Amid ever-increasing economic uncertainty, many people are turning toward income stacking. Workers, especially Gen Zers, are “taking on multiple jobs to build financial security” through a “side hustle or freelance work on top of a full-time job, or several part-time roles,” said CNBC. 

Why is it more popular?
The practice is not new, but it’s more common due to the rising cost of living. Also, Gen Z isn’t “buying into what they see as a broken social contract, where a linear path up the career ladder is the most reliable route to success and financial stability,” said Fast Company. For this generation, freelance employment is “modeled in the form of influencers, content creators and podcasters online.”

What are the benefits?
The most obvious is extra income. It gives savers some wiggle room in their budgets to cover basic living costs or fund extras. It can also provide a safety net in the event of job loss, with an alternative income source to fall back on.

Used strategically, extra income can help with building wealth and go toward a “brokerage account, retirement savings or paying off the student loans that have been dragging you down financially,” said NerdWallet. As a bonus, juggling multiple positions can offer a shortcut to building skills and job experience, which can translate into further opportunities down the road. 

Is income stacking right for you?
The biggest consideration is whether you realistically have the time and energy. You might first take “steps like having a career conversation with your boss or maximizing the money you put into a health savings account,” said Vered Frank, a certified financial planner at StackWealth, to NerdWallet. 

Before committing, make sure you understand what your added job will entail. It’s “easier to make income stacking work when you have a clear goal and timeframe in mind,” said Samantha Mockford, a CFP at Citrine Capital, to NerdWallet. “You may hate sacrificing sleep when you drive rideshare in the evenings, but it may be tolerable if it means being debt-free before the year ends.”

Conservatives have long gone after what they perceive as discrimination against whites in hiring and have now found their latest target. The Florida attorney general sent the National Football League investigative subpoenas over alleged civil rights violations in its hiring practices. The issue centers on a longstanding NFL rule, and an investigation by Florida could have wider implications for diversity in sports.

Subpoena drama
The escalation began when Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier (R) issued a letter to the NFL earlier this year, alleging that its Rooney Rule violates Florida’s civil rights laws. In place since 2003, the rule requires all NFL teams to “interview at least two external minority candidates for open head coach, coordinator and general manager jobs,” said Politico. 

Though his letter led the NFL to alter some of the diversity language on its website, Uthmeier claims the league didn’t go far enough in its changes, prompting him to double down with subpoenas last week. The subpoenas are Uthmeier’s way of “keeping pressure on the NFL after he previously gave the league a May 1 deadline to scrap the Rooney Rule,” said Politico.

The NFL showed no signs of capitulating. The league’s diversity efforts are “consistent with both Florida and federal law,” said NFL General Counsel Ted Ullyot in a responding letter. The Rooney Rule “doesn’t impose any hiring quotas or mandates nor does it even limit who may be interviewed,” and “diversity of the candidate pool, both on the field and off, is also a critical part of the NFL’s success.” 

‘Existential challenge’
Florida’s subpoenas are “just the latest target of MAGA backlash to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts,” said NPR. While the effectiveness of the Rooney Rule has been “panned by many, including coaches, former coaches, the NFL Players Association and football fans,” continued legal pushes could represent an “existential challenge” to the NFL’s hiring practices.

Uthmeier’s threats “echo a broader campaign waged by the Trump administration,” said NPR. They come as the White House and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission have now made “tackling discrimination against white people, especially men, a priority.” 

Bogie, a Chihuahua dressed as British singer-songwriter Sam Smith, poses during the 2026 Pet Gala at Cineplay in New York City. The annual dog fashion event, created by pet couturier Anthony Rubio, showcases pooches in custom-made outfits inspired by that year’s celebrity Met Gala looks.
Timothy A. Clary / AFP / Getty Images

“Is it a red wine or a white?” said The Economist. Actually, blouge, made with a mix of blanc (white) and rouge (red) grapes, is both. The result is “light and refreshing like a white but with the structure and depth of a red.”

Mixing red and white is “not a new idea,” and winemakers have long been making Champagnes from different colored grapes, said The Economist. But blouge wines are popping up in bars worldwide as producers break “new ground” with a growing number of “fresher” versions, often with “playful names to emphasize their novelty and expand their appeal.”

While rosé is made with red grapes with limited skin contact and orange wine is made with white grapes in the style of a red with extended contact with the skin, blouge wine is a hybrid made by co-fermenting both red and white grapes. It’s geared toward a younger and more adventurous consumer keen to try something new.

Combining grape varieties gives producers more “flexibility” in the face of climate change, said The Economist. Hotter weather can lead to red grapes accumulating sugar faster, while the “ripening of skins and seeds can lag behind, causing a mismatch.” By adding white grapes to the mix, acidity is boosted while the high alcohol level found in ripe red grapes is diluted.

The pretty colors “tempt the Instagram lens,” said The Telegraph. Blouge also appeals to “aperitivo-hour drinkers” on the lookout for wines with the “appeal of a light cocktail — often fruity and chilled, perhaps with a vestige of florality and a tinge of either astringency or sweetness.”