Congrats, graduates. After years of hard work, you’ve accomplished your educational ambitions and had some fun along the way. Now you are stepping fully into adult life, seeking to build good lives grounded on a solid financial foundation. You have your work cut out for you. Many are struggling to accomplish those goals. Americans now carry $1.25 trillion in credit-card debt and $1.7 trillion in student loans, with the average new graduate owing roughly $40,000 against a median starting salary near $52,000 — while credit-card rates sit near record highs at over 22% on average. Housing prices are historically inflated. And many young people are concerned about employment in the age of AI. More troubling, even those who accumulate a solid net worth find that it doesn’t automatically translate into a life worth living. On average, the world has never been richer. But that prosperity hasn’t translated into fulfillment. Rates of loneliness, unhappiness, anger, and stress are near all-time highs. And groundbreaking work from the Global Flourishing Study — the largest of its kind in history — has found there is an inverse relationship between the prosperity of a society and its composite measures of human flourishing. So, what is a new graduate to do? As you enter the working world, permit me to offer a little advice based on what I’ve learned writing my new book, “Good Money.” First, anchor your ambitions in a solid understanding of what makes life worth living: what modern researchers (and ancient scholars) call “human flourishing.” What is that? Two of the great living social scientists give nearly identical answers. The University of Pennsylvania’s Martin Seligman, through his PERMA framework, and Harvard’s Tyler VanderWeele, who directs the university’s Human Flourishing Program, offer a series of similar ingredients for a flourishing life. They include things like happiness and positive emotions, mental and physical health, meaning and purpose, accomplishment, engagement, character and virtue, and close social relationships. These are intrinsically good things and worth pursuing for their own sake. Money is conspicuously absent but not irrelevant. VanderWeele names “financial and material stability” as the enabling condition of flourishing, the platform on which the rest is built. You cannot cultivate friendships while panicking about rent, or do meaningful work while drowning in credit card interest. Money can enable flourishing, but it isn’t intrinsically good; it has its limits. Decades of research have confirmed this view. Nobel laureates Daniel Kahneman and Angus Deaton, in a study of more than 450,000 Americans, found that emotional well-being rose with income to about $75,000 a year — roughly $105,000 today — and then plateaued. Beyond that level, the good life is not dependent on finances, but on the inherent human goods mentioned before. So, the question for new graduates isn’t “How do I get rich?” but “How do I build the platform that frees me to flourish — and then deploy my money in service of that flourishing?” To develop that initial financial freedom, embrace a few simple practices. Save and invest now. Compound earnings are the closest thing in finance to magic. Invest $10,000 today at 22 in an S&P 500 index fund earning the long-run historical return of about 10%, never add another dollar, and you will have roughly $740,000 by retirement. Wait until 32, and you forfeit two-thirds of that future. Open a Roth IRA. Take the full 401(k) match. Automate it. As you do so, avoid “bad” debt. Nearly 38% of Americans earning over $100,000 still carry credit-card balances — lifestyle creep does not stop at six figures. My rule is simple: never let your net worth go negative. Pay your card off every month, and borrow only for things, like a mortgage, that may hold their value. To avoid debt and invest consistently, consume modestly. We are often tempted to consume “things” we think will make us happy, often depleting our resources to do so, only to find the thrill of acquisition is fleeting while its pursuit never ends. Psychologists call this the hedonic treadmill: each new apartment, phone, and car delivers a brief thrill, then fades. And we then run faster to acquire more. A recent Empower survey found that no matter how much Americans earn, “rich” is always a salary band or two above their own. And consumption goods that feel good in the moment rarely yield lasting satisfaction. Consider setting a financial finish line — a lifestyle above which you will never live — and stepping off the financial treadmill and into a race you can actually win. With a prudent financial foundation established, direct your attention to making every way in which you encounter money — earning, spending, giving, investing, and saving — align with what we know to be true about flourishing. Earn with purpose. Do not take a job for the paycheck alone. Pew Research finds that only 17% of Americans mention their work when asked what gives their life meaning — a quiet tragedy, considering we spend a third of our waking lives there. Find work that uses your gifts and serves something you actually care about. Purpose and prosperity are partners, not enemies. Spend on what will actually make you happier. As noted previously, “stuff” doesn’t lead to lasting happiness. Buy the bare minimum of consumer goods and dedicate what you have to enabling the core tenets of flourishing — investing in your physical, mental, and spiritual health; purchasing life-changing experiences; and investing in relationships with others. Give generously — and start now. A landmark 2013 study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology examined 136 countries and found that prosocial spending — giving money to help others — boosts happiness in rich and poor nations alike, in sums as small as $5. Commit a percentage of every paycheck before lifestyle creep convinces you that generosity is for later. It isn’t. Lifelong generosity is one of the two or three most critical components of a flourishing life — for you and others. And finally, when you invest, invest for impact. Over the next 50 years, you will deploy more capital than you can imagine — into companies, communities, and the great human projects of your time. Treat your portfolio as an extension of your values, not just a number on a screen. The poet Mary Oliver once asked, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” The Class of 2026 has been handed a rare gift: fifty years of compound time, four or five decades of meaningful work, and clear evidence of what actually leads to a flourishing life. Use it. Build the platform. Then build the life. Money cannot buy your flourishing — but earned with purpose, spent with care, given with joy, and invested with intent, it will clear every obstacle in its way. *** John Coleman is Co-CEO of Sovereign’s Capital and author, most recently, of Good Money: Six Steps to Building a Financial Life with Purpose (Harvard Business Publishing, 2026). You can follow him on Substack at On Purpose.

Georgia voters on Tuesday rejected two state Supreme Court justice candidates backed and funded by Democrats, including former President Barack Obama and Vice President Kamala Harris. Incumbent conservative justices Sarah Warren and Charles Bethel, both appointed to Georgia’s top court by Republican Gov. Nathan Deal, defeated liberal former state Sen. Jen Jordan and attorney Miracle Rankin.  The nonpartisan races drew outsized attention as Democrats nationwide sought to flip the seats in a blue-leaning electorate and reshape Georgia’s high court ahead of looming redistricting and abortion battles “Epic Dem flop, this is an electorate that should have gotten their Supreme Court candidates over the line. Good bit of Dem/abortion group spending but Dems went to polls and didn’t know who their candidates were,” Semafor political reporter David Weigel posted on social media.  In Warren’s race, the results reflected a blowout, with the Republican-appointed justice winning nearly 60% of the statewide vote, including a chunk of the black vote, and carrying all but three counties. “Sarah Hawkins Warren is pulling out legitimately insane numbers for a Republican,” Ryan Girdusky, a conservative political consultant, said on X.  Zachary Donnini, head of data science at Vote Hub, said Warren’s victory likely preserves Georgia’s conservative court majority through 2030.  Republican-backed Justice Sarah Warren has held her Georgia Supreme Court seat despite a blue-leaning electorate, likely preserving the GOP’s court majority until at least spring 2030. The result could especially matter for future abortion and redistricting cases. https://t.co/fxwG8D9hkx — Zachary Donnini (@ZacharyDonnini) May 20, 2026 In Charles Bethel’s race, the result was closer but produced a similar outcome, with the Republican-appointed incumbent defeating Obama-backed Miracle Rankin with 51% of the vote. “Georgia’s electorate is already D+7, and will grow with the Atlanta-area vote still out, but the key story is persuasion: many black Democratic voters backed incumbent Republican justices,” Donnini said on X. “Dems probably needed to spend some money to tell their base who they should vote for.” Obama isn’t having a great night https://t.co/f0OF1UJfTA — Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) May 20, 2026 A sitting Georgia Supreme Court Justice has not lost re-election in more than a century, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution — but this year’s races attracted Democratic heavy hitters — including former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Kamala Harris.  “You have the chance to send Miracle Rankin and Jen Jordan to the Georgia Supreme Court. They are extraordinary leaders who will fight to protect your rights and uphold the rule of law,” Harris posted on social media.  The high-profile endorsements ultimately fell short.  “The decisions made by state supreme courts touch every part of our lives. And that’s especially important when voting rights and basic freedoms are being challenged,” Obama said on Election Day. “Let’s get this one right, Georgia.” The decisions made by state supreme courts touch every part of our lives. And that’s especially important when voting rights and basic freedoms are being challenged. Today, voters in Georgia can stand up for fairness and integrity by electing Miracle Rankin and Jen Jordan to… — Barack Obama (@BarackObama) May 19, 2026

The Baseball Gods are a famously touchy pantheon. They do not tolerate arrogance, they do not care about your draft stock, and they certainly do not approve of a man with a 4.96 ERA shouting, “You’re f***ing mine!” after pumping in a blistering, radar-melting… 89 mph fastball. During Tuesday’s single-elimination SEC tournament opener, Vanderbilt starter Connor Fennell clearly forgot the golden rule of the diamond: never write checks with your mouth that your arm can’t cash. In his classic book “The Boys of Summer,” Roger Kahn wrote about the poetic, tragic beauty of aging players losing their fastballs. But Fennell didn’t lose his — he just never had one to begin with. Throwing 89 mph in 2026 isn’t pitching; it’s an invitation to a batting practice session. Yet, after getting a strike against Kentucky’s Carson Hansen, Fennell puffed his chest like he was peak Sandy Koufax. Fennell yelled at Hansen, “You’re f*cking mine, let’s go!” “No way this guy is talking like this and topping 89,” one fan wrote on X. Another noted, “Kid should be in jail for doing this throwing squirrel nuts.” The universe’s reaction was instantaneous. If Fennell had read “The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop,” he’d know that the dice of fate are unforgiving. On the very next pitch, Hansen channeled his inner Roy Hobbs from “The Natural.” He didn’t just hit the ball; he launched a cosmic missile over the left-center field wall, reducing Fennell’s bravado to atoms. The way the pitcher flinched at the crack of the bat was Chad Harbach’s “The Art of Fielding” rewritten as a tragicomedy. The Karma Police got Connor Fennell.

Andre, his wife, and their six-year-old son were approved to leave South Africa and come to the United States as refugees more than 200 days ago. “Literally three days before departure, they cancelled the tickets and said don’t make any drastic changes. That was too late, we were already totally committed for the program,” Andre, who requested that his full name be withheld due to threats, told The Daily Wire. “We gave away everything … we basically used up all our savings, we are close to being on the street,” he said. Andre’s story is just one of many Afrikaners — South Africa’s white population — who were approved to come to the United States as refugees escaping racial persecution, received airline tickets, and then had their trips cancelled. The Daily Wire spoke with several approved refugees who remain stuck in South Africa, with no answers. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in February 2025 to allow Afrikaners, “who are victims of unjust racial discrimination,” into the United States as refugees and to prioritize their admissions. All the while, Trump cut total annual refugee admissions from 125,000 to 7,500. Trump is said to be considering increasing the annual refugee cap to 17,500 to support more white Afrikaners, CNN reported Monday. It’s not clear if that would help the many Afrikaners who are stuck in limbo. Afrikaners are an ethnic minority in South Africa who descended from Dutch and French Huguenot settlers. The Trump administration has said they’re victims of a racial genocide in South Africa. Last May, Trump confronted the South African president, who denied the existence of a white genocide, during a visit to Washington by showing him video of calls to violence by government officials in South Africa. One clip featured in the video showed Julius Malema, a member of South Africa’s National Assembly, singing “Kill the Boer” at a political rally, a reference to Afrikaners. Trump’s refugee policy changes prompted left-leaning groups like the Church World Service (CWS), a faith-based group, to take the Trump administration to court challenging its “discriminatory preference for white Afrikaners.” Despite suing the government, CWS is now playing an integral role in the Trump administration’s refugee resettlement program for Afrikaners through its Resettlement Support Center Africa (RSC). The nonprofit organization has worked with the federal government to resettle refugees since 1980. Trump attempted to freeze funding and cancelled contracts to organizations involved in refugee resettlement, like CWS, but some of the attempts have been blocked by courts. The federal government has shelled out more than $246 million in grants to the organization, with the funds making up roughly 87% of the group’s income, according to its website. The Afrikaners notified by CWS that their one-way tickets to the United States were canceled said the organization has left them in the dark regarding the fate of their cases. In many instances, their medical evaluations expired, forcing them to redo that part of the process, which for some means taking hours-long drives and booking hotel stays to complete new vaccinations and testing. Some of them had already sold their cars after being told they would leave the country within days or weeks. The overseas medical exams are valid for only six months, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Andre, who was set to be resettled in Fort Worth, Texas, described CWS’ role in the resettlement of Afrikaners as “horrific,” saying “they do not respond to any emails … you can’t call them, you can’t ask for any information.” “If you do get a reply back it’s an automated response,” Andre said. One Afrikaner woman, who requested anonymity for her safety, applied for refugee status in May 2025 and received her flight tickets in January. “I was very, very happy, very grateful and I was ready to go. I rushed home, packed up everything, got rid of everything,” she told The Daily Wire. Days before her scheduled departure, CWS notified her that her trip had been canceled and that her case “went back to in progress.” By that time, she had already quit her full-time job and gotten rid of most of her belongings. She remains stuck in South Africa. “We got an email saying now we’re under review now and since then it’s been dead silence,” she said. “It’s like giving a child some candy and just before they put it in their mouth, they take it back. It was terrifying,” she added. Her medical evaluation then expired in April and she had to go back and redo the required testing and vaccinations. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which processes the cases, didn’t respond to The Daily Wire’s request for comment. A State Department spokesperson told The Daily Wire that “President Trump has been very clear that we are prioritizing the resettlement of Afrikaners in South Africa who are escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination.” The spokesperson declined to comment “on the details of specific refugee cases.” Without answers on their cases, many of the refugees are forced to live among their threats. Some move from house to house to avoid attacks and many rarely leave their homes after facing violent attacks and racial discrimination. One Afrikaner woman who also spoke on the condition of anonymity said she applied for the refugee program after her family faced racially motivated attacks, including one where her daughter was raped and the police refused to act. “The police said she asked for it,” the woman said. “This child was broken. My kids have got no future in this country … And now we’re sitting, we’re waiting, we’re not hearing. We’re stressed, we don’t know what’s going on. This thing has taken such a toll on us,” she added. Several Afrikaners who spoke with us said their children wouldn’t be able to secure jobs after school because they’re white. But one message was clear, the Afrikaners don’t want Americans to perceive them as entitled. They made clear that they want to work and lead self-sufficient lives in the safety of the United States. “When we get there, I don’t want to be dependent on the United States government to just provide and, provide and provide,” Pierre, an Afrikaner living in Cape Town and still awaiting the fate of his case after applying over a year ago, said. Pierre and his wife’s medical evaluations expired in April and CWS still hasn’t rescheduled their appointments, he said. “I don’t want anybody to think that we’re entitled to this, or we’re trying to demand anything. It’s just that it’s become really unbearable in South Africa,” he said. CWS didn’t respond to a request for comment.

James Murdoch, the son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, acquired Vox Media’s New York Magazine, podcast division, and explanatory journalism brand Vox.com in a deal reportedly worth more than $300 million. The acquired divisions will fold into James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems, the media investment company he founded in 2019 after resigning from the board of News Corp over editorial disagreements. The deal brings New York Magazine — which is currently embroiled in a plagiarism scandal — back into the Murdoch family orbit decades after Rupert Murdoch owned the publication in the late 1970s before selling it in 1991. Vox purchased the magazine in 2019 for $105 million.  James Murdoch said the acquisition reflects his focus on long-term media brands that resonate with modern culture. New York Magazine currently publishes both print and digital content across verticals including The Cut, Grub Street, and Vulture. Vox Media’s podcast division spans politics, technology, sports, personal finance, and self-help programming, with hosts including Kara Swisher and Maria Sharapova. Lupa Systems did not disclose the exact purchase price of the deal but sources familiar with the matter told the New York Times Vox Media was acquired for more than $300 million dollars. In 2015, that figure would have been much higher since Vox Media was reportedly worth about $1 billion at the time.  Vox Media will act as a subsidiary of Lupa Systems while collaborating with the company’s broader portfolio, including the Tribeca Film Festival and Bodhi Tree Systems, an investment platform that backs a major streaming service in India. Not included in the deal are Vox Media properties The Verge and Eater, which will remain under the restructured Vox Media and be overseen by current president Ryan Pauley. James Murdoch is betting big on podcasts, saying that in a world with content “slop” and “packaged media,” he thinks people will turn to podcasts that are “authentic.” Last year, Vox’s podcast division did $80 million in revenue.  The acquisition is on par with the growing trend of media consolidation as companies navigate the decimation of search-driven clicks replaced by artificial intelligence summaries, social media disruption, and changing audience preferences. Over the past decade, WarnerMedia merged with Discovery, Disney acquired 21st Century Fox, BuzzFeed acquired HuffPost, Fox Corporation acquired OutKick, and The New York Times acquired The Athletic, among numerous other deals. New York Magazine is currently undergoing an internal investigation after one of its columnists, Ross Barkan, was accused by Washington Post reporter Drew Harwell of copying his Daily Wire hit piece. There were some identical phrases, such as “In the run-up to the 2020 presidential election,” and the pieces showed similar framing. Both stories began with a claim that Ben Shapiro could say he was at the top of conservative media, that the Daily Wire dominated news feeds, and that the Daily Wire found new stories, including Nancy Pelosi’s visit to a hair salon after advocating for a lockdown.