In the span of six weeks, Samantha Rafferty quit her job, was accepted into graduate school, and found out she was pregnant with a new child. Two years on, she couldn’t have been happier with her decision.
During the pandemic, America’s malls were left empty and struggling to survive as visitors dwindled. But six years later, they have given themselves a facelift and are luring customers back.
In 2020, Jillian VanTuyle racked up $60,000 worth of credit card debt paying for childcare and other expenses during the COVID pandemic. In 2026, she sold her home, paid off all her debt, and didn’t even have to move.
Chris Sorbe worked with his father to turn their home into a vacation rental a decade ago. Business boomed for a while, but it hasn’t been so hot lately.
!["I think the markets haven't gotten a little bit ahead of themselves in assuming that there will be a [interest rate] move," said economist Randy Kroszner.](https://img.apmcdn.org/3fe1d93f703a6f48ccad22767d77244fb953cc3c/widescreen/041532-20260909-central-bankers-attend-annual-jackson-hole-economic-symposium-webp2000.webp)
