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Medicaid employment mandates are meant to save money

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — To receive Medicaid health coverage, some adults will soon have to show they are working, volunteering or taking classes. But to gather that proof, many states first will have to spend millions of dollars improving their computer systems. Across the nation, ...

Unspoken group chat rules you’re probably ignoring

Communicating on group chats has quickly become a way of life, but what are the rules? We used to use email, the phone or talk in person. Now we use platforms like iMessage, WhatsApp or Slack to coordinate a night out with friends, a kid’s birthday party, a work project or even to discuss sensitive military information — as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did by sharing details of airstrikes in a Signal chat. But while group chats have exploded in popularity because of their informality, that also creates its own challenges: Discussions can veer off topic, repetitive or basic ...

Should higher earners still make 401(k) catch‑up contributions?

Since 2002, retirement savers age 50 and over have had the option of making “catch-up” contributions to their 401(k) plans, which stack on top of the regular limits for employee contributions to tax-deferred retirement plans. The amounts were limited to $1,000 per year when they first came out but expanded to $7,500 by 2025. In addition, contributions to tax-deferred retirement plans are excluded from adjusted gross income, resulting in a lower tax bill on income that would otherwise be taxed. For example, a 50-year-old employee who contributed the $23,500 maximum to her retirement ...

SUV comparison: Honda Passport vs. Subaru Outback

There are seemingly countless options for a new SUV these days, but less so if you’re looking for one that’s comfortable, roomy, and able to tackle snowy roads in the winter and outdoor adventures in the summer. Thankfully, a pair of SUVs are up for the challenge: the 2026 Honda Passport and 2026 Subaru Outback. Both SUVs are bigger and roomier than their popular small SUV siblings, the Honda CR-V and Subaru Forester. They also have standard all-wheel drive and come in special versions that are more rugged and capable for occasional off-roading. Each SUV has also received a full ...

Oil surges to its highest price since 2023, and stocks drop after weak update on the job market

NEW YORK (AP) — Oil shot to its highest price since 2023 after surging again Friday because of the Iran war, and a weak update on the U.S. job market knocked stocks lower to cap Wall Street’s worst week since October. The S&P 500 dropped 1.3% after a report showed U.S. employers cut more jobs last month than they created and after oil prices spiked above $90 per barrel. The combination of a weak economy and high inflation is a worst-case scenario for investors because the Federal Reserve has no good tool to fix both problems at the same time. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ...

Surging oil prices sink stock market

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks sank on Wall Street Thursday after the price of oil spiked to its highest level since the summer of 2024 because of the war with Iran. The S&P 500 fell 0.6% and erased what had been a small gain for the year so far. The Dow Jones Industrial Average briefly dropped more than 1,100 points before finishing with a loss of 784, or 1.6%. The Nasdaq composite slipped 0.3%. The losses came as financial markets around the world keep following the cue of oil prices. Sharp increases there are raising worries that a long-term surge could grind down the global economy, ...