Maja Beckstrom

Saint Paul

Writer and Editor at Freelance

Associate Producer at Minnesota Public Radio (St. Paul, MN)

journalist, storyteller and communicator

Articles

Scams are surging: What to know and how to stay safe

1 week ago | mprnews.org | Angela Davis |Maja Beckstrom |Nikhil Kumaran

Scams are becoming more common and more expensive. Last year, more than 2.5 million Americans reported that they had been scammed. And that number has been increasing, along with the losses. The amount of money lost to scammers in 2024 topped more than 12 billion dollars. That’s up from about $2 billion in 2019, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
How tariff uncertainty affects the economy and your money

1 week ago | mprnews.org | Angela Davis |Chris Farrell |Maja Beckstrom

There’s been a lot of talk over the past few weeks about the economy and a word that keeps coming up is ... uncertainty. President Trump’s changing tariff policies have made it difficult for businesses and consumers to plan. Stock markets here and abroad have plunged and then recovered some ground and then dropped again. Many of us have questions about what’s happening and how the uncertainty could affect prices, our jobs and savings.
How to manage your money in an uncertain and tumbling stock market

2 weeks ago | mprnews.org | Angela Davis |Maja Beckstrom |Chris Farrell |Cari Dwyer

Create an account or log in to save stories. Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories. The U.S. stocks plummeted this morning as investors worried about potential economic devastation from President Donald Trump's tariffs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1,200 points, or more than 3 percent, shortly after the open on Monday, and was headed to a third consecutive day of steep falls.
What's next for remote work?

2 weeks ago | mprnews.org | Angela Davis |Maja Beckstrom

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, remote work surged. And many employees came to appreciate how working from home can make it easier to juggle home and job responsibilities. Minnesota has the highest rate of people working remotely in the Midwest, according to the Minneapolis Federal Reserve. More than a third of workers in the state worked at home at least part time in 2023. But now, five years after the pandemic, the great experiment of remote work is shaking out.
Money Monday: Finding work in a uncertain job market

3 weeks ago | mprnews.org | Angela Davis |Maja Beckstrom

Tens of thousands of federal employees across the country have been laid off over the last two months. And some surveys suggest private employers have started to slow hiring because of concerns over tariffs and the future of the overall economy.
Getting to Green: Can Minnesota get to carbon-free energy?

1 month ago | mprnews.org | Dan Kraker |Kirsti Marohn |Maja Beckstrom

Create an account or log in to save stories. Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories. To slow a warming climate, Minnesota is changing where it gets electricity — shrinking the state’s reliance on fossil fuels and expanding the use of renewable energy. Today, more than half of Minnesota’s electricity comes from solar, wind and hydropower. But challenges remain.
How President Trump is expanding the powers of the presidency

2 months ago | mprnews.org | Angela Davis |Maja Beckstrom

Create an account or log in to save stories. Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories. Just a few weeks into his new administration, President Trump has issued a blizzard of executive actions. Sweeping orders from the White House have included a federal spending freeze, massive federal layoffs, gutting the United States Agency for International Development and ending birthright citizenship. A question many people are asking is — can he do that?
Sold a Story is changing how schools teach kids to read

2 months ago | mprnews.org | Angela Davis |Maja Beckstrom

The podcast Sold a Story explores how a generation of children has been taught to read based on a flawed idea. The consequences can be seen in the lives of millions of struggling students across the country. Over a third of Minnesota fourth graders cannot read at a basic level, according to scores released last month by the National Assessment of Education Progress.
David Brancaccio on rebuilding after the Los Angeles fires

2 months ago | mprnews.org | Angela Davis |Maja Beckstrom

Last month, wildfires swept down from the hills around Los Angeles and blazed through entire city neighborhoods. Neary 17,000 buildings were destroyed, including the home of David Brancaccio. Brancaccio, the host of Marketplace Morning Report, is one of tens of thousands of people affected, who now face the uncertainty of recovery. What will insurance cover? Who will help clean up debris? Will they ever recover financially? Will their communities ever be the same?
The power of mentoring

Jan 6, 2025 | mprnews.org | Angela Davis |Maja Beckstrom

Create an account or log in to save stories. Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories. Having someone who understands you and is invested in your future can make a huge difference at any age. But having a meaningful mentoring relationship when you’re young can be especially powerful. People who have at least one mentor in their childhood or teenage years are more likely to report positive mental health in adulthood.