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Families are being paid $5,000 to move to small towns in states like Indiana and escape a cost of living crisis in big cities

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  • Families are flocking to the middle of the country, desiring affordability and community—and towns are welcoming them with cash in hand.

Many Americans are sick of where they live. Rising housing costs, struggling education and healthcare systems, and dreams of better infrastructure are driving families to reconsider where they call home—and it’s music to the ears of small towns vying for a comeback.

Dozens of localities in states like Indiana, Kentucky, and Mississippi are luring workers away from big cities and into rural and suburban areas. Their promises? Somewhere that prioritizes community and matches their lifestyle—and towns are willing to dish out thousands to prove it’s worth it.

Chris Jensen, mayor of Noblesville, IN—a town outside of Indianapolis—says there’s strong demand for communities that prioritize affordability, safety, and walkability—and there are more towns that offer it than people realize.

“There’s something about Midwest value, there’s something about community that we have here, and I think we should sell it,” Jensen tells Fortune. Noblesville is one of many communities that work with MakeMyMove, a platform that helps towns create campaigns and recruit new high-earning residents.

Those new to Noblesville can enjoy a $5,000 relocation grant, annual memberships to the town’s coworking space and chamber of commerce, and a $500 health and wellness stipend. Others have more creative lures. New Haven, IN, is offering burgers and bourbon with the mayor. In Wabash County, IN, you can join your neighbors on a rafting trip. In Mayfield, KY, they are offering a monthly gift of a dozen locally sourced eggs.

“We’re seeing workers voting with their feet to places like Indiana and Kentucky,” says Evan Hock, co-founder and chief operating officer of MakeMyMove. “For community leaders, this is open season. With a little bit of effort, they can attract the people and income whose economic impact will fund future growth. It’s a good deal for any enterprising mayor.”

Millennials in particular are moving to small towns and rural areas at the highest rate seen in decades, according to an analysis from Realtor.com.

Workers are on the move, and small towns are open arms

During the pandemic, moving out of metropolises was a common practice—with families ditching big city aspirations in favor of places that have been typically characterized as flyover states. Recent research indicates that rural areas may be more conducive homes for children to climb the wealth ladder versus cities like New York.

“Places like New York and San Francisco are amazing,” Hock says. “But for many thousands of people, a good life in these places is unattainable.”

Jensen, who was born and raised in Noblesville and served as mayor for five years, says there are countless examples of families seeking a more tranquil life in a smaller town—either as a remote worker or a small business owner—once they start having kids. He recounts one example where a family from Miami moved to Noblesville: “It’s different when you’re raising kids, and the quality of life piece was so important to them, and they couldn’t believe they were standing talking to the mayor at this event where they were interacting with firefighters and police officers. They said that would not happen where they came from.”

Despite big-name companies like Amazon and JPMorgan Chase calling back employees to the office five days a week, Hock says remote work has been relatively stable, and demand for MakeMyMove programs has never been higher.

“The reality is that there’s a talent shortage in the U.S. and as long as that is the case, talent is in the driver’s seat. If workers see value in small-town USA, which we think they do, these programs will continue to be successful,” he says. 

AJ O’Reilly, a remote UX designer and small business owner, moved with his wife, young daughter, and dog from the Minneapolis–St. Paul area to Noblesville. He says the town offered the perfect balance of a tight-knit community and convenient amenities.

“I was looking for something that I could actually build community and meet people and dive deep in a community, whereas St. Paul was really cool, but it was too big to really build a community,” says O’Reilly.

He says programs like MakeMyMove make sense considering states and local governments are often eager to offer businesses financial incentives to move, so why not people?

After visiting Noblesville, he and his wife bought their house sight unseen with just a video tour from a realtor: “We were so confident that we wanted to live in Noblesville.”

Little-known towns provide untapped potential

States like Indiana get a bad rap, says Colby Flye, a remote worker in the tech industry who also recently moved to Noblesville with his family. In reality, many little-known areas have great parks and neighborhoods—you just have to find the “hidden gems.”

“These places might not be well known, but they have strong communities. You won’t find any better affordability in places like these,” Flye tells Fortune. “If you’re really looking to settle down, make a home nest and really build something for the future, go ahead and make the move.” 

Because of its proximity to Indianapolis, Noblesville’s average housing cost is close to $369,000, according to Zillow. That’s slightly higher than the national average of about $357,000.

Other MakeMyMove areas have much lower housing costs, but the affordability secret may be catching on. The average home value in Mayfield, KY, is about $143,500—up 11% from last year.

“We encourage every American to take stock of their community. You only get one life, so might as well live it in a place that moves you. A better life is out there,” says Hock.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com



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Warren Buffett is investing more money in Japan amid the recent selloff in the U.S. stock market

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  • Berkshire Hathaway increased its stakes in Japan’s five biggest trading houses, according to a regulatory disclosure published on Monday. The investment comes as the U.S. stock market has endured a major selloff, though analysts doubt asset prices are low enough for Warren Buffett to start deploying his immense cash pile for a big purchase.

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway is investing more money in Japan amid the recent selloff in the U.S. stock market.

The conglomerate increased its holdings in Japan’s five biggest trading houses, according to Japanese regulatory filings published on Monday.

Berkshire grew its stake in Mitsui to 9.82% from 8.09%, in Mitsubishi to 9.67% from 8.31%, in Marubeni to 9.3% from 8.3%, in Sumitomu to 9.29% from 8.23%, and in Itochu to 8.53% from 7.47%.

Buffett has likened them to them to Berkshire itself, noting they have a diverse array of investments at home and abroad.

Berkshire began building positions in the sogo shosha in 2019 and recently reached an agreement with them to gradually go beyond an earlier 10% cap on its stakes. At the end of 2024, the market value of Berkshire’s holdings in the firms totaled $23.5 billion.

In his annual letter to shareholders last month, Buffett said that “our admiration for these companies has consistently grown,” citing appropriate dividend hikes, sensible share buybacks, and compensation for top managers that’s “far less aggressive” compared to the US.

“I expect that Greg [Abel] and his eventual successors will be holding this Japanese position for many decades and that Berkshire will find other ways to work productively with the five companies in the future,” Buffett added, referring to his designated replacement as CEO.

While the additional Japanese investments were disclosed on Monday, the exact timing of the transactions is unclear, though the annual letter in late February telegraphed what was coming.

The company didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

In contrast, Berkshire sold a net $134 billion in equities in 2024, ending the year with a cash pile of $334.2 billion—nearly double from a year ago and more than its shrinking stock portfolio of $272 billion. 

Meanwhile, U.S. stocks began nose-diving in mid-February after President Donald Trump began imposing tariffs; he has since continued rolling out more. So far, he has hit China, Canada, Mexico, steel, and aluminum with higher duties, and reciprocal tariffs are due April 2.

The Nasdaq has tumbled into correction territory, and the S&P 500 also passed the correction threshold last week but soon pared its decline to less than 10% from its peak.

That’s left investors wondering if Buffett will finally make a major purchase of stock or clinch a mega-deal for a company after complaining for years that valuations have been too high.

But analysts told Fortune earlier that a big splash is still unlikely as valuations haven’t gone down far enough, noting that Buffett usually prefers to be patient.

“He has no interest in timing the market’s bottom, nor does he chase short-term rebounds,” Armando Gonzalez, founder of AI-powered research platform Bigdata.com, said. “Instead, he waits for moments when fear drives prices to levels where the risk-reward equation tilts decisively in his favor.”

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com



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The dangerous side of popular sleep and anxiety drugs like Xanax and Lorazepam

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If you’ve been HBO’s new season of White Lotus, then you’ve seen Parker Posey’s character Victoria Ratliff popping a steady stream of Lorazepam while on a family vacation at a Thailand wellness resort, at one point comically declaring, “Someone stole my Lorazepam. I’m going to have to drink myself to sleep.” 

The drug, also known under the brand name Ativan, is part of a class called benzodiazepines, which also includes Xanax and Klonopin. Only available through prescription, they are used to help relieve anxiety and muscle spasms, and reduce seizures, according to the DEA. However, as seen in the show, they can lead to dependence and overuse. 

“We definitely see that a lot in real life as well,” Dr. Ian Neel, a geriatrician at UC San Diego Health, tells the New York Times about the class of drugs.

Of the over 30 million adults who reported using benzodiazepines in the last year, over 5 million misused them (described as “any way a doctor did not direct”), per 2019 data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health

While some people may have taken a one-time Xanax to calm flight anxiety, for example, long-term use is what poses the most danger as it can lead to dependence. People can become dependent even when taking the prescribed amount, Dr. Ludmila De Faria, chair of the American Psychiatric Association’s council on women’s mental health, told the New York Times. 

Particularly important is the appeal of “benzos” to older adults: Those ages 50 to 64 are the biggest consumers of this class of drugs, according to the 2019 study, and need to use extra caution due to the drugs’ potential effects on slowing cognition.

The class of drugs slows down the nervous system and often takes an immediate effect. And while they are generally safe when taken as prescribed for a limited time, side effects include drowsiness, memory problems, and slurred speech. Overuse can cause worsened effects, including dependence, cognitive impairment, coma, and potential death, although rare. 

Neel cautioned that older adults may metabolize drugs differently, and should be aware of the potential for negative interactions with other medications and drugs they might be taking. Combining benzodiazepines with other depressants like alcohol, for example, can exacerbate feelings of sedation, as seen on White Lotus, as Posey’s character usually pops Lorazepam with a glass of wine. 

When regular users of benzodiazepines—often called benzos—try to wean off the drugs, it’s common to experience withdrawal symptoms, like sweating, headaches, and heart palpitations according to the American Addiction Centers

“Each benzodiazepine medication has a specific half-life that influences the length of time it takes for the drug to leave the bloodstream,” according to the Center. “If an individual is dependent on a benzo, once the drug is purged from the body, withdrawal may begin.” 

It’s important to talk to a medical doctor and a mental health professional if you think you’re experiencing any withdrawal symptoms or negative side effects from benzodiazepines because there are other ways to treat anxiety and sleep orders. “The first-line treatment [for anxiety] is typically antidepressants like SSRIs [antidepressants], plus psychotherapy,” Dr. David Merrill, a geriatric psychiatrist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif. told Healthline.

For more on sleep, mental health, and more:

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com



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Computer-programming employment in U.S. falls to lowest since 1980

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