Author: TECH

Retirement planning often revolves around your future income and how much of it you actually keep. For many retirees, Social Security benefits are a cornerstone of that income, bu …

Eating a vegan diet has the power to positively impact animals, our planet, and even our health. But switching to a plant-based diet — even just once a week — can feel intimidating. How will I get all of my protein? Does cutting out meat really make that much of a difference for my carbon footprint? Will I ever eat cheese again?Learning more about vegan diets, food science, and your own personal nutrition is paramount to an easy transition to more plant-based eating. Of course, every person — and every body — is different, so going into a dietary change equipped with…

This Valentine’s Day, I took my wife, Ashley, to the orchestra. Much better than trying to fight for a reservation at a Boston restaurant. Sitting in the audience, listening to these professionals in perfect harmony, brought me back to my days in the band. I wasn’t good, it was mandatory, and I played the trombone. I desperately wanted to quit. We couldn’t have backpacks in school, so I walked through the halls lugging my trombone in my right hand and books under my left armpit. This made me a perfect target for a bully or two to come up behind…

Key TakeawaysKids who are truly resilient have parents who help them build foundational skills, like emotional regulation, and teach them how to handle disappointment.Being resilient means being willing to put in the effort to keep trying, even when faced with failure at first.Parents don’t have to let kids struggle, but letting them face challenges and solve problems on their own can help strengthen their resilience.Resilience has become one of those parenting buzzwords that shows up everywhere—in school mission statements, on social media, and in conversations about preparing kids for the real world. Most parents agree they want to raise children…

Texas leaders had a detailed roadmap to improve mental health care for kids. They only followed a small slice of it. Lawmakers implemented just eight of the 31 recommendations in the Statewide Behavioral Health Coordinating Council’s children’s strategic plan, leaving major holes in services for young Texans. Advocates warn that the gaps will mean longer waitlists, more children pushed into foster care, and more kids winding up in crisis placements instead of getting help in their own communities. Advocates’ analysis, highlighted by KERA, found that during the 2025 legislative session, lawmakers took steps to partially or fully implement fewer than…

The new season explores the intersection of neurodiversity, business and culture through candid conversations with global neurodivergent leaders and allies NEW YORK, Feb. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Understood.org, a leading nonprofit supporting the 70 million people in the U.S. with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia, today launched a special season of its Minds at Work podcast in collaboration with the Davos Neurodiversity Summit (DNS). Hosted by DNS founder and cognitive scientist Dr. Maureen Dunne, the new season explores key themes emerging from this year’s World Economic Forum Annual Meeting and what they mean for the future of…

Insight by DC SOFA Federal benefits look stable, but retirement can reveal hidden risks. Learn where plans bend, where they break, and how to prepare before the pressure hits. February 17, 2026 9:32 am 4 min read For years, federal employment has been associated with stability — steady paychecks with predictable step increases, dependable benefits and a retirement system built around the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) pensions and Social Security that appears, at least on the surface, to provide a reliable financial foundation. What many federal employees discover — sometimes only after retirement begins — is…

Starting in the 2026-2027 school year, a new state law in Illinois will require every public high school to include instruction on climate change and the impacts and causes of climate change for grades nine through 12.The law was written by two area students, alongside State Representative Janet Yang Rohr.“The legislation makes sure that people know that it’s happening, how it’s happened and, most importantly, what they can do to make a change,” Rep. Yang Rohr told NBC Chicago in 2024. The law’s journey began when Iris Shadis-Greengas, a senior at Naperville Central High School submitted a proposal to Rep. Yang…

THE Department of Education (DepEd) has granted up to five days of wellness leave annually to its teaching and nonteaching personnel in a move aimed at supporting their mental health and overall well-being amid growing demands in the education sector. Education Secretary Sonny Angara says the policy is a concrete expression of the department’s commitment to care for its workforce across all levels of the organization, and in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to strengthen employee welfare and promote mental health across the public sector.“Ito ay handog natin sa bawat kawani ng DepEd — mula sa central office…

Key Takeaways Comfort in retirement depends on factors like your lifestyle, the cost of living, and how long you’ll need your money to last. The age at which you retire impacts how long your savings need to last and how much income you’ll need each year. Get personalized, AI-powered answers built on 27+ years of trusted expertise. In 2025, BlackRock, the asset manager, surveyed Americans to see how much they thought they needed to retire comfortably. The average was $2.09 million. “That’s a lot,” BlackRock CEO Larry Fink wrote. “More than I was expecting. And almost no one is close.”…