Happy Wednesday, MarketWatchers! Here are your top stories in personal finance.
Personal Finance
This is America’s loneliest generation
A new study by health insurer Cigna found that people feel disconnected from everyday life.
Hawaii wants to ban certain sunscreens to protect coral reefs—should you stop using them?
Roughly 14,000 tons of sunscreen flow into coral reefs every year.
Mosquito, tick and flea bites are sickening Americans in far greater numbers
The number of Americans sickened by bites from infected mosquitoes, ticks or fleas tripled from 2004 to 2016 — a result of rising global temperatures and increased international travel, U.S. health officials said Tuesday.
United Airlines bans dozens of breeds of pets from flying — is yours one of them?
Travelers should follow these tips to keep furry friends safe in the skies.
Another Southwest airplane makes an unscheduled landing after a window breaks
A flight bound for New York was diverted to Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport on Wednesday.
I’m an unemployed widow, but I saved $600,000 — what should I do with it?
This woman wonders whether she should move to a cheaper location.
Biking to work this spring? It just got more expensive under the new tax law
The old tax law had a break for employees who biked to work. The new one doesn’t.
Your midlife malaise is totally normal — and this simple strategy can keep it from turning into a crisis
Midlife dissatisfaction can literally be about nothing, writes Jonathan Rauch.
7 expensive travel blunders and how to avoid making them
Loyalty doesn’t always pay off.
Elsewhere on MarketWatch
Trump Today: President says he may ‘get involved’ in DOJ document dispute
President Donald Trump suggested on Wednesday he may intervene in a fight over Russia-related documents, as he said Mike Pompeo would make the U.S. proud as secretary of state and promoted his talks with North Korea and China.
Federal Reserve keeps interest rates steady as it acknowledges budding inflation pressure
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday kept rates steady and issued a policy statement that set up another rate hike in June.
How the Fed decides if the economy is headed to a recession
It’s the topic gripping markets as the U.S. economy approaches the longest expansion on record: When will the U.S. fall into recession, and how will we know?
Already, a jobs-guarantee idea polls pretty well
Does the prospect of a government-guaranteed job appeal to you? You’ve got company: nearly half of U.S. voters like the idea, according to a recent poll.
‘Symmetric’ is the new buzzword as Fed adds adjective to description of inflation target
Here are the reactions by economists to news the Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged at the two-day meeting ending May 2.