SUCCESS

Looking for help with today’s New York Times Wordle? Here are some expert hints, clues and commentary to help you solve today’s Wordle and sharpen your guessing game.

As part of the carrier’s efforts to reach more high-fare travelers with its new Flagship Suite business class, American Airlines is retrofitting 67 Boeing 777 planes to feature more lie-flat and other premium seating.

Twenty of the Boeing 777-300ER widebody jetliners in the carrier’s fleet are in the process of being equipped with the new Flagship Suites, while 47 of American’s older Boeing 777-200ER are also being retrofitted to include more of the regular lie-flat business class and premium economy seats.

With the retrofitting of all 20 Boeing 777-300ER planes expected to be finished by mid-2027, American Airlines debuted its first glowed-up plane with 114 premium seats on a Sept. 2 flight between its hub at Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) and JFK.

American Airlines debuts 1st retrofitted Boeing 777 with 70 Flagship Suite business seats

The Flagship Suites, which the airline debuted in June 2025, are placed within the aircraft in a one-two-one configuration and feature a sliding door and lie-flat bed with a width of 22 inches. The Boeing 777-300ER that returned to service after a monthslong renovation has, out of the 330 total seats, 70 in Flagship and 44 in Premium Economy.

Out of the plane’s 216 Main Cabin economy seats, 30 have been equipped with extra legroom. The Premium Economy seats are placed in a two-four-two configuration and feature privacy headrest wings and adjustable calf and footrests while each Main Cabin seat comes with a personal seatback entertainment seat and personal power outlet and USB ports.

Related: What does it mean to fly business on a vacation airline

Prior to the retrofit, the Boeing 777-300ER used by American was configured to have eight Flagship First, 52 Flagship Business, 28 Premium Economy, 28 Main Cabin Extra, and 188 Main Cabin seats.

After the celebratory charter flight to mark the plane’s return into service, the first commercial flight on the retrofitted Boeing 777-300ER flew from New York (JFK) to Buenos Aires (EZE) later on the same day on Sept. 2.

As more retrofitted seats reenter service, the airline’s older Flagship First most premium travel offering will officially be retired at the end of November.

The 330-seat plane also features 44 Premium Economy seats.American Airlines

What are the new American Airlines Flagship Suites seats like?

The biggest difference between Flagship Suites and Flagship First comes down to offering travelers more privacy from both their neighbor and the aisle through the slide door as well as.

This is in addition to tech upgrades, including larger 4K 17-inch touchscreens and Bluetooth connectivity, a configuration and angling that gives travelers more space to spread out away from the aisle.

More Travel News:

Airline to launch unusual new flight to Cayman Islands from the U.S.

There is a very cool Irish version of swimming pigs in The Bahamas

Unexpected country is most luxurious travel destination for 2026

Low-cost airline launches easier way to get to Sri Lanka

The new fare class could previously be experienced only on select Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and Airbus A321XLRs planes that the airline ordered new from the maker.

This Boeing 777-300ER will be used by American on long-haul routes to cities such as Buenos Aires, London, Tokyo, São Paulo and Sydney. On some of the longer flights, a passenger in Flagship Suites would pay as much as $10,000 for a return flight so the plane is allocated to routes calculated to be most likely to bring in the largest number of high-spending travelers looking to fly in style.

Related: What to do if you’re in Frankfurt for a short or long layover

Molson Coors Beverage, Builders FirstSource and Trade Desk will be getting the boot from the benchmark index.

TheStreet aims to feature only the best products and services. If you buy something via one of our links, we may earn a commission.

Why we love this deal

Trying to get a kitchen organized can feel impossible without enough storage. With little counter space or cabinets, it can get cluttered quickly. And it’s even harder to get your kitchen in order when you have a lot of snacks and pantry essentials. Freestanding pantry cabinets can help, as they provide additional storage for almost all of your kitchen needs.

The Asofer Pantry Storage Cabinet at Walmart is on sale for just $74 ahead of Labor Day, and it’s quite the steal. With four cabinets and a lot of shelving, it provides just the right amount of storage without taking up too much space, making it a great fit for small kitchens.

Asofer Pantry Storage Cabinet, $74 (was $160) at Walmart

Courtesy of Walmart

Shop at Walmart

Why do shoppers love it?

Some compact cabinets have limited storage, but at just 24 inches long, this Walmart find has a lot to offer. The top two doors have three compartments to store everything from food containers to baking necessities. But behind the two doors, there are additional open-shelf racks for items like cans, beverages, and more. The two bottom doors open up to reveal a compartment that you can use to house more pantry essentials or small kitchen appliances. It’s a great area to store a microwave if you have limited countertop space or want to hide it away for a more minimalist kitchen look.

In a crisp white color, you get the most timeless farmhouse design. The vertical slats on the door panel give it just the right amount of visual interest without taking away from its ability to blend into any space. Not only is the white colorway neutral, but it’s also the most affordable, with a sale price of $74. There are black and dark brown options available, too, but the prices vary.

Related: Walmart is selling a 3-drawer mini dresser for only $50

Details to know

Storage: Four compartments and shelving on doors.

Colors: White, dark brown, and black.

Material: Wood composite and medium-density fiberboard.

According to Walmart shoppers, this pantry storage cabinet “fits beautifully” in a kitchen, even if it’s a small space. One reviewer said it offers “lots of storage space,” adding that it’s just what they needed, since they have few cupboards in their home. “It is well made, the materials are nice and sturdy, [and it’s] not wobbly at all. Very easy to assemble, [and the] instructions are easy to follow,” they added.

In addition to being used as a kitchen pantry, some shoppers made the most of the extra storage space and used it for art supplies. It can also be used in a dining room to store extra dinnerware or in a bathroom for cleaning supplies, toiletries, and more.

Shop more deals

Lofka Pantry Cabinet, $86 (was $110) at Walmart

Noelse Food Pantry Cabinet with Drawers, $50 (was $100) at Walmart

Behost Kitchen Pantry Cabinet, $99 (was $190) at Walmart

The Asofer Pantry Storage Cabinet is on sale for only $74, which is a great deal for the storage you’re getting.

Kelly Clarkson walked away from her hit show after seven seasons. Here’s why leaving on top can be your best career growth move.

Every few years, someone promises Americans a fix for the number on the corner gas station sign.

Right now, that number reads $4.12 for a gallon of regular, according to AAA. In January, it read $2.81. That gap is one of the more expensive things to happen to American households this year, and almost none of it traces back to anything a household did.

It traces to a war. U.S. strikes on Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz have pushed Brent crude to roughly $95 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate to about $91, according to Trading Economics.

Crude is close to half of what you pay at the pump, so every dollar of that shows up in your tank within a couple of weeks. It’s why a fix involving the largest proven oil reserves on the planet gets everyone’s attention.

One arrived this week. I read the actual terms rather than the announcement, and my analysis says the relief most people are picturing is somewhere between one and 10 years away.

Venezuela’s National Assembly voted Sept. 1 to hand Washington preferential access to 17 oil fields holding about 65 billion barrels, roughly a fifth of the country’s reserves. Energy Secretary Chris Wright landed in Caracas that night. The deal was signed Wednesday, Sept. 2.

Then Chevron (CVX) put more than $7 billion behind it.

Why Venezuela’s oil reserves went dark for two decades

Venezuela sits on more than 303 billion barrels of proven crude, the largest stockpile on earth, according to OPEC. It is also, by any honest reading of the last 20 years, the worst-run oil patch on earth.

Production peaked above 3 million barrels a day in the late 1990s. Hugo Chávez completed nationalization of the industry in 2007, pushing ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips out of the country. Both are still pursuing compensation nearly two decades later.

What followed was underinvestment, collapsing pipeline and power infrastructure, and sanctions. Output fell to roughly 1.1 million barrels a day by mid-2026, according to Reuters. Chevron stayed the whole time. It has operated in Venezuela since 1923.

That history matters because it sets the realistic clock on any recovery. Barrels in the ground are not barrels in a tanker.

Venezuela approved Washington access to 17 oil fields, while Chevron pledged more than $7 billion in investment.Bloomberg / Getty Images

What Washington actually got in the Venezuela oil deal

The structure is the part almost nobody is talking about, and it is genuinely without precedent in modern American energy policy.

The 17 fields carry 100-year rights held by North American Blue Energy Partners, Venezuela’s second-largest private oil company. A new entity is being created around them.

The U.S. Department of Defense’s Office of Strategic Capital takes a 35% equity stake in it, and the State Department is entitled to buy 20% of output at production cost, according to Euronews.

Related: Is Trump’s big, splashy Venezuela oil deal real?

U.S. citizens must form a majority of the board. Washington holds a veto over who sits on it.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the arrangement as an agreement with the U.S. government itself, specifically the Defense Department, “which holds a special account allowing it to take possession” of a share of the assets, according to Euronews.

Read that again. The Pentagon is now an equity holder in an oil company.

Here is the deal by the numbers:

65 billion barrels across 17 fields, on 100-year rights, Euronews noted

35% U.S. government equity stake in the new venture, according to Euronews

$7 billion Chevron investment through 2031, Reuters noted

600,000 barrels a day Chevron target, up from about 280,000, Reuters reported

303 billion barrels in total Venezuelan proven reserves, OPEC confirmed

The administration’s case is that U.S. control ends the corruption that hollowed out PDVSA, counters Russian and Chinese positions in the hemisphere, and lowers prices for American drivers. “Today is a transformative day,” Wright said in Caracas, according to NBC News.

The objections are on the record, too. Opposition lawmakers in Caracas abstained from the vote, saying they had not been shown the written terms.

NABEP is owned by Alejandro Betancourt, who has faced money-laundering investigations in Spain and Switzerland without charges being filed and has been accused of involvement in a PDVSA corruption scheme. A U.S. official called him a “proven operator,” the New York Post reported, although the official conceded that geopolitics sometimes means dealing with imperfect figures.

Why cheaper gas is not the near-term payoff here

Chevron’s commitment is the most concrete thing in this story. The company will invest more than $7 billion through 2031 to lift its Venezuelan output to roughly 600,000 barrels a day from about 280,000 now, with new acreage in the Orinoco Belt.

The number that actually matters is buried in the company’s own guidance. Total production costs are expected to run under $20 a barrel.

Chevron CEO Mike Wirth said the existing roads, water, and power make the economics unlike a greenfield project, noting that “our ability to grow at low cost is quite different,” according to Reuters.

More Energy:

Tesla stock investors stand to gain from U.S. power grid

Is Trump’s big, splashy Venezuela oil deal real?

Chevron stock turns heads as company strikes fresh oil

Sub-$20 barrels in a $90 world is a margin story, not a pump story.

Because on the pump side, the timing does not work. Analysts put the wait for meaningful new barrels at anywhere from one to 10 years. Washington is putting no money into the venture, arguing its backing alone will draw private capital. Wright projects Venezuelan output of 2 million barrels a day by the end of the decade.

The end of the decade is four years out. Your next fill-up might be tomorrow.

Exxon is not buying it, either. A spokesman recently said that nothing has changed at the company, according to the Associated Press, and Exxon’s CEO called Venezuela “uninvestable” earlier this year, as Politico reported.

President Donald Trump has said Exxon is going into Venezuela, Reuters noted. Exxon says otherwise.

What the Venezuela oil deal means for your money

If you own energy exposure, this is a cost-curve event, and you should treat it as one. A supermajor adding 320,000 barrels a day at less than $20 of cost while crude trades near $90 shows up in free cash flow long before it shows up at a gas station. That is the trade, and it is a slow one.

If you do not own energy exposure, the honest read is that nothing about your November heating bill or your commute changed on Sept. 2. What moves your pump price between now and the midterms is Hormuz, not Caracas.

The part worth filing away is the precedent. The U.S. government did not buy oil. It bought equity, board control, and a call on output at cost. If that structure works, it will not stay in Venezuela.

Watch the barrel count, not the announcements. Venezuela has produced ambitious oil plans for 20 years. What it has not produced is oil.

Related: $90 oil makes a sudden, unwelcome comeback

TheStreet aims to feature only the best products and services. If you buy something via one of our links, we may earn a commission.

Why we love this deal

Smartwatches are popular wearable devices that you can find on the wrists of people all over the country. They’ve become extensions of our smartphones, keeping us connected with notifications, but also serve as fitness trackers to keep an eye on overall health. While some brands are incredibly pricey, there are plenty that are budget-friendly, despite having so many features.

The Soudorv S50 Military Smartwatch is on sale for only $33 during Amazon’s big Labor Day sale. It was originally $130, but thanks to a limited-time deal, you can get the device for 75% off. With a rugged look, it has a unique appearance compared to traditional smartwatches on the market.

Soudorv S50 Military Smartwatch, $33 (was $130) at Amazon

Courtesy of Amazon

Shop at Amazon

Why do shoppers love it?

This isn’t your average smartwatch. With a military-style design, it has a rugged look with a durable design. It’s passed 12 military-grade tests and has the ability to withstand everything from dust to mud. Its IP68 waterproof rating means it can also hold up against water, whether you’re washing your hands or get caught in the rain. With a built-in LED flashlight, it can light the way in dark areas up to 5 meters ahead. 

With wellness tracking, it can monitor your heart rate, stress levels, and sleep patterns. It has more than 110 exercise modes to choose from, including hiking, yoga, and running. And it’s not just your health that it keeps you up to date on. Its Bluetooth connectivity syncs with your phone, giving you the ability to make and answer calls directly from your wrist. You can also get notifications from apps like Facebook, Instagram, and more.

Its long battery life is also worth noting. It can last up to 18 days with daily use, but on standby, it can stretch for up to 50 days. When you need to recharge, it only takes 2 hours to fully power back up.

Related: Amazon’s $156 luxury Seiko automatic watch uses the same tech as high-end Swiss timepieces

Details to know

Screen size: 1.53 inches.

Battery life: Up to 50 days.

Waterproof rating: IP68.

Amazon shoppers say this smartwatch has “many useful features, ” from fitness tracking to heart rate monitoring, that are easy to use. “I loved this smartwatch; it is versatile and suitable for both men and women. It is comfortable to wear, lightweight, and waterproof, and it measures and monitors your physical activity,” a reviewer said. 

Another customer praised the smartwatch as a great alternative to more expensive brands. “I wanted to move on from my Fitbit Versa3 and couldn’t bring myself to buy a high-dollar Apple Watch,” they said. “The face size is great, the band is plenty big, and [it has] a tremendous battery life.” They added that it’s also comfortable for all-day wear.

Shop more deals

Lvhop Military Smartwatch, $48 (was $80) at Amazon

Atheewon Military Smartwatch, $20 (was $80) at Amazon

Jugeman Military Smartwatch, $70 (was $140) at Amazon

The Soudorv S50 Military Smartwatch is on sale for only $33 during Amazon’s Labor Day sale, and it’s a small price to pay for such a useful device.

Trump said earlier this week U.S. communities will be “backwards and poor” if they do not approve data centers.

You can save diligently for decades and still make a few retirement planning mistakes that put your financial security at risk.

Wes Moss, host of Ask an Advisor on the Clark Howard Podcast, has spent decades working on the front lines as a fiduciary financial advisor. After walking thousands of families through the pivotal transition from saving to spending, Wes has found that the most devastating pitfalls rarely involve picking the wrong individual stock or missing the latest investing fad. Instead, they almost always stem from foundational issues: debt structure, marital communication, and cash-flow reality.

We asked Wes to break down the most common — and costly — retirement planning mistakes he sees today, and what pre-retirees should do to protect themselves.

1. Carrying Mortgage Debt With No End in Sight

Entering retirement with housing debt is one of the heaviest financial anchors you can drag into your next chapter.

Through extensive research on what actually drives retiree satisfaction, Wes discovered a direct correlation between peace of mind and the amortization schedule on a home loan.

“Retirement happiness rises as the number of years left on your mortgage falls, and my latest research shows the ‘money green zone’ begins once you have 9 years or less remaining on your payoff schedule,” Wes explains. “Carrying an open-ended (long) mortgage into retirement, with no clear payoff date, is one of the heaviest rocks you can put in your retirement backpack.”

When a large mortgage payment follows you into retirement, it permanently inflates your baseline living expenses, forcing you to pull more money out of your investments regardless of market conditions.

If you are approaching retirement with significant housing debt, prioritize getting your remaining payoff window under that nine-year threshold — or wiping out the loan entirely before you clock out for the last time.

2. The Spousal Disconnect

Retirement isn’t just an individual financial balance sheet; for married couples, it is a complete lifestyle overhaul. When two partners aren’t operating from the same playbook, the consequences can be severe.

“Couples who are significantly misaligned on retirement spending, saving, and investing create a tornado of discontent that can derail even a well-funded plan,” Wes warns. “The fix isn’t necessarily more money, it’s a written plan or blueprint that both spouses actually agree on, so decisions get made from the same page instead of two different ones.”

One spouse might envision traveling abroad six months a year, while the other wants to stay home, renovate the kitchen, or financially assist adult children. If these differences aren’t hashed out in advance, the resulting friction quickly turns financial choices into emotional battlegrounds. Sitting down to write out shared priorities, expected spending targets, and risk tolerance ensures you enter retirement as a unified team.

3. Running a Rich Ratio Under 1.0

To determine whether someone can realistically afford to stop working, Wes bypasses arbitrary portfolio target numbers and instead points to a straightforward formula he calls the Rich Ratio:

Rich Ratio = Have (Sustainable Monthly Income) ÷ Need (Monthly Living Expenses)

Your “Have” includes all predictable monthly cash flow, including Social Security, pensions, and disciplined withdrawals from your investment accounts.

Your “Need” is what it genuinely costs to fund your day-to-day life and retirement activities.

“Your Rich Ratio is simply your income divided by your need, Have divided by Need,” Wes says. “If $8,000 a month in income is covering a $10,000 a month lifestyle, your ratio is 0.8, and no matter how big the account balance looks on paper, you’re financially strained until that ratio crosses back above 1.”

A portfolio worth $1.5 million might seem substantial, but if your spending burns through it faster than the portfolio can sustainably generate income, you are operating at a structural deficit. Before you step away from your paycheck, your Rich Ratio must be at or above 1.0 — meaning your dependable cash flow cleanly covers your living costs.

4. Overlooking the Long-Term Bite of Inflation

While dramatic, short-term spikes in consumer prices grab headlines, the more dangerous threat to your golden years is the quiet, compounding nature of rising costs over decades.

“Inflation is the quiet retirement killer because it doesn’t necessarily show up as a single bad year,” says Wes. “It compounds silently for decades and erodes purchasing power for anyone whose income isn’t structured to grow alongside it.”

If a basket of goods costs $5,000 a month when you retire at age 65, standard historical inflation will roughly double that cost by the time you reach your mid-80s. Relying strictly on flat, fixed-income sources means your real purchasing power gets halved over the course of a normal retirement. A well-constructed retirement strategy must maintain exposure to assets — such as dividend-growing equities — that have historically outpaced inflation.

5. Taking on Too Much Investment Risk

After extended bull markets, it is easy for investors to become complacent about market volatility. However, shifting from the accumulation phase of your working years to the distribution phase of retirement requires a fundamental change in risk management.

“Markets have been remarkably strong for the past 10 years, but markets don’t know or care when you personally decide to retire, and a multi-year bear market that hits right at the start of retirement can wreck an otherwise solid plan,” Wes cautions.

Wes notes that the remedy is not retreating entirely to cash and missing out on future market growth. Instead, it comes down to smart portfolio structure:

“The fix isn’t avoiding stocks, it’s baking in ‘dry powder’ to your asset allocation. This means having 3 or more years’ worth (of spending) assets held in cash and/or bonds sized to support your income gap, so you’re not forced to sell stock assets during a major correction.”

By holding three or more years of your net living expenses (your spending needs minus guaranteed sources like Social Security) in stable, liquid assets, you create an essential buffer. If a prolonged downturn hits the market, you can draw from your cash and bond reserves to pay the bills, giving your stock portfolio the time it needs to fully rebound without locking in steep paper losses.

Final Thoughts

A comfortable retirement doesn’t require predicting market tops or taking outsized speculative bets. By locking in a mortgage payoff timeline under nine years, getting on the same page with your spouse, keeping your Rich Ratio over 1.0, planning for decades of inflation, and buffering your portfolio with dry powder, you set up a framework designed to protect your wealth and your peace of mind.
The post 5 of the Most Common Retirement Planning Mistakes appeared first on Clark Howard.