• Julie Berninger, 35, now spends over $25,000 a month so she can spend more time with her kids.
• Berninger amassed wealth through tech jobs and passive income to achieve financial independence.
• Still, she outsources most daily tasks to invest more time in her businesses.

Julie Berninger, 35, and her husband used to save 70% of their income. Now, they spend over $25,000 a month on outsourcing aspects of their lives like cleaning, cooking, and transportation.

Berninger and her husband have built their high net worth through previous high-paying corporate jobs, Berninger's digital course businesses, and passive income, which has given them the comfort of knowing they could retire early. However, Berninger said she's investing in the growth of her companies — and is spending a lot to do so.

She said these purchases have allowed her to spend more time with her family, keep work to under 40 hours a week, and focus on expanding her companies without being overworked. She's been satisfied with her spending choices and isn't too worried about adhering to all principles of the FIRE — financial independence, retire early — movement.

"When I was pursuing FIRE, I was trying to get to the lowest monthly cost possible," Berninger said. "Now that I found my passion, I want to have it all. I want to be able to give my kids time to see me."

Working toward FIRE

Berninger grew up middle class and said she didn't have much financial literacy until getting to college. She got scholarships and financial aid but still had student loans.

Shortly after graduating, Berninger and her husband paid off over $100,000 of student loan debt as Berninger worked high-paying jobs in tech. She was a project manager at Apple and Amazon, rising the corporate ladder. Around this time, she started getting into the FIRE movement, and she knew she wanted to achieve financial independence by her 30s.

She started a FIRE blog called Millennial Boss in 2015, and starting in 2017, she hosted podcast episodes that got over 2 million downloads within the first two years. She spoke with various leaders in the movement who shared their best advice for building wealth. She and her husband, now a strength and conditioning coach, had saved over $1 million.

"While I did love my tech job, which I found very interesting and stimulating, and I was accomplishing a lot, it wasn't quite the same as following a passion," Berninger said, noting her blog brought in about $35,000 in passive income last year.

She had a solid financial base, which allowed her to consider stepping away from the corporate world and starting a business. While at Amazon, she started selling digital products part-time on Etsy, as she wanted side income and opportunities to try different fields of work.

During her first few months, she made a couple hundred dollars selling printables, which quickly grew into the thousands. Later, she collaborated with Cody Berman, an entrepreneur who achieved financial independence at 25, on Gold City Ventures, which created online courses for selling products on Etsy.

In five years, they've helped over 15,000 people start Etsy shops. She said the business brought in over $2 million in gross revenue last year.

"The people who sell on Etsy are basically just everyday people. They're not huge corporations but rather your neighbor down the street who makes personalized, handcrafted things," Berninger said. "There's a printable for every profession."

Shifting spending habits

In 2023, she also founded Auros Agency, a boutique digital course creation agency with a similar business model. However, as her "flexible but not passive" business became more involved, she spent less time with her two kids. She didn't want her kids in day care every day, but she also didn't want to sacrifice her business.

She began to outsource many daily tasks, such as dry cleaning, folding laundry, cooking, and landscaping. Her home payments were small because they had a large downpayment, and her and her husband's income allowed them to reduce their savings rate. She estimates her current savings rate is around 18% of her income, well below her past peak of saving 70% when starting her business, but she noted that her overall income is now much higher.

"If my goal was to stop working at 40, then I obviously wouldn't be doing all these things," she said. "I would be hanging out with my family, and I wouldn't be working. But I genuinely love everything I'm doing and have much bigger ambitions."

As of the end of May, Berninger spent slightly over $200,000 and made almost $250,000 gross so far in 2024, screenshots shared with BI show.

She said this choice has given her the flexibility to take off whenever she chooses, as she can hire others for temporary positions if she needs more time off. She makes time for lunches with her kids and often works at night and on weekends when her kids are asleep. She estimates she works fewer than 40 hours a week.

She's also recruited successful course participants to coach the next class of future Etsy sellers. She said it was a breath of fresh air not to have to worry about job security, though it took her time to accept being in full control of her destiny.

She said that even if her business crashed overnight, she still had over a million in savings and could easily pivot to her original FIRE principles. Still, she doesn't consider herself completely financially independent.

She said her FIRE ethos is not oriented where the goal is not to get out of productive work — the goal is to have a greater impact on the world, to get personal fulfillment, and to make life more interesting," she said. "Sometimes, if you're just optimizing toward regular FIRE and you try to get out as fast as possible, then I think you're missing out."

Are you part of the FIRE movement or living by some of its principles? Reach out to this reporter at nsheidlower@businessinsider.com.

• Trump told Bloomberg Businessweek the Fed should not cut rates before the presidential election.
• However, some economists and lawmakers say cuts should happen soon.
• The Fed has two interest rate decisions before November; traders expect cuts to start in September.

Former President Donald Trump said the Federal Reserve should not cut interest rates before the presidential election, according to an interview he did with Bloomberg Businessweek.

In a June 25 interview that was published on July 16, Trump said the Fed may cut rates before the election, but it's something Fed Chair Jerome Powell and Fed members "know they shouldn't be doing."

His comments are at odds with what some economists and Democratic lawmakers have said about the need for cuts soon.

Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody's Analytics, told Business Insider that when rate cuts do happen, it could "provide immediate relief" for consumers, small businesses, and lower- and middle-income households. For instance, interest rates on credit cards could come down, he said, which would benefit consumers.

Trump's remarks echo his previous claims that the Fed could become politicized ahead of the presidential election as opinions on the timing of interest rate cuts split across party lines. The Federal Open Market Committee has two interest rate decisions scheduled before the election in July and September.

The Federal Reserve is meant to operate independently and apolitically.

"Congress has entrusted the Federal Reserve with operational independence that is needed to take a longer-term perspective in the pursuit of our dual mandate of maximum employment and stable prices," Powell said before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs on July 9.

The FOMC monitors economic data to decide when to cut rates without spurring inflation. According to market predictions, the central bank is expected to once again hold rates steady during its July meeting but potentially cut in September.

Trump said the Fed has a "dream" to lower interest rates, but he'd advise against it. "Right now, you have to keep rates where they are," he said, citing general inflation as a concern.

"Inflation is a country buster," Trump said, and while he said he knows Fed members want to cut interest rates, he would not do so before the presidential election.

June inflation data showed consumer prices increased 3% year-over-year, the lowest rate in a year. Some economists think it's time to cut rates, with cooling inflation and job growth suggesting the Fed's job is already mostly done.

"I think it's past time for them to cut interest rates," Zandi said. "I think they have achieved their objective of full employment and inflation at target."

Meanwhile, Claudia Sahm, chief economist at investment management firm New Century Advisors and former Fed economist, said indicators show it's time to cut rates.

"We have seen the US economy has been getting back on track, normalizing, rebalancing, all of the Fed's catchwords for some time now," Sahm said.

Zandi thinks the Fed will start making rate cuts in September. He noted that the bar for cuts is higher than it typically is because the Fed fears a reacceleration of inflation. He also noted that the election a few months away could play a role.

"They're thinking maybe if they start cutting rates, they're going to be brought into the political debate, and it's a pretty uncomfortable place to be," he said.

This isn't the first time Trump has criticized Powell and the FOMC's interest rate decisions. During a February interview with Fox News, Trump accused Powell of being "political" and planning interest rate cuts to coincide with the election.

"I think he's going to do something to probably help the Democrats, I think, if he lowers interest rates," Trump said, adding that "it looks to me like he's trying to lower interest rates for the sake of maybe getting people elected."

Powell has consistently maintained the Federal Reserve is an independent entity that does not consider politics or policymaking in its decisions. Powell said in April during Stanford's Business, Government, and Society Forum that "our analysis is free from any personal or political bias, in service to the public."

"But our decisions will always reflect our painstaking assessment of what is best for our economy in the medium and longer term — and nothing else," Powell said.

Zandi said the Fed may want to have a few more months of "good inflation statistics" — like the consumer price index data for June, which was released on July 11 — so that it can "mitigate the risk that they become politicized."

Trump allies were reportedly writing a plan to curb the independence of the Federal Reserve and allow Trump to have a say in interest rate decisions should he win the upcoming election, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Trump told Bloomberg Businessweek that while he's had his "own disputes" with Powell, he would allow him to finish his term as Chair of the Federal Reserve if Trump thought he "was doing the right thing."

• Joe Biden said he would reconsider running for president if he was advised by his doctors.
• The president previously pushed back against criticism of his cognitive abilities.
• The 81-year-old tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday. 

It's been three weeks since Joe Biden's shaky debate against Donald Trump prompted calls for him to drop out.

Since then, 81-year-old and his inner circle have repeatedly pushed back against criticism of his cognitive abilities and his age.

But it turns out that one group of people could convince the president to call it quits: his doctors.

Speaking with BET News' Ed Gordon on Wednesday, Biden was asked which circumstances would cause him to reevaluate running for the presidency.

"If I had some medical condition that emerged, if somebody — if doctors came to me and said you got this problem, that problem," Biden responded.

"The only thing age brings is a little bit of wisdom. And I think I've demonstrated that I know how to get things done," Biden said later in the interview, adding that he is "reluctant" to walk away from the race.

Biden didn't elaborate on what kind of medical condition would spur him to reconsider running for president, though it's worth noting that he has previously rejected the idea of taking a cognitive test.

The interview was aired on the same day the White House announced that the president had tested positive for COVID-19.

It's the third time in the past two years that the president has contracted the virus.

"Earlier today following his first event in Las Vegas, President Biden tested positive for COVID-19. He is vaccinated and boosted and he is experiencing mild symptoms. He will be returning to Delaware where he will self-isolate and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time," Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

"The White House will provide regular updates on the President's status as he continues to carry out the full duties of the office while in isolation."

Paul got his first bottle of pills from Hims in May. He said he didn't really need the generic Viagra, but after a friend bragged that he'd been using it for years to "go multiple rounds," Paul figured he'd give it a shot. So he signed in to Hims and found that the process of getting it from the direct-to-consumer telehealth company was almost disturbingly easy. Paul, who's in his early 40s, answered some multiple-choice questions online, a doctor supposedly reviewed his responses, and then a bottle of pills showed up in the mail a couple of days later.

He's used the drug twice, though it doesn't really work how he thought it would. Nobody had explained what to expect, which probably wouldn't be the case in a regular healthcare setting. When I asked Paul (a pseudonym) why he didn't just go to his regular doctor for the issue, his answer was succinct: "Speed, convenience, positive my doctor would say no." His primary-care provider had mentioned a while back that he thought Viagra was overprescribed.

The direct-to-consumer health industry has exploded in recent years. The pandemic accelerated the rise of telehealth, which these DTC companies are a part of both culturally and legally. Grand View Research estimates that the global telehealth market was worth $101.2 billion in 2023 and that it's growing rapidly. Multiple startups have popped up to capitalize on this growth, with venture capital and investor dollars flowing in. Hims & Hers Health has a market cap of over $4 billion. Ro, one of the other main players in the industry, has raised over $1 billion and has a valuation of $6.6 billion, according to PitchBook.

These companies sell a wide array of products to help with everything from weight loss to mental health. Much of their business proposition, however, is targeted specifically at young men and, more specifically, at their insecurities. Are you worried about your hairline? Your fertility? What about getting an erection? Are you scared to talk to a doctor face-to-face about any of this? Well, Hims promises you can "skip the awkward doctor visits" and offers "ED meds from your couch." A "healthy, handsome you" is only a click away.

"These platforms are basically set up to minimize the distance from advertising and hooking the consumer to getting a prescription in their hand," said Matthew McCoy, an assistant professor in the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. "The advantage of that is efficiency — people, understandably, don't have a lot of time always to spend on these sorts of things. The downside of that is risks that you're not making fully informed decisions or that the kind of advice that you're getting is being colored by the company's financial incentives rather than a doctor's honest opinion of what's in your medical best interest."

Those at the forefront of the DTC health revolution have American guys right where they want them: insecure, on edge, and ready to open their wallets.

There are some variations in how these services work, but the gist is this: You go to a website (probably because you saw some ad for it), fill out a questionnaire about your condition, maybe chat with a doctor (though often you don't), and then voilà, a prescription is on its way to you in what's promised to be discreet packaging.

"It typically bypasses traditional healthcare settings, and often there's little to no involvement of a healthcare provider," said Ashwini Nagappan, a doctoral candidate at UCLA's Fielding School of Public Health who has studied DTC medicine and ethics.

There is some altruistic appeal: DTC medication services can help with access for people who live in remote areas or can't easily get to a doctor. But for many clients, and especially young men, the upside is that it's simply more convenient than a traditional appointment.

"In general, men are less likely to utilize healthcare when compared to women," said Joshua Halpern, the chief scientific officer at Posterity Health, a male-fertility clinic, and an adjunct assistant professor of urology at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. "And we know that many young men don't even have a primary-care physician to begin with, so the process of establishing care can be daunting, especially when it can take months to get an appointment."

Even if they do have a relationship with a medical provider, it may not be the type where they feel comfortable bringing up sensitive or stigmatized issues. Research indicates that when it comes to seeking care for sexual-health concerns, privacy is a primary consideration for young men. A review of literature on DTC telemedicine and men notes that men who use DTC platforms cite convenience as an important motivation, as well as embarrassment and discretion. Financial factors, interestingly, aren't very much in play. A survey conducted in late 2019 and early 2020 found that men under 40 and in the middle-income range were likelier to use DTC telehealth services than older, wealthier men.

While DTC services may help with timely access and do some work on destigmatizing certain issues, there are substantial drawbacks. Men using these services might not get the comprehensive evaluation they need to uncover underlying conditions and address their overall health, Halpern said, and they may not be seeing a healthcare provider who is most appropriate for managing their condition.

"They can also end up paying more for care that would be more affordable elsewhere or even covered by their medical insurance," he said.

His research suggests that some platforms may also be providing what's known as guideline-discordant care, meaning patients are getting unnecessary tests and inappropriate treatments, such as testosterone replacement for men who are trying to conceive, which can be detrimental in some cases. Plenty of doctors have sounded the alarm about DTC telehealth companies, and some firms have gotten into legal trouble, too. The Department of Justice has charged the leaders of the ADHD-focused telehealth company Done with fraud over its Adderall prescription practices and advertising.

For all the issues with DTC companies, it's fair to note that traditional healthcare settings are far from perfect. Patients can lie to their doctors in person. Providers don't always have a full view of their patients' health or everything they're taking. Navigating insurance and appointments is a hassle. But handing out drugs in a faceless manner across the internet is markedly different from what has happened in healthcare historically, and it presents different risks.

These companies are in the business of selling drugs.

"When you're in person or you're doing telehealth through a more established healthcare entity, there is a little bit more collection of your medical history," Nagappan said.

While DTC platforms say they serve a valuable purpose in getting young men to address medical needs they would otherwise ignore, the monetary factors involved are different from those at a regular physician's office.

"These companies are in the business of selling drugs," McCoy said. "A medical provider ideally is in the business of providing the best medical care, which sometimes involves writing prescriptions for drugs, but sometimes involves alternative modalities or nothing at all."

One man who got generic Viagra through Hims told me he went through the platform to avoid the "8 million" questions his doctor would ask — and he knew he'd probably be approved. "I mean, whenever you deal with these drug companies that are trying to do direct-to-consumer, you've got to know that their doctors are just checking a box," he said. "They're not going to give you too much crap. If you have a pulse, they're going to give you a prescription." (He was also concerned about privacy, but he said the packaging wasn't as discreet as he'd hoped — "Hims" was on the shipping label, and he knows his mail guy.)

These companies make money if you buy something, and it's even better if you set up a recurring subscription, so advertising that leans into young men's fears can be especially fruitful.

"You might say that makes them a target for high-pressure, potentially even manipulative marketing in a way that we should worry about," McCoy said.

The dynamic is similar to pharmaceutical ads on TV for drugs like Ozempic or Cialis. Instead of getting advice from disinterested parties, like their doctors, people are getting messages from quite interested parties — pharmaceutical companies — hoping they show up at their next medical visit and make an ask.

A spokesperson for Hims said in an email that a "core tenet" of the company is "to help people address issues that may be hard to talk about, but are important for feeling good and being healthy" and that its platform and customer experience is "is designed to help customers bypass the various hurdles that come with getting the care and accessing necessary treatments." When asked how doctors are compensated, they said it's a time-based model that takes into consideration time spent and "certain efficiency metrics," but it's not about prescriptions written. The spokesperson emphasized that "the health and well-being of our customers will always be our top priority" and confirmed that fees are only charged if someone receives treatment. A spokesperson for Ro said that it's a "misconception" that its patient base skews younger and that 87% are over 30. They said that providers' prescribing decisions do not impact their compensation and provided a link to their operating system.

DTC telehealth can play a role in people getting treatment they may otherwise not seek, whether for alcoholism or depression or hair loss, and at the very least it can help people realize they're not so alone in whatever issue that's ailing them. While I was reporting for this story, a friend told me he got a hair-loss prescription from Hims after his barber mentioned his bald spot — to me, that seems fine.

But it's hard not to recognize these companies' financial incentives and the ways they may distort care. They're prescribing all sorts of drugs constantly and not asking too many questions in the process. That young guy listening to a hair-loss ad on his favorite podcast isn't just a patient — he's a customer.

Emily Stewart is a senior correspondent at Business Insider, writing about business and the economy.

• John Deere has backed down from a number of DEI initiatives, seemingly in response to online criticism.
• The company said it won't partake in external "cultural awareness" parades and reaffirmed its lack of a pronoun policy.
• In a viral video, conservative activist Robby Starbuck said John Deere had "gone woke."

Tractor maker John Deere has backed down from its DEI initiatives after facing substantial criticism from conservatives online.

John Deere "will no longer participate in or support external social or cultural awareness parades, festivals, or events," it said in a post on X on Tuesday.

It said that it would audit its company-mandated training materials to "ensure the absence of socially-motivated messages" and that its business resource groups would "exclusively" focus on professional development, networking, mentoring, and supporting talent recruitment.

The farm-machinery company added that diversity quotas and pronoun identification "have never been and are not company policy."

Though it did not specify why it had made the changes, John Deere's post came soon after criticism from conservative activist Robby Starbuck and his followers.

Starbuck said that the company had "gone woke" in a video posted on X on July 9. At the time of writing, the video had more than 50,000 likes and over 5 million views.

Starbuck said in the video that John Deere had introduced a pronoun policy, showing a screenshot he said was from the company's website in which it "encouraged" staff to use their pronouns in their email signatures.

He also said that John Deere had sponsored the Capital City Pride Little Rainbow Run, a children's fun run in Iowa that raised funds for Capital City Pride's events.

After John Deere's post on X, Starbuck celebrated, calling the decision a "massive win" and saying his followers are "helping me force corporate America back to sanity."

Business Insider has not been able to independently verify whether John Deere had a pronoun policy and whether it sponsored the Pride event.

In a number of videos on John Deere's Facebook page with the caption "Rainbow Ally," the company identified workers' pronouns on screen. It also posted in April 2022 about the importance of "using the right pronouns."

The company did not respond to a request for comment from BI John about whether Starbuck's video prompted its change in policy and what measures it still has in place to support LGBTQ+ employees. John Deere said in its post on X that it would continue to "track and advance" the company's diversity.

John Deere's announcement came just six weeks after the Department of Labor said that the company had agreed to pay $1.1 million in back wages and interest to Black and Hispanic job applicants over what the DOL called "systemic hiring discrimination."

Starbuck had launched a similar campaign against the Tractor Supply Company in June. In late June, the company announced that it would stop submitting data to the Human Rights Campaign, stop sponsoring "nonbusiness" activities like Pride festivals and voting campaigns, eliminate DEI roles, and withdraw its carbon emission goals.

Conservative activists have previously targeted other companies over their Pride initiatives, like Target's Pride collection last year. Some conservatives also led a boycott of Bud Light after it launched a social media promotion with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

• Former President Trump's remarks about Taiwan have raised uncertainty within the chip industry.
• Trump in a recent Bloomberg Businessweek interview said Taiwan should pay the US for its defense.
• Taiwan's semiconductor dominance could make a supply-chain disruption perilous for the US economy.

Former President Donald Trump during a recent interview with Bloomberg Businessweek waded into the US-Taiwan relationship head-on, arguing that the East Asian democracy should pay America for its protection.

"I think Taiwan should pay us for defense," Trump said in the interview published on Tuesday. "You know, we're no different than an insurance company. Taiwan doesn't give us anything."

"Taiwan is 9,500 miles away," he continued, highlighting its significant distance from the US. "It's 68 miles away from China."

The remarks are stunning in that Trump — should he win a second term in the White House — could upend the longstanding diplomatic relationship between the US and Taiwan.

China continues to view Taiwan as a breakaway province. But Taiwan has long defended its right to self-rule, away from the grips of Beijing.

Trump's stance could have major implications for Taiwan's dominance in semiconductor chip manufacturing should any potential conflict arise between Taiwan and China. And such a scenario would likely have a cataclysmic effect on the US economy should the global chip supply chain be disrupted.

The semiconductor influence

Taiwan manufactures more than 60% of the world's semiconductors and produces about 92% of the globe's advanced semiconductors, according to Foreign Policy.

And Taiwan's microchip production is anchored by the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, or TSMC, a global powerhouse.

A study authorized by the US State Department found that any temporary halt to Taiwan's chip production from a Chinese blockade could result in roughly $2.5 trillion in annual losses globally, according to the Financial Times.

It's the sort of impact that would surely reverberate for years.

Trump in his Bloomberg Businessweek interview alleged that Taiwan "took" America's microchip business and claimed they they'd gotten rich by doing so.

"How stupid are we?" he asked the publication.

The ex-president's remarks are significant because the US has a vested interest in preserving strong ties in the Indo-Pacific region given the disproportionate impact that Taiwan has on the US economy.

The chips manufactured in Taiwan are used in everything from cell phones and electric vehicles to microwaves and manufacturing equipment. It's a reality that has made many US policymakers even more cognizant of the huge role that Taiwan plays in America's economic vitality.

Becoming a major chip player once again

The CHIPS and Science Act, which was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2022, was crafted to boost semiconductor manufacturing in America. The law set aside $39 billion in manufacturing incentives for chip production in the US.

Biden heavily pushed the legislation as a way to bolster supply chain resilience while also keeping the US competitive against China.

The Biden administration recently floated using a stringent trade restriction known as the foreign direct product rule to block China from utilizing advanced chipmaking tools, according to Bloomberg.

CJ Muse, the senior managing director at Cantor Fitzgerald, told CNBC that "the potential for more restrictions is real."

"The intent is really to limit China's ability to build leading-edge semiconductors, and I think that the efforts the Department of Commerce and BIS [Bureau of Industry and Security] have put through have done that," he said.

A recent report released by the Semiconductor Industry Association revealed that America's share of global chip manufacturing is set to increase to 14% by 2032. Currently, the US has a 10% share, reflective of years of manufacturing operations being sent offshore — which put the country at a competitive disadvantage.

But the US still faces an uncertain future regarding chip production should Trump sit in the White House again, as fears have risen of supply chain disruptions in a potential conflict involving Taiwan.

After Trump's latest remarks about Taiwan and the potential for tighter trade curbs on China, global chip stocks fell, with notable declines for Nvidia, TSMC, and Qualcomm, among others.

• A broken wind turbine blade caused debris — and beach closures on — Nantucket.
• The detritus came from Vineyard Wind, an offshore clean energy project.
• Other environmental issues facing Nantucket include rising sea levels and erosion, which are threatening homes.

A windmill ruined a beautiful day on the billionaire hot spot of Nantucket.

The blade of an offshore wind turbine broke into pieces last week and washed ashore on tony Nantucket, the Massachusetts island favored by New Englanders and the very wealthy. The debris — sharp fiberglass in some cases — caused numerous beaches to close to swimmers on Tuesday and promoted local media to deploy full coverage as locals pitched in to help clean up.

The litter came from Vineyard Wind, a clean energy project 15 miles off the coast of the nearby island of Martha's Vineyard. The turbines' blades measure more than 350 feet long, meaning damage to just one can leave a lot of trash.

The company, which did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, said in a statement that the blade was damaged on Saturday. In a separate statement, it said it was deploying 35 people to help with the cleanup effort and that all debris was not toxic, though it did not elaborate on why the damage occurred. About 17 cubic yards of debris were found in total.

According to local outlets, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement issued a suspension order to cease operation until the other turbines can be cleared of similar failures.

Still, all Nantucket beaches were fully open by Wednesday, though the island's Harbormaster cautioned people to wear shoes and keep pets off certain areas.

But debris in the water is far from the only environmental problem affecting Nantucket, where rising sea levels, flooding, and erosion are causing multimillion-dollar homes to sell at steep discounts in hopes they have one or two more summers in them before they are washed away.

By 2070, more than 2,300 buildings on Nantucket — 84% of the homes — will be at risk of coastal flooding or erosion, according to projections from the town's 2021 Coastal Resilience Plan.

In April, billionaire Barry Sternlicht's home was demolished due to property damage caused by erosion. Others have paid seven figures to move their homes away from the island's shrinking bluffs or millions of dollars in attempts to keep erosion at bay through various technologies.

The changing climate hasn't caused much of a change to demand on the island, where billionaires like Blackstone's Steve Schwarzman and former Googler Eric Schmidt have homes. Last year's median sale price on the island was $3.2 million — up $1.3 million from five years earlier, according to data from local firm Fisher Real Estate.

It looks like snow, rain, hail, and a little wind turbine debris won't be enough to turn people off of the Gray Lady.

• Mary Beth Wilkas Janke was a federal agent in the Secret Service in the early 1990s.
• She entered without a law enforcement background but was just as qualified as her male colleagues.
• Although it requires sacrifices, Wilkas Janke says women shouldn't be afraid to enter the field.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Mary Beth Wilkas Janke, a 59-year-old former Secret Service Agent. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

After taking a criminal justice elective in high school, I decided I wanted to be an FBI agent. I studied criminal justice and Spanish in college and moved to Spain after graduation. At 24, I moved back to the US to become a federal law agent.

I applied to the DEA and the United States Secret Service (USSS). The Secret Service offered me a job after many interviews, an exam, a review of my documents, and a polygraph. I didn't have a military or law enforcement background, but I met the qualifications for the role.

I worked for the Secret Service from May 1991 to June 1992. This wasn't a traditional career path for women in the 1990s. At that time, only 180 of the 2,000 agents were women. Many people judged me, but nobody could dissuade me from pursuing my dream.

It's an intense, demanding job that requires you to carry a weapon, make sacrifices, and know you're in a man's world, but women are equipped to do this job just as well as men.

The training process is the same for men and women, except for the physical fitness evaluation

I spent nine and a half weeks being trained as a criminal investigator and another nine and a half weeks learning the responsibilities of the Secret Service through classroom lectures, practical exercises, physical fitness, firearms, time on the mat, and simulation training.

The hiring and training processes are the same for men and women, except for the physical fitness evaluation requirements. To pass the quarterly fitness test, we have to run 1.5 miles in a certain timeframe. Men between 20 and 29 must complete the run in 10 minutes and 16 seconds, while women can complete it in 12 minutes and 50 seconds.

I don't see anything wrong with having different physical standards for men and women. We're physiologically different, and this job is not about physical strength. Physical standards are different across many agencies and organizations, like the military, any given police force, and even Olympic qualifications.

Nothing else is different between men and women on the job. We all must pass the same tests and be proficient in firearms training, defensive tactics, motorcade driving, arrest methods, emergency medicine, and investigative skills.

My job duties ranged from interviewing suspects to protecting George H.W. Bush's grandchildren

At that time, I was the only agent in the Washington Field Office who spoke Spanish, so I was often placed on assignments involving counterfeit currency from Latin American countries. I would interview Spanish-speaking suspects or participate in raids.

I was also assigned to protect two of George H.W. Bush's grandchildren on a rotating basis. I don't believe, and I never felt, that certain assignments were given to agents based on their gender.

My mother and I had heated discussions about some of the missions I was on because they were so dangerous. Sometimes, I'd ask my mom if we would be having the conversation if I were a man because I didn't think we would. I understood and respected her concern; however, this is my life, and I will always live it on my terms.

When I left the Service, I became an international personal protection agent, doctor of clinical psychology, college professor, and author.

Regardless of your gender, it's a demanding job that's not for everyone

This job requires personal sacrifices, like canceling plans you had to meet friends on Friday night because you got called to an Air Force Base for a vice presidential movement.

I noticed that some of the women I worked with left the agency for "traditional" reasons. One of my best friends from training left after five years to start a family, and another friend left because she wanted a more predictable career.

You must be willing to take a bullet for your protectee at any time. That's the heartbeat of the job, and it can be both exciting and dangerous. I wanted the challenge, and I loved having a career that was anything but boring.

Certain women are equipped to do this job, just as certain men are, but I think it takes more of a special woman than a special man to go into law enforcement because of the scrutiny and commitment.

It's a male-dominated career, but you shouldn't let that stop you from entering it

When I applied, I knew I'd be surrounded by mostly male colleagues, but it didn't intimidate me.

When my male colleagues would make negative or derogatory comments about me, I never showed that what they said bothered me. Instead, it pushed me to work harder.

In training, a fellow agent asked me what I was doing there and said that I didn't belong. I knew he was wrong. I went through the strenuous application process, just like he did, to get the job, and I belonged there.

One guy told me before women were hired, it was the "good old days" when they could enjoy booze, broads, and Buicks. He said that bringing women in messed that up for them. I told him hiring women was the best decision the Service ever made — he laughed and appreciated my standing up to him. We eventually became friends.

Women agents are valuable to the Secret Service

Women often excel in communication and negotiation skills, which are crucial to a USSS Agent's duties. In many situations, women can more easily blend into environments where a male may be more conspicuous.

Having women in the Service also shows that women can perform in demanding jobs that have traditionally been male-dominated.

The head of the Department of Homeland Security is pushing to have more women in law enforcement, up to 30% by 2030, and I think that's great, but I often wonder why it's not at 30% already.

The Secret Service's efforts to increase DEI and female hires is nothing unusual as long as the candidates are qualified. These individuals still have to go through a rigorous hiring and training process and meet the same qualifications as everyone else.

More women who are interested in this line of work should try it

I think many women don't even realize this career path exists. When I was doing a protection advance in 1992 at a hotel, the general manager said to me, "I didn't know there were women Secret Service Agents!"

There are dozens of federal law enforcement agencies, and my advice to anyone is even if you can't get into the one that you want at first, start at one agency and transfer down the road.

Don't let what anybody thinks about whether women belong on the job stop you from applying to a position in law enforcement. You belong there, and if you start to doubt that, find a mentor with the career path you want and lean on them to guide you.

• The Education Department announced $1.2 billion in debt relief for 35,000 student-loan borrowers in public service.
• The relief is a result of ongoing fixes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.
• The department is also carrying out targeted relief for borrowers on income-driven repayment plans.

Another batch of student-loan borrowers will soon see their balances turned to zero.

On Thursday, President Joe Biden's Education Department announced that it approved $1.2 billion in student-loan forgiveness for 35,000 public service workers.

The relief is a result of ongoing fixes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which forgives student debt for government and nonprofit workers after 10 years of qualifying payments. Specifically, according to the department, this latest relief comes from the limited waiver that ended in October 2022 that allowed payments previously deemed ineligible for PSLF to count, along with regulatory changes to the program.

"The additional Americans approved for PSLF today are hardworking public servants who will finally receive the financial breathing room they were promised — and all PSLF recipients can easily track and manage the process through StudentAid.gov," Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a statement. "This is relief that will bring real change in their lives and marks another win for this administration's relentless and unapologetic work to fix a broken student loan system."

The Biden administration has now approved $168.5 billion for 4.76 million borrowers, of which 946,000 of them were enrolled in PSLF.

This relief is among the Education Department's targeted efforts to improve repayment programs. For example, the department has also been in the process of carrying out its one-time account adjustments, which gives borrowers on PSLF and income-driven repayment plans an opportunity to ensure all of their payments are credited toward the forgiveness timeline.

With regards to PSLF itself, the department has made a series of changes over the past few months. It transitioned borrowers away from MOHELA, previously the sole servicer of PSLF, to a number of different servicers to facilitate the program better.

Additionally, the new SAVE income-driven repayment plan promised debt relief under shorter timelines, but its fate is uncertain, and conservative groups are currently challenging it in court.

Still, the Education Department has vowed to do what it can to carry out relief. It's planning to finalize its broader student-loan forgiveness plan — expected to benefit over 30 million borrowers — in October.

"From day one of my Administration, I promised to fight to ensure higher education is a ticket to the middle class, not a barrier to opportunity," Biden said in a statement following Thursday's announcement. "I will never stop working to make higher education affordable — no matter how many times Republican elected officials try to stop us."

• Ultra-processed foods have been linked to a range of health problems. 
• Dietitian Kat Garcia-Benson avoids UPFs but focuses on "what to add versus what to take away" from meals.
• Garcia-Benson would order a meal with steak and black beans at Chipotle.

A dietitian who avoids ultra-processed foods shared with Business Insider what she would order at Chipotle.

The Mexican-style fast-casual spot is popular among city workers, including finance bros who work long hours. The chain has even launched a limited edition "Chipotle Boy" bowl as a nod to these devoted patrons.

Busy people who rely on fast food joints may worry that they are unwittingly eating ultra-processed foods — which are linked to a host of health problems — as it can be hard to check the ingredients of meals.

The best approach when eating out is to prioritize lean protein and fiber and minimize foods that aren't so nutrient-dense, dietitian Kat Garcia-Benson said.

We can prioritize nutritious food while considering what's available and accessible, she said: "I like to focus on what to add versus what to take away."

In that vein, three dietitians previously shared what they would order from Chipotle for a high-protein meal.

Garcia-Benson shared what she would order at Chipotle if she were grabbing a quick lunch.

Dietitian Garcia Benson's Chipotle order:

• Burrito or salad bowl
• Romaine lettuce
• Brown rice
• Steak
• Black beans
• Guacamole
• Salsa
• Fajita veggies

Pick a burrito on days you need extra energy

Garcia-Benson would choose either the burrito bowl (which comes with rice) or the salad bowl (which has a lettuce base), depending on what she was doing for the rest of the day, how much energy it required, and how hungry she was.

"If I need more carbohydrates, if I need it to be more filling, or if I'm going to work out a couple hours later, then I would get just a regular bowl that has rice versus the salad that won't," she said.

Lean protein and fiber

At Chipotle, she would go for the steak mainly because it's her personal preference.

She also opts for black beans for added protein and fiber. Beans are a great source of fiber and are a staple in the diet of many Blue Zones, areas of the world where residents live around 10 years longer than the country's average life expectancy.

She chooses brown rice over white as it contains more fiber, and fajita vegetables for micronutrients and even more fiber.

Healthy fats

If you're eating out, you probably don't need to worry too much about adding fat to your meal because it'll be there for taste.

"That's the goal of restaurants, to make it taste good, right?" Garcia-Benson said.

But if she's getting a salad bowl, she might add guacamole for extra healthy fats or to make her dish more filling.

As well as healthy fats, avocados contain fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants.