I live in Houston and earn $285,000 each year. Here's how I plan to save more than half my income this year.

Tech Insider : Business, Sports
Headshot of Morgan S.
Houston resident, Morgan S., said she's working, budgeting, and investing to retire early with $1.3 million.

Jamie Lim

I moved from Germany to the US for my career. The high cost of living in California shocked me, but it's worth it to live here.

Tech Insider : Business
headshot of a woman with long blonde hair
Christiane Schroeter.

SLO Town Studios/SLO Town Studios

I became a trailing spouse when I moved to Europe for my husband. I don't regret putting my family before my career.

Tech Insider : Business, Travel
Lily Fen and her husband posing for a photo together in Prague.
Lily C. Fen followed her husband to Prague after he moved home in 2009.

Courtesy of Lily C. Fen.

I'm the founder of a soju brand and the chair of the LACMA Art + Film Gala. I work between Seoul and LA and rarely sleep before 3 a.m.

Tech Insider : Business, Travel
headshot of Eva Chow
Eva Chow.

Cho Gi Seok

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Eva Chow, chair of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) Art + Film Gala and founder of the soju brand KHEE. She splits her time between Seoul and Los Angeles. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I moved to New York with an American dream, but didn't get an H-1B visa. Now I'm living a new dream in the UK.

Tech Insider : Business, Travel
Sunjana Ramana standing in front of the New York skyline. The Empire State building is visible behind her.
Sunjana Ramana is building her company, Flax, in the UK.

Courtesy of Sunjana Ramana

I built an AI content tool for creators that hit $50,000 in revenue in 6 weeks. Here's what it takes to vibe code successfully.

Tech Insider : Business, Environment
headshot of a man with a purple background
Vitalii Dodonov.

Courtesy of Vitalii Dodonov

I'm a financial planner and dad. Trump Accounts come with a free $1,000, but I still prefer my current savings strategy.

Tech Insider : Business, Environment
a family of three on a park bench
Eric Roberge and his family.

Beyond Your Hammock

I got laid off from Meta as a low performer. I wish people told me to budget, downsize, and create a plan immediately.

Tech Insider : Business
Brittney Ball headshot 2
Brittney Ball says it's important to create an action plan immediately after your layoff.

Brittney Ball

I grew my salary to $180K a year while paying down $40K in credit card debt. I've gone from ashamed to empowered.

Tech Insider : Business, Style, Travel
Lindsey S with Salary Journeys treatment

Courtesy of Lindsey S; BI

Lindsay Stockall is a 38-year-old who splits her time between Newport Beach, California and Halifax, Nova Scotia. Business Insider has verified her income and employment history with documentation. The following as-told-to essay has been edited for length and clarity.

I'm an immigration lawyer trying to keep up with the visa chaos. Laid-off tech workers are in a particularly tough spot — here's what you need to know.

Tech Insider : Economy, Business
Tahmina Watson headshot
Tehmina Watson advises work visa holders to immediately gather documents proving their economic benefit to the US.

Tahmina Watson

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