More from the article ...

... Further, nearly half (49%) of American millionaires say their financial planning needs improvement, citing the possibility of outliving their savings, the impact of taxes in retirement, and potential long-term care needs as their top financial concerns.

This gap may be surprising, but it highlights how rising costs, longer lifespans, and shifting expectations have redefined what it means to feel rich in modern America.

Why $1 million doesn't feel like a lot of money anymore

One reason most millionaires don't consider themselves wealthy is because our definition of wealth has changed over time.

"Being a millionaire used to mean you had done really well and made it,'" said Tom Mathews, CFEd, CPA, and author of "How Money Works." "Today, it really just means you've crossed an outdated line."

Mathews explained the problem isn't necessarily that people have less money today, but rather, they have less certainty and control around their finances. ...

@#3 ... Wow, that sure was unconvincing , Marco.
Are you even really trying? ...

It looks like he was told to justify something that he thinks could not be justified.

More from the article ...

... "We are presenting every single one of these as justified," Rubio told reporters at his year-end press conference. "We know who is on those boats, we've been tracking them from the very beginning. We know everything about them, okay?"

"There are boat strikes that we don't take because they don't meet the legal criteria," Rubio explained. "We have everything we need, and it's one of the reasons you've seen this massive deployment in the region, is to be able to gather intelligence and paint a picture that we can justify to lawyers, based on the law. I'm very confident about that effort, it's been very successful."

Rubio earlier in the press conference said that he would not speculate "about things that haven't happened and may never happen," but that "to this point, nothing has happened that requires us to notify Congress or get congressional approval or cross the threshold into war." ...

More from the article ...

... Sterre ter Haar, a lecturer at Leiden University in the Netherlands, and other researchers at the institution created a method to compare multiple studies on plants' responses to increased CO2 levels. The results, she said, were a shock: although crop yields increase, they become less nutrient-dense. While zinc levels in particular drop, lead levels increase.

"Seeing how dramatic some of the nutritional changes were, and how this differed across plants, was a big surprise," she told the Guardian. "We aren't seeing a simple dilution effect but rather a complete shift in the composition of our foods ... This also raises the question of whether we should adjust our diets in some way, or how we grow or produce our food." ...

More from the xited article ...

... Even as doctors extolled the benefits from having more research opportunities and medical applications for cannabis, Trump had difficulty keeping his eyes open, having to shift in his seat in order to stay awake. ...

I repeat my #5 comment, with the emphasis intact ...

But the question remains, why is Pres Trump's DoJ so reluctant to release the Epstein files? (as directed by Congress?)

My view is ... I do not care who may be caught up in the Epstein sex-trafficking affair.

All those who are involved in the sex trafficking and sex exploits should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

For me, it is telling the victims of Epstein that Justice prevails over political boundaries.

@#5

From the cited link ...

... A video clip from the dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base circulated widely online Wednesday, drawing scrutiny over President Donald Trump's posture during a brief solemn interval on the ramp to receive the transfer cases for Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres Tovar, Sergeant William Nathaniel Howard, and Ayad Mansoor Sakat, the two soldiers and their interpreter that were recently killed by ISIS in Syria.

As Trump stood alongside Gen. Dan Caine and other senior military officials, a uniformed service member issued commands and an audio cue followed, after which every military official at the ramp bowed their heads. Trump remained upright and looking forward, refusing to join the others in the solemn moment. ...

@#2 ... Strange name for a Finlander. ...

Why?

The headline of the cited article ...

"I can't believe this is America": U.S. Veteran who voted for Trump says ICE arrest of his wife shattered everything he believed

More from the article ...

... Sarah Dzafce lost her Miss Finland crown last week after a photo of Dzafce pulling the skin at the corners of her eyes posted on social media went viral late last month. The photo, and its caption reading "eating with a Chinese," was decried by governments and commentators across Finland and Asia as discrimination against Asians.

Dzafce, who won Miss Finland in September, has told Finnish media that she was trying to alleviate a headache. The Helsinki Times reported that she said a friend had shared the private image and wrote the caption without her input. Dzafce did not respond to The Associated Press's request for comment Thursday. ...

... "The Brown University shooter, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, entered the US through the diversity lottery immigrant visa program (DV1) in 2017 and was granted a green card. ...

2017.

Who was President then?

I'm waiting for Sec Noem to dress up and pose for a photo op with those she has deployed to the border. Those who face unsanitary conditions.

@#13

Interesting, but probably a "who cares" tidbit...

The band's name, Field Report, is an anagram of the name of the major person of the band, Mr Porterfield.

@#7 ... It's a fair bit of cash. It's almost 28% of what it cost to bail out Argentina's failed economy. ...

Good point.

But that bailout of Argentina seems to have benefits for the billionaire(s) in the Trump Cabinet.

More from the article ...

... Lukashenko said on Thursday that the Oreshnik had arrived in Belarus the previous day. He revealed in September that Russia had begun transporting the missile system to his country.

The Oreshnik is said to be capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Russia has said the missile can travel at speeds of up to Mach 10 and has a maximum range of 5,500 kilometers.

Russia used the missile for the first time last year to strike the city of Dnipro in eastern Ukraine. ...

... The New York Times, citing a newly discovered recording, reports that Trump tried to persuade the speaker of Georgia's House of Representatives to call a special session that would nullify his loss in the state.

In a December 7, 2020, phone call, Trump told then-Speaker David Ralston that he could call the session by saying it was "for transparency, and to uncover fraud," adding, "Who's gonna stop you for that?" ...

Oh, that ain't good.

A recording?

Yeah, this may raise issues.

Oh, this ain't good.

... I nearly missed my flight this morning after the TSA made me wait 15 minutes for a pat-down because I'm pregnant and didn't feel like getting radiation exposure from their body scanner," she said.

"The agents were passive-aggressive, rude, and tried to pressure me and another pregnant woman into just walking through the scanner because it's safe.'

After finally getting the absurdly invasive pat-down, I barely made my flight," she continued. ... [emphasis mine]

... the absurdly invasive pat-down, ...

Yeah, her punishment for objecting in the first place.

I guess my first question might be along the lines of ... did she state to the TSA officer who she was?

If so, why?

Found this ...

You can't make this stuff up.

Or can you?

@#13 ... Police Say Reddit Post Led Them To Brown University Gunman ...

So an apparent voluntary proffering of information.

imo, Great!

@#7 ... It's a fair bit of cash. ...

Is it?

The comparison presented in #6 seems to paint a different picture.

A picture of $75B spent to suppress Democracy vs $11B to enable Democracy.