Monthly Archives: October 2022

English-learning startup ELSA launches Speech Analyzer to help people gain conversational confidence

ELSA, the English-language learning app known for its speech recognition technology, is launching a new product called the Speech Analyzer. The assessment platform plugs into communication tools like Zoom and analyzes conversational speech to suggest areas for improvement, including pronunciation, pacing and vocabulary. It is meant to act like a language coach to help people…

HealthJoy raises $60M to make benefits easier to navigate

Healthcare benefits are great, but navigating them often isn’t. HealthJoy wants to make the experience more seamless for employees, while helping HR departments reduce the number of underutilized benefits. The Chicago-based company announced today it has raised $60 million in Series D funding, led by Valspring Capital with participation from Endeavor Vision and CIBC Innovation…

Russian women worried about their sons dying in Ukraine should have more babies, influential Orthodox priest says

Families say farewell to Russian men who were called up to fight in Ukraine. Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Vladimir Putin ordered the partial mobilization of 300,000 military reservists last month.  An Orthodox priest was asked if he sympathizes with the mothers of mobilized Russian recruits.  Mikhail Vasilyev said women should have more babies…

Mark Zuckerberg says Instagram Reels are booming despite celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner slamming the app for being like TikTok

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Reels are becoming more popular, but Kim Kardashian has said she wants more “cute photos” on Instagram. Getty Images Mark Zuckerberg said Reels on Instagram and Facebook were becoming more popular. Users were playing more than 140 billion Reels across Facebook and Instagram every day, he said. Celebrities such as…

Credit Suisse stock tanks 12% after the troubled Swiss bank racks up a multibillion loss and vows to overhaul its business

The logo of Swiss banking giant Credit Suisse is seen on October 17, 2017 in Zurich. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images) Credit Suisse stock fell 12% Thursday after it posted losses of $4 billion, much deeper than expected. The Swiss lender plans to restructure after a series of scandals, with big changes at its investment bank. It…

A 40-year-old physical therapist got $222,000 in student loans forgiven through PSLF and used 2 tax strategies to pay as little as possible along the way

Insider’s experts choose the best products and services to help make smart decisions with your money (here’s how). In some cases, we receive a commission from our our partners, however, our opinions are our own. Terms apply to offers listed on this page. Robert Metzger, Jr., left, with his wife, Charity Metzger. Courtesy of Robert…

The European Central Bank just raised interest rates by 75 basis points for its second jumbo hike in a row

The European Central Bank raised interest rates by 75 basis points Thursday in a bid to tame sky-high inflation. Reuters The European Central Bank raised interest rates by 75 basis points for the 2nd time in a row Thursday. The central bank opted for another rate hike to tame soaring inflation and promised more. The…

The US economy went back into growth mode in the third quarter of 2022, making an imminent recession less likely

FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images US gross domestic product grew at an annualized rate of 2.6% in the third quarter of 2022. That beats the 2.4% growth estimate.  The advance estimate suggests the US economy is growing again after shrinking in the first two quarters of 2022. Americans fearing a looming recession can breathe…

Republicans and Democrats find sympathy for John Fetterman after his post-stroke debate performance: ‘Certainly not gonna slam a man who’s had a health challenge’

Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman participates in Pennsylvania Senate debate on October 25, 2022. Via Nexstar Democrats in Pennsylvania have continued to defend John Fetterman after his debate performance. Republicans expressed sympathy for Fetterman but questioned his ability to serve after a stroke “Is this somebody who’s gonna be cognitive enough to really represent the…