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<ul class="summary-list"><li>While many tech VCs are optimistic about Trump's second term, some healthcare investors feel stuck.</li><li>They're torn between the promise of long-awaited exits and potential threats to healthcare access.</li></ul>Some healthcare-focused VCs are torn about what Donald Trump's presidential win could mean for their portfolios.Six healthcare investors expressed mixed feelings about Trump's win — largely rooted in a tension they feel between the potential for big deals to come back and policies that fear could restrict healthcare access to many patients.Trump could make sweeping changes to healthcare policy in his return to the presidency. He's said he'll let Robert F. Kennedy Jr. "go wild" on health initiatives in the new administration, which could see the former presidential candidate making good on his desires to <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/RobertKennedyJr/status/1852812012478398923">ban fluoride from public water systems</a>, "<a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/RobertKennedyJr/status/1852872924170010840">get toxins out of our food</a>," and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2024/11/06/heres-what-an-rfk-jr-health-role-in-a-trump-administration-could-look-like-vaccine-skepticism-fluoride-ban/">inject vaccine skepticism into federal decisionmaking</a>, among other initiatives.While Trump is unlikely to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/31/politics/aca-trump-repeal-affordable-care-act/index.html">try again</a> to repeal the Affordable Care Act, he may seek to boost Medicare Advantage plans, cut Medicaid spending, and <a target="_blank" href="https://spectrumnews1.com/wi/madison/news/2024/11/07/trump-rfk-fda-cdc-vaccines-fluoride">reorganize federal agencies,</a> from the Food and Drug Administration to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to an interview Kennedy Jr. gave from Trump's Florida estate shortly after the election.After a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/more-healthcare-ipos-coming-what-startups-should-know-barclays-banker-2024-10">three-year IPO desert</a> for digital health startups, healthcare investors are desperate for the exit opportunities that a second Trump presidency could usher in. But some of Trump's proposed health policy moves are making investors nervous about their potential impacts on startups building in care areas like women's health and Medicaid, as well as on doctors and patients.Compared to Trump's first term, "I think you're going to see a more systemic overhaul of the infrastructure that administers our healthcare system, and that could happen relatively quickly," said Michael Greeley, cofounder and managing partner of Flare Capital Partners. "It's the unknown of those moves that makes it really hard to make a long-term investment decision."<div type="image" title="RFK Jr. speaks at a Trump rally as Trump watches." height="683" width="1024" msid="115114971" hostid="261" sizebytes="60192"></div><h2 id="cadda1d2-41e5-4dcc-8fbd-97541af9ac1a">Healthcare exits on the horizon</h2>In the three years since 2021's healthcare funding boom — during which <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://rockhealth.com/insights/2021-year-end-digital-health-funding-seismic-shifts-beneath-the-surface/#:~:text=And%20while%20some%20of%20the,peak%20of%20eight%20in%202020.">21</a> healthcare startups went public — <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/exclusive-omada-health-confidentially-filed-s1-ipo-public-2024-10">only four</a> digital health startups have gone public in total, with mixed success.A number of healthtech startups have been waiting on the sidelines for their chance to IPO — and Trump's election should boost their odds, healthcare investors told BI.The lower corporate taxes and deregulation a second Trump term could promise are already amplifying public market optimism. A number of tech and finance giants, from Tesla to JP Morgan Chase, saw their stocks soar Wednesday morning. By midday Friday, the S&amp;P 500 index had risen 3.6% from Tuesday's close.Some startups, including physical therapy startup <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hinge-health-s-1-morgan-stanley-ipo-2024-9">Hinge Health </a>and diabetes startup <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/exclusive-omada-health-confidentially-filed-s1-ipo-public-2024-10">Omada Health, have already signaled their intentions to IPO when the digital health markets reopen.</a>Several other late-stage startups are moving towards the exits, too. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mavens-cfo-out-as-womens-health-startup-gets-fresh-funding-2024-10">Maven replaced its chief financial officer</a> in October with an executive with public market experience, BI reported. Sword Health has said it's planning to IPO <a target="_blank" href="https://www.axios.com/pro/health-tech-deals/2024/06/04/sword-healths-road-to-ipo">as soon as the second half of 2025</a>.<div type="image" title="Sean Duffy Omada" height="1880" width="2507" msid="115114964" hostid="261" sizebytes="278880"></div>The healthcare M&amp;A market looks ripe for more activity. Big deals could be on the horizon, including the proposed mega-merger of health insurance rivals Cigna and Humana. Bloomberg reported in October that the insurers had <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-10-18/cigna-resumes-merger-discussions-with-humana-after-talks-ended-last-year">resumed talks of combining</a> after previously shelving the deal last December.The Cigna-Humana merger was expected to face significant antitrust scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/openness-in-ai-is-necessary-ftc-lina-khan-2024-7">led by Lina Khan</a> since 2021. She could be removed as the FTC's head early in Trump's second term — and with relaxed M&amp;A regulations, "anything is possible," said What If Ventures founder Stephen Hays.Investors said they also expect to see <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/big-deals-coming-healthcare-startups-take-privates-private-equity-2024">increased private equity involvement in healthcare</a> through more investments and acquisitions. Healthcare VC has been calling for consolidation in overcrowded areas of healthcare <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/13-mental-health-startups-ipo-acquisition-merge-buyout-2024-5">like behavioral health</a> for years. Additional interest rate cuts could help facilitate PE-backed mergers, or even rollups of multiple solutions, in the many fragmented areas of digital health and healthcare services, said a Boston-based healthcare investor.<div type="image" title="Cigna insurance" height="2672" width="3563" msid="115114973" hostid="261" sizebytes="1378900"></div><h2 id="8fd35f3b-b1b9-4ac8-ab08-0143afe9541f">Reverberations in women's health and Medicaid</h2>While healthcare investors remain optimistic about what a second Trump term could mean for late-stage startups, VCs said his win could have consequences for key areas of the industry.Reproductive rights remained a top concern throughout the election cycle. Founders of women's health companies and their investors previously expressed concerns to Business Insider about <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/womens-health-startups-risk-trump-wins-election-2024-10">what a second Trump term could mean for their businesses</a>.While Trump has said he wouldn't sign off on a national abortion ban, experts have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/11/07/how-trumps-victory-could-change-abortion-rights-in-america.html">raised worries</a> that the president-elect could impose more restrictions on birth control access and abortion pills delivered by mail. Demand for abortion pills, emergency contraception, and related treatments <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/07/abortion-pills-hormones-trump">exploded on Wednesday</a> as patients rushed to stockpile the drugs in fear of potential restrictions.In the wake of the election, women's health investors are dismayed but hopeful that the sector will largely remain untouched by federal policy changes and that VCs will be able to use their capital to push care forward even in the face of policy threats."In our conversations with others, there is a shared resoluteness to continue to pledge investment and develop innovation in historically underfunded categories (e.g. contraception &amp; abortion access, menstruation &amp; hormonal health, maternal health &amp; fertility, menopause &amp; aging)," said Carli Sapir, the founding partner of Amboy Street Ventures, in an email to Business Insider. "Every dollar and ounce of effort toward these areas now speaks volumes for future impact."<div type="image" title="an abortion rights protest sign reading &quot;stars, stripes and reproductive rights&quot;" height="683" width="911" msid="115114963" hostid="261" sizebytes="45906"></div>Medicaid could also be targeted in Trump's second term. Experts think Trump could <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/millions-risk-losing-health-insurance-trumps-victory-rcna179146">cut Medicaid funding</a> and enable states to refuse to expand their Medicaid coverage. Those changes could impact dozens of <a target="_blank" href="https://rockhealth.com/insights/unwinding-the-opportunity-medicaids-digital-health-moment/">startups innovating in Medicaid</a>, as well as the millions of patients covered under Medicaid plans, said Jordan Nof, a cofounder and managing partner at Tusk Venture Partners.And if the House of Representatives goes red along with the Senate, experts expect the subsidies that help people pay for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/millions-risk-losing-health-insurance-trumps-victory-rcna179146">to disappear after they expire at the end of 2025</a>. Without those subsidies, tens of millions of people will see their premiums significantly increase, potentially making coverage prohibitively expensive for many.If fewer patients can afford to be insured, the healthcare system is certain to see <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/uninsured/issue-brief/key-facts-about-the-uninsured-population/#:~:text=Because%20people%20without%20health%20coverage,declines%20in%20their%20overall%20health.">rising spend</a> associated with increased hospitalizations from otherwise avoidable health problems — a consequence with far-reaching implications across healthcare and the companies building in the sector.<h2 id="f1af4c00-342b-4f1b-b392-ccfc3d9c72fa">A boon for healthcare AI and Medicare Advantage</h2>Trump's victory could have a positive impact on several big areas of healthcare investment.For one, Trump is expected to restrict the government's involvement in AI regulation. That means AI companies, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/22-most-promising-healthcare-ai-startups-2024-8">including healthcare AI companies, will keep soaring</a> with fewer guardrails.Without federal AI safety efforts, the healthcare industry will likely move to self-regulate new technologies, especially in more contentious areas like clinical decision support, Flare Capital Partners' Greeley said. Some of those efforts are already underway, including by groups like the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/future-pulse/2024/10/18/ai-self-regulation-comes-into-view-00184268">Coalition for Health AI</a>, which includes top academic medical centers like Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins Speaker alongside tech companies like Microsoft.Still, "there'll be temptations around the margins to more rapidly deploy technologies that aren't yet determined to be safe," Greeley said.<div type="image" title="Dr. Shiv Rao, CEO of Abridge" height="2268" width="3024" msid="115114962" hostid="261" sizebytes="233874"></div>Medicare Advantage plans are also expected to be boosted by a returning Trump administration that's likely to move to further incentivize commercial health insurance. That could be good for the few <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/alignment-healthcare-devoted-health-startups-medicare-advantage-membership-market-2024-2">young insurers clamoring for market share in Medicare Advantage</a>, like Devoted Health and Alignment Healthcare, and the many startups working to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/exclusive-ai-cohere-health-raises-50-million-series-b-extension-2024-1">improve payment processes</a> between insurers and providers. (An increased share of Medicare Advantage plans in the Medicare market might not be good for patients, however, since Medicare Advantage plans <a target="_blank" href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama-health-forum/fullarticle/2815743">deny claims more frequently</a> than traditional Medicare.)And while Robert F. Kennedy Jr's potential appointment to a key health role in the Trump administration <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/health-officials-concerned-about-rfk-jr-s-influence-in-trump-administration">worries some healthcare experts</a>, his focus on "food as medicine" could yield some interesting federal projects and perhaps add momentum to the <a target="_blank" href="https://rockhealth.com/insights/an-apple-a-day-but-keep-the-doctor-in-play-a-primer-on-food-as-medicine-trends-solutions-and-business-models/">nutrition startups gaining traction</a>, said Chrissy Farr, a managing director at Manatt, Phelps and Phillips, and a general partner at Scrub Capital."He's been given carte blanche, apparently, to take this on. Coupled with GLP-1s, I could see America really doing something interesting around food in the next couple of years," Farr said.

Healthcare investors are torn on Trump's second term

<keyword id="22053621" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Insurance-regulator-IRDA" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Insurance regulator IRDA" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Insurance regulator IRDA">Insurance regulator IRDA</keyword> has introduced sweeping reforms for various <keyword id="19936531" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="life-insurance" source="keywords">life insurance</keyword> products. In its master circular dated 12th June, 2024, the insurance watchdog laid out a slew of customer-friendly directives for life insurance companies to follow with immediate effect. Read on to know all about how these new rules will impact you : <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Customer information sheet" comment="subhead" text="Customer information sheet"><keyword id="22033784" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="customer-information-sheet" source="keywords">Customer information sheet</keyword></cmsannotation> Going ahead, all life insurance companies will have to mandatorily provide their policyholders with a CIS, or Customer Information Sheet. This will serve to explain to them the basic features of the policy in very simple terms, and will include essential details like sum assured, benefits, policy loan options, free-look period and procedures for making claims and redressing grievances. In addition, benefits payable to the policyholder if they survive the policy tenure (maturity benefits), upon death and surrender of policy should also be clearly spelt out. Along with this, the policyholders are also entitled to a customised illustration of how the policy will benefit them while they are being sold the policy. CIS should also be made available to the policyholder in their local language on request. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Free-look and grace period" comment="subhead" text="Free-look and grace period"><keyword id="22053620" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Free-look-and-Grace-Period" source="Orion">Free-look and grace period</keyword></cmsannotation> Policyholders will now have a 30-day window from the day they receive the policy document to review and cancel the policy if they want. If the policy is cancelled within this period, they will be entitled to a full premium refund. Earlier, this period only lasted for 15 days. For grace period, which basically refers to the additional, penalty-free window given to the policyholder to make premium payment post due date to avoid losing coverage, the windows will differ depending on premium payment frequency. If you pay the policy premiums on a monthly basis, you will get a 15-day grace period. For premium payments made on a quarterly/half-yearly or annual basis, the grace period will be of 30 days. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Penalty on violating Ombudsman’s word" comment="subhead" text="Penalty on violating Ombudsman’s word">Penalty on violating Ombudsman’s word</cmsannotation> The insurer is bound to comply with the <keyword id="960887" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Insurance-Ombudsman" source="Orion">Insurance Ombudsman</keyword>’s award within 30 days of receiving the same. In case the same is violated, the insurer will have to pay a penalty of Rs 5,000 per day to the complainant. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Higher value on early policy surrender" comment="subhead" text="Higher value on early policy surrender">Higher value on early policy surrender</cmsannotation> Often, policyholders ended up with a low, negligible amount as refund upon surrendering their insurance policy. This is set to change with <keyword id="21879234" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="IRDA" source="keywords">IRDA</keyword>’s latest directives. Now, policyholders will be eligible for <keyword id="885219" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="surrender-value" source="Orion">surrender value</keyword> even if they decide to surrender their policy after just one year. Previously, only 50% of <keyword id="2939473" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="policy-premium" source="Orion">policy premium</keyword> would be refunded, provided the policyholders surrendered their policy between years 4-7 of the policy tenure. Moreover, they would lose the entire premium amount if they surrendered their policy within a year. Customers will also be entitled to higher special surrender value (SSV) from now on. This SSV should be at least equivalent to the expected present one of the these three: <ol><li>Paid up sum assured, or present value of your sum assured after you stop paying premiums</li><li>Paid up future benefits</li><li>Accrued benefits</li></ol>Also, it will be compulsory for life insurers to offer loans to policyholders as per the eligible surrender value of the policy. Says Vivek Jain, Head, Investments, Policybazaar.com, "The provision for higher Surrender Value (SV), calculated at a prevailing 10-year government securities rate with a limited spread, significantly increases the value returned to policyholders in the event of a policy surrender, after the completion of first year. The mandatory facility of policy loans across all life insurance savings products and the allowance of partial withdrawals under pension products will provide vital financial flexibility, which will enable policyholders to meet liquidity needs and specific financial goals. These measures will certainly enhance trust and transparency in the industry." <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Partial withdrawal allowed from pension products" comment="subhead" text="Partial withdrawal allowed from pension products">Partial withdrawal allowed from pension products</cmsannotation> Policyholders will be allowed to make partial withdrawals, provided they have 3 years of continuous coverage under their insurance-cum-pension plan. Also, these withdrawals cannot be more than 25% of the total premiums paid till date. The insurer cannot use this withdrawal towards making any adjustments in the policy's sum assured. However, this withdrawal will only be allowed for specific situations, like funding children’s higher education/marriage, constructing a house, treating critical illnesses, starting a new venture or for skill development purposes.

Here’s how your life insurance plans are set to change

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A couple in North Carolina were caught in a landslide caused by heavy rain from Hurricane Helene.</li><li>Their house and livelihoods were destroyed, and Lindsay Thomas left unable to walk.</li></ul>On the morning of Friday, September 27, Andrew Marsh and Lindsay Thomas were at their home — one of a few lodges scattered along a winding mountain road in Marion, North Carolina — drinking coffee with two neighbors and waiting for <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/before-after-satellite-photos-hurricane-helene-destruction-florida-2024-10">Hurricane Helene</a> to pass.They lived in the 500-mile stretch of the US that <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-helene-hits-asheville-beer-microbreweries-north-carolina-floods-2024-9">Helene would roll through,</a> including parts of Florida, North and South Carolina, and Tennessee. But the couple weren't worried; they knew a storm was coming, but hadn't been told to evacuate because their home was on high ground in the Blue Ridge Mountains.Still, they had <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-helene-slams-florida-power-outages-flooding-2024-9">prepared for flooding</a> and had enough food, supplies, and a generator to survive for one or two weeks "if it got really bad," Marsh, a 34-year-old metalworker, told Business Insider.But they didn't know that several days of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/quartz-mine-computer-chips-hurricane-helene-spruce-pine-semiconductor-2024-9">heavy rain from Hurricane Helene</a> had weakened the soil on the mountain, triggering a landslide that was headed straight down toward their home.Marsh and Thomas were thrown down the mountain by a wave of sliding earth, rocks, and trees that onlookers estimated was 40 to 60 feet high, destroying their home and livelihoods in a matter of seconds.The debris crushed Thomas, dislocating her legs and leaving her unable to walk. Marsh had "at least 50" flesh wounds and couldn't use his right hand because it was sliced open down to the muscle, he said.<h2 id="9ce482e9-d9f9-495f-9341-3326f5a4784f">Helene is estimated to have caused up to $34 billion worth of damage</h2>Since Helene made landfall, at least 215 people have been confirmed dead, making it the second deadliest hurricane in the US in recent years, after Katrina in 2005.On Monday, Moodys estimated the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/analysts-estimate-up-to-34-billion-damage-from-hurricane-helene-2024-10">hurricane caused between $20 billion and $34 billion</a> worth of damage, with between $15 billion to $26 billion affecting properties alone.As the Federal Emergency Management Agency <a target="_blank" href="https://www.floodsmart.gov/get-flood-insurance">estimates</a> that only 4% of homeowners in the US have flood insurance, and those who do <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-helene-north-carolina-flood-insurance-2024-10">might not be covered</a> for flooding or landslides, this looks to be an expensive disaster for many.Marsh and Thomas, 40, a yoga teacher and masseuse, will be <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-flood-damage-rescue-helene-asheville-north-carolina-us-2024-10">dealing with the aftermath</a> long after Thomas is discharged from hospital. The couple told Business Insider they will have to rebuild their lives and careers from scratch, all while paying off medical bills, trying to claim home insurance, and dealing with the psychological fallout.<div type="image" title="The hands of Lindsay Thomas (top) and Andrew Marsh (bottom) holding hands with bandages and a cannula in." height="1188" width="1586" msid="113943321" hostid="261" sizebytes="97044"></div>Stories like Marsh and Thomas' are only going to become more common as the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/safe-places-for-climate-change-vermont-floods-2023-7">climate crisis brings more rain</a>, and with it landslides to vulnerable areas, researchers concluded in a 2016 paper published in Earth-Science Reviews.Natural disasters have already cost the US in a big way: between 1980 and 2021, the country spent $2 trillion on both immediate and longer-term restoration such as repairing infrastructure, a 2023 article published in The Journal of Climate Change and Health found.<h2 id="d4f10174-5a8d-4ae9-8084-14331ab8ba28">'Mud and water was being pressed into my nose, ears, and mouth'</h2>Just before 10 a.m., the couple heard a "deep rumbling" and "loud cracking thunder-like noises" a few hundred yards from their home, Thomas said, before the ground dropped out from beneath their feet."It happened so fast that there was no chance of reacting. The best way I've been able to describe it is as if somebody just threw the house into a blender and hit the puree button," Marsh said.Thomas added: "I just fell down and down. I remember my vision going from light to brown to black, and mud and water was being pressed into my nose, ears, and mouth."I remember a very specific moment where I kind of surrendered and recognized 'I am dying right now.' So I decided to just soften to the experience and moved into more of a place of acceptance and acknowledging all of my blessings."I let go of my phone, and it felt really good to let go of the struggle."It was then that she was "miraculously spit out" of the sliding earth and found herself about an eighth of a mile from where their home had been, straddling a tree trunk and covered head to toe in mud.<div type="image" title="A decimated bit of woodland in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene." height="878" width="1586" msid="113943323" hostid="261" sizebytes="198690"></div><h2 id="20463e93-243f-4cfd-abb9-92fb10f320c2">It took hours for rescue workers to find the couple</h2>Marsh managed to pull himself from the debris with some effort. He then helped Thomas, who had lost the use of her legs, down from the tree trunk, before digging their neighbor, John Norwood, out of neck-deep rubble. They didn't know where Norwood's fiancé, Julie le Roux, was, and he "wandered off" to try to find her, Marsh said. She was still missing as of October 3.Marsh found an empty Airbnb property about 250 yards away and helped Thomas limp into it. There, they were able to do some basic first aid about three hours after the landslide.Norwood showed up after two hours, "covered head to toe in wounds," he said.Then, at about 4 p.m., six hours after the landslide, they spotted a rescue worker across a 50-foot-wide flow of runoff. By midnight, the three were evacuated from the area by North Carolina State Fire Marshals and were treated for their injuries at nearby hospitals by what Thomas described as an "amazing" EMT care team.<h2 id="0bfde9e5-2693-4a75-ac8c-b13d7e8106c4">Covering medical costs 'somehow'</h2>"We're both still in a lot of pain. It's near constant, but there's definitely signs that we're making a recovery and that we are going to be OK," Marsh said.<div type="image" title="A selfie of Lindsay Thomas and Andrew Marsh, both in black." height="1284" width="1182" msid="113943326" hostid="261" sizebytes="39702"></div>As a veteran, Marsh has access to a medical benefits package, but Thomas is without active health insurance. They will have to cover her medical costs "somehow," Marsh said. But since he lost his workshop, van, and equipment in the disaster, and Thomas' job depends on the "strength and mobility" of her body, it's unclear how.The couple's insurer has refused to cover the loss of their home, but "even with the homeowners insurance policy, if it was to completely pay out, it wouldn't come close to being able to replace our lives," Marsh said.For now, Thomas is trying to remain in the present and not worry too much about the future, although it hasn't fully hit her that they "don't have a home to go back to," she said.Marsh's brother set up a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-andrew-and-lindsays-recovery-journey?qid=360add922ba022e599f5153952f0bebe">GoFundMe</a> for the couple, to cover their medical expenses, temporary housing, and living costs as they get situated. Marsh said that although he struggles with the idea of accepting help, he knows they need as much as they can get right now."When this whole situation has passed, I'm going to dedicate some part of my life to returning the favor to the world," he said.

A self-employed couple lost their home and livelihoods in Hurricane Helene. Their home insurance doesn't come close to enabling them to rebuild their lives.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Shanna Nasiri, 34, decided to leave her tech job when she no longer felt aligned with the work.</li><li>Earlier this year, she opened a natural wine bar in Williamsburg called With Others.</li></ul>This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Shanna Nasiri, the 34-year-old owner of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.withothersbrooklyn.com/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaYikrw0VpjpCpAQ0ZvjvLvpFSaoADEXEYZSPsfVYegg3r5FJj2KHjPZ-Cs_aem_1Utqp3zKNtwMvha7MZMTkA">With Others</a>, a natural wine bar in Brooklyn, New York. It has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider has verified Nasiri's salary.I grew up in the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moved-san-francisco-worth-it-cost-of-living-negativity-2024-2">Bay Area</a> near Silicon Valley, and everyone I knew was in some variation of tech. I continued on that trajectory.My first job was working for the corporate ventures team at Qualcomm. After that, I worked in semiconductors for a few years. Then, I went back to business school and got a job in product marketing for a regulatory technology startup.I liked aspects of what I was doing. The <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/big-tech-workers-pushed-limits-of-perks-benefits-pampering-over-2024-10">perks</a> were nice. I had full benefits. And there <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/left-big-tech-job-uber-entrepreneur-2024-10">was the salary</a>. I was making around $200,000 at the time I left, plus a bonus. I also got a lot of stock options.I was working for <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/startups-to-bet-your-career-on-in-2024-2024-2">startup companies</a>, so I had the chance to be at the ground level, build teams, and craft messaging. I felt like I had an impact.But I wasn't creatively fulfilled. I didn't like what I was doing. It didn't resonate with who I am. I was kind of embarrassed to tell people I did product marketing for regulatory technology startups. I felt like I was speaking a different language.At the time, I compartmentalized. This is who I am at work, and this is who I am in my personal life. I just accepted my life for what it was and figured you could <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/happiness-at-work-employee-engagement-fulfillment-flexibility-four-days-2023-12">never be fully happy at work.</a><h2 id="ddbf58b0-8e32-403f-9d1f-46fdacdaa027">That started to change when I turned 30</h2>Around my 30th birthday, I started having these existential questions and ideas. I had recently moved from San Francisco to New York City. That was also right at the start of COVID, so I had a lot of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-the-pandemic-changed-my-career-2-years-stories-2022-3">alone time to reflect.</a>I was seeing this whole new world in <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/san-francisco-new-york-london-tech-where-to-live-2024-8">New York City</a>, with so many diverse careers. In San Francisco, I knew a lot of tech founders. But when I moved to New York, I started to see that entrepreneurship could have a greater meaning beyond tech.<div type="image" title="A photo of Shanna Nasiri holding a bottle of wine next to a photo of Williamsburg" height="1500" width="3000" msid="115114938" hostid="261" sizebytes="438074"></div>I had always fantasized about opening a space, but it wasn't something I thought I would actually do.I moved to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-show-what-its-like-to-live-in-williamsburg-brooklyn-2021-5">Williamsburg in 2021</a>. It was still pretty desolate at the time. There were lots of empty storefronts. I would go on these long walks and start fantasizing about what I would do with the space.I've always been passionate about hosting. I love to curate an environment. I'm obsessed with the little details like glassware, music, lighting, and sparkling water choice. I grew up in a family where my mom and grandma would host huge parties all the time and I was the mini host. I'm Middle Eastern and I think there is a sense of Middle Eastern hospitality that's embedded within me.My <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/kitchen/types-of-wine">wine journey</a> started young. My stepdad collected limited-production Pinot Noirs. He introduced me to wine and taught me how to taste and the artisanship that goes into production.When I think about it now, it was pretty brazen to start a wine bar. But it was COVID, and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-people-changed-careers-jobs-during-pandemic-2022-3">life felt so short and precious</a>. I wanted to prove to myself I could do itIt was either get stuck in this unfulfilling career trajectory and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/careerist-corporate-ladder-decline-promotions-work-ethic-american-dream-2024-10">climb the corporate ladder</a>, or try to be an entrepreneur. It was a huge leap of faith and required me to believe in myself 100%So, in the summer of 2022, I got a job at a wine bar in Brooklyn to see what it was like. I was so passionate about it.After that, I started pursuing my wine education and got my Wine and Spirit Education Trust certification, which is a globally recognized qualification. I got a job at a wine shop. And I fully committed to opening my own bar.<h2 id="49faa484-70c2-47b4-9558-670c2708ed17">My tech experience came in handy</h2>A lot of my past work was helpful as I was building the bar. I knew how to manage teams. I had always worked at the ground level, so I had experience juggling a lot of responsibilities and working with limited resources.I started asking everyone to introduce me to other entrepreneurs and asking about their contractors, their agents, and their plumbers.<div type="image" title="A photo of Shanna Nasiri posing at her wine bar next to a photo of Williamsburg" height="1500" width="3000" msid="115114935" hostid="261" sizebytes="153358"></div>I used my own money and opened the bar on a very small budget.It took me a year to find the space because I was only looking for places within a few blocks of my home. I wanted it to be really integrated with the community. I found the space in June 2023 and started construction in October 2023.We opened in March of this year. It's been incredible. It's beyond anything I could have ever imagined.It has quickly become the neighborhood spot. We have regulars that come in twice a week. And the coolest thing has started happening recently, where I have probably met 11 or 12 parents of our regulars.I've continually reinvested in the bar. For example, the backyard buildout happened three months after we opened. After that, I built out the basement and cellar. Then I invested in hiring a general manager and growing out the wine list.<h2 id="ac1863d1-953a-4300-b4ce-24a04c6e730e">It's been a major lifestyle change from tech</h2>I don't have health insurance. I'm working probably 12-hour days. There's just so much stuff to do in terms of maintenance. And I work service every single night.In tech, I could work from anywhere. I traveled a lot and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/working-remotely-feel-isolated-from-coworkers-quit-2024-7">worked remotely</a>. Now, I have a physical space. I haven't left a 20-mile radius since Christmas and have no plans to.But I feel so aligned with what I'm doing. It feels like what I was always meant to be doing. I work way more hours than I did in tech, but it doesn't feel as hard.I'm in such awe of what we've been able to create in such a short amount of time.

I left my $195,000 tech job to open a wine bar. I work 12-hour days and don't have health insurance, but I've never been happier.

New Delhi, Apr 21 () The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has led to increase in demand for pure protection products like <keyword id="171063" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Term-insurance">term insurance</keyword> and this is expected to gain traction post lockdown, said <keyword id="6374257" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="max-life-insurance">Max Life Insurance</keyword> CEO Prashant Tripathy. There is pressure on growth due to the lockdown but the life insurance business would be back on its feet once it's lifted, he said. "Insurance is a very fundamental thing of life like food, clothing and shelter...We are finding that the demand for protection business has gone up. People are preferring term rather than saving products to secure the future of their loved ones in these uncertain times," he told . COVID-19 is expected to result in improved awareness and importance of life insurance as a risk cover rather than a mere investment product during the uncertain times, he said. Tripathy also emphasised that like any other business, insurance too is very much connected with economic growth and there will be impact on the industry if there is deceleration as has been projected by various agencies. "There has been an impact on new sales due to the lockdown. We are trying to cover it up with digital means. For the lockdown period, there would be pressure on growth," he said. Sharing details of sales through digital means, he said, "we quickly adapted to new reality and initiated sellers' online training for enabling digital engagement across distribution channels, as an outcome of which around 24,000 policies were issued in the last week of March 2020 since the announcement of lockdown." Within four days of work-from-home, customer-related operations were operating at about 80 per cent efficiency level with more than 1,000 employees engaged in customer facing activities, he said, adding, policy issuance for many medical pending cases was enabled via TeleMER protocol that ensured remote medical underwriting. The company has processed a total of 1,938 death claims in the second half of March 2020 even with the majority of employees operating from home and all supporting documents were accepted online, he added. Self-service options were made available through website, digital bots and AI driven Interactive Voice Response. In the last two weeks around 5,000 policyholders have utilized self-service options on the company's website, he said. DP ANUANU

Demand for term insurance could increase after lockdown as per Max Life CEO

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Uber's stock fell Thursday after the ride-share company reported mixed third-quarter results.</li><li>Gross bookings, or the dollar value of rides and deliveries, came in slightly below expectations.</li></ul>Uber took a hit Thursday after the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/expedia-deal-could-push-uber-closer-khosrowshahi-super-app-vision-2024-10">ride-hailing and delivery company</a> reported mixed third-quarter results.The company reported gross bookings of $41 billion in the quarter, up 16% from the same period last year. That figure, which represents the dollar value of rides and deliveries, came in slightly below Bloomberg analyst expectations of $41.3 billion.The near miss, coupled with a slightly muted forecast for this current quarter, sent shares down more than 10%. "It's really tough to gauge market expectations," <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-ceo-criticizes-ev-tariffs-supports-chinese-makers-climate-solution-2024-10">CEO Dara Khosrowshahi</a> told <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/10/31/uber-uber-q3-2024-earnings.html">CNBC</a> following the news. "We're very excited about the delivery of the results this quarter and incredibly optimistic about where we're going from here."The $43 billion mid-point of Uber's gross bookings forecast range for the fourth quarter was just below the estimate for $43.7 billion, according to Bloomberg. Trip activity for Q4 will be "sort of in line with what we saw in Q3 with a little bit less benefit from pricing," CFO Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah said.CEO Khosrowshahi said the company has seen US transaction growth slow a little as it passed on higher insurance costs to customers, but he expects those costs to increase at a more moderate rate going forward. While consumers are "a little more price sensitive in terms of whether they choose to go out or not" on the weekend, weekday demand is very strong, he said, as is Uber For Business. Uber is "pretty optimistic" in general in terms of the US going forward, he said.

Uber drops after its bookings results and forecast fail to impress

<ul class="summary-list"><li>CrowdStrike's botched update caused flight disruptions, 911 call issues, and medical record blocks.</li><li>CrowdStrike's terms cap liability to fees paid, limiting compensation for affected companies.</li></ul>The <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/major-disruptions-airline-bank-london-stock-exchange-microsoft-outage-2024-7">devastating outages</a> from CrowdStrike's botched security update Friday grounded flights, glitched 911 call lines, and blocked patients from accessing their medical records.But, according to the cybersecurity company's terms and conditions, CrowdStrike doesn't have to shell out anything more than a simple refund.The <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.crowdstrike.com/terms-conditions/">terms</a> for CrowdStrike's Falcon security software — which is <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mass-it-outage-companies-operations-airlines-affected-microsoft-crowdstrike-2024-7">used by companies and government agencies around the world</a> — limit liability to "fees paid."That means that if a company had a claim against CrowdStrike for the damage or lost revenue to its business, the most it could recover is just what it paid to CrowdStrike, according to Elizabeth Burgin Waller, the chair of the Cybersecurity &amp; Data Privacy practice at Woods Rogers.That means CrowdStrike users who signed the standard terms and conditions can't expect to get more than a refund from the company, Waller said."Even if they did cover that lost revenue or downtime, they limit the recovery against CrowdStrike to fees paid," Waller told Business Insider. "So whatever I paid for fees to CrowdStrike, that's what the limitation of liability would be."Bigger companies using CrowdStrike's software — like some of the airlines or hospital chains affected — may have negotiated different terms and conditions contracts with the cybersecurity company. Those contracts aren't public, and it's possible they contain terms that would hold CrowdStrike liable for more damages, Waller said."If you're a huge company, you might have been able to get some negotiation around that," she said.A representative for CrowdStrike didn't immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment about how it will enforce its terms and conditions.To cover all the expenses being paid to deal with the CrowdStrike fallout — including hiring IT people to install another update that fixes the issue on Windows machines, lost employee productivity, fixing issues for customers, and possible legal expenses for publicly traded companies that need to file relevant securities reports for investors — most companies will have to turn to cyber insurers, Waller said.According to Waller, most cyber insurance companies have policies that cover "contingent business interruption" or "dependent business interruption." Those allow companies to recover damages from insurers against third-party cybersecurity companies they depend on. CrowdStrike's Falcon software, which monitors threats on computers, could qualify."If I've got a big stop sign in front of me — terms and conditions against CrowdStrike — or if I can only get a refund, then I need to go look to my own cyber insurance policy," Waller said.Many such policies cover only malicious events like hacking, Waller said."We've just got a software glitch. So I think we're going to see lawsuits filed against cyber insurance carriers for years to come, I imagine, on this outage," Waller said. "This is a pretty big, from a cyber insurance standpoint, I think this is also going to spawn a lot of litigation about what's covered and what is intended under these different policies."<h2 id="7c4e0c6c-d15d-46dd-910a-c944efd0018e">CrowdStrike can expect SEC scrutiny</h2>As for CrowdStrike, it can expect lawsuits from shareholders, customers who want to try to obtain more damages, and likely an investigation from the Securities and Exchange Commission, Waller said.The company, which is publicly traded, will have to file an 8-K report in the next few days with the SEC that lays out what went wrong with the Falcon update.By a strange coincidence, the CrowdStrike disaster came a day after a major ruling by a federal judge in Manhattan in favor of SolarWinds — a technology security company that was breached in a 2020 Russian cyberespionage campaign — in a lawsuit brought by the SEC.The SEC alleged SolarWinds didn't sufficiently update investors and the public about the massive scope of the fallout from the Russian hack. But US District Judge Paul Engelmayer ruled Thursday that the company didn't need to provide the "maximum specificity" the SEC demanded.That ruling gives some breathing room to CrowdStrike, a $73 billion company, which has a responsibility to update investors and the public about what happened — but now needs to worry less about just how much detail it provides."You need to convey the severity of what is happening, but we don't need to be really concerned about the nitty gritty details or what we don't know," Waller said.

CrowdStrike's terms and conditions say most customers would just get a refund due to the massive outage, cybersecurity lawyer says     

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Chinese property stocks climbed 7% on Monday three major cities eased homebuying rules.</li><li>The surge comes amid an economic-stimulus blitz that started last week.</li></ul>Chinese property stocks got some positive news on Monday as three major cities announced easing of home-purchase restrictions.The Hang Seng Mainland Properties Index soared 7% in Chinese trading. The climb was led by real-estate developers like Hong Kong-listed Longfor Group Holdings and Hang Lung Properties, which were up roughly 10% and 12%, respectively.The surge comes after the cities of Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou loosened homebuying restrictions, and after nation's central bank said it will allow refinancing of mortgages. The moves are part of China's new stimulus package meant to reinvigorate its slowing economy and weak property sector.In Guangzhou, policymakers eliminated all restrictions on homebuying, removing evaluations of buyer eligibility and limitations on the number of properties owned.The Sunday move made the port city the first major city to ease restrictions following the national government's pledge last week to make the property sector "stop declining."Previously, Guangzhou required migrant families to pay taxes or social insurance for at least six months before purchasing a maximum of two homes.Shanghai and Shenzhen, meanwhile, also said they would ease restrictions for non-local buyers. Shanghai decreased the required tax-paying period from three years to one year, and Shenzhen increased the number of homes migrant families can buy from one home to two.Shanghai and Shenzhen also announced plans to decrease the minimum downpayment ratios for first homes to no lower than 15%.Shenzhen also allowed local buyers to purchase more properties, allowing purchases of one more apartment in some districts, compared to previous restrictions of a maximum of two homes for families and one for individuals.The central bank, meanwhile, announced plans to refinance existing mortgages, with homeowners able to renegotiate terms with their lenders starting November 1. That brings lower costs for $5.3 trillion in mortgages.The moves come after leaders in Beijing unveiled <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-economy-stock-market-bazooka-liquidity-stimulus-sparks-panic-speculation-2024-9#:~:text=China%20is%20eying%20a%20GDP,will%20be%20difficult%20to%20achieve.">aggressive stimulus measures</a> to support China's struggling economy in a rare move last week.China's economy has faced weak consumer demand in recent months, and continues to face headwinds from its struggling property sector, which has seen <a target="_blank" rel="" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-economy-housing-market-real-estate-crash-investors-outlook-construction-2024-3">slowing property sales</a>, high vacancy rates in its existing supply, and huge <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/evergrande-ordered-liquidate-china-real-estate-property-crisis-winners-assets-2024-1#:~:text=Evergrande's%20liquidation%20comes%20as%20China's%20economy%20faces%20significant%20headwinds%20from,dash%20for%20the%20exit%20door.">developer defaults</a>.With the sector accounting for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-economy-outlook-real-estate-property-banks-crisis-debt-default-2024-1">nearly a third of the country's GDP</a>, recovering it is crucial for the country to hit its "around 5%" year-end growth target, which analysts have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-growth-targets-axa-investment-property-sector-industrial-production-2024-9">previously said is unlikely</a>.The newest policies are a good start at easing those headwinds, but analysts warn that the policies could take time to actually see an impact."It may take time and could still prove challenging to turn around residents' bearish views with existing policies," Morgan Stanley analyst Stephen Cheung wrote in a Sunday note.The new policies helped fuel a broader stock market rally, with mainland China's benchmark CSI 300 closing 8.5% higher on Monday in its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-boost-economy-stock-market-bazooka-stimulus-sentiment-rally-pboc-2024-9?utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets&amp;_gl=1*qxyjdx*_ga*MTY3OTgyNjg0MS4xNzIxMDE2MDM2*_ga_E21CV80ZCZ*MTcyNzcwMzU4Mi4yMDIuMS4xNzI3NzAzODQzLjUzLjAuMA..">biggest daily gain since 2008</a>.

Chinese property stocks surge after 3 major cities relax restrictions on homebuying

The Best Credit Cards With Primary Rental Car Insurance of 2024

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Anaïs Felt took a "micro-retirement" back in March from her Silicon Valley tech job.</li><li>The time off on her extended leave healed her burnout and changed her relationship to work, she said.</li></ul>Anaïs Felt was exhausted at the start of the year.As a senior product manager at a Silicon Valley tech firm, Felt, 31, commuted an hour to and from her home in San Francisco each day. Her hours in the office on top of a two-hour commute were a stark contrast to the work-life balance she had when she worked remotely during the pandemic."I would come home and be so exhausted that I would just lay on the couch to recuperate, eat dinner, and then go to bed," she said of her routine. "I didn't have the energy to go for a run or spend time with my partner or laugh."It wasn't just the commute wearing on Felt. She told Business Insider that she was also finding work itself more stressful, which came as a surprise to her being 10 years into her career in <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktoker-sparked-conversation-not-able-to-leave-work-early-2024-3">corporate America.</a>"I was crying a lot," she said. "I had a harder time moving through difficult situations at work."Felt decided to meet with a career coach, who quickly "diagnosed" her with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/burnout-is-now-a-clinical-syndrome-2019-5">burnout</a>, a syndrome due to "chronic workplace stress."The diagnosis was a welcome confirmation since Felt recognized the symptoms after reading "Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle" by Emily and Amelia Nagoski and Mckinsey's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/women-in-the-workplace-2023">2023 Women in the Workplace</a> report. She knew experience wasn't uncommon in<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mental-health-crisis-great-resignation-tech-industry-silicon-valley-2022-4"> Silicon Valley, particularly for women.</a>Rather than trying to power through her stress or leave tech altogether, Felt decided to take what she called a micro-retirement — or extended break — to address her burnout.<h2 id="eda9f511-a527-4394-ad17-9bf9f3039ece">Taking a break</h2>Felt spent her 20s prioritizing her career, she told BI. She was the first person in her family to attend college, starting her first business when she was an undergrad at Hope College in Michigan. After she graduated from the liberal arts college, her early adult years solely revolved around her job."I was brought up in the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rise-and-fall-girl-boss-analysis-2020-7">girlboss</a> era," she said. "I worked extremely hard and was high-achieving."But a decade later as Felt came to terms with her burnout and thought about what she wanted out of the next phase of her <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/quit-big-tech-dream-job-pay-perks-not-worth-it-2024-5">career</a>, she decided she needed to take a break from work before moving forward."It felt like it would be good for me — but also good for my future employer — if I went into my next role feeling fully energized and feeling conviction in that next step," she said.Felt <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/quit-job-travel-after-stress-burnout-at-big-tech-company-2024-8">quit her job</a> in March with the intention of taking up to a year off, thinking of her break as a micro-retirement or a sabbatical. "It's intentional breaks throughout my career where I can just take time to enjoy and live life and recharge for my next role," she said of her definition of micro-retirement. "I'm gonna plan to keep doing this throughout my career every five to 10 years instead of deferring all of it to the end of my career."A September <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@anaisfelt/video/7419143704482499882">video</a> Felt made about her micro-retirement started a conversation on TikTok, garnering over 189,000 views and racking up more than 500 comments as of Tuesday.<h2 id="8bd54dbe-99f3-4208-b09e-d9ef2d144737">Prepping for her micro-retirement</h2>Felt said she properly planned to be able to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ex-goldman-sachs-wealth-advisor-money-advice-ultrawealthy-2024-10">afford a year off</a> before putting in her notice. She made a habit of saving as she settled into her career. The former senior product manager did not share her salary at her most recent job with BI, but <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.levels.fyi/t/product-manager?countryId=254&amp;country=254&amp;search=senior+product+manager">according to Levels.FYI</a>, which collects salary information for tech professionals, the median salary for a product manager was $211,000 as of October.Felt also said she did an audit of her spending before leaving her full time position. "That was really helpful because it helped me pare back in some areas where the spending was more unnecessary," she said. "It improved my relationship with money, and it's made me a bit more diligent with my finances."Felt took care of some regular medical expenses before leaving her job as well, like ordering contacts for the year and going to the dentist. Once she left her company, she joined her partner's health insurance.By March, she was ready for her micro-retirement.<h2 id="d8bbaaaf-2619-4847-a1be-eda023b4faa4">Felt needed more rest than she realized</h2>Felt told BI that she initially planned to take a big trip once she left her job. But <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/when-to-quit-six-figure-job-for-mental-health">burnout</a> hit her "like a brick wall" once she actually started micro-retirement."I think the first couple of weeks I actually had to accept the fact that I was burned out," she said. "I needed to just sit and relax and rest."Felt said she took it easy for a month before the "burnout cloud" started to lift."I'm so glad that I just sat down for a month because that equipped me to move into the next phase of my micro-retirement, which was doing things I loved and cared about without the excessive burnout," she said.Every day of Felt's micro-retirement looks slightly different, though she tries to stick to a schedule Monday through Friday to give herself some structure. Some days, Felt creates content on TikTok that shows peeks into her life through outfit-of-the-day videos or snippets of her home decor. On other days, she spends her time with her dog or maintains her house. Felt also spends time volunteering in her community and participating in mentorship work."I'm not getting paid for those things, but they're just really energizing because they're connected to purpose and meaning that really resonates with me and my value system," she said.Six months after she left her job, Felt said her mental health has improved, and her burnout is gone.<h2 id="00b03381-aadd-4ccc-ab9d-e412bf96c584">Micro-retirement has changed the way Felt sees her future</h2>Felt told BI that her extended break from work has given her the time and mental space to reevaluate what she wants out of her <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/quitting-corporate-job-content-creator-reseller-side-hustles-retire-early-2024-7">career</a>. She said "work-life balance and scheduling flexibility" will be a priority moving forward since her community has become more important, and she wants to be a mom someday."Maybe I'll work from home and continue on the corporate path, or maybe I'll start my own business," she said. "There's so much life to be lived outside of my office desk, and life really starts to get richer when it's more diversified."Felt started taking informational interviews six months into her micro-retirement. Still, she doesn't see herself seriously applying for roles until January 2025, partly because she wants to<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/egg-freezing-fertility-clinics-targeting-gen-z-women-high-cost-2024-6"> freeze her eggs</a> before returning to a full time position.Felt wants others female employees to know they don't have to sacrifice their personal lives for professional success."You can still be high achieving and successful as a woman and intentionally choose work-life balance," she said, "there needs to be harmony there."

After 10 years in corporate America, one woman took a 'micro-retirement.' It reversed burnout and improved her quality of life.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>My partner suddenly left me and asked for a divorce.</li><li>I struggled to handle everyday activities alone — like grocery shopping and finances.</li></ul>I was blindsided when <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ex-husband-divorce-best-friend-2024-8">my ex</a> asked for a divorce in our 40s. She wanted to start a new life, and I was left confused. But even as I was working through the shock, I had to get on with life — alone.I've been so lucky to be surrounded by friends and chosen family who rallied for me as I navigated the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rebuilding-my-life-after-painful-divorce-middle-age-2024-7">divorce process</a>.However, there have been many moments of challenging solitude. Life is full of strange little annoyances — like flat bike tires and broken appliances. It's also filled with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/strategy-saving-money-doesnt-cost-joy-2024-6">simple joys</a> like finding a new potato chip flavor or your dog doing something adorable. These are the things people tend to share with spouses, but when you get divorced, that is no longer an option.Although I'm learning to share these little moments — both good and bad — with my closest friends, the hardest <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/found-love-language-after-divorce-dating-2024-3">post-divorce</a> moment is doing so many things alone.<h2 id="8a146dd6-af9f-4ece-9ab8-2a91e8a74475">I'm alone on my most painful days</h2>The week after my ex-partner left, I got into a bike crash. There was an icy patch on the road, and I took too tight a turn, sending me to the pavement. I wasn't seriously hurt, but the black and purple bruises that covered my legs were a reminder of how vulnerable I was. If I got sick or injured, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/woman-always-been-single-loves-being-in-control-of-life-2024-9">I was alone</a>.At that moment, bruised and scraped right after the separation, there was only one person I wanted to call, and the version of that person who I loved and who cared for me didn't exist anymore. I felt scared and small.<h2 id="af08e57b-9fbe-4277-a559-6bed4de61f3b">The financial burden is all on me now</h2>I often feel the stress of knowing that everything is now up to me. The <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/financial-stress-bankruptcies-foreclosures-car-repossesssions-economy-confidence-debt-payment-2024-1">financial stress</a> is especially pronounced for me because I'm a small-business owner and writer. I'm having to purchase my own health insurance. I hope my freelance clients pay me on time and that I'm able to keep my business afloat.I live every day with the stress of knowing that my ability to write and create is the only thing paying my bills. Connecting with readers around the world is all I've ever wanted to do, and it's my <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/quit-big-tech-dream-job-pay-perks-not-worth-it-2024-5">dream job</a>. I refuse to let my divorce take this from me.The financial support I once had is now gone, and I don't have a backup plan.I've always had many plans for the future: the art I want to make and the life I want to have. With my <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ex-husband-open-relationship-met-partner-divorce-engaged-2024-3">ex-partner</a>, that included a lot of intentions and planning for retirement. Now? I couldn't tell you what my life will look like next year — let alone in five or 25 years.I no longer have a meaningful <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/husband-retired-wife-still-working-retirement-plans-2024-8">retirement plan</a> — practically or theoretically. On one hand, it's exciting to realize that I get to decide what my future will look like. I like that I don't have to follow along with someone else's life plan and compromise my wants. However, it's also challenging to reenvision a long-term future that doesn't look anything like what I had once planned.<h2 id="e8505b31-2538-466d-8b64-54c289d325a3">The small, daily moments are the hardest</h2>I'll always remember going <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trader-joes-vs-walmart-grocery-shopping-which-is-better-review-2024-8">grocery shopping</a> for the first time after my ex-partner left. I was at the store with a friend and found myself crying in the produce aisle. I couldn't decide what to buy. I was shocked. This was hard. My ex used to travel for work a lot, and I frequently bought groceries for myself, yet there was something different about doing it alone.These small moments of daily life that I now do alone feel the hardest. During those small moments, I'm hit with loneliness the hardest.<h2 id="e0f3870c-e493-4825-bba9-a39918945ced">I'm rebuilding my life without my partner</h2>A week after my ex left, one of my closest friends cautioned me not to build my new life in the memory of this relationship. I didn't want to be constantly reminded of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/separate-finances-marriage-success-2024-9">my marriage</a>, so I took down all the pictures of us together and boxed them up. I took art and collectibles that had been in my home office and moved them to the living room. I bought new sheets and a beanbag chair to replace the loveseat that my ex took.I considered <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/should-you-sell-your-house-now-bank-of-america-2024-7">selling my house</a> and moving, but it's a great house. Instead, I rearranged furniture and have done everything I could think of to make a house that had been ours, into a home that truly feels like mine.Time doesn't solve everything, but it does provide a different perspective and hope for the future. Last weekend, for example, I was on a city bus that collided with a car that ran a red light. It was scary, and I suspected I had whiplash, but this time, I also knew I wasn't alone. I immediately called my best friends and chosen family. They offered to come get me, and I know that had I been seriously hurt, they would have helped me through that.

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