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Business Insider
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
After getting a surprise inheritance of $20,000 from my aunt, I started traveling. Now, I live in Argentina.
My father's sister Helen died unexpectedly in the fall of 2021. I'd known my aunt was ill and had made plans to fly from my home in New Orleans to Dallas to visit her, but she was closer to the end than we realized. I had loved Helen and written to her while she was sick, but we hadn't been especially close, so I was surprised and grateful to find that she'd left me $20,000 in her will. Because the money was in Helen's IRA, I received it as an inherited IRA, which has certain tax implications: In short, the money had to be taxed, but not until it had been withdrawn, and I had 10 years after the first January 1 after her death to withdraw it. I set up a schedule of disbursements with my aunt's financial manager, allowing the money to be gradually withdrawn, taxed, and deposited into my existing investment account. I decided to use the inheritance on travel Suddenly, I had what I'd wanted for years: a growing travel fund. I'd been the kind of kid who played with the atlas and grew into an adult who set up cheap flight alerts, but since I was working in nonprofit publishing, my hopes always far outstripped my budget. If I wanted to go to Vienna, I had to settle for eating the namesake canned sausage while listening to "The Blue Danube Waltz." Within the next three years, I'd taken three big trips. I had been saving for years to go to Nepal, where Red Panda Network, a nonprofit I used to volunteer for, led trips to look for wild red pandas in the area where RPN works to preserve and rehabilitate their habitat. I got a discount on the trip as an "alumnus," but I still needed to swing a pricey international flight and buy some trekking gear. Not only could I now go, but I also could treat myself to an upgrade on the leg of my flight from Doha to Kathmandu, quaffing complimentary Tom Collinses and watching Joan Crawford movies with an ocean of legroom. I saw five red pandas and spent my 39th birthday making sweet homemade butter at our farmstay, using cream from cows I could hear lowing on the hillside. I went to Europe for the first time to watch the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest with my friends and fellow fans. We flew into Ljubljana, whose downtown looked just like my American fantasies of Europe, and rented a car to explore Slovenia and Croatia. I had the best meal of my life, fresh grilled fish and asparagus risotto, looking out over the Adriatic, and the presence of three Americans at a public watch Eurovision party in downtown Zagreb was so noteworthy that we were interviewed by the news. Sharing the cost of the Airbnb and car rental, along with eating in a fair amount, kept this trip budget-friendly while leaving room for all the major activities we wanted to do. My trip to Argentina changed my life, and now, I live there The most life-changing of the trips, though, was to Argentina. I visited a friend who had moved to Buenos Aires, and I was so smitten by the city and the quality of life it offered that I moved there in summer 2024. Over a year in, I'm having the happiest time of my life, exploring the city while eyeing more adventures across South America. I've toasted Helen's generosity and memory with rhododendron cordial in the foothills of the Himalayas, with malbec over an Argentine asado, and with pear liqueur bought in a Slovenian castle. And since I have a little over half of the original amount left, I'm not done: I'll thank her when I land in Paraguay later this month. Her kindness in remembering me in her estate meant that I could build the life I'd always wanted — and it's changed how I feel about estate planning. My (more modest) estate is mostly earmarked for nonprofits, but next time I review it, I'm going to organize an adventure fund to bequeath to someone I love who needs one.
Engadget
06-08-2025
- Business
- Engadget
Trump tells states they'll lose out on broadband fund if they try to dictate rates
States will lose out on their share of a $42 billion broadband fund if they attempt to dictate rates that internet services providers (ISPs) charge low-income customers, according to a new FAQ from the Trump administration seen by Ars Technica . That means ISPs — which are subsidized by the government in order to provide low-cost plans — will be able to set such rates under the BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment) program. The new language appeared in a BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice (RPN) from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in June. "Per the RPN, states may not apply state laws to reimpose LSCO (low-cost service option) requirements removed by the RPN... violation would result in rejection of the final proposal [for states to receive funds]." It added that the the NTIA would only approve plans with low-cost rates set by ISPs. The new language would hand ISPs a major win if it holds up. New York state, for one, requires ISPs with more than 20,000 customers to offer $15 broadband plans with minimum 25Mbps download speeds, or $20 plans with 200Mbps speeds, to low-income customers. That law, the Affordable Broadband Act, has held up despite attempts by providers to strike it down in court. Other states are reconsidering similar laws now. California recently withdrew a bill requiring $15 broadband plans after the NTIA said it could lose out on BEAD funds worth up to $1.86 billion. That decision was excoriated by consumer groups who pointed out that the Supreme Court itself declined to overturn New York's law. As he's done many times now, Trump is using federal funds as a cudgel to keep states in line — despite the fact that states' rights are usually supported by US courts. New York assemblymember Amy Paulin, who spearheaded the state's $15 broadband law, said that she believes the NTIA rule only applies to the other 49 states that don't have price mandates. "It's our understanding that any [ISP] BEAD awardee would have to comply with the Affordable Broadband Act regardless of federal subsidy," she told Ars Technica .
The Star
13-07-2025
- General
- The Star
Signage unveiled at Brunei village head residences
Acting Brunei-Muara District Officer Muhammad Ameer Mubaarak Hashim unveils a signage. - BB/ANN BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: Acting Brunei-Muara District Officer Muhammad Ameer Mubaarak Hashim officiated the signage of four village heads in the district yesterday. The unveiling of the signage began at the house of Village Head of STKRJ Kampong Mata-Mata Area 1, 2 and 3 Captain (R) Muhammad Redzuan Said followed by the house of Village Head of Kampong Tungku/Katok Ahmad Khairi Hassan. From there, Pengiran Muhammad Ameer Mubaarak headed to the residences of Village Head of RPN Kampong Lambak Kanan Area 4 Mohammad Fazzly Suhaili and Village Head of RPN Kampong Panchor Area 4 Faidil Rosemady Mohamad. - Borneo Bulletin/ANN
The Star
26-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
Over 20 research projects at UK universities halted after U.S. funding withdrawal
LONDON, June 26 (Xinhua) -- More than 20 projects at Russell Group institutions, an association of 24 leading universities in Britain, have been halted following the withdrawal of U.S. funding, local media reported Wednesday. At least nine research projects at Russell Group universities have received formal stop notices from the U.S. government, according to Research Professional News (RPN), a London-based outlet. These notices, requiring a halt to work due to funding suspension, have resulted in either grant cancellations or suspensions at five Russell Group institutions. Information requests submitted by RPN to all Russell Group institutions revealed that a further 14 projects lost funding after receiving similar notices from their U.S. collaborators. One researcher whose project was delayed told RPN that they "felt like their funding had been used as a pawn." In some instances, British universities were notified by U.S.-based lead researchers who had awarded funding to their British collaborators, only to later inform them that the grants had been terminated.
