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The Associated Press, one of the world’s oldest and most influential news organizations, said Monday it is offering buyouts to an unspecified number of its U.S.-based journalists as part of an acceleration away from the focus on newspapers and their print journalism that sustained the company since the mid-1800s.
The News Media Guild, the union that represents AP journalists, said more than 120 staff members received buyout offers on Monday.
The news organization is becoming more focused on visual journalism and developing new revenue sources, particularly through companies investing in artificial intelligence, to cope with the economic collapse of many legacy news outlets. Once the lion’s share of AP’s revenue, big newspaper companies now account for 10% of its income.
“We’re not a newspaper company and we haven’t been for quite some time,” Julie Pace, executive editor and senior vice president of the AP, said in an interview.
Despite changes – the company has doubled the number of video journalists it employs in the United States since 2022 – remnants of a staffing structure built largely to provide stories to newspapers and broadcasters in individual states have remained.
That has its roots well back in American history; the AP was started in the mid-19th century by New York newspapers looking to share the costs of reporting outside their immediate territory.
Exact numbers of staff reduction unclear
The number of AP journalists who will lose jobs is murky, in part intentionally. The AP does not say how many journalists it employs, though it has a large international presence as well as its U.S. staff. Pace said the AP’s goal is to reduce its global staff by less than 5%.
Since buyouts are being offered now to only U.S. journalists, it stands to reason that the cut among that workforce will be more than 5%. Whether there are layoffs depends on how many people take the offer, Pace said.
“The AP employs hundreds of talented journalists who are willing and able to adjust to the changing media landscape,” the union said in a statement. “However, the company refuses to offer them appropriate training and tools. Instead, AP continues to get rid of experienced staff and flirt with artificial intelligence — ignoring the opportunity to differentiate AP news stories as ones that are and always will be created by human journalists.”
The union said AP ignored a request last week to bargain over artificial intelligence. The news outlet had no immediate comment on that claim, or the union’s estimate of how many people were offered buyouts. It’s not clear whether the buyout offers were concluded by Monday afternoon.
Over the past four years, the AP’s revenue from newspapers has declined by 25%. Gannett and McClatchy, two of the largest traditional newspaper publishers, dropped AP in 2024.
In recent days, the company learned that Lee Enterprises — publishers of newspapers like The Buffalo News, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Richmond Times-Dispatch — is seeking an early exit from a contract due to expire at the end of 2026.
Pace said the buyout plan was in the works before learning about Lee Enterprises. “We made a decision earlier this year that we needed to be bolder in this transformation,” she said.
An even higher focus on the day’s biggest stories
Besides the transition to more video capabilities, the AP is deploying rapid-response teams where staff members, no matter their geographic base, contribute to the day’s big stories, she said. The AP is putting more journalists on beats to break news on topics of known customer interest. But it is committed to maintaining a presence in all 50 states.
“The AP is not in trouble,” Pace said. “We’re making these changes from a position of strength but we’re doing so now to recognize our changing customer base.”
Those customers now are dominated by broadcast, digital and technology companies, an illustration of where people are getting news. The AP has seen 200% growth in revenue from technology companies over the last four years, said Kristin Heitmann, senior vice president and chief revenue officer.
The AP was among the first news outlets to make a deal with an AI company, agreeing in 2023 to lease part of its text archive to OpenAI as it built out its capabilities. The AP launched on Snowflake Marketplace last year to license data directly to enterprises building their own system. It has launched AP Intelligence, a division designed to sell data to financial and advertising sectors, for example.
Google contracted with AP last year to deliver news through the Gemini chatbot, the tech giant’s first deal with a news publisher.
“If you can think of a large technology company,” Heitmann said, “they are a customer of ours.”
Predictions markets now part of the picture for AP
Last month, the AP agreed to sell U.S. elections data to Kalshi, the world’s largest predictions market.
AP’s long tradition in counting and analyzing elections data is another growth area; the company saw a 30% increase in customers between the 2020 and 2024 cycles. It got an additional boost last year when ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN signed on to the service.
The company, traditionally a wholesaler of news to other companies, has also seen growing interest in its direct-to-consumer product, apnews.com, which provides revenue through advertising and donations.
The new business frontiers do not indicate a weakening in the AP’s standards of providing fast, accurate, non-biased news, leaders said. “It anything, it makes it more important that we retain these values as we make the transition,” Pace said.
The AP is trying new forms of fact-checking, including use of video, and more often putting its journalists in public to explain how they got particular stories, she said.
“I think that authenticity, and the fact that you can associate a real person who is often quite experienced and quite deep on their beats … it builds more credibility,” she said. “We’re really trying to embrace that because I do think it’s vital when there is so much misinformation out there.”
Are the good days behind us? Are you too old? Let’s tackle everything head on and answer those very questions.
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When investing, your capital is at risk and you may get back less than invested. Past performance doesn’t guarantee future results. Other fees may apply. See terms and fees.
This video does not represent financial advice, and I am not a financial advisor. When investing, your capital is at risk. Investments can rise and fall and you may get back less than you invested. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
00:00 – Too late
00:32 – I missed the good days
01:53 – Two versions of you
03:44 – Sequencing of returns risk
04:52 – Am I too old?
08:13 – How I invest
10:15 – Longevity
10:55 – Will the market keep going up?
12:16 – Protection
High-yield savings account rates have basically held steady through the first quarter of 2026.
As of April 6, 2026, leading online banks are still offering interest rates up to 5.00% APY, but these top APYs are usually limited. This is still much better than the average of 0.39% APY, according to the FDIC.
Banks and credit unions are constantly adjusting their annual percentage yields (APYs) as markets react to Federal Reserve policy and inflation data, so staying up to date can make a real difference. Here’s where the best savings rates stand today — and what you should know before moving your money.
💰 Today’s Best Savings Rates At a Glance
Here are the best bank and credit union savings accounts rates today:
Bank or Credit Union
Top APY
Balance Requirement
Varo
5.00%
On the first $5,000
Consumers Credit Union
5.00%
On the first $10,000
Pibank
4.60%
$0
Axos Bank
4.21%
$0
CIT Bank
4.10%
$2,500
1. Varo – Varo is a bank that offers up to 5.00% APY on the first $5,000 with qualifying direct deposits. Read our full Varo review.
2. Consumers Credit Union – CCU offers up to 5.00% APY on your checking account for the first $10,000. The requirements to earn are tiered. Read our full Consumers Credit Union Review.
3. PiBank – PiBank is the online brand of Intercredit Bank, N.A and offers 4.60% APY with no monthly maintenance fees and no minimum balance requirements. Read our full Pibank review.
4. Axos Bank – Axos ONE Savings offers a boosted rate of 4.21% when you receive qualifying monthly direct deposits totaling at least $1,500 and maintain an average daily balance of $1,500 in your Axos ONE® Checking account. Read our full Axos Bank review.
5. CIT Bank – CIT Platinum Savings a two-tiered savings account.
Open an account with promo code CITBoost and you’ll earn 4.10% APY* on balances of $5,000 or more for the first six months* — that’s 10x the national average savings rate.
After 6 months, you’ll return to the regular rate of 3.75% APY* with a $5,000 minimum balance. Otherwise you’ll earn 0.25% APY. See website for full details. Read our full CIT Bank review.
You can find a full list of the best high yield savings accounts here >>
How High Yield Savings Accounts Work And Why Rates Matter?
High-yield savings accounts function just like traditional savings accounts, but they pay a much higher annual percentage yield (APY) — often 10 to 15 times more. You can see how these rates compare to the savings rates at the 10 largest banks in America – and these rates put them to shame.
“While interest rates have been holding steady, we are seeing more banks offer promotional offers or bonus rates to entice customers to switch. – Robert Farrington
The banks and credit unions on this list typically always have above-average rates, so even if the Federal Reserve lowers rates and these accounts lower their rates, you’ll still be head.
For example, a $10,000 balance earning 4.00% APY will generate about $400 in interest per year, compared with less than $20 at a big-bank rate of 0.20%. That gap makes it worth tracking rate changes regularly and switching institutions if your current bank stops staying competitive.
However, we expect more rates to dip below that 4.00% level in the coming weeks.
What To Know Before Opening An Account
Before opening a new account, review the key details that determine how much you’ll earn — and how easily you can access your funds.
Watch For Intro Or Promo Rates: APYs can rise or fall at any time. But a strong introductory rate doesn’t guarantee long-term performance. None of the rates listed here are introductory, but some referral codes may only be temporary rates.
Transfer Limits: Federal rules no longer cap savings withdrawals at six per month, but many banks still impose limits.
Safety: Confirm that the institution is FDIC- or NCUA-insured, which protects up to $250,000 per depositor, per bank or credit union.
Access: Many top-yield accounts are online-only. Make sure you can deposit via mobile app and link external accounts for easy transfers.
These details help you separate truly high-performing savings options from accounts that look appealing but may include hidden limitations or slower rate adjustments.
How We Track And Verify Rates
At The College Investor, our goal is to help you make smart, confident decisions about your money. To create this list, our editorial team reviews savings account rates daily across more than 50 banks, credit unions, and fintechs. We verify data using each institution’s official website, rate disclosures, and regulatory filings.
Only accounts available to U.S. consumers and insured by the FDIC or NCUA are included.
Our coverage is independent and editorially driven – we never rank accounts based on compensation. While we may earn a referral fee when you open an account through certain links, this does not influence our recommendations or reviews. Our opinions are our own, based on a consistent evaluation of usability, fees, yields, and customer experience.
FAQs
How often do savings account rates change?
Banks can adjust rates daily or weekly based on market conditions.
Are online banks safe?
Yes — as long as they’re FDIC-insured. Verify coverage on the FDIC’s BankFind site.
Is interest on savings accounts taxable?
Yes. You’ll receive a 1099-INT if you earn $10 or more in interest.
Should I move my money if rates drop?
It depends on the difference in APY and your transfer limits, and frequent rate chasing can reduce returns if transfers take time.
Disclosures
CIT Bank For complete list of account details and fees, see our Personal Account disclosures.
* Platinum Savings is a tiered interest rate account. Interest is paid on the entire account balance based on the interest rate and APY in effect that day for the balance tier associated with the end-of-day account balance. APYs — Annual Percentage Yields are accurate as of January 9, 2026: 0.25% APY on balances of $0.01 to $4,999.99; 3.75% APY on balances of $5,000.00 or more. Interest Rates for the Platinum Savings account are variable and may change at any time without notice. The minimum to open a Platinum Savings account is $100.
* Platinum Savings APY Boost Promotion Terms and Conditions
This is a limited time offer available to New and Existing customers who meet the Platinum Savings APY Boost promotion criteria.
Accounts enrolled in the Platinum Savings Annual Percentage Yield (APY) Boost promotion will receive a 0.35% APY boost on the Platinum Savings current standard APY tiers for 6 months following the opening of a new account or when an existing Platinum Savings account is enrolled in the promotion. The Platinum Savings APY boost will be applied on account balances up to $9,999,999.00. Account balances above $9,999,999.00 will earn the standard APY. If the standard-published APY should change during the promotion period, the APY boost will move with it, offering an account APY above the standard rate.
The Promotion begins on February 13, 2026, and ends April 13, 2026. Customers enrolled in the promotion prior to the end date will receive the APY boost for the 6-month period outlined in the terms and conditions.
The promotion can end at any time without notice.
Editor: Colin Graves
Reviewed by: Richelle Hawley
The post Best High-Yield Savings Rates for April 6, 2026: Up to 5% appeared first on The College Investor.
Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have respectively released a mix of new flexibilities and requirements for single-family mortgages they purchase as April has gotten underway.
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Fannie is pulling back on some prefunding measures it had previously emphasized, while Freddie is making changes that affect loans in an underserved market that advocates and housing officials have long called a priority.
The U.S. government currently holds Freddie and Fannie in conservatorship and their policies play a large role in shaping the country’s housing market because they buy a significant number of mortgages made in the United States.
Fannie accounted for about $3.5 trillion outstanding U.S. mortgage-backed securities at the end of January, a government analysis of Recursion Co. data shows. Freddie accounted for nearly $3.06 trillion in outstanding MBS at that time, according to the data that Ginnie Mae analyzed.
Select highlights from the two government-sponsored enterprises’ recent guideline changes follow:
Fannie Mae’s changes
Fannie has removed a fixed 10% minimum sampling requirement for prefunding or preacquisition loan-quality checks, which can be adopted immediately and becomes mandatory July 1.
The government-sponsored enterprise said in a bulletin that it will now allow lenders to instead “design sampling methodologies that reflect their own risk profiles.”
Mortgage companies that work with Fannie must meet certain requirements if they use their own sampling methods.
“Fannie Mae may require adjustments or impose minimum sampling requirements if the lender’s approach does not provide adequate representation or effectively identify risk,” the enterprise warned in its update.
The GSE also removed reverification requirements for discretionary quality-control reviews, situations where information is “not confirmable” or where automated data from approved vendors is “duplicative.”
In addition, the enterprise has limited QC tax transcript requirements to loans where this information was used for qualification. The Internal Revenue Service’s tax transcripts have primarily come into play for government-related loans made to contract workers.
Freddie Mac’s updates
A recent Freddie bulletin extended the maximum term for cashout refinances of manufactured housing loans from 20 to 30 years with the aim of supporting “sustainable homeownership.”
The GSE also clarified existing policy with more specifics, noting that any junior lien paid down or off through a no-cashout manufactured-housing loan refinance must have been used to acquire the property.
In addition, Freddie announced in February that it is aligning some of its servicing policies related to forbearance and disaster-related loss mitigation with Fannie’s, effective May 1.
Aligned GSE changes
Both government-sponsored enterprises announced jointly late last week that they will be giving mortgage businesses they work with more time to implement a new version of the Uniform Closing Dataset.
“While adoption of UCD v2.0 continues to progress, the GSEs recognize there may be competing priorities, such as the upcoming Nov. 2, 2026, Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) 3.6 mandate,” they wrote.
New mandates for the initiative aimed at improving closing data quality are on track to be set in the fourth quarter of this year.
Also, single-family condo lenders that have utilized limited or streamlined reviews at Fannie and Freddie, respectively, have until Aug. 3 to phase out this practice and enforce tighter requirements for reserves, according to coordinated announcements last month.
Tighter condo lending standards like these have been offset by broader single-family flexibility in insurance requirements, which the mortgage industry and insurers have long sought.
Fannie and Freddie have both been accepting actual cash value policies for roofs on homes collateralizing single-family loans since they announced the change in conjunction with their oversight agency on March 18.
Allowing an exception to full-replacement cost requirements had become more pressing as a growing number of insurers have been unwilling to offer coverage meeting that standard and forcing homeowners to switch to ACV in jurisdictions where there aren’t rules prohibiting this.
Replacement cost policies must cover the current expense for repairs while ACV allows for depreciation. Fannie, Freddie and their oversight agency still require that borrowers obtain replacement cost coverage on all parts of a home except the roof.
Update 4/5/26: Bonus now $350 and extended until June 30, 2026.
Update 1/5/26: Bonus reduced to $300 but extended to 3/31/26.
Update 12/12/2025: Bonus increased to $400.
Offer at a glance
Maximum bonus amount: $400
Availability: Only in the following states: FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MI, NC, OH, TN, WV, SC (may be only for those within a 50-mile radius of a branch). A lot of the time you’ll need to go in branch to complete the account opening.
Direct deposit required: $500+
Additional requirements: None
Hard/soft pull: Soft
ChexSystems: Yes
Credit card funding: None
Monthly fees: None
Early account termination fee: None listed
Household limit: None
Expiration date: September 30th, 2017 December 31st, 2017. March 31st, 2018 June 30th, 2018September 30th, 2018December 31st, 2018March 31st, 2019April 30th, 2019 June 30th, 2019 October 31st, 2019. August 31, 2020.September 30th, 2020October 31, 2020 December 31, 2020 March 31, 2021 Note these offers are known to expire earlier than the expiration date so do not leave it to the last minute.
The Offer
Direct link to offer
Fifth Third is offering a $400 bonus when you open a new Fifth Third Essential checking account when you complete the following requirements:
Make direct deposits totaling $500 or more within 90 days of account opening
The Fine Print
Offer not available to existing checking or Express Banking customers or to those with a Fifth Third Checking or Express Banking account that has been closed within the last 13 months.
Bank reserves the right to limit each customer to one new account-related gift incentive per calendar year.
Essential Checking account must be opened between 1/1/2021 and 3/31/2021.
Bonus will be deposited into your new checking account within 10 business days of completing requirements.
Basic Checking, Express Banking and Business Checking accounts are excluded from this offer.
Bonus may be taxable as interest income and reported on IRS Form 1099-INT.
Avoiding Fees
Some states are able to open the Free Checking Account with Extra time (now called Momentum checking), that’s the best option if available. Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan all have the free option. Other states have another free checking offer.
Early Account Termination Fee
This account does not have an early account termination fee
Our Verdict
Fifth Third used to to offer a $300 bonus with no direct deposit or a $500 bonus with a direct deposit but neither of those offers have been seen since 2019. The standard bonus has been $300, so this is an increased offer by $100. We will be adding this to our best bank bonus page.
Useful posts regarding bank bonuses:
A Beginners Guide To Bank Account Bonuses
Bank Account Quick Reference Table (Spreadsheet) (very useful for sorting bonuses by different parameters)
PSA: Don’t Call The Bank
Introduction To ChexSystems
Banks & Credit Unions That Are ChexSystems Inquiry Sensitive
What Banks & Credit Unions Do/Don’t Pull ChexSystems?
How To Use Our Direct Deposit Page For Bank Bonuses Page
Common Bank Bonus Misconceptions + Why You Should Give Them A Go
How Many Bank Accounts Can I Safely Open Within A Year For Bank Bonus Purposes?
Affiliate Links & Bank Bonuses – We Won’t Be Using Them
Complete List Of Ways To Close Bank Accounts At Each Bank
Banks That Allow/Don’t Allow Out Of State Checking Applications
Year to date, a sell-off in tech stocks has weighed on the S&P 500, which is currently down about 4%. Even so, the artificial intelligence (AI)-driven bull market may still have room to run. Morgan Stanley expects global AI spending to approach $3 trillion by 2028, with more than 80% of that spending still ahead.
That backdrop helps explain why leading tech companies continue to see robust demand that lines up with those forecasts. Here are two high-powered AI stocks worth considering on the dip.
Image source: Getty Images.
1. Palantir Technologies
Shares of Palantir Technologies(PLTR 0.36%) are currently down 28% from their recent high. Yet the company is seeing accelerating demand for its Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP). It helps businesses and government agencies connect data, decisions, and operations in real time, making the most advanced AI models usable in day-to-day execution.
That differentiation is translating into high-value, long-term contracts and strong financial results. Last year, revenue grew by 56% to more than $4.4 billion. In the fourth quarter, growth accelerated to 70% year over year, driven by a 137% jump in U.S. commercial revenue.
Today’s Change
(-0.36%) $-0.53
Current Price
$147.93
Key Data Points
Market Cap
$355B
Day’s Range
$146.63 – $150.61
52wk Range
$66.12 – $207.52
Volume
25M
Avg Vol
49M
Gross Margin
82.37%
Palantir’s moat comes from helping large enterprises turn AI models into cost savings and measurable profits. That work deeply embeds its software in day-to-day operations, which raises switching costs and strengthens customer stickiness. This value supports lucrative customer contracts, allowing Palantir to convert roughly half of its revenue into free cash flow.
Palantir stock is richly valued, trading at high multiples of sales and profits. But if revenue growth and margins remain strong, that premium could be justified given the size of the opportunity ahead. The consensus analyst estimate calls for revenue to more than triple to nearly $15 billion by 2028.
2. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC)
The Motley Fool’s research shows Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing(TSM +0.70%) is one of the most valuable companies in the world, and for good reason. It is in a lucrative position, manufacturing leading-edge chips for Apple and many top semiconductor designers. The surge in demand for chips across consumer devices and data centers has helped it deliver market-beating returns for decades.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing
Today’s Change
(0.70%) $2.36
Current Price
$341.40
Key Data Points
Market Cap
$1.8T
Day’s Range
$338.60 – $344.05
52wk Range
$134.25 – $390.20
Volume
313K
Avg Vol
14M
Gross Margin
58.73%
Dividend Yield
0.99%
TSMC’s dominant share in advanced manufacturing means customers are often willing to pay a premium for its scale, reliability, and technical expertise. Last quarter, revenue reached $34 billion, up 25% year over year. Its 54% operating margin underscores the pricing power that comes with being irreplaceable at the cutting edge.
Many of its biggest customers are also leading cloud service providers. These customers have signaled that securing enough chips is a key bottleneck in their AI infrastructure plans, providing TSMC with good visibility into future demand. Management expects 25% annualized revenue growth through 2029, with AI-related chip revenue growing more than 50% per year.
The stock has slipped 13% from its recent highs. But with elite positioning, clear growth drivers, and a reasonable valuation at about 24 times this year’s earnings estimate, TSMC offers investors a compelling way to participate in the AI boom.
Early in my real estate investing journey, I went to an investor meetup. I didn’t know what to expect. I just knew I wanted to learn, meet people who were doing this, and figure out where to start.
The room was full of people who all wanted the same thing. Build real income through real estate. Create something that didn’t depend on trading time for a paycheck. I was there for the exact same reason.
But as I started listening to the conversations around me, something became clear.
Most people in that room were trying to solve a problem I didn’t have.
Some were figuring out how to scrape together a down payment. Others were deep in the weeds of fix-and-flip, learning construction timelines and contractor management, basically a second full-time job. A few were exploring wholesaling, finding deals and collecting finder’s fees, grinding to get any foothold at all.
A lot of them weren’t accredited investors yet, which meant whole categories of deals weren’t even available to them.
I remember being a little shy about mentioning I was a physician. It felt like I was already a step ahead. Like I was in the wrong room.
That night I started thinking about something I hadn’t fully appreciated before. What physicians have isn’t just a paycheck. It’s a structural head start that most aspiring investors would trade a lot to have.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Any investment involves risk, and you should consult your financial advisor, attorney, or CPA before making any investment decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The author and associated entities disclaim any liability for loss incurred as a result of the use of this material or its content.
If you’ve been circling ideas but still feel stuck, you’re not alone.
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Leave with a plan and the confidence to move.
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Not All Starting Points Are Equal
Most financial content aimed at physicians focuses on what to do next. What asset class to explore, what strategy to follow, what income stream to add. That’s useful. But there’s a prior question that usually gets skipped.
What do you already have? And are you using it?
Physician income has two qualities that are rare when you find them together.
It’s high. Attendings across most specialties earn between $250,000 and $500,000 or more. With the cost of living increases we’ve all experienced, it doesn’t always feel that way. But relative to the general population, and relative to most aspiring investors, it’s substantial.
It’s relatively reliable. The profession is under real pressure. Reimbursements are tightening. Consolidation is reshaping employment. The security physicians felt a generation ago isn’t quite what it was. Worth naming honestly. But compared to most income sources, physician earning capacity is durable. The credential travels. The clinical skills can’t be easily outsourced. And most physicians are still generating consistent, verifiable income year over year.
High and reliable in combination is what most aspiring investors spend years trying to build. Physicians start with it.
Three Things That Income Actually Gives You
Here’s where the reframe gets practical. Physician income doesn’t just pay the bills. It unlocks three things most investors don’t have access to early in their journey.
Seed capital. Every investment I’ve ever made started as clinical income first. The real estate deals, the syndications, the funds. All of it originated as money earned from practicing medicine. That’s not a knock on investing. It’s just the reality of how capital formation works. You have to get money somewhere before you can put it to work.
The question most physicians skip is this: what is happening to that money between when it’s earned and when it gets deployed? For most, it sits in a checking account or gets absorbed into lifestyle. The shift is treating each paycheck as investable capital, not just consumption income. That one reframe changes everything downstream.
Borrowing power. Lenders understand physician income. There are physician-specific mortgage products that don’t require private mortgage insurance, that allow higher debt-to-income ratios, and that get underwritten differently because the income profile is considered low risk. That’s not a coincidence. That’s the market recognizing a structural advantage.
Physician income functions as a credibility signal in capital markets that most investors spend years building. A stable, verifiable income history changes what doors are open to you, from conventional mortgages to private deals to relationships with sponsors and operators who want to know you can follow through on a commitment.
A higher capacity to take risk. This one gets talked about the least, and it might matter the most.
Risk tolerance is usually framed as a psychological trait. How much volatility can you handle? How do you behave when a deal underperforms? But a lot of risk capacity is just math.
If your baseline is covered, if clinical income is stable enough that an investment going sideways doesn’t threaten your family’s stability, you can afford to be wrong sometimes. You can participate in deals that carry more upside and more uncertainty. You can be patient when markets shift. You can think in longer time horizons.
The physician income isn’t just money. It’s a floor. And having a floor changes what’s possible above it. Most of the people in that investor meetup were taking risk from a fragile base. That is a fundamentally different game.
Where Most Physicians Stall Out
Understanding the advantage is one thing. Using it is another.
The most common pattern I’ve seen, and honestly lived, is this. The income comes in, and lifestyle expands to meet it. Bigger house. Private school tuition. More overhead. More fixed costs. None of it unreasonable in isolation. All of it compounding in the wrong direction.
The lifestyle pressure is real. Comparing yourself to colleagues and neighbors is real. I’m not going to pretend otherwise.
But here’s the question worth asking: what percentage of your clinical income is actually being deployed into assets that produce income? Not saved in a low-yield account. Not absorbed into consumption. Actually working.
For most physicians, that number is smaller than it should be. Not because they lack discipline, but because no one ever framed the clinical income as a funding mechanism for anything other than life expenses.
The shift is treating a defined portion of your income as capital that exists for one purpose: to buy assets that generate income. Not as a sacrifice. As a strategy.
Every dollar redirected from consumption into a cash-flowing asset keeps working after that decision is made. Do that consistently, and at some point the passive income starts covering what the clinical income used to cover. That’s the exit ramp. Not quitting medicine dramatically. Just needing it less, gradually, until it becomes optional.
The physicians I know who get to practice on their own terms, who see patients because they want to rather than because they have to, are almost always the ones who made this reframe early. Even imperfectly.
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The Launchpad, Not Just the Landing Pad
Most physicians treat clinical income as the destination. The goal is to earn enough and keep enough so that life is comfortable. That’s understandable. But it undersells what the income is actually capable of.
Clinical income is seed capital. It’s collateral. It’s the floor that gives you the capacity to take calculated risk. And if you treat it as a funding mechanism rather than a landing pad, it becomes the thing that eventually makes itself optional.
The people in that investor meetup were working hard to get to a starting position that physicians already occupy.
Just something to think about.
PIMDCON 2026 — September 24-26, Dallas
PIMDCON was built for exactly this reason: a room where every physician already has the foundation, and the conversation can start from there. If that sounds like where you want to spend a few days this fall, details are at pimdcon.com. See you there!
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Pepsi and Diageo have withdrawn their sponsorship of London’s Wireless Festival following a wave of political condemnation over the event’s decision to book Ye (formerly Kanye West) as its sole headliner for all three nights this summer.
Pepsi, which had served as the festival’s headline sponsor since 2015 under the branding “Pepsi MAX Presents Wireless,” confirmed its withdrawal on Sunday (April 5). “Pepsi has decided to withdraw its sponsorship of Wireless Festival,” the company said in a statement.
Hours later, spirits giant Diageo — parent company of the Johnnie Walker and Captain Morgan brands — followed suit. “We have informed the organizers of our concerns, and as it stands, Diageo will not sponsor the 2026 Wireless festival,” said a company spokesperson.
The sponsorship withdrawals came after Ye was announced on Monday (March 30) as the headliner of all three nights of Wireless 2026, scheduled for July 10–12 at Finsbury Park in north London. The booking was billed as a “three-night journey through his most iconic records,” and marked the first time no other headliners were announced alongside him. Ticket presales were due to begin on Tuesday (April 7) via Ticketmaster, with general on-sale the following day.
The announcement drew swift criticism from senior UK political figures. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in a statement to The Sun, said: “It is deeply concerning Kanye West has been booked to perform at Wireless despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism.
“Antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted firmly wherever it appears. Everyone has a responsibility to ensure Britain is a place where Jewish people feel safe.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan distanced City Hall from the booking on Wednesday (April 1). “We are clear that the past comments and actions of this artist are offensive and wrong, and are simply not reflective of London’s values,” said a spokesperson for the Mayor. “This was a decision taken by the festival organizers and not one that City Hall is involved in.”
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey went further on Thursday (April 2), calling for Ye to be banned from entering the UK altogether. “We need to get tougher on antisemitism,” he said.
The Jewish Leadership Council called the booking “deeply irresponsible” in a statement to The Guardian, adding: “West has repeatedly used his platform to spread antisemitism and pro-Nazi messaging … Any venue or festival should reconsider before providing their platform to Kanye West to spread his antisemitism.”
With Pepsi and Diageo now out, attention has turned to the festival’s remaining sponsors. As of Sunday evening, PayPal, Budweiser and Beatbox were among those yet to issue a response. Rockstar Energy Drink, which is owned by PepsiCo in the UK, is also expected to withdraw, though this had not been confirmed at the time of writing.
Background
There also remains the question of whether Ye will be granted permission to enter the UK. As a US citizen, he would require clearance to perform. Australia revoked his visa in July 2025 after he released a track titled Heil Hitler in May of that year, with the country’s Home Affairs Minister saying the government would not “deliberately import bigotry.”
The 48-year-old published a full-page apology in The Wall Street Journal in January, attributing his behavior to a “four-month-long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behavior” linked to a brain condition. He has yet to make any public statements of contrition in anything other than written form.
Wireless is organized by Festival Republic, a subsidiary of Live Nation Entertainment. The festival had positioned Ye as its only announced act ahead of ticket on-sale, following Drake‘s three-night headline residency at the event in 2025. Ye last performed in the UK at Glastonbury in 2015.
The corporate exodus around Ye echoes the 2022 wave of partnership terminations that followed his antisemitic remarks, when Adidas, creative agency CAA, and others severed ties with the artist. Adidas said at the time that it expected the immediate termination of its Yeezy partnership to have a negative impact of up to €250 million on the company’s net income.
Live Nation, whose UK festival portfolio accounts for over 25% of UK festivals with a capacity above 5,000, according to data from the Association of Independent Festivals, has faced scrutiny over its market dominance in the country’s live sector. The company’s CEO, Michael Rapino, told investors late last year that he expected 2026 to be “back to kind of a normalized year across all of our platforms” following what he described as a “digestion” period in 2025.
Festival Republic had not issued a public response to the sponsor withdrawals at the time of writing.Music Business Worldwide
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