Make room FIRE, soft saving is in. The FIRE movement, which stands for “Financial Independence, Retire Early,” gained traction among millennials in the 2010s, calling for aggressive saving in the name of early retirement. But Gen Zers are coining their own financial strategies, like soft saving — an approach that balances saving with spending in order to enjoy the present moment more. “I’m saving and I’m still having fun in my current life,” one adopter told ABC News. Learn more about the concept.
Must Reads
A very thorough look into how a recipe-maker and father feeds his family of three on a budget
The Extreme Sport Helping Some Older Adults Navigate Ups and Downs
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Have you heard of parkour? The sport, which may sound familiar if you’re a fan of The Office, involves jumping over ledges, climbing fences, and running over obstacles to get from Point A to Point B. If you have kids or grandkids, you might compare it to a game of “the floor is lava.” As extreme and Spider-Man-esque as it might sound, a coach named Tan Shie Boon is harnessing the activity for a very practical purpose: to help adults aged 50 to 70 in Singapore improve their balance, build strength, and learn how to fall safely (as seen here). “In parkour, you’re falling all the time. You make a mistake when you jump, you fall,” he told Reuters. “But when you fall, you learn how to fall better next time.” Boon’s passion for teaching parkour to older adults began in 2017 after he saw a 64-year-old woman go from relying on a support trolley to walking unaided after just two months of lessons. Participants say it’s helped them build independence, make new friends, and realize they can do more than they thought they could. One of his students, 69-year-old Betty Boon, said that after three years of classes, she no longer relies on her husband and son to help lift her luggage while traveling. “Now I carry my suitcase,” she shared, adding, “I do everything on my own.”Watch footage from a class.
Together With MacPaw
The AI Assistant Here to Reduce Your Mental Load
A new school year is beginning, people are returning to work after long summer vacations, and it’s time to get organized. If you’re having trouble getting back into the swing of things, Eney is here to help. The new proactive AI assistant from MacPaw is designed to help you work smarter by integrating seamlessly into your existing workflow on your Mac. Eney can complete multi-step workflows with ease, reducing the mental load brought on by repetitive tasks. It can also integrate with third-party software like Google Drive, Notion, Canva, and more. As our digital lives become increasingly fragmented across apps, tabs, and notifications, Eney helps you cut through the noise.
She Lost Her Parents and Teen Daughter — Now She’s Helping Others Navigate Their Own Grief
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Kate Doerge lost her father to congenital heart disease, her mother to a car accident, and her 16-year-old daughter Penny to complications from a rare genetic condition called neurofibromatosis. And yet, her message is a positive one: “Reach for the joy.” After experiencing such immense loss, Doerge has devoted herself to providing support to others navigating the hardest times of their lives. In 2022, after Penny died, she became a certified grief coach and recently published Reimagining Grief, describing it as the book she wishes she had. “You hold your grief with you always,” Doerge told CBS News. “But what I would say to that is, you can hold grief and joy in the same space.” Read her five pieces of advice for those navigating loss — plus ideas for what to say to a grieving friend besides “I’m sorry.”
Environment
Cue the (Eco-Friendly) Confetti: Scientists Invented a Greener Party Balloon
Scientists at Imperial College London recently announced the objectively delightful news that they’ve invented the first fully biodegradable party balloon. It looks and costs about the same as an average balloon, but it’s designed to break down in about nine months instead of the usual years. Bonus: The “Bioloons” are easier to blow up. The joyful invention was a collaboration between researchers and a party planner on a mission to make a balloon that reduces litter and harm to sea life. For context, balloon fragments are the most likely form of plastic pollution to kill seabirds, according to a 2019 study. “Regular balloons are treated with a process to make them strong and stretchy. But that process also stops them fully degrading and causes toxic chemicals to leach into the environment,” co-inventor Julia Cumming told the BBC. She explained that Bioloons are made via a different process that doesn’t involve those additives so they’re “able to break down fully.” The hope is that the new balloons will be available commercially within two years and that the materials could also be used for other products, like clothing, gloves, and surgical and non-surgical latex. Until then, consider paper chains for your next party?
Global Good
🇰🇷 “Right to walk on shaded streets”: Seoul, South Korea, will shade all sidewalks amid persistent heat waves (read more) 🇪🇬 A blind Egyptian entrepreneur made an app to help fellow visually impaired people navigate their surroundings (read more) 🇨🇦 This winter, a micro-shelter village is opening in Ontario, Canada — the result of a community-wide effort (read more) 🇪🇨 Meet the first darling patient of a recently reopened wildlife rehab center in Ecuador (read more) 🇦🇷 A motorcade of superheroes delivered toys to children at a hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina (read more)
Inspiring Story
120 years of smooth sailing
Since 1906, Taylors Falls Scenic Boat Tours have cruised along the St. Croix River in Minnesota, with five generations of one family ownership steering the business. “It’s a long time, but what a blessing,” said the current president, Amy Frischmon, adding: “I hope we can do this in another 120 years.” Take a ride down the river and meet the family.
Photo of the Day
ALERTCalifornia
Why hello there! Two endangered California condors recently swung by a trail camera in the Bakersfield area, much to the delight of conservationists who have been hard at work trying to revive the species since it was nearly wiped out four decades ago. Luckily, an ongoing breeding program that began in 1983 has been a great success, as condors continue to breed in the wild these days — and photobomb trail cameras.
Ethos: The 10 Minutes Your Family Will Be Glad You Spent
Life insurance rates go up as you get older, but the real cost of waiting isn’t the price — it’s the quiet worry in the back of your mind. Ethos makes it about as painless as it gets: no medical exam and no agent calls, all you have to do is answer a few health questions online and most people are approved the same day. Ten minutes now, and it’s done. There’s even a 30-day money-back guarantee if you change your mind (available in every state except New York).
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Up This Weekend
National Senior Citizens Day: Celebrated every Aug. 21, this commemoration recognizes the contributions of older adults to society — in honor of that, check out a massive list of current discounts available to seniors
Premier League Opening Weekend: If you got bit by the soccer bug watching the World Cup this summer, the Premier League’s opening weekend, starting today with Arsenal vs. Coventry City, is the perfect opportunity to kick your fandom up a notch
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Odds & Ends
✂ Friends who craft together stay together 😮 The mystery of a 150-pound sculpture found in a backyard 💊 This supplement is expert-formulated for GLP-1 support — save up to 70% on your purchase* 🐟 Quite a catch in the Seine river
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