Finance

A prominent finance creator has struck a new deal with Vox Media as influencer podcasting heats up

Published

2 years ago

October 2, 2024

A prominent finance creator has struck a new deal with Vox Media as influencer podcasting heats up

Finance creator Vivian Tu’s podcast has a new home at Vox Media and wellness brand PS.
Tu aims to make finance less complex and empower diverse audiences about money.
Vox Media and Tu share why the partnership made sense and what helped seal the deal.

Vivian Tu built a name for herself as “Your Rich BFF” online through her mission to make the finance industry less “male, pale, and stale”, and provide important information about building wealth to her audience. Marginalized communities, in particular, have been the cornerstone of her brand since 2021.

Her knack for breaking down complex financial topics is informed by her prior role as a trader at investment firm J.P. Morgan and has helped her build a very strong, engaged community of almost 7 million social media users across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn. By 2022, she was making enough money from her social media income streams, like brand partnerships and speaking engagements, that she quit her job at media company BuzzFeed to focus on her brand full-time.

As she grew her social-media business, she discovered her audience wanted more in-depth knowledge about personal finance than the 30-second videos she initially went viral for; thus, the podcast “Networth & Chill” was launched in March 2023. Here, Tu interviewed wealthy, online personalities like real estate mogul Ryan Serhant, fitness creator Cassey Ho, and Bilt Rewards founder Ankur Jain about how they manage their money. She also spent some episodes breaking down topics like the racial pay gap and the psychology behind bad spending decisions.

Now, 30-year-old Tu is partnering with Vox Media and the newly rebranded wellness brand PS, formerly known as PopSugar, to launch a second season of the podcast. The podcast will now include a video format and dive deeper into exactly how financially well-off individuals were able to grow their net worth into the millions.

“This season, I’m asking the hard-hitting questions,” Tu told Business Insider. “I’m asking for dollar amounts because I think that’s so important for people to hear.”

Vox Media was one of many suitors vying for the chance to collaborate with Tu, but they won because of an aligned vision and handing over creative control.

The video podcasting space is particularly popular — and lucrative right now, with prominent creators like Alix Earle and Jake Shane, recently launching their own ventures.

A report from Spotify published in June found that 63% of respondents trust their favorite podcast host more than their other favorite influencer. It’s also lucrative for creators to branch out into audio; the same report found that 48% of Gen Zers and millennials said they’re more likely to be interested in ads and products when they’re promoted by their favorite podcasters. This means creators who choose to host podcasts can tap into a new stream of income by making money from the ads promoted within each episode.

Tu said that moving into video podcasting wasn’t just a “strategic business decision”, it was to save her significant time. While season one of “Networth & Chill” gained over 2 million downloads, Tu spent a lot of her day creating separate social assets to promote the podcast because it was only audio. With video podcasts, she can now quickly use existing visual clips and post them on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to spread the word about new episodes.

“I wanted to work smarter so I didn’t have to duplicate work,” she said.

Vox Media and PS’ new vision to center health and wellness content was a big reason she picked them; that, alongside her familiarity with their work producing podcasts, was what sealed the deal.

“Financial wellness is such a huge component of our rebrand so I think it felt like such a natural home for Vivian because there’s a shared mission to have open and honest conversations around money and have taboo or uncomfortable topics accessible to a much wider audience,” Lillian Xu, Executive Director of Vox Media’s Podcast Business, told BI. “Having a very clear mission statement, like Vivian does, really helps us determine the success of a podcast.”

According to Xu, Vox Media and Tu will work very closely together on the podcast’s sales, marketing, and distribution, such as posting teasers of new episodes across Your Rich BFF and PS’ social media accounts.

“This podcast is going to be about the questions you’ve been too afraid and too nervous to ask anybody in your life,” Tu said. “Even if you can’t have those conversations with your own friends, you can have them with mine.”

Finance

Reilly Barnes Returns to Little League® as Purchasing/Finance Assistant

Published

11 hours ago

April 21, 2026

Press Room

Reilly Barnes Returns to Little League® as Purchasing/Finance Assistant

Little League® International has announced that Reilly Barnes accepted a new role as Purchasing/Finance Assistant, effective April 6, 2026. Barnes transitions from a temporary Purchasing Assistant to this full-time position to assist in the year-round demands of purchasing for the organization, as well as the region and Little League Baseball and Softball World Series tournaments.

“We are thrilled to welcome back Reilly to our team as a full-time Purchasing/Finance Assistant. Reilly’s prior experience, time management, and attention to detail make him an invaluable asset to the purchasing team,” said Nancy Grove, Little League Materials Management Director. “We look forward to the positive contributions he will have on our organization.”

In this role, Barnes will be responsible for processing purchase requisitions, coordinating souvenir products, and tracking order fulfillment. He will also assist with evaluating suppliers, reviewing product quality, and negotiating contracts for effective operations.

After most recently working as a Logistician Analyst at Precision Air in Charleston, South Carolina, Barnes, a Williamsport native, returns after honing his skills in the fast-paced environment. Prior to his time at Precision Air, Barnes served as a Procurement Specialist at The Medical University of South Carolina, where his expertise and knowledge were instrumental in supporting both education and healthcare needs.

“I am thrilled to return to Little League in this full-time role,” said Barnes. “Coming back to my hometown and having the opportunity to work for an organization that has played such a special part of my upbringing means a lot. I can’t wait begin this new opportunity.”

Barnes graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2022 with a B.A. in Supply Chain Management, Finance, and Business Analytics.

Finance

Why this sleepy Swiss town has become a ‘bolt-hole’ for the Gulf elite

Published

24 hours ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

Why this sleepy Swiss town has become a ‘bolt-hole’ for the Gulf elite

As conflict continues to destabilise the Middle East, the Gulf States elite are seeking solace in European alternatives that offer comparable financial benefits with a far lower risk of war on the doorstep. One such destination is the small Swiss town of Zug, which is becoming a “bolt-hole” for Gulf-based wealth, said the Financial Times.

‘Swiss Monaco’

Switzerland’s reputation as a magnet for the world’s financial elite is nothing new. In 2025, the country recorded the “densest concentration of millionaires” with an estimated 146 per 1,000 adults last year, said The Times. Now home to around 135,000 people, Zug’s canton – also named Zug – used to be the “poorest corner of Switzerland” until it lowered its tax rates in the 1950s. “Now it has corporate tax rates of 16.2% compared with 40% in the US and 33.3% in France.”

“In almost all ways Zug is unremarkable”, with its traditional Swiss architecture and cobbled waterfront lanes. But if its “Alpine lake water is clear”, the financial scene is more “murky”. Many credit Marc Rich and Pincus “Pinky” Green, founders of metals and minerals trading firm Glencore, with the transformation of Zug from a “Swiss backwater” to its status as the “Swiss Monaco”. The multinational is headquartered just outside Zug, and has made the town a “global powerhouse for trading crude and refined oil products”. It should be “no surprise” that the “1% of the world’s 1%” are taking shelter there, and at the same time, hoping to still “keep a hand in the oil business”.

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“Industry estimates suggest that tens of billions of dollars could flow into Switzerland depending on how the current conflict evolves,” said the Outbound Investment Group. The “immediate trigger” for the “surge in interest” from Gulf-based investors is the war in the Middle East. However, Switzerland’s underlying appeal is its unwavering “Swissness”: “political neutrality”, “strong legal frameworks”, and reputation for wealth preservation. It’s a safe bet with no sign of slowing.

‘Availability tightening’

There are some drawbacks, said the FT. For “would-be arrivals”, the appeal of the region for Middle Eastern residents comes with “practical constraints”. Those outside the EU “face a higher bar”. Usually, the condition of residency is “tied” to employment or company formation. For the “very wealthy”, there is the added option of “negotiated lump-sum taxation agreements with cantonal authorities” that allow individuals to “pay a flat annual tax based on living expenses rather than global income”.

Even if they are holders of EU passports, the “main bottleneck” is the availability of property. Competition is “intense” and “rental supply is extremely limited, with properties often snapped up within days”. With Zug’s “availability tightening”, other cantons in the region with similar tax arrangements could benefit, such as Lugano, an Italian-speaking city in the Ticino region.

The uncertainty of the duration of the conflict is one of the most pressing concerns, said Bloomberg. The recent breakdown of ceasefire talks risks “forcing a reckoning for the professional and expat classes considering options after putting down roots in the Middle East”.

The short-term benefits of physical safety from leaving the Gulf are clear, but changing tax residency “takes time” and practicalities such as finding schools and “conforming to national requirements such as opening local bank accounts” is often “complicated and time-consuming”. The region’s ultra-wealthy are facing “uncomfortable decisions on whether to make the move permanent, especially with the end of the school year in sight”.

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Finance

How much will Social Security go up next year? See latest forecast

Published

1 day ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

How much will Social Security go up next year? See latest forecast

Before Social Security payments are posted this week, many retirees are looking ahead at the potential Cost of Living Adjustment for 2027 with an advocacy group predicting a similar increase to 2026.

On April 10, The Senior Citizens League — a nongovernmental advocacy group for seniors — released its monthly COLA forecast for 2027, saying data showed a 2.8% increase is likely.

“Over the last seven weeks, crude oil prices have soared, and fuel prices have followed suit. Consumers are getting pinched at the pump as gas prices soar, while businesses are paying more for transportation and/or production costs. This energy price shock is beginning to show up in the monthly U.S. inflation report, and it’s having a tangible impact on 2027 COLA forecasts,” The Motley Fool, a financial and investing advice company, and USA TODAY content partner, reported on April 18.

The official announcement will come in October, as it’s based on third-quarter inflation data.

According to Consumer Price Index data published last week, the annual inflation rate reached a two-year high of 3.3%, up 0.9% over the last month. This is largely due to soaring oil prices caused by the war in Iran.

Social Security payments are always scheduled on Wednesdays, with the final wave of this month scheduled for April 22, according to the Social Security Administration. The schedule is based on the birth dates of the recipients — retired, disabled workers or survivors.

Here’s who will get a Social Security check this week and more on the 2027 COLA forecast:

When is the final Social Security in April 2026?

Social Security benefits are sent out based on the recipients’ birth dates. Wednesday, April 22, is the final wave of payments for those with birth dates between the 21st and the 31st of April.

What is the 2027 COLA forecast?

The 2027 COLA increase is forecast to be 2.8% due to continuing inflation prices, according to The Senior Citizens League’s April 10 press release. If the SSA approves that rate of increase, average payment for retired workers would go up by $56 per month in January 2027.

The SCL releases a COLA prediction each month based on the Consumer Price Index, Federal Reserve interest rate and the National Unemployment rate from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Beneficiaries who want to stay updated with the monthly predictions may visit the SCL’s “COLA Watch” webpage that includes the forecast, calculations, historical trends and more.

The official COLA increase for 2027 will be announced in October 2026.

What were the big Social Security changes in 2026?

At the beginning of 2026 recipients received a 2.8% COLA for Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments, according to the SSA’s COLA Fact Sheet and American Association of Retired Persons, increasing payments about $56 per month.

Here are more details on the 2026 COLA increase, per the SSA:

The maximum amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax increased to $184,500.
The earnings limit for workers who are younger than full retirement age (67 years old) increased to $24,480. (There will be a $1 deduction for each $2 earned over $24,480.)
The earnings limit for people reaching their full retirement age in 2026 increased to $65,160. (There will be a $1 deduction for each $3 earned over $65,160, until the month the worker turns full retirement age.)
There is no limit on earnings for workers who are at full retirement age or older for the entire year.

What should I do if I don’t get my Social Security payment?

According to the SSA, if you don’t receive your payment on the scheduled date, wait three days additional days, then call their office.

Where are the Social Security offices in Michigan?

There are 48 offices in Michigan, and to find an office near you, recipients may use the office locator via the Social Security’s website by entering your zip code for office hours, numbers, available services and more.

How can I replace my Social Security card?

The personal account, “my Social Security” allows recipients to manage their personal records, including a request for a replacement Social Security card and benefit statements for taxes and more. New accounts are created using ID.me or Login.gov as a multifactor authentication.