Andy Kiersz

1 week ago | businessinsider.com | Andy Kiersz |Allie Kelly |Henry Blodget

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Cheryl Fellenz, 81, a retiree who lives on a houseboat off the coast of southern Maryland. She is one of thousands of older Americans who have shared their financial, career, and retirement stories with Business Insider. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. The idea of living on a houseboat felt like serendipity. I retired at 51 from my teaching career as a reading specialist.

1 week ago | businessinsider.com | Andy Kiersz |Noah Sheidlower |Henry Blodget

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Charles Smith, 87, who lives in Pennsylvania. After hundreds of unsuccessful applications in his mid-80s, he found work at the Lancaster County Office of Aging and makes about $30,000 a year. He and his wife live a frugal and somewhat comfortable life, though Smith said if he didn't work, they would be much more stressed financially. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

1 week ago | businessinsider.com | Andy Kiersz |Eliza Relman |Henry Blodget

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner kept repeating the same phrases to Congress in defense of President Donald Trump's proposal to cut the agency's budget by 51%. "It's time for a paradigm shift." "We have to refocus." "We want to be efficient and effective, not bloated and bureaucratic."Democrats on House and Senate appropriations subcommittees were outraged — and even some Republicans were skeptical.

2 weeks ago | businessinsider.com | Andy Kiersz |Madison Hoff |Henry Blodget

The year-over-year inflation rate ticked up in May to 2.4% from 2.3%, less than expected and reversing this year's cooling trend. Economists expected the consumer price index to surge 2.5% in May from a year earlier. Morgan Stanley expected the new consumer price index report to show evidence of "tariff-driven inflation," given reports and surveys have shown recent and expected changes to prices.

2 weeks ago | businessinsider.com | Andy Kiersz |Eliza Relman |Juliana Kaplan |Henry Blodget

In the summer of 2023, New Yorker Josh Magpantay was in a hurry to move. The price tag for a new spot — not including rent or a security deposit — was $7,000. That's because Magpantay's apartment came with a broker's fee. Since he moved, he's felt locked in — even though he thinks the rent is too high — because of how much it would cost to move elsewhere and pay a similar fee.