Workplace Benefits Now Include Caregiving

5 months ago · < 1 minute read

It’s an ugly truth, but one you can’t avoid: sometimes you have to choose between family and work. Though many people can drop off their kids at daycare, school, or afterschool programs, there aren’t as many options for the elderly. When your loved ones get older and need support, it can get expensive to hire private nurses or check them into facilities. Luckily, more and more companies are providing a solution. One startup, Wellthy, is taking on the job with gusto.

Providing caregiving as a company benefit isn’t just humane; it’s actually a great way to improve employee productivity. Plenty of people use up their sick days or vacations to provide care for their families, meaning they don’t get the days to take care of themselves. And if you think it’s a rare situation, you’re wrong; 75% of adults in the workforce face some kind of caregiving responsibilities.

Wellthy provides a variety of services to covered employees. Not just hiring nurses, but working with attorneys, finding support groups, looking into tax deductions, figuring out physical therapy, and much more. When employees aren’t constantly worried about their families, they can stay focused on work and their own well-being. 

Uber Reaches For the Skies

5 months ago · < 1 minute read

Like all companies, Uber is constantly on the lookout for new opportunities to expand. Their newest addition? Hot air balloon rides. Before you get too excited, know that this is just for Turkey, specifically the highly-visited Cappadocia site. It follows on the heels of other additions like tuk-tuks in India (their version of taxis, often a cart or carriage pulled by a driver on a motorbike) and Uber boat rides in Greece. 

It’s not exactly inexpensive, either. Users pay 150 euros (that’s about $159) to reserve one of 20 seats on a sunrise flight. The whole ride lasts about an hour and a half, looking down on the UNESCO site with churches dating back to the 10th century. So, why does Turkey get the hot air balloon rides?

Well, Turkey has been a place of serious growth for Uber over the last few years. There are 30,000 Uber drivers there, mostly concentrated in Istanbul. The tourism sector is growing rapidly in the country, and more and more people are looking to book rides on and off the ground. Uber has a history of expanding into more than just car rides, and Turkey seems like the perfect place to test drive balloon rides. 

Top Expensive Cities

5 months ago · < 1 minute read

Cost of living is increasing everywhere, but if you live in SoCal (like I do), you’ve probably been eyeing the rise of housing costs with dismay. That may be because we have three of the five most expensive cities in the United States. Los Angeles? Number two. Coming in at most expensive in the nation? San Diego, of course. 

But let’s say you’re thinking about moving. With more and more opportunities to work remotely, more people than ever can live anywhere with their jobs. Sometimes they’re known as digital nomads. There are plenty of cheaper places to live (I spent a year in Bali living it up), but there are some serious competitors for San Diego even abroad. Singapore, Shanghai, and Hong Kong are even more costly than Southern California. They might be nice places to visit, but if you want to fatten up your wallet, they probably aren’t great places to put down roots. 

To Sell or Not to Sell

5 months ago · < 1 minute read

Do you think private collectors should be allowed to own or sell priceless antiques? The answer is surprisingly bogged down in legal mire. Different countries have various laws, but it’s hard for authorities to agree on what counts as an antique that should be available to the public. One particular case has made the news: that of an original Leonardo da Vinci drawing.

A French man who has stayed anonymous has been fighting a court battle for years for the right to sell a da Vinci drawing that he inherited. Seven years ago, he filed for an export license (something required by the French government to sell items deemed of ‘national importance’) so he could sell the drawing at an auction house.

Initially, France declined to give him one, saying it was a national treasure. The Louvre offered the man almost $11 million to buy the drawing and display it there, thus keeping it in France. Likely The Louvre hoped to attract more visitors with it. The owner turned down the offer and had the drawing appraised.

The appraisers valued it at over $15 million, although The Louvre did not offer more. The man again applied for an export license in 2021 and one of the French ministers accused the owner of having stolen the artwork. She demanded evidence that the drawing was legally obtained. Presumably, she hoped that, without evidence, the country could take possession of the drawing without recompense.

For the past two years, he has been fighting in court to prove that the drawing was legally inherited and to be granted an export license. He finally won the court case, although it remains to be seen if France actually allows him to sell the drawing. 

Streaming: No Longer the Cheaper Alternative

5 months ago · < 1 minute read

I remember back in the days before streaming when you had to pay for expensive cable packages that might not even have the channels you wanted. It was frustrating, right? So, when companies started floating the idea of streaming, a cheaper and simpler way to watch TV, it seemed like a great solution. Too bad it didn’t stay that way.

It seems like this is the year for streamers to raise their prices, although it’s hardly a new trend. Apple, for example, just raised their Apple+ package from $6.99 to $9.99 monthly. Disney+ recently did something similar, raising the price of itself and Hulu, a subsidiary. By now, if you have the most popular streaming services (Netflix, Amazon, and Disney+, according to subscriber data), you’re looking at shelling out nearly $40/month. 

And, of course, that’s not counting other popular streaming services like HBO Max, Paramount+, Apple+, Peacock, or more niche ones. If you also want access to subchannels like BritBox or AcornTV, those are an additional $5.99 monthly within your normal Amazon subscription. 

Plus, streamers have essentially trapped loyal fans into purchasing multiple subscriptions. For example, Law & Order Special Victims Unit, one of the longest-running TV shows, had its copyrights divided. Some (not all) of the seasons are available on Hulu, but if you want to watch the other seasons, you need a subscription to Peacock (owned by NBC, the original airer of the show). 

Not to mention how streamers are constantly dropping TV shows and movies, only for other streamers to pick them up. You could easily be looking at $900 per year with seven subscriptions. Considering that a Spectrum cable package costs about $720 a year, we might need to consider cable again. 

Spellbound Customers

5 months ago · < 1 minute read

What do you imagine when you hear the word ‘witch?’ A hag with a pointed hat, a black cat, hunched over her cauldron brewing something nasty, right? Well, with the rise of Wicca and Paganism, polytheistic religions, more people are calling themselves Witches the way someone else might call themselves a Christian. And Witches are taking advantage of side hustles, too.

Witches typically haunt websites like Bonanza, Amazon, and Etsy, selling their enchanting wares. Everything from various gemstones to exotic spices to books outlining rituals are all for sale. And that’s just the tip of the broom. You can find fortune-telling and in-person or online workshops as well. Etsy even had to ban the sales of spells, requiring that all listings provide an item, either physical or downloadable. 

So, why are people eager to spend their hard-earned money on the promise of magick? With the increasing uncertainty in the world and the rise of social media, people want a little mystery. A promise of something better. When we feel helpless in the face of the ills of the planet, it’s no wonder we’d turn to prayer, magick, or anything out of the ordinary. 

Post-Pandemic Small Business Surge 

5 months ago · < 1 minute read

While COVID-19 undoubtedly took a heavy toll on the US economy, new research suggests that things may be turning around. It turns out that a lot of people took advantage of the rapid and massive changes from the pandemic (as well as having more time on their hands from everyone getting laid off and quarantined) to start new businesses. Who was best suited to start again? Entrepreneurs, of course.

It helped that the government was handing out trillions of dollars in financial assistance to keep people afloat during such an unprecedented event. One of the biggest hurdles for startups can be finding capital and with the pandemic assistance, people suddenly had the money and time to invest in something new. In fact, every time the government sent out money, there was a corresponding spike in monthly business applications. 

Naturally, researchers warn that it’s too early to say whether this trend is here to stay, but they remain cautiously optimistic. But this could be the beginning of a return to entrepreneurship that America hasn’t really seen in quite some time. 

Pawty Time

5 months ago · < 1 minute read

Everyone loves a good party, right? More and more, we look for excuses to celebrate and lift our spirits. As entrepreneurs, we’ve got to be on the lookout for opportunities too, so why not put it all together and help people celebrate their dogs’ birthdays for your new side gig? Do you think that sounds crazy? Sit, stay.

A survey recently showed that 58% of Millennials would rather have a pet than a child. Considering how much the cost of living has gone up, that’s not surprising. But those parental instincts never go away. And the lengths people would go to for their pets has only increased. One in four of the survey’s participants said they’d sell their car to pay for a life-saving medical procedure for their beloved pooch. It’s no wonder they want to throw their baby a party.

Companies like The Barkday Planner have stepped in to fill the niche. They sell everything from themed decor to pet-friendly treats, toys, and outfits. The Barkday Planner takes it a step further, offering services to plan the entire party for you and send out adorable invitations. Considering the profits these companies are seeing, maybe you should consider embracing your inner pet lover. 

On-the-Job Training

5 months ago · < 1 minute read

Think that working at a grocery store is a deadend job for highschool students or people lacking better options? Think again. Chains like Whole Foods have been investing heavily in apprenticeship programs. In 2023, CEO Jason Buechel noted that they’d seen over 10,000 employees promoted, thanks to those paid apprenticeships. 

So far, they have apprenticeship programs in butchery, cheesemongering, and bakery decoration. But they’re not ready to call it a day. They’ve got big plans in store for pizza-making, produce specialist, and fishmongering tracks. Considering how common apprenticing has been for thousands of years, it’s no wonder that Whole Foods is taking advantage.

These programs aren’t just fancy titles either. They are intensive programs that can take years to complete. The prize? Certification. Even employees who don’t want to stay at Whole Foods can take those certifications and apply elsewhere, improving their overall opportunities. It just goes to show that employers can and should pay their employees to upskill; it benefits everyone.

Marooned: From Punishment to Vacation

5 months ago · < 1 minute read

A few hundred years ago, sailors would live in fear of being marooned by their captains. It was a harsh punishment to be left alone on a remote island without food or water. Possibly inhabited by unfriendly indigenous people who didn’t take too kindly to strangers showing up. Benjamin Gunn in Treasure Island was marooned for years, and he suffered greatly for it. So, why would anyone actually pay to be marooned?

Well, apparently, people have been rewatching Castaway and thinking that Wilson looked pretty appealing. One example is Ben Saul-Garner, who paid nearly $4,000 to spend ten days alone on an uninhabited island in Indonesia. He ate crab and coconuts, strung up a hammock, and had a lovely time. The company that facilitated this excursion? Docastaway.

With the popularity of shows like Man vs. Wild and Naked and Afraid, it’s no wonder that people wanted to test their mettle by trying to survive, a hobby called bushcraft. Under controlled conditions, of course. The founder of Docastaway has strict standards for ensuring his clients’ safety. He checks all of the islands beforehand and pays police to ensure no one comes around during the stay.

Some clients want to be left with a couple of items, typically a knife or machete, a lighter, or a speargun. They trust the founder that there are places to build a crude shelter and source fresh water and food. Unlike being marooned, though, clients can signal to be picked up early if they get sick, injured, or plain old bored. 

What do you think? Could you handle survival mode?