Subsidies help a 55-year-old pay $96 a month for health insurance. Her costs could increase 186% if they expire next year.

Tech Insider : Economy, Politics, Economy
Photo shows Lisa Jolly.
Lisa Jolly, 55, uses enhanced premium tax credits to help pay for her coverage through the Affordable Care Act.

Courtesy of Lisa Jolly

I'm a New Yorker who visited Portland, Maine, for the first time. Here are 7 things that surprised me.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel
the author in front of port head light and a lobster roll from cousins maine
I recently visited Portland, Maine, for the first time and was surprised by how much I enjoyed the local food scene and touristy activities.

Erin McDowell/Business Insider

One couple relocated from Wyoming to South Carolina but moved after 5 months due to cost of living and traffic

Tech Insider
A selfie of a couple on a beach at sunset.
The Mitchells lived in Charleston for five months.

Morgan and Dawson Mitchell

Before people rush to Montreal to live their best life, they should know my city's beautiful veneer is starting to crack

Tech Insider
A photo of Montreal with vignetting around the edges
Montreal is often praised for its low cost of living and high quality of life, but that's not the whole story.

iStock; BI

America's big cities are losing their one big advantage

Tech Insider : Economy
A city with ripped $100 bills in between the buildings

iStock; Rebecca Zisser/BI

Cities may be crowded, dirty, loud, and expensive, but they've always offered one clear advantage over America's rural areas: more money.

A boomer couple who have pensions after working their whole lives said they're just scraping by after retiring: 'I can't imagine getting by on Social Security alone'

Tech Insider : Economy
Boomer couple sitting at kitchen table.
Nina and James (not pictured) are struggling financially despite retiring early in 2012.

Halfpoint Images/Getty Images

A third of Americans plan to retire on Social Security alone, but it may not be enough to get by

Tech Insider : Economy, Economy
Retired couple standing on a cruise ship.
About a third of Americans plan to rely on Social Security income during retirement.

David Sacks / Getty Images

A millennial couple moved to Italy after buying a farm. They said physical work is exhausting, but they have a better quality of life.

Tech Insider
A man in a pink shirt with a woman in a black dress with mountain backdrop.
Jerry O'Shea and Lucie Davidson swapped their UK lifestyles to run a farm in the Italian countryside.

Courtesy of Lucie Davidson

A boomer couple on Social Security moved to Guatemala because they couldn't afford to retire in the US. After 2 years, they moved back.

Tech Insider : Economy
Robert Zimmerman and his wife
Robert Zimmerman and his wife moved to Guatemala for their retirement, though they moved back to the US two years later.

Robert Zimmerman

A Texas boomer couple who retired to an expat hot spot in Ecuador explains how it helps them save money

Tech Insider : Economy, Economy, Travel
Karl and Brenda smiling on a mountain
Karl and Brenda love to travel in retirement.

Courtesy of Karl and Brenda

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