 |
|
|
|||||
To Trina Spear, cofounder and CEO of medical apparel brand Figs, change for the healthcare industry has to start with a focus on healthcare workers. We believe if you serve the provider, they will be able to better serve the patient, she says. And that drives better outcomes. That drives a better healthcare system. As part of that focus, Figs gave away hundreds of thousands of scrubs, organized healthcare worker retreats, and donated some $510,000 to healthcare nonprofits in 2024 alone. Now its expanding that work by launching its own nonprofit, the Awesome Humans Foundation, which will provide financial support, training, and resources to healthcare professionals. Our mission is to serve those who serve others, so impact has always been ingrained into the center of the company, Spear says. The big vision that weve always had is, How do we make the experience of being a healthcare professional, no matter where you live around the world, the best it can possibly be? How Figs has helped healthcare workers Figs has long called its customers (and generally every healthcare worker) awesome humans. And the company has done more than just sell those workers scrubs and lab coats. For instance, Figs launched a healthcare advisory board focused on policy solutions around pay, mental health, workplace safety, reduced administrative burdens, and more. The Santa Monica-based company wrote checks to healthcare professionals after the Los Angeles fires to help them get food, support local relief efforts, or get medical essentials for their hospitals. And its donated thousands every yearto nonprofits like the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation, which focuses on mental well-being for healthcare workers, and the Student National Medical Association, which provides mentorship and training. With its own foundation, though, Figs hopes to have an even bigger impact. It also now has the ability to fundraise for that work. Were going to be able to donate multiples [of Figss annual charitable giving], because well be basically crowdsourcing the world, Spear says. If you care like we care, were going to be able to do big things together. The nonprofits focus The Awesome Humans Foundation will have four main focus areas. The first, dubbed Rapid Relief for Awesome Humans, will provide direct financial support to healthcare professionals (who live or study in the U.S. or its territories) who face any sort of monetary hardship. The way Figs supported L.A.-area healthcare workers after the wildfires would fit into that bucket, for example, but through a nonprofit instead of the company writing checks off its balance sheet. Next, the foundation will offer Future Icons grants of $10,000 to help cover tuition costs and fees for U.S. healthcare students. Coming out [of school] with a ton of debt is super debilitating and very hard, and how can we relieve that burden? Spear says. That burden may soon grow for some healthcare workers, too. The Trump administration recently removed an array of healthcare titlesincluding nursing, physical therapy, and dental hygienefrom the Department of Educations professional graduate degree program list, meaning those degrees now face stricter student loan limits. The nonprofits third pillar will be its Ubuntu Grant, which will fund other nonprofitsin the U.S. and internationallythat support healthcare workers. (Unbuntu is an African philosophy that has been translated as I am because we are.) Its fourth piece, called the Healthcare Is Human Award, will reward healthcare leadership and advocacy. For that, anyone can nominate a healthcare professional they see making an impact. (Nominations will be open July 1 to August 31, 2026.) Figs expects the Awesome Human Foundation to make its first grants shortly after its launch on Giving Tuesday, December 2. To the company, this nonprofit aims to fill a void it saw in the philanthropy space. There was no organization that was really focused on all healthcare professionals that served all their needs, Spear says. So we had to build it ourselves.
Category:
E-Commerce
Social media users may love the “6-7” trend, but when it comes to their advice for baby boomers, a number of recent posts from TikTok financial influencers have users recommending that people start collecting their Social Security benefits early, at age 62. However, this differs from what financial planners typically recommend, which is that people delay their Social Security claim as long as possible to get the maximum monthly benefit at age 70. Here’s what to know about the online debate. How does age affect Social Security payments? Before you do anything, it’s important to understand how Social Security worksand that you contact your financial advisor when making big decisions about your retirement. That said, how it works is that at full retirement age (FRA), you can claim 100% of your Social Security benefits, which are calculated based on your lifetime earnings. Historically, that age was 65, but it has been gradually increasing to age 67, due to changes in Social Securitys financial structure that Congress enacted in 1983, according to the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization for Americans 50 and older. So, if you begin benefits before your full retirement age, at say, 62, Social Security reduces your monthly payment by a fraction of a percent for each month you filed early. If you wait till age 70, you can receive your maximum monthly benefit, per the AARP. What are people saying on TikTok? Some financial influencers, or finfluencers” on YouTube and TikTok have posted about the issue and recommended that people take the payout starting at 62, and invest that money monthly in the stock marketwhich is the opposite advice of most expert financial planners. According to the arguments on TikTok, from users such as the Medicare Family, doing this makes sense for some people, namely if you are sick (“and may not live to be 70”); or even “if you are going to live a long time, because you can invest it” in the stock market, which currently has high returns, or with a financial advisor. What do the experts say? Many financial advisors feel differently. “I generally do not recommend that people claim Social Security at 62 unless they seriously need the money or have a shortened life expectancy,” Social Security advisor Mary Beth Franklin tells Fast Company. “For people who are healthy enough and wealthy enough to wait up until age 70 to claim maximum benefits, there is a huge pay offan extra 8% per year, delayed retirement credits for every year they postpone claiming beyond full retirement age (FRA) up to age 70which can also maximize survivor benefits.” Audrey Guo, assistant professor of economics at Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business, adds that beyond the typical life expectancy concerns, the decision to claim Social Security early comes down to a person’s appetite for risk, as it’s essentially a savings vehicle. “While it’s true you may be able to earn a higher return by taking your monthly payment and investing it in the stock market, this only makes financial sense if you don’t have any other assets in relatively low-yield assets such as savings accounts or bonds,” Guo explains to Fast Company. “Otherwise, you would also want to liquidate and invest those assets into the stock market before claiming Social Security early.” “Realistically though, most folks probably don’t have (and shouldn’t have) the ability to stomach that much risk,” Guo adds. What should I make of all this? Above all, it’s important to remember that listening to financial advice from strangers on the internet is very risky, and it’s best to consult with a trusted financial advisor about your specific situation before making any big decisions about your finances or retirement.
Category:
E-Commerce
Air travelers in the U.S. without a REAL ID will be charged a $45 fee beginning in February, the Transportation Security Administration announced Monday.The updated ID has been required since May, but passengers without it have so far been allowed to clear security with additional screening and a warning. The Department of Homeland Security says 94% of passengers are already compliant and that the new fee is intended to encourage travelers to obtain the ID.REAL ID is a federally compliant state-issued license or identification card that meets enhanced requirements mandated in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.Obtaining the ID indicated by a white star in a yellow circle in most states means taking more documents to the motor vehicle agency than most states require for regular IDs. It was supposed to be rolled out in 2008 but the implementation had been repeatedly delayed.Beginning Feb. 1, travelers 18 and older flying domestically without a REAL ID and who don’t have another accepted form of ID on them, such as a passport, will pay the non-refundable fee to verify their identity through TSA’s alternative “Confirm.ID” system.TSA officials said that paying the fee does not guarantee verification, and travelers whose identities cannot be verified may be turned away. If approved, however, the verification covers a 10-day travel period.The fee can be paid online before arriving at the airport. Travelers can also pay online at the airport before entering the security line, but officials said the process may take up to 30 minutes.The TSA initially proposed an $18 charge for passengers without a REAL ID, but officials said Monday they raised it after realizing the alternative identification program would cost more than anticipated.Other acceptable forms of ID include military IDs, permanent resident cards and photo IDs from federally recognized tribal nations. TSA also accepts digital IDs through platforms such as Apple Wallet, Google Wallet and Samsung Wallet at more than 250 airports in the U.S. Associated Press
Category:
E-Commerce
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||