools—a common pain point for smaller finance teams using multiple systems. However, there are considerations to keep in mind. Small businesses that don’t already use NetSuite may find the platform’s cost and learning curve steep compared to lightweight accounting tools. Those already using NetSuite will still want to ensure the automation aligns with their internal approval processes and cash flow cycles to avoid over-automation or payment timing issues. For businesses already invested in NetSuite, though, this new collaboration could offer a more unified approach to finance management—connecting billing, payments, and reporting in one place. As automation becomes increasingly central to small business operations, partnerships like this one between NetSuite and BILL are reshaping what efficient back-office management looks like. NetSuite Intelligent Payment Automation is available now for customers in the United States. This article, "NetSuite and BILL Join Forces to Streamline Business Payments" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Amazon Big Deal Days is coming October 7-8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over. Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find. Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox. New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change. Not only is my house pretty small, it’s also pretty old, so my wife and I have learned to get creative (and a bit minimalist) to handle the challenge of where to put our stuff—but there’s one area that has been particularly challenging: My love affair with DIY projects around the house. I love diving into repairs and upgrades, learning how to do stuff like tiling or basic plumbing, and saving loads of cash by not hiring contractors every time the lights flicker. But those projects require bulky tools, and materials, and I have zero space to store them. So I am always on the lookout for something small and efficient that gives me the ability to do bigger projects. One thing I really needed for a long time was a work table—a sturdy space where I could cut, measure, clamp, and spread out tools and other materials. But there’s nowhere in this house to fit a workroom, and there’s no garage, so I wasn’t sure what to do. Until I found this folding work table from Worx. Worx Pegasus Multi-Function Work Table and Sawhorse $108.99 at Amazon $159.99 Save $51.00 Get Deal Get Deal $108.99 at Amazon $159.99 Save $51.00 It’s perfect. It’s durable and sturdy (it can handle up to 300 pounds, so if I can lift it up there, it can hold it). It has built-in clamps, which is really useful, and it transforms into a sawhorse in seconds, so I can cut and rip boards as needed, then immediately proceed to the next step in the project. But most importantly, for me: It folds up. It goes flat, so I can lean it against the wall of the closet I call a tool room, or hang it up on the wall if I decide I need to reclaim that small amount of space. And that means it’s also easily portable (it only weighs about 30 pounds), so I don’t have to cut boards in one location and transport them to another. If you don’t have a lot of space to store tools, this is the perfect solution—and it’s 32% off right now for Prime Day, so this is your moment. Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart and Best Buy have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime. Walmart’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. ET through Oct. 12 and includes deals up to 50% off. It’s an especially good option if you have Walmart+. Best Buy’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Sept. 27 through Oct. 12, and has some of the best tech sales online. It’s an especially good option if you’re a My Best Buy “Plus” or “Total” member. Target’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 5 through Oct. 11, and it has deals going up to 50% off. You can become a Circle member for free. Our Best Editor-Vetted Prime Day Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 2 Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds — $169.99 (List Price $249.00) Meta Quest 3S 128GB All-In-One VR Headset — $249.00 (List Price $299.99) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $279.00 (List Price $349.00) DJI Mini 4K 3-Axis Gimbal Camera Drone (Under 249 Grams) — $239.00 (List Price $299.00) Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ 10.9" 64GB Wi-Fi Tablet (Graphite) — $148.94 (List Price $219.99) Blink Mini 2 1080p Indoor Security Camera (2-Pack, White) — $34.99 (List Price $69.99) Ring Battery Doorbell Plus — $79.99 (List Price $149.99) Shark AV2501S AI Ultra Robot Vacuum with HEPA Self-Empty Base — $229.99 (List Price $549.99) Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023) — $69.99 (List Price $139.99) Wyze Cam v4 2K Wired Wi-Fi Smart Security Camera (White) — $25.95 (List Price $35.98) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

A group of U.S. officials want to know why London’s FTSE Russell, a top financial services firm, chose to include the underperforming The President Media & Technology Group (TMTG) in one of its most high-profile indexes. Their concern stems, in part, from the fact that analysts generally do not view TMTG, which owns the president’s social media platform Truth, as particularly stable. Trading under the symbol DJT, shares are down 38% year to date and currently trade at about $17.50. Last fiscal year, the company reported a net loss of $400.9 million And in the most recent quarter, it reported a loss of $20 million. The Russell 3000 tracks the performance of the 3,000-largest publicly traded companies in the United States. While investors can’t buy the index directly, several ETFs or index funds include the Russell 3000. Signed by Vermont State Treasurer Mike Pieciak, fiscal leaders from New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Maryland, as well as the comptroller of New York City, the letter expresses concern about TMTG’s inclusion in the Russell 3000, which occurred last year. The drop in the company’s share price, negligible revenues and risks that come with the stock are among the issues they raise. “The Russell 3000 is one of the most influential benchmarks in U.S. capital markets, with approximately $10.6 trillion in assets,” the officials write. “Its credibility depends on consistent, transparent, and rigorous standards that ensure its companies reflect the U.S. equity market and meet the expectations of institutional investors and public stewards alike. The continued presence of TMTG in the index raises troubling questions on both financial and governance grounds, as well as on the integrity of the benchmark itself.” London’s FTSE Russell nor TMTG responded to a request for comment at the time of publication. Pieciak’s signature on the letter is notable. Vermont’s Republican Gov. Phil Scott has urged leaders in his state to take a less confrontational posture with the White House. (Notably, Scott rejected two requests this summer to send the Vermont national guard to Washington, D.C., as part of The President’s federal takeover of the nation’s capital.) In their letter, the officials have asked FTSE Russell to explain TMTG’s inclusion in the Russell 3000. They’ve also asked for an assessment of how the group accounts for the company’s risks and detail on any safeguards in place to ensure that future index picks demonstrate sound market fundamentals. Noting that “two of the last three The President financial ventures have resulted in significant investor losses,” the letter expresses concerns that people investing in Russell 3000 tracking indexes might not realize they’re buying shares in TMTG. An evolving list The Russell 3000 is an evolving list of companies. On the last Friday of each June, the list is reconstituted to reflect changes in the U.S. equity market. Companies are evaluated to determine where they lie along the investment spectrum from value to growth stocks. FTSE typically looks at the market capitalization of the stock as a bellwether for inclusion. TMTG currently has a market cap of $4.87 billion. That ranks the stock 3099th among publicly traded companies, as of 10 a.m. ET Tuesday. In June of this year, when the list was last reconstituted, shares were about $3.50 higher than they are now, which likely put TMTG within the top 3,000, which could explain its inclusion. In January, on the final day of trading before the presidential inauguration, TMTG boasted a market cap of $8.68 billion as investors flocked to the company before The President’s second term began. View the full article

Deloitte Australia will partially refund the 440,000 Australian dollars ($290,000) paid by the Australian government for a report that was littered with apparent AI-generated errors, including a fabricated quote from a federal court judgment and references to nonexistent academic research papers. The financial services firm’s report to the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations was originally published on the department’s website in July. A revised version was published Friday after Chris Rudge, a Sydney University researcher of health and welfare law, said he alerted the media that the report was “full of fabricated references.” Deloitte had reviewed the 237-page report and “confirmed some footnotes and references were incorrect,” the department said in a statement Tuesday. “Deloitte had agreed to repay the final instalment under its contract,” the department said. The amount will be made public after the refund is reimbursed. Asked to comment on the report’s inaccuracies, Deloitte told The Associated Press in a statement the “matter has been resolved directly with the client.” Deloitte did not respond when asked if the errors were generated by AI. A tendency for generative AI systems to fabricate information is known as hallucination. The report reviewed departmental IT systems’ use of automated penalties in Australia’s welfare system. The department said the “substance” of the report had been maintained and there were no changes to its recommendations. The revised version included a disclosure that a generative AI language system, Azure OpenAI, was used in writing the report. Quotes attributed to a federal court judge were removed, as well as references to nonexistent reports attributed to law and software engineering experts. Rudge said he found up to 20 errors in the first version of the report. The first error that jumped out at him wrongly stated that Lisa Burton Crawford, a Sydney University professor of public and constitutional law, had written a nonexistent book with a title suggesting it was outside her field of expertise. “I instantaneously knew it was either hallucinated by AI or the world’s best kept secret because I’d never heard of the book and it sounded preposterous,” Rudge said. Work by his academic colleagues had been used as “tokens of legitimacy,” cited by the report’s authors but not read, Rudge said, adding that he considered misquoting a judge was a more serious error in a report that was effectively an audit of the department’s legal compliance. “They’ve totally misquoted a court case then made up a quotation from a judge and I thought, well hang on: that’s actually a bit bigger than academics’ egos. That’s about misstating the law to the Australian government in a report that they rely on. So I thought it was important to stand up for diligence,” Rudge said. Senator Barbara Pocock, the Australian Greens party’s spokesperson on the public sector, said Deloitte should refund the entire AU$440,000 ($290,000). Deloitte “misused AI and used it very inappropriately: misquoted a judge, used references that are non-existent,” Pocock told Australian Broadcasting Corp. “I mean, the kinds of things that a first-year university student would be in deep trouble for.” —Rod McGuirk, Associated Press View the full article

Normalizing good urbanism requires culture change, and culture change requires an advocacy long game that makes space for ideas that seem impossible today. Political scientist Joseph Overton developed a concept in the 1990s that had a major influence on my views on and approach to building support for good urbanism. “The Overton window” refers to the range of ideas that are acceptable or mainstream in public discourse at a given time. The acceptable topics are shaped by public opinion, media coverage, influence of special interest groups, and actions of political leaders. As Joseph Lehman, a colleague of Overton’s put it, “Public officials cannot enact any policy they please like they’re ordering dessert from a menu. They have to choose from among policies that are politically acceptable at the time.” Ideas that fall within the Overton window are more likely to be discussed and debated in the public sphere, while those that fall outside of it may be considered too extreme or fringe to be given serious consideration. The window shifts over time as public opinion changes, making new ideas acceptable and mainstreaming previously unacceptable ideas. Before the Overton window shifted, these opinions were considered outside the range of allowable opinion: The earth isn’t flat, nor is it the center of the universe. Multiple nationalities will be taught in the same classroom. A computer will one day fit on your desk. Tiny germs exist that you can’t see with your eyes. Human organs and limbs will be replaced. Art will be created by voice command. Radical departures What I’ve learned from the Overton window concept is that people need radical departures from normal scenario planning exercises. If you want to normalize walk-friendly, bike-friendly infrastructure, then you need to start by visualizing wildly different scenarios. When you eventually compromise, you’ve still made progress. Here’s a list of taboo urbanism ideas that might be worth shifting from fringe to mainstream: Zoning abolition — If incremental change is the aspirational goal, good luck with legalizing mixed-use neighborhoods. It’s been said that zoning is an unnecessary evil, so lead with a proposal to abolish it altogether. Yes In God’s Backyard (YIGBY) — Churches could provide short-term housing for the homeless or low-income individuals, free from government oversight. The faith-based community doesn’t agree on everything, but they all certainly want to help those in need. 3D-Printed Buildings — Promote the use of emerging technology to create homes and retail centers far cheaper than traditional construction. Grant people greater control over their property. Universal Basic Mobility — It’s like universal basic income, but for transportation. Several cities have piloted bus and bike subsidies. A radical proposition would be privatized UBM. Off-Grid Living — Decriminalize frontier life. Have you ever heard stories of people trying to disassociate from traditional utility services? Or building something without a permit? Local Farming — I know you’ve seen community gardens, but you haven’t seen people selling their own food, because it’s not allowed. And if you introduce fresh milk, the ATF will raid the operation. Homesteading — Programs that allow individuals to reclaim vacant or blighted properties. This could be a way to turn ordinary homeowners into developers. Asking big What If questions doesn’t have to be confrontational, but it will always make some people uncomfortable. It’s worth it. That’s how civilizations advance. View the full article

Lower-than-expected FCA figure is still set to be one of the banking industry’s biggest compensation schemesView the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding my work at Lifehacker as a preferred source. Amazon Big Deal Days is on October 7-8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools. Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find. Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox. New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change. I take my post-workout recovery seriously. I've tried all kinds of different massage guns and non-gun gadgets, and it's no exaggeration to say that these kinds of devices have changed my life. TheraBody is probably the most well-known household name in massage guns, and right now, the TheraBody TheraGun Prime—normally priced at $319.99—is available for $219.99 on Amazon during Prime Day. TheraBody TheraGun Prime $219.99 at Amazon $319.99 Save $100.00 Get Deal Get Deal $219.99 at Amazon $319.99 Save $100.00 The Theragun Prime really stands out because it's seriously quiet compared to most massage guns out there. A lot of cheaper models sound like you're using a power tool on your muscles, but Theragun's QuietForce Technology keeps things nice and low-key. You can actually use it while watching TV or without bothering everyone around you. Plus, the signature triangular handle design comes in handy, especially when you need to reach those awkward spots on your back and shoulders without contorting yourself or asking someone for help. The battery life is another huge plus—you get about two hours per charge, which means you're not constantly hunting for the charging cable. What's really cool is that it connects to your phone via Bluetooth. The Therabody app walks you through different routines and shows you how to target specific sore spots, which is super helpful if you're not totally sure what you're doing. The Prime has four speed settings that go from 1,750 to 2,400 percussions per minute, so you can keep it gentle for a warmup or really dig in deep after a tough workout. It's versatile enough that beginners won't feel overwhelmed, but it still packs enough punch for serious athletes. Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart and Best Buy have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime. Walmart’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. ET through Oct. 12 and includes deals up to 50% off. It’s an especially good option if you have Walmart+. Best Buy’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Sept. 27 through Oct. 12, and has some of the best tech sales online. It’s an especially good option if you’re a My Best Buy “Plus” or “Total” member. Target’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 5 through Oct. 11, and it has deals going up to 50% off. You can become a Circle member for free. Our Best Editor-Vetted Prime Day Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 2 Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds — $169.99 (List Price $249.00) Meta Quest 3S 128GB All-In-One VR Headset — $249.00 (List Price $299.99) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $279.00 (List Price $349.00) DJI Mini 4K 3-Axis Gimbal Camera Drone (Under 249 Grams) — $239.00 (List Price $299.00) Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ 10.9" 64GB Wi-Fi Tablet (Graphite) — $148.94 (List Price $219.99) Blink Mini 2 1080p Indoor Security Camera (2-Pack, White) — $34.99 (List Price $69.99) Ring Battery Doorbell Plus — $79.99 (List Price $149.99) Shark AV2501S AI Ultra Robot Vacuum with HEPA Self-Empty Base — $229.99 (List Price $549.99) Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023) — $69.99 (List Price $139.99) Wyze Cam v4 2K Wired Wi-Fi Smart Security Camera (White) — $25.95 (List Price $35.98) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

Being advised to max out your 401(k) is Personal Finance 101. But is that universally solid guidance? Tax-sheltered retirement plans offer the convenience of automatic investments and tax breaks—pretax contributions and tax-deferred compounding for traditional 401(k)s and tax-free compounding and withdrawals for Roth contributions. But the availability and quality of the 401(k) are also important considerations. Some workers don’t have access to an employer-provided retirement plan, and 401(k) quality can be uneven. High administrative costs, meager employer matching contributions, and costly investment lineups can detract from 401(k)s’ tax-saving features. Meanwhile, the tax efficiency for investors’ nonretirement accounts has improved over the years. Broad market equity exchange-traded funds have dramatically reduced the tax drag for taxable accountholders, effectively simulating the tax deferral that comes with investing in a 401(k). And many robo-advisors use other techniques to reduce the tax drag on investors’ taxable accounts—specifically, selling losing positions to offset gainers elsewhere in investors’ portfolios. That can reduce the capital gains taxes on positions when they’re eventually liquidated. Even as investing in a taxable account has grown more attractive, it’s a given that investors should put enough in a 401(k)—even a poor one—to earn matching contributions. If the 401(k) plan is weak and they have additional retirement assets to invest, they should opt for an IRA in lieu of steering more money to the poor 401(k) plan. Income limits apply to IRA contributions, but anyone can invest in a Roth IRA through the “backdoor,” provided they have earned income to cover the contribution amount. Multiple factors determine whether a taxable account can beat a 401(k) But what if they have additional retirement assets to invest? Once the IRA is fully funded, would those dollars be better off in a weak 401(k) or in a brokerage account held outside a tax-sheltered account? The answer here, as with so many financial questions, depends on a couple of key factors, especially the following: 401(k) plan quality: How bad is the plan? Does it have high administrative costs and subpar and/or expensive investment options? Or is it simply that the lineup includes some lackluster funds that are past their prime? Comparing your plan to others can help you make that assessment. The quality and tax efficiency of the investments in the taxable accounts: Investing in a taxable account will rarely be the better option unless you can invest in securities that make few ongoing distributions of income, capital gains, or both. The good news is that investors can opt for a brokerage platform that offers a good array of low-cost, tax-efficient options—namely, index-tracking ETFs and municipal-bond funds. The investor’s tax bracket at the time of the contributions: Being able to make pretax contributions—as is the case with traditional 401(k)s—will be more valuable to the investor who’s in a high tax bracket at the time of that contribution than it will be to the person who’s in a lower tax bracket. The tax bracket at the time of withdrawals: Withdrawals from taxable accounts receive more favorable (and flexible) tax treatment than withdrawals from traditional 401(k)s. Investors pulling from their taxable accounts will owe capital gains taxes, whereas money coming out of a traditional 401(k) is taxed at the investor’s ordinary income tax rate, which is higher. Moreover, because the 401(k) money has never been taxed, investors owe taxes on the entire withdrawal, not just the appreciation; taxable-account investors, by contrast, will only owe tax on their gains. Finally, 401(k) assets are subject to required minimum distributions at age 73. For investors who expect to be in a high tax bracket upon retirement, having assets in a taxable account—and enjoying more favorable taxation on the distributions—will be particularly beneficial. (Of course, Roth 401(k) withdrawals are more favorable still: Roth 401(k) assets can be rolled over to a Roth IRA to avoid RMDs. Better still, qualified withdrawals from Roth 401(k)s and IRAs are tax-free.) Taxable account vs. 401(k) takeaways Investors would do well to weigh their own personal tax situations—both current and future—as well as the quality of their 401(k)s when determining which account types to fund. Investors can also benefit from tax diversification—splitting assets across accounts with varying tax treatment, whether tax-deferred, taxable, or Roth—when saving for retirement. This article was provided to The Associated Press by Morningstar. —Christine Benz, Morningstar’s director of personal finance and retirement planning View the full article

Nostalgia is not a strategy: the past cannot returnView the full article

Fund managers are under pressure to deploy capital quickly and risk buying bad assetsView the full article

Bond markets are losing patience with political paralysisView the full article

Change in residence from the UK was disclosed in a Companies House filingView the full article

Laura Youngson didn’t expect to focus so much on soccer cleats when she organized a group of women to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and play a high-altitude match. The point of the 2017 game was to highlight inequality in sports for women and girls. On that front, Youngson achieved her goal with the match becoming the subject of a documentary and landing the group in the Guinness Book of World Records. Still, something bothered Youngson as the match unfolded. Glancing at the athletes’ feet, she was struck that all the women were wearing men’s or boy’s soccer cleats instead of gear that was designed specifically for them. The realization led her to launch IDA Sports, which makes soccer cleats for the unique athletic needs of women. “There was this real commercial gap for performance footwear for women,” said Youngson, whose IDA cleats are worn by players including Washington Spirit midfielder Courtney Brown. “As the game is growing, we’re in this moment when everything’s professionalizing, but the footwear wasn’t really keeping pace, so I wanted to go and change that.” IDA is among a growing number of companies founded in recent years to prioritize women in sports. These aren’t just lifestyle or athleisure brands. Moolah Kicks, for instance, makes women’s basketball shoes designed specifically for women’s feet and counts Courtney Williams of the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx as one of its partners. Lindsay Housman founded Hettas, a performance running shoe company. Saysh, Olympic gold medalist Allyson Felix’s running shoe company, allows buyers to make free exchanges when their size changes during pregnancy. Beyond shoes, Liv Cycling makes performance bicycles for women and there’s even Indiana Fever partner Sequel tampons, which have spiraled grooves that help prevent leaks during strenuous activities. The companies are entering the market at a time when interest in women’s sports is intensifying. The WNBA has shattered attendance records recently, lifted by the star power of players like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. National Women’s Soccer League teams are worth 29% more this year than they were a year ago, with both Angel City and the Kansas City Current now valued at over $250 million. Several new pro sports leagues have formed in recent years, including the Professional Women’s Hockey League and the 3-on-3 Unrivaled basketball league. The Women’s Professional Baseball League is set to launch next year. Overall, women’s sports generated global revenue of $1.88 billion in 2024 and is projected to rake in $2.35 billion this year, according to consulting firm Deloitte. Commercial revenue, including sponsorships and merchandising sales, surpassed $1 billion globally for the first time last year. No more ‘shrink it and pink it’ All that growth means more opportunities for women-owned brands — and a chance to reject the “shrink it and pink it” mentality in which companies were criticized for taking men’s products and selling them to women by making them pretty rather than functional. “Marketing is all about understanding the needs of consumers,” said Dae Hee Kwak of the Center for Sport Marketing Research at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology. “So thinking of the needs of the women’s sports fan and athlete, who understands them better than women, right?” Leela Srinivasan, CEO of the sports marketing and sponsorship platform Parity, said men’s products simply weren’t built for women’s bodies. “Women in motor sports will tell you that even the way the seat belts are designed, they don’t fit right, they don’t fall in the right places,” Srinivasan said. “You talk to Lynn Saint James, the motor sports legend, about how she couldn’t reach the pedals. Nothing has been designed with women’s bodies in mind.” Bonnie Tu, who founded Liv Cycling, experienced that problem with bicycles. “Whenever I’d go for vacation, I would take a bike from the hotel,” Tu said. “Most of the time, I would get myself hurt because the bike doesn’t suit me well. Because most of the bikes are meant for men, no matter if it’s a mountain bike or it’s road bike, it was all for men.” Youngson similarly looked at biomechanical needs when designing cleats for IDA, resulting in a product that features a wider toe box, narrower heel and shorter studs than men’s boots. For those who have spent decades in and around women’s sports, these shifts represent a profound change. Natalie White, who founded Moolah Kicks after playing basketball in college and working on the business side of several WNBA teams, recalled always playing the sport in boy’s and men’s shoes. “It wasn’t until I was a senior in college and I saw an advertisement that had more top WNBA players holding out men’s shoes that it really hit me, ‘Oh, my God, this is crazy.’ When you begin your career, through pro, you’re not only going to be playing in equipment that isn’t fit for you, but you’re going to be promoting it?” White said. “Oh my gosh, crazy.” The bigger shoemakers, including Adidas and Nike, have developed women’s soccer and basketball shoes in recognition of the growing market and the needs of the female athlete. Sabrina Ionescu has a signature shoe with Nike and, this past summer, Adidas released its first player edition of Adidas’ F50 Sparkfusion cleat with NWSL star Trinity Rodman. Women want products without pandering Kwak said that in addition to products made specifically for them, women also value authenticity as consumers. And that means working with women’s leagues, athletes and sometimes causes involving equity and social justice. IDA, for example, has partnered with the players’ unions for both the NWSL and the Gainbridge Super League, a top-tier domestic professional women’s soccer league that launched last year. Coalition Snow, a women-led ski and snowboard company based in Reno, Nevada, not only makes sure of safe and fair working conditions throughout its supply chain, it also uses recycled material for packaging and partners with a nonprofit to plant trees in rural Kenya for every board or pair of skis sold. Liv Cycling sponsors women’s racing teams and competitions, like the Tour de France Femmes, in addition to community clubs. Athlete involvement in the creation of products helps, too. It’s really what personalizes these companies compared to the sporting goods giants. But it’s all about taking that first leap, Youngson said. “As the game grows and professionalizes, it should be attractive to brands,” Youngson said. “So then you’re going, ‘Why aren’t you doing it?’ Because the money’s there, the game’s there. Why can’t we have all of this choice around us in the same way that the men’s game has?” AP Sports Writer Alyce Brown contributed to this report. —Anne M. Peterson, AP Sports Writer View the full article

Social Security Administration Commissioner Frank Bisignano was named to the newly created position of CEO of the IRS on Monday, making him the latest member of the The President administration to be put in charge of multiple federal agencies. As IRS CEO, Bisignano will report to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who currently serves as acting commissioner of the IRS, the Treasury Department says. It is unclear whether Bisignano’s newly created role at the IRS will require Senate confirmation. The Treasury Department said in a statement that Bisignano will be responsible for overseeing all day-to-day IRS operations while also continuing to serve in his role as commissioner of the Social Security Administration. Bessent said in a statement that the IRS and SSA “share many of the same technological and customer service goals. This makes Mr. Bisignano a natural choice for this role.” The move to install Bisignano at the IRS adds another layer to the leadership shuffling that has occurred at the agency since the beginning of The President’s term. Bessent was named acting commissioner in August after The President removed former U.S. Rep Billy Long from the role less than two months after his confirmation, and nominated him as ambassador to Iceland. The four acting commissioners who preceded Long in the job included one who resigned over a deal between the IRS and the Department of Homeland Security to share immigrants’ tax data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and another whose appointment led to a fight between former The President adviser Elon Musk and Bessent. Mike Kaercher, deputy director of the Tax Law Center at the New York University School of Law, points to a possible conflict of interest in Bisignano holding leadership roles at SSA and the IRS. “Putting the same person in charge of both the IRS and SSA creates a conflict of interest when SSA wants access to legally protected taxpayer data,” Kaercher said. With two day jobs, Bisignano joins a number of other The President administration officials to wear multiple hats, including Bessent, Marco Rubio, Sean Duffy, Jamieson Greer and Russell Vought. IRS and Social Security advocates expressed concern about the new appointment. Kathleen Romig, director of Social Security and Disability Policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, pointed to Bisignano being named to a position that appears to avoid congressional approval. “If the The President Admin asked for the Senate’s advice & consent, would they really want the same person running the government’s biggest program AND overseeing the implementation of the extraordinarily complex new tax law?” she said on the Bluesky social media app. And Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, an advocacy group for SSA recipients and future retirees, said Bisignano’s “divided attention will create a bottleneck that makes the inevitable problems that arise even harder to correct. Never in Social Security’s 90-year history has a commissioner held a second job. Bisiginano’s new role will leave a leadership vacuum at the top of the agency, especially since the Republican Senate hasn’t even confirmed a deputy commissioner.” Bisignano has served as CEO of Fiserv, a payments and financial services tech firm, since 2020. He is a onetime defender of corporate policies to protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination. —Fatima Hussein, Associated Press View the full article

Zak Brown accused of stringing along Indycar star in $20.7mn High Court battle brought by team over alleged breach of contract View the full article

Small businesses looking to enhance operational efficiency could find a new ally in Slack’s latest innovations, designed to integrate AI capabilities directly into the world of workplace communication. Recently, Salesforce announced a series of advancements that will enable companies to build AI applications and agents capable of leveraging conversational data stored within Slack, addressing some of the most common frustrations faced by organizations. At the core of these updates are the newly introduced real-time search API and Model Context Protocol (MCP) server. These tools aim to provide developers with secure access to conversational data, allowing employees to harness insights from discussions that often remain buried in unstructured messages. As Denise Dresser, CEO of Slack, emphasizes, “The future of work is undeniably agentic, and the success of AI depends on its seamless integration into human workflows.” For small business owners, this means potentially transformative benefits that can drive productivity and enhance decision-making processes. One of the key advantages of this new functionality is the ability to unlock unstructured data within Slack. Traditionally, valuable insights from team conversations have been difficult to access. By utilizing the real-time search API, small business teams can save an average of 97 minutes every week by quickly retrieving relevant contextual information. This time savings directly translates into greater efficiency and the ability to redirect effort toward strategic activities. Moreover, accelerated decision-making is another promise of Slack’s new systems. By integrating app data with Slack conversations, businesses can access a comprehensive context that facilitates faster insights and actions. Early users have reported a 37% improvement in decision-making speed, enhancing their ability to respond to customer inquiries more swiftly. On the productivity front, leveraging these AI capabilities can lead to significant growth potential. Businesses that utilize integrated AI tools have been shown to achieve three times higher revenue growth per employee, illustrating the financial upside of this innovation. By integrating necessary applications directly into daily workflows, it reduces the common issue of context switching between various apps—a productivity killer that can drain up to 40% of a worker’s time. Additionally, businesses often struggle with technology adoption. Slack’s approach mitigates this by embedding new tools directly into the platform where teams are already engaged. A staggering 95% of Slack users report that using applications within Slack increases their value. This seamless integration can help ensure higher engagement and ease of use, mitigating the challenge of getting employees to adopt new tools. However, while these innovations provide exciting prospects, small business owners should remain aware of some potential challenges. The primary concern could be security and compliance, especially for companies handling sensitive information. Although Slack emphasizes enterprise-grade security features, it’s crucial for enterprises to assess whether these align with their internal policies and compliance requirements. Ensuring that employees understand data privacy issues and the secure use of conversational data remains imperative. Another consideration is the reliance on AI capabilities themselves. While AI can significantly enhance efficiency, there’s a learning curve involved in deployment. Small businesses may need to dedicate time and resources, either for training or ongoing management, of these new tools—making sure they don’t inadvertently increase workloads rather than alleviate them. Innovative partnerships with major players like Google, Dropbox, and Notion have already begun utilizing these new features to build applications tailored for Slack. This fosters a rich ecosystem in which small businesses can access cutting-edge tools tailored to their unique needs. For instance, Dropbox Dash provides real-time insights into files shared on Slack, eliminating inefficiencies associated with switching apps, while Notion AI integrates responses and analysis directly from discussions. As these features become generally available in early 2026, small businesses can begin to explore the exciting possibilities of integrating contextual AI into their daily operations. With secure access to conversational data, the integration of essential apps, and a landscape that promises easy adoption, Slack is equipping businesses with powerful tools aimed at enhancing productivity and growth in an increasingly collaborative world. For further details on these advancements, you can refer to the original press release at Salesforce: Slack Context-Aware AI Apps. Image via Salesforce This article, "Slack Empowers Developers with Real-Time API for AI-Driven Productivity" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Small businesses looking to enhance operational efficiency could find a new ally in Slack’s latest innovations, designed to integrate AI capabilities directly into the world of workplace communication. Recently, Salesforce announced a series of advancements that will enable companies to build AI applications and agents capable of leveraging conversational data stored within Slack, addressing some of the most common frustrations faced by organizations. At the core of these updates are the newly introduced real-time search API and Model Context Protocol (MCP) server. These tools aim to provide developers with secure access to conversational data, allowing employees to harness insights from discussions that often remain buried in unstructured messages. As Denise Dresser, CEO of Slack, emphasizes, “The future of work is undeniably agentic, and the success of AI depends on its seamless integration into human workflows.” For small business owners, this means potentially transformative benefits that can drive productivity and enhance decision-making processes. One of the key advantages of this new functionality is the ability to unlock unstructured data within Slack. Traditionally, valuable insights from team conversations have been difficult to access. By utilizing the real-time search API, small business teams can save an average of 97 minutes every week by quickly retrieving relevant contextual information. This time savings directly translates into greater efficiency and the ability to redirect effort toward strategic activities. Moreover, accelerated decision-making is another promise of Slack’s new systems. By integrating app data with Slack conversations, businesses can access a comprehensive context that facilitates faster insights and actions. Early users have reported a 37% improvement in decision-making speed, enhancing their ability to respond to customer inquiries more swiftly. On the productivity front, leveraging these AI capabilities can lead to significant growth potential. Businesses that utilize integrated AI tools have been shown to achieve three times higher revenue growth per employee, illustrating the financial upside of this innovation. By integrating necessary applications directly into daily workflows, it reduces the common issue of context switching between various apps—a productivity killer that can drain up to 40% of a worker’s time. Additionally, businesses often struggle with technology adoption. Slack’s approach mitigates this by embedding new tools directly into the platform where teams are already engaged. A staggering 95% of Slack users report that using applications within Slack increases their value. This seamless integration can help ensure higher engagement and ease of use, mitigating the challenge of getting employees to adopt new tools. However, while these innovations provide exciting prospects, small business owners should remain aware of some potential challenges. The primary concern could be security and compliance, especially for companies handling sensitive information. Although Slack emphasizes enterprise-grade security features, it’s crucial for enterprises to assess whether these align with their internal policies and compliance requirements. Ensuring that employees understand data privacy issues and the secure use of conversational data remains imperative. Another consideration is the reliance on AI capabilities themselves. While AI can significantly enhance efficiency, there’s a learning curve involved in deployment. Small businesses may need to dedicate time and resources, either for training or ongoing management, of these new tools—making sure they don’t inadvertently increase workloads rather than alleviate them. Innovative partnerships with major players like Google, Dropbox, and Notion have already begun utilizing these new features to build applications tailored for Slack. This fosters a rich ecosystem in which small businesses can access cutting-edge tools tailored to their unique needs. For instance, Dropbox Dash provides real-time insights into files shared on Slack, eliminating inefficiencies associated with switching apps, while Notion AI integrates responses and analysis directly from discussions. As these features become generally available in early 2026, small businesses can begin to explore the exciting possibilities of integrating contextual AI into their daily operations. With secure access to conversational data, the integration of essential apps, and a landscape that promises easy adoption, Slack is equipping businesses with powerful tools aimed at enhancing productivity and growth in an increasingly collaborative world. For further details on these advancements, you can refer to the original press release at Salesforce: Slack Context-Aware AI Apps. Image via Salesforce This article, "Slack Empowers Developers with Real-Time API for AI-Driven Productivity" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding my work at Lifehacker as a preferred source. With Halloween around the corner, let's take a look at a spooky and supposedly true story going viral this week. Recently, a 911 call surfaced of a North Carolina man calling authorities because he thought he saw a bloody man by the side of a desolate country road. While he was speaking to the operator, something landed in the bed of his pickup truck, causing the 911 caller to start screaming "It's not human! It's not human!" Check out the video: My first reaction upon seeing this was the same as yours: It's fake. Compelling, sure. but fake, like 100,000 other online "paranormal videos." There's no picture of the creature. We don't know who the guy is. We don't know the context. There's no effort and no risk in making and posting a video online, so there's no reason to think it's real, so I swiped to the next video. But it turns out there's enough evidence here that it at least deserves a deeper look. The true part of the story Unlike the overwhelming majority of spooky videos posted online, a big part of this story is true. It's a real recording of a 911 call placed at 11 p.m. on July 31, 2021 in Pender County, North Carolina. The verifiable details that the caller reported in the call are accurate too. Snopes listened to the entire 11-minute 911 call, and cross-checked the details to make sure the distance the caller said he'd driven check out, and they do. The caller didn't hang up, either. He waited around for Pender County Sheriff's department officers to arrive, and he cooperated with the investigation. This means an actual person out there is willing to stand behind the story—that's a much higher level of evidence than most paranormal claims online have. The cops didn't find anything, but that was in keeping with the 911 call, too: Dude said he slammed on the brakes and the inhuman thing in his truck bed flew out, landed on the road, and took off into the woods. "It's some yahoo calling in a hoax report to 911," you might be saying. Fair point, but that's a crime, and the unnamed caller was apparently believable enough that he wasn't arrested for filing a bogus police report. The sheriff took the incident seriously enough to open up a file about it, use state resources to look into it, and later do a media interview. How much evidence is enough evidence?If the 911 caller had been reporting something else in this call, like a wounded deer in the highway or something, we wouldn't question whether it actually happened. The recording and the police report would be overkill; we'd believe the guy just because he said it happened. But I'm still 99.99% sure this guy either mistook something mundane for a monster or made up a tale entirely. According to the 911 caller, the thing in the back of his pickup truck had shallow sunken eyes, and no nose, like someone had "taken skin and put it on a human skull and stretched it thin." It was not human. As Carl Sagan once said, "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" and a mystery creature in South Carolina would certainly be extraordinary. If it was true, it would upend everything we know about biology, zoology, evolution, and North Carolina. I'm open to the possibility, but we need more than a 911 call to accept it. We'd need extraordinary evidence: video, photos, corroborating witnesses, and physical evidence wouldn't even be enough. You'd have to catch one before it would make sense to rewrite the zoology textbooks. There actually could be a monster in North CarolinaDon't lose hope, all you "I want to believe" people. It could still be real. Up until the mid-1800s, gorillas were basically Bigfoot, as far as Western science was concerned: A few people told tales of spotting them deep in the jungle, but there wasn't a compelling reason to think they existed. Same with giant squids: Occasionally a sailor would swear he encountered one, but it wasn't until the 1840s that there was physical evidence, and we didn't have a photo of a giant squid until 2004. Yeah, a previously undiscovered creature would have a harder time hiding out in modern North Carolina than gorillas had staying scarce in Cameroon in the 1840s, but it's October, so I'm calling it a (barely, technically possible) mystery instead of an outright lie. View the full article

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Monday that the government shutdown is putting more stress on air traffic controllers who already have an extremely stressful job, as well as threatening a program that small communities rely on to help subsidize airline service. Controllers are expected to continue working without a paycheck, Duffy said, so they are now worried about how to pay their bills in addition to worrying about keeping flights safe. And there have started to be instances of controllers calling out sick, leading to delays at several airports Monday. “Now what they think about as they’re controlling our airspace is, how am I going to pay my mortgage? How do I make my car payment? I have a couple kids at home. How do I put food on the table? I’m working six days a week. Do I have to take a second job and drive Uber when I’m already exhausted from doing a job that’s already stressful to think about how I can make extra money because the government may not provide me a paycheck?” Duffy said. Travelers at Newark Liberty International Airport, where Duffy held his news conference, said controllers should be paid for their work. “Everyone should get paid for what they are doing. Of course it bothers me,” said Daniel Johansson from North Carolina. A traveler from Utah, Nancy Taylor, agreed. “Yeah, that would be hard to work for no pay,” Taylor said. “But I think they understand the importance of their job. And the safety that provides to us as travelers. They need to get paid.” The Transportation Department has been able to keep the air traffic controller academy in Oklahoma City open for now with funding from previous years, but Duffy is still concerned about the potential impact on efforts to hire and train new controllers in the hope of eliminating a longstanding shortage. Duffy said the support staff who train controllers after they come out of the academy could be laid off. The head of the air traffic controllers union, Nick Daniels, stayed away from political comments, but he urged Congress to end the shutdown. “We need to bring this shutdown to a close, so that the Federal Aviation Administration and the committed aviation safety professionals can put this distraction behind us, and completely focus on their vital work,” Daniels said. Duffy said there has already been a small uptick in controllers calling out sick in a few places. Anytime that gets worse and creates a shortage of controllers, the FAA reduces the number of takeoffs and landings to ensure controllers aren’t overwhelmed and the system remains safe. But that creates delays and possibly cancellations. Near the end of the 35-day shutdown during the first The President administration, there were widespread flight delays because of shortages of controllers. By Monday evening, the FAA was reporting that staffing shortages were creating delays in the Burbank, Newark and Denver airports. The worst problems were in Burbank, where California Gov. Gavin Newsom said no controllers were on duty during the evening, leading to average delays of two-and-a-half hours at that airport. The Essential Air Service program that subsidizes airline service to small communities across the country will also quickly run out of money. Duffy said that program enjoys strong bipartisan support and provides an important lifeline to many small communities. It is especially important in Alaska, where flying is the only way to travel between many communities. “That money runs out this Sunday. So there’s many small communities across the country that will now no longer have the resources to make sure they have air service in their community,” Duffy said. Associated Press videographer Joseph B. Frederick contributed to this report from Newark, New Jersey. —Josh Funk, AP Transportation Writer View the full article

Democrats believe health care is an issue that resonates with a majority of Americans as they demand an extension of subsidies in exchange for their votes to reopen the shuttered U.S. government. But it is also one of the most intractable issues in Congress — and a real compromise amid the government shutdown will not likely be easy, or quick. There are some Republicans in Congress who want to extend the higher subsidies, which were first put in place in 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as millions of people who receive their insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces are set to receive notices that their premiums will increase at the beginning of the year. But many GOP lawmakers are strongly opposed to any extension — and see the debate as a new opportunity to cut back on the program altogether. “If Republicans govern by poll and fail to grab this moment, they will own it,” wrote Texas Rep. Chip Roy, a Republican, in a letter published in the The Wall Street Journal over the weekend. He encouraged senators not to go “wobbly” on the issue. “The jig is up, the pandemic is over and my colleagues shouldn’t blink in any other direction,” Roy wrote. Republicans have been railing against the Affordable Care Act, former President Barack Obama’s signature health care law, since it was enacted 15 years ago. But while they have been able to chip away at it, they have not been able to substantially alter it as a record 24 million people are now signed up for insurance coverage through the ACA, in large part because billions of dollars in subsidies have made the plans more affordable for many people. Now, some of them see the Democrats’ fight as their chance to revisit the issue — putting Republican congressional leaders and President Donald The President in a complicated position as the government shutdown enters its seventh day and hundreds of thousands of federal workers are going unpaid. “I am happy to work with Democrats on their Failed Healthcare Policies, or anything else, but first they must allow our Government to reopen,” The President wrote on social media Monday night, walking back earlier comments saying there were ongoing negotiations with Democrats. Waiting for the other side to blink Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has repeatedly indicated that Republicans are open to extending the subsidies, with reforms, if Democrats would reopen the government. But he has refused to negotiate until that happens — and has suggested The President will be key to the eventual outcome. Thune told reporters Monday “there may be a path forward” on ACA subsidies, but stressed, “I think a lot of it would come down to where the White House lands on that.” Many GOP senators argue the only path forward is to overhaul the law. “The whole problem with all of this is Obamacare,” said Florida Sen. Rick Scott. Most House Republicans agree, and House Speaker Mike Johnson has been noncommittal on discussions. “Obamacare is not working,” Johnson said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “We’re trying to fix it.” Democrats believe that public sentiment is on their side and argue that The President and Republicans will have to come to the negotiating table as people who are enrolled in the program, many of whom live in Republican districts and states, are notified that their rates will increase. “All I can tell you is the American people feel very deeply about solving this health care crisis,” Schumer said after the Senate rejected a House-passed bill to reopen the government for the fifth time Monday evening. “Every poll we have seen shows they want us to do it, and they feel that the Republicans are far more responsible for the shutdown than we are.” Bipartisan talks face difficulties With leaders at odds, some rank-and-file senators in both parties have been in private talks to try to find a way out of the shutdown. Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota has suggested extending the subsidies for a year and then phasing them out. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, has suggested pushing ahead with a group of bipartisan spending bills that are pending and a commitment to discuss the health care issue. But many Democrats say a commitment isn’t good enough, and Republicans say they need deeper reforms — leaving the talks, and the U.S. government, at a standstill. Maine Sen. Angus King, an Independent who caucuses with Democrats, voted with Republicans to keep the government open. But he said Monday that he might switch his vote to “no” if Republicans do not “offer some real solid evidence that they are going to help us with this crisis” on health care. Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma said his party is “not budging,” however. “First and foremost, before we can talk about anything, they need to reopen the government.” Some Republicans urge action on health care Still, some Republicans say they are open to extending the subsidies — even if they don’t like them — as it becomes clear that their constituents will face rising costs. “I’m willing to consider various reforms, but I think we have to do something,” said Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri. He said Congress should address the issue “sooner rather than later” before open enrollment begins Nov. 1. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said she is “not a fan” of Obamacare but indicated she might vote to extend it. “I’m going to go against everyone on this issue because when the tax credits expire this year my own adult children’s insurance premiums for 2026 are going to DOUBLE, along with all the wonderful families and hard-working people in my district,” she posted on social media Monday evening. —Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press View the full article

Mortgage Research Center is adding First Residential Independent Mortgage to do conventional and FHA, but it will be sunsetting the Paddio branding. View the full article

Spending can be rolled over but this would prevent measures to tackle France’s worrying public deficitView the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Amazon Big Deal Days is coming October 7-8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over. Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find. Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox. New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change. Apple’s open-ear earbuds are a more comfortable alternative to the AirPods Pro, and they’re much cheaper, too. And now, with the AirPods 4, Apple has even introduced an Active Noise Cancellation option, as well as premium audio features once limited to the AirPods Pro. Right now, you can get both versions of AirPods 4 at their lowest prices, matching the prices they reached during Amazon's Prime Day sale in July 2025. The base AirPods 4 are discounted to $89.00 (down from $129) and the AirPods 4 with ANC are $119 (from $179). Apple AirPods 4 Wireless Earbuds $89.00 at Amazon $129.00 Save $40.00 Get Deal Get Deal $89.00 at Amazon $129.00 Save $40.00 The AirPods 4 feature shorter stems than their predecessors and a smaller case, but with the same open-ear iconic design. The tips now feature a better in-ear fit, without the need for the silicone tip found in the AirPods Pro. The AirPods 4 feature the same H2 chip found in the premium AirPods Pro 2, bringing the same level of audio processing, and features like Voice Isolation, Conversation Awareness, and Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking. The model with ANC gets a slightly less powerful version of noise cancellation, though (thanks to the absence of the silicone tips). AirPods 4 with ANC get Apple’s Transparency mode, which pumps in the sounds from the outside world, adjusting the intensity so it’s not too loud, while keeping you aware of your surroundings. Apple AirPods 4 Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds $119.00 at Amazon $179.00 Save $60.00 Get Deal Get Deal $119.00 at Amazon $179.00 Save $60.00 There’s USB-C charging in the case, and the AirPods 4 with ANC are also compatible with Qi and MagSafe charging, plus they have a built-in speaker for Find My tracking. The AirPods 4 last for five hours on their own, and the case adds up to 30 hours of listening time. In ANC mode, they last for four hours. But a quick five-minute charge adds around one hour of listening time. The AirPods 4 are a great choice for anyone looking for ANC on a budget, and for people who don’t like silicone ear tips. PCMag gave the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation four out of five stars, and an Editor’s Choice award. According to PCMag, “The AirPods 4 are capable of what no other open earbuds have yet to attempt: high-quality active noise cancellation. They also deliver excellent audio performance.” And if you don’t want the ANC, you can save even more. The base AirPods 4 at $90 are one of the best deals in tech. Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart and Best Buy have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime. Walmart’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. ET through Oct. 12 and includes deals up to 50% off. It’s an especially good option if you have Walmart+. Best Buy’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Sept. 27 through Oct. 12, and has some of the best tech sales online. It’s an especially good option if you’re a My Best Buy “Plus” or “Total” member. Target’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 5 through Oct. 11, and it has deals going up to 50% off. You can become a Circle member for free. Our Best Editor-Vetted Prime Day Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 2 Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds — $169.99 (List Price $249.00) Meta Quest 3S 128GB All-In-One VR Headset — $249.00 (List Price $299.99) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $279.00 (List Price $349.00) DJI Mini 4K 3-Axis Gimbal Camera Drone (Under 249 Grams) — $239.00 (List Price $299.00) Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ 10.9" 64GB Wi-Fi Tablet (Graphite) — $148.94 (List Price $219.99) Blink Mini 2 1080p Indoor Security Camera (2-Pack, White) — $34.99 (List Price $69.99) Ring Battery Doorbell Plus — $79.99 (List Price $149.99) Shark AV2501S AI Ultra Robot Vacuum with HEPA Self-Empty Base — $229.99 (List Price $549.99) Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023) — $69.99 (List Price $139.99) Wyze Cam v4 2K Wired Wi-Fi Smart Security Camera (White) — $25.95 (List Price $35.98) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

Are you ready to hand over control of your portfolio to artificial intelligence? Fahad Hassan, cofounder and CEO of AI-powered wealth management platform Range, thinks you should seriously consider it. Hassan’s five-year-old company is introducing “Rai,” a new proprietary AI wealth advisor that, he believes, will give a huge swath of American households access to the sophisticated advice and planning that was traditionally only accessible to those with sky-high net worths. “Rai is the first product, the first AI agent, that we believe can do the work of human advisors just as well, if not better,” Hassan says. And while plenty of other fintech companies have rolled out or otherwise introduced AI tools to help with wealth planning in recent years, Hassan says that Rai is different for a couple of key reasons. First, Rai has access to more and better data than other tools, Hassan says. Range’s customers who use Rai can connect dozens of accounts (real estate information, retirement and investments, restricted or private stock holdings, etc.). That gives the tool a broader picture of an individual’s financial status. Second, Rai has been rigorously trained against regulatory standards—that is, it’s designed to pass the sorts of exams that human advisors would need to pass, which are administered by organizations like the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). Not only that, but that level of sophistication also allows Rai to continuously self-improve and learn as it goes. But Hassan says that Rai goes yet another step further. “It can take action against your money, such as file your taxes, develop an estate plan, and more,” he says. Those sorts of actions, which would traditionally require that customers enlist an accountant or an attorney, can now be done in-house by Rai, potentially saving users huge amounts of money. “We can provide hundreds of thousands of dollars in value in 10 seconds,” Hassan says. “You don’t need to wait for a human anymore.” More Waymo than Uber? If this sounds something like “Robinhood for wealth advisories,” Hassan says that’s not quite the goal. “We think of this as Waymo, not Uber,” he adds. Uber democratized access to ride-sharing and connected drivers with riders. It may be more helpful to think of Rai as connecting you with a ride, and doing the driving. It’s a one-stop shop, and you can access it without the relationship-building process—country club lunches, tee times, or whatnot—that human advisors traditionally use to build their client bases. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Range most recently raised $28 million in a November 2024 round led by Cathay Innovation, 10X Group, Brave Capital, Gaingels, and others, according to data from PitchBook, for a total raised to date of $40 million. Of course, whether or not people adopt Rai, like they did Robinhood or other financial tools, has yet to be seen. If they do, the tool could potentially shake up a lucrative yet traditionally walled-off branch of financial services for more households. It’s the speed and granularity that the company’s leadership believes will make a difference. “Rai analyzes your complete financial picture in seconds—every account, every asset, every opportunity,” said David Cusatis, Range’s cofounder and CTO, in a statement. “We built proprietary technology to deliver recommendations that no human advisor could match at this speed and scale.” View the full article