Why Finland and Denmark are the happiest countries in the worldFinland and Denmark have consistently topped the United Nations’ most prestigious index, The World Happiness Report. In 2019, Finland topped the list. We met with local Finns and Danes to find out what makes their homes the happiest countries in the world.

Economic inequality in the U.S. is rising. About 78% of those who identify as Democrats say there’s too much economic inequality, while about 41% of Republicans agree, according to the Pew Research Center survey. Younger Americans are also more likely to agree: 71% of those 18 to 29 say there is too much economic inequality in the U.S. today, compared to just 52% of those over 65. Among Republicans, 58% of younger voters in the party more likely to say there’s too much economic inequality compar

For example, a recent photo of Kardashian West next to an open fridge prompted followers to wonder: What does she keep inside her fridge and in her kitchen? Kim Kardashian West became famous giving viewers a look into her life on E! There’s one cabinet in the pantry, where Kardashian West keeps a frozen yogurt machine. In another refrigerator, Kardashian West keeps “fresh juices” and three different kinds of milk: organic milk, lactose-free milk and oat milk. Kardashian West has four children wi

To solve that dilemma, some financial experts suggest annuities, financial products that provide regular payments in return for one upfront lump sum. The Alliance has also released a list of questions every consumer needs to ask before signing on for an annuity. Some of the key questions include:What can [annuities] do that other investments cannot? If I purchase this annuity, how do you or your firm get paid and how much? The Alliance’s efforts come as many in the financial industry are divided

President Donald Trump may not reach the second part of a trade pact with China until after the 2020 election, he said Thursday. “I think I might want to wait to finish ’til after the election, because by doing that, I think we can actually make a little bit better deal, maybe a lot better deal,” Trump told reporters at the White House. The president and Chinese officials plan to sign a long-sought initial piece of a trade agreement on Jan. 15. Trump has pushed for a trade agreement between the

Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., arrives for a re-enactment of her swearing-in, Monday Jan. 6, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Senate Agriculture Committee, which Loeffler joined following her Senate confirmation, oversees that agency. Loeffler, R-Ga., and Sprecher married in 2004, before the company went public in 2005. But the Republican senator told The Wall Street Journal that she “will recuse myself if needed on a case by case basis.” Loeffler was sworn in as a senator on Monday, succee

The vaping illness outbreak worsened over the last week with 41 people hospitalized and two additional deaths, even as the pace of new illnesses slows, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC calls the illness EVALI, short for e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury. Public health officials say the main culprit is vitamin E acetate, a sticky compound found in some THC vaping products. The vaping illness comes amid a surge in teen vapi

CNBC’s Jim Cramer slammed Kohl’s on Thursday after the embattled retailer reported a disappointing same-store sales decline during November and December and warned on outlook. Cramer said he was stunned that Kohl’s was unable to translate its high-profile partnership with Amazon into holiday success. This holiday season was the first in which the Amazon partnership was in place at all Kohl’s locations nationwide. Meanwhile, Bank of America on Thursday downgraded Kohl’s shares to neutral from buy

Uber just changed its app for California users to comply with the new labor law, here’s what it meansUber just made changes in its app for California users to comply with the state’s new labor law. Deirdre Bosa and Bradley Tusk, Tusk Ventures founder and CEO, join ‘The Exchange’ to discuss the changes and what Uber’s workaround means.

This budget strategy helped a Michigan couple pay off their mortgage early4 Hours AgoAndy and Nicole Hill bought their dream home just outside of Detroit at the end of 2013. Their initial goal was to pay off their mortgage in five years, but they ended up paying it off over a year faster than they planned. The couple chose mortgage terms that would let more of their payment go toward paying off their principal and used aggressive budgeting techniques to throw even more money at their loan. Watch

Kohl’s tie-up with Amazon was supposed to be a boon to the department store chain, which is teetering between sales gains and declines. But any benefits from accepting Amazon returns in its stores, and all of that expected new customer traffic, are now in doubt after Kohl’s released its holiday sales results Thursday. But Kohl’s stood out among retailers reporting holiday sales this week for really missing the mark. Department store chain’s J.C. Penney’s holiday sales results were more dismal, b

Costco – Costco’s stock rose nearly 2% after the wholesale retailer reported that December same store sales rose 9%, better than the 7.1% increase expected by analysts surveyed by StreetAccount. Advanced Micro Devices – Shares of semiconductor company AMD rose nearly 4% following an upgrade to buy from neutral from Mizuho Securities. The retailer reaffirmed its guidance for the 2019 fiscal year, projecting a same-store sales decline of 7% to 8%. The retailer withdrew its guidance for the full ye

“In the coming years, we want to have more grain options for our consumers, more plant-based options for our consumers and more high-quality lean-cut meats,” CEO Niren Chaudhary said in an interview Thursday. In addition to grains, Panera executives also see a big opportunity in expanding its plant-based options. In the near term, Panera is going to try to increase its plant-based options from 25% of its menu to 50%. Rather than serving meat alternatives from Beyond Meat or Impossible Foods, Pan

Free time is “the most important thing they have,” so it’s rare that people would hang out with coworkers after working hours, she adds. To put that in perspective, the average American worker with five years of experience is given 15 days of paid vacation, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However the United States doesn’t provide a federal paid vacation policy. According to a 2019 study, 23% of Americans don’t receive paid vacation and 22% don’t get paid holidays. That’s not the cas

Surveillance video footage from outside the jail cell of accused child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein at the time of his first reported suicide attempt in July has been deleted, federal prosecutors revealed Thursday. Bruce Barket, a lawyer for Epstein’s former cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, complained in December that he had been told the video was missing. A day after Barket complained, prosecutors said the video had been found by MCC staff and that prosecutors were working to obtain the video

Wharton School professor Jeremy Siegel marveled Thursday at the stock market’s strong start to 2020, but said he is concerned it may not last. “I’m just a little worried that this is becoming a momentum-driven market at this point,” Siegel said on CNBC’s “Fast Money: Halftime Report.” The market’s run is reminiscent of January 2018, Siegel said, when the S&P 500 posted, at the time, its best monthly performance since March 2016. The index reached another record high on Thursday and is up more th

As 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls swarm early primary and caucus states, polls suggest at least four candidates have a real shot to claim the race’s first two prizes. Iowa and New Hampshire, at least, appear unpredictable with just under a month to go. The former vice president also has a significant edge in polls of Nevada and a massive lead in surveys of South Carolina, according to averages. The candidates will scrap for position in Iowa during next week’s CNN/Des Moines Register prima

Recent surveys exemplify a trend that began a few years ago and has accelerated over the past several months. The gap between sentiment is broad and growing, though there’s some reason to believe that a change could be coming. Chief executive officers and chief financial officers see an economy that is heading into a slowdown if not an outright recession. Recent surveys show that CEOs believe recession is the biggest risk in 2020, while almost all CFOs surveyed by Deloitte think the economy is l

The risks of being sued have skyrocketed and the price of insurance premiums is rising right alongside, especially for liability insurance to cover directors and officers, or D&O. Insurance broker and consulting firm Woodruff Sawyer said D&O costs for many companies have quadrupled in the last two years. Aon, an insurance broker to Fortune 500 companies, said its clients are paying a median 24% more in premiums from a year ago. The rate of suits filed against companies has soared an estimated 15

Verily, the health and life sciences unit of Google parent company Alphabet, has brought on some key hires as it looks to scale the business. “Health care is in a state of crisis,” said Ahuja by phone. Verily, which was previously known as Google Life Sciences, has announced a series of partnerships with health care companies, which typically involve an investment in new technology. Burke, who joined the call with Ahuja, noted that Verily’s focus on partnerships with health care companies drew h