Business
Billions of pretax healthcare funds go to waste each year. Retailers want to cash in. “Given this rate of expenditure, we could anticipate that roughly a tenth of FSA funds, amounting to several billion dollars, will go unused by the end of the year. According to a May 2024 report from the Employee Benefit Research Institute, roughly half of FSA account holders forfeited funds to their employer in 2022, with the average forfeiture being $441. Consumer awareness around what is and isn’t eligible is a major obstacle for companies looking to capitalize on those spending funds, though.“
Millions of Student Loan Borrowers Are Behind on Payments. The resumption of student loan payments will have significant downstream consequences on the financial industry. I am not so optimistic about the financial health of consumers for the rest of the year. Recent earnings reports indicated that consumers were under more stress than ever. Pile the impact of student loan payments on and the outlook is bleak.
Citizens aggressively reinvests in its existing footprint. There are two schools of thoughts here when it comes to building a national bank. The likes of Chase, Citizens and Bank of America expand reach through a physical footprint. Capital One, on the other hand, made it clear that they wanted to build a digital national entity with a limited physical network.
Inside Walmart’s aggressive c-store growth plans. Walmart is probably the best company in the US to pull this off. It has unbelievable buying power thanks to its enormouse scale. It has footprint across the country, even in rural areas. All shoppers in the US know Walmart and know that it stands for value for money. All the ingredients to become the best c-store chain in the country.
Graham Duncan: Talent Whisperer
Other Stuff I Find Interesting
Meat Is Back, on Plates and in Politics. Anything can be politicized in America. Meat is highly nutritious, so any demonization of meat is not necessarily correct. If you worry about animal welfare and it’s a legitimate concern, pay a bit more for more responsible sources of meat such as organic beef, organic pigs or pasteur raised chickens. Vegan diet has its own merits, but meat has some amino acids that no plants can replicate.
How the next Pope is chosen. The movie Conclave, I think, did a very good job bringing such a secret process to life. I have been reading more about Pope Francis and found him to be a great man of service and for the marginalized. That’s how people in the position of power should be. I hope whoever the next Pope is will continue Pope Francis’ work to bring the Catholic Church forward.
Omaha area survey shows better pay, transit and housing options are keys to curbing ‘brain drain’. Three things that I would like to see more in Omaha: public transit, affordable housing and better pay.
Japan’s 97-year-old cherry blossom guardian. It is beautiful to read about the craft of Japanese people, the long-standing tradition and the cultural heritage. On the other hand, it’s worrying to learn that climate change is a threat to cherry blossom.
Stats
Citi spent $2.4 billion on technology and communications infrastructure in Q1 2025
15% of Americans aged between 18 and 29 believe the country is heading in the right direction
“Nearly 2 out of 3 Americans disapprove of President Donald Trump’s handling of tariffs”
Minh Quang Duong 
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