What's on Your Mind?

Extreme weather is dangerous weather, and that’s particularly true for the heavy rainfall events that experts say are becoming more frequent with climate change. The powerful storms can pose threats ranging from falling limbs to downed power lines to drowning. Experts say disaster preparation and good planning can help protect lives and property. What should you do if you face record rainfall? Long before extreme weather happens, it’s important to consider whether your home meets building codes, and to know what your insurance covers, experts say. This is the time to address any shortcomings. Once storms draw near, stay informed by signing up for real-time …

The Fast Company Impact Council is an invitation-only membership community of leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual dues for access to peer learning, thought leadership opportunities, events and more. It’s been made clear in the past few months that the uncertainty we’re facing as a country has impacted almost every level of society. And it’s not lost on me that there is an overwhelming amount of pressure on our state leaders in the current political and economic environment. Unfortunately, I’m not confident that these leaders are using their power to tackle the deep-rooted issues that our co…

Lots of research shows that doing mental exercises can ward off dementia and the effects of aging, but can it actually make you better at your job? While it’s hard to imagine the late musical theater virtuoso Stephen Sondheim needing any kind of extra creative stimuli, he in fact had a well-known love of stimulating puzzles and games. And he didn’t just play them. The Tony-winning composer behind Broadway hits such as Sweeney Todd, Company, and a heartwarming ditty about presidential assassins also cultivated a side hustle as a designer of cryptic crossword puzzles and a frequent host of game nights and scavenger hunts. Barry Joseph, a game researcher and designe…

Air travelers in the U.S. without a REAL ID will be charged a $45 fee beginning in February, the Transportation Security Administration announced Monday. The updated ID has been required since May, but passengers without it have so far been allowed to clear security with additional screening and a warning. The Department of Homeland Security says 94% of passengers are already compliant and that the new fee is intended to encourage travelers to obtain the ID. REAL ID is a federally compliant state-issued license or identification card that meets enhanced requirements mandated in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Obtaining the ID — indicated by a wh…

Amazon Music just dropped its 2025 Delivered, an annual recap of your most streamed songs, artists, podcasts, and audiobooks, and the platform’s answer to the popular Spotify Wrapped. Here’s what to know, and how to access the feature. What is Amazon Music’s 2025 Delivered? 2025 Delivered transforms your streaming history on Amazon Music into a virtual music festival poster with your “dream lineup” of artists. Users are given special “Trendsetter” and “Headliner” badges for being an early album adopter or an artist’s top listener, respectively. From the moment you snap on your virtual festival wristband, 2025 Delivered will share personal insights from the …

At the Exceptional Women Alliance (EWA), we bring together accomplished women who mentor, support, and challenge one another to grow as leaders, women, and as human beings. Each month we highlight one of these extraordinary voices and the insights that define her approach to leadership and life. This month I spoke with Mindy Mackenzie, former interim CEO of Beautycounter, longtime advisor to portfolio companies at The Carlyle Group, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Courage Solution: The Power of Truth Telling with Your Boss, Peers, and Team. Mindy’s leadership philosophy challenges the belief that progress requires constant motion. She believes th…

The U.S. stock market is drifting near its record levels on Wednesday following mixed reactions to profit reports from Macy’s, Marvell Technologies, and other companies. The S&P 500 rose 0.2% and pulled within 0.7% of its all-time high set in late October. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 174 points, or 0.6%, as of 11:50 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was virtually unchanged. Marvell rose 4.1% after the supplier of semiconductor products delivered a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. CEO Matt Murphy credited strong demand for its data center products, while also announcing a $3.25 billion purchase of Celestial AI…

U.S. stocks are rising toward records Friday following a mixed report on the U.S. job market, one that may delay another cut to interest rates by the Federal Reserve but does not slam the door on it. The S&P 500 climbed 0.5% in midday trading and was on track to top its all-time high set earlier in the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 237 points, or 0.5% and was also heading toward a record. The Nasdaq composite was 0.7% higher, as of 11:45 a.m. Eastern time. The gains came after the U.S. Labor Department said employers hired fewer workers in total during December than economists expected, though the unemployment rate improved and was better than e…

Thursday, November 20, ended up being a bit of a whirlwind for tech investors. The day started off on a positive note, with Nvidia’s shares (Nasdaq: NVDA) rising almost 5% thanks to a strong earnings report shared after the bell on Wednesday. The company’s third-quarter revenue reached $57.01 billion with an adjusted earnings per share of $1.30—both exceeded Wall Street’s estimates. Nvidia also shared that it expects $65 billion in quarter-four revenue, higher than the $62 billion analysts predicted. The other “Magnificent Seven” tech stocks—Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, and Tesla—rose in turn. But Nvidia’s success wasn’t enough to repel inv…

America’s three major stock markets, the Dow, Nasdaq, and S&P, are all down sharply in morning trading as of this writing. The wave of red across investors’ monitors is primarily due to one major factor: uncertainty around how far the Iran conflict will travel and how long it will last. Here’s what you need to know about how markets are reacting. What happened? Over the weekend, President Donald The President ordered strikes on Iran, during which the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed. The death of Iran’s leader and the ongoing conflict in Iran will have significant consequences for the region as a whole for years to come. Yet wha…

Forty-three days later, the U.S. government shutdown has come to an end. While it wreaked havoc on government services, flights, and paychecks for federal workers, stock market appears to have come through it unscathed. In fact, by some measures, it improved. The Dow Jones Industrial Average reached 46,441.10 on the first day of the shutdown. Since October 1, it has grown over 4%, reaching over 48,000 for the first time on Wednesday, November 12. While the record number came as the shutdown’s end became a sure thing, the Dow had continued to rise throughout the period. The S&P 500 also followed a mostly upward trajectory throughout the shutdown. It …

Stocks moved slightly lower in midday Friday trading as investors returned from the Christmas holiday. Trading is expected to be light. The S&P 500 index was down 0.1% as of 12:15 p.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite was down less than 0.1%. Institutional investors are largely closed out of their positions for the year. The S&P 500 has climbed nearly 18% this year, helped by the deregulatory policies of the The President administration as well as investor optimism about the future of artificial intelligence. Gold and silver prices continued to climb, with silver rising more than 7% to $76.88 an ounce. Gold w…