J. Clarke articles

So you’ve done the math, stared at your savings account, and asked the big question: could $250,000 bankroll a full-time RV retirement? The idea is tempting—sunsets in Arizona, summers in the Rockies, no lawn to mow, and your backyard changing whenever you feel like it. But as dreamy as the open road sounds, retirement math still applies—even if your house has wheels.

Owning one car that’s worth less than you owe is stressful. Owning two? That’s the financial equivalent of juggling flaming swords while standing in gasoline. If you’re upside down on both loans, you’re probably staring at your monthly payments wondering whether it would be smarter to sell everything and embrace a car-free life.

Some states treat your paycheck like an all-you-can-eat buffet. Others politely take a small nibble and let you go live your life. If your main goal is keeping more of what you earn (and watching your bank account look less personally offended every payday), this countdown is for you.

While billionaires appear in dozens of states, the vast majority of extreme wealth funnels into a surprisingly small number of places. In 2025, residents of 38 states and Washington, DC made the Forbes 400 list, but more than half of the total $6.6 trillion represented lives in just a handful of states. Ranked from tenth to first, these are the states that America’s one percent clearly prefers—along with the single richest resident anchoring each one.

You finally did it. You bought the dreamy vacation home. Lake views, quiet mornings, maybe even a fire pit. And then the inspection report ruins everything: the septic system is failing, and the estimate to fix it is hovering around $40,000. Suddenly the dream smells…off.

You’re 55, sitting on $900,000 in savings, and—best of all—completely debt-free. On paper, that sounds like the dream. But retirement isn’t just about hitting a number. It’s about timing, lifestyle, risk tolerance, and whether that money can realistically last as long as you do. The short answer? You might be able to retire now—but whether you should depends on a handful of crucial factors most people overlook.

There’s a special kind of rage that comes from paying rent on time while your apartment feels like a walk-in freezer. When the heat goes out and your landlord drags their feet, renters often end up making a hard call—freeze, or pay out of pocket to fix the problem themselves. Space heaters get bought, technicians get called, and credit cards get swiped.

Car insurance has a funny way of becoming invisible. You sign up, set the payment to auto-draft, and then forget about it—until your bank account reminds you every month. The problem is that many drivers end up overpaying not because they’re reckless or unlucky, but because their policy hasn’t kept up with their life. If you’ve ever wondered whether your premium feels a little too spicy for what you’re getting, these signs will help you figure it out.

Finding an affordable home in America has become harder than ever. Comparing median home prices with household incomes determine where homeownership is still within reach. The results reveal a clear winner—the Midwest—while several once-affordable states have slipped out of range.