Sarah Whitmire

4 weeks ago | forbes.com | Sarah Whitmire

When I read this week that consumer genetics company 23andMe had filed for bankruptcy, I felt a familiar pang of regret. I am one of 23andMe’s 15 million customers who entrusted the firm with a small sample of my saliva in exchange for health and ancestry information they could analyze from my DNA. After the company’s massive 2023 data breach that impacted nearly 7 million users, this marked at least the second time I wished I’d kept my genes to myself.

1 month ago | forbes.com | Sarah Whitmire

Whether the “R” word is on the horizon or not, troubling U.S. consumer data is beginning to pile up. Consumer sentiment is at a 15-month low, credit card delinquency is on the rise, and nearly half of U.S. adults don’t have three months of emergency savings. In such times, it could be tempting to dip into a retirement account—and there are a number of exemptions (both new and old) that will allow you to do so without paying a 10% early withdrawal penalty.

Dec 4, 2024 | forbes.com | Sarah Whitmire

Good morning,As 2024 dwindles to its final weeks, it’s high time to consider financial moves for tax purposes, such as a tax-deductible gift to a nonprofit. While donations to U.S. charities technically rose to more than $557 billion in 2023, overall giving actually declined when adjusted for inflation. Many point to an increased standard deduction—thanks to the 2017 Trump tax cuts—as an explanation for this drop in giving because fewer taxpayers are choosing to itemize.

Sep 23, 2024 | forbes.com | Sarah Whitmire

Good morning,In the ultra-competitive world of cancer medicines, biotech company Summit Therapeutics is a relative minnow, with no revenue or approved drugs. But recent news around its most promising drug nearly doubled the company’s share price, and minted its co-CEO Maky Zanganeh as a new billionaire.

Jun 21, 2024 | forbes.com | Sarah Whitmire

Good morning,It’s peak Supreme Court-watching season. Late June is typically prime time for the highest court in the U.S. to issue its most anticipated decisions. One of those rulings came yesterday: In Moore v. U.S., a Washington state couple argued that a provision of the 2017 GOP tax cuts was unconstitutional after they were taxed on foreign business investments they hadn’t made a profit on. But the court upheld the “mandatory repatriation tax,” ruling that Congress was within its authority.