The New American Dream

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An increasing number of Americans are moving overseas in search of a middle-class lifestyle they can’t afford in the States.

Why It Hurts: The US is in the midst of an “affordability crisis,” reshaping the economy, politics, and entertainment. As owning a home, maintaining stable finances, and raising a family seem increasingly out of reach, the lower cost of living in other countries is becoming more appealing. That could transform what it means to realize the American dream.

Behind The Moves: Packing up may be the best way to get ahead.

The Future: According to the Defense Department’s Federal Voting Assistance Program, roughly 4.4 million Americans now live abroad — a 42% increase since 2010. While the expat population was once largely made up of retirees, it now includes many more young people and newer families — reflecting a growing desire to stretch hard-earned dollars.

David Kuenzi, a director at investment adviser Creative Planning International, calls it “geo-arbitrage for the middle class” — in other words, investing an American income into a more affordable international lifestyle.

Prediction: It’s possible that the new American dream will be spending part of your 20s abroad to build wealth — and then returning to the US a richer person.

AI-driven attacks are getting bigger, faster, and more sophisticated — making risk much more difficult to contain. Without automation to respond quickly to AI threats, teams are forced to react without a plan in place.

This is according to Vanta’s newest State of Trust report, which surveyed 3,500 business and IT leaders across the globe.

One big change since last year’s report? Teams falling behind AI risks — and spending way more time and energy proving trust than building it.

Get the full report to learn how organizations are navigating these changes, and what early adopters are doing to stay ahead.

To promote the lyrical, meditative historical drama, Train Dreams, Netflix has partnered with Calm to create the first-ever “Sleep Story” for a new movie.

The Big Picture: Advertisers have been quietly exploring ways to market products, services, and projects in our dreams for years. While most consumers would find that incredibly invasive (Inception, much?), advertising through a product designed to put you to sleep is a clever way to make a title stick — and perfectly capture the vibe of the Clint Bentley–directed awards hopeful.

Behind The Eyelids: Netflix is trying to cut through the noise by quieting potential audiences down, per Indiewire.

Last Blink: This isn’t the first time Calm has created Sleep Stories inspired by films (it’s previously done ones for public-domain classics like Pride and Prejudice and The Wizard of Oz), but it’s the first time the platform has partnered with a studio to market a new release. And while Calm already boasts 100 million users, Netflix wants to make sure everyone gets in a reflective mood — so it’s also sharing the soundscape on YouTube, Instagram, and X for those who don’t subscribe to the app.

It might just be the most peaceful part of your daily doomscroll.

Next Nap: The next great leap in mainstream marketing may be finding ways to more precisely guide people’s emotions — letting brands advertise the experience of something, not just describe what it is.

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43.2% of you voted Sometimes — if the story grabs me. in Friday’s poll: Do you watch foreign-language films?

“Public library is a goldmine for these.”

“They’re more realistic. The plots are intelligent. They don’t hold back on reality.”

“Being able to watch great films like Curse of the Golden Flower and Brotherhood of the Wolf — with the help of subtitles and Duolingo — makes for a perfect movie night.”

“I really don’t like subtitles — they distract me from what’s happening on screen, and I can’t focus on both. But I do sometimes watch French-language films since I travel to France for work, and watching movies and TV shows in French helps me maintain my fluency.”

Let’s keep the conversation going. Join our Poll Of The Day newsletter, so your opinions can shine. Discover how your views line up with your peers’, check out cool insights, and have some fun. It’s data with personality.

🏆 The Grammy nominations have dropped, and Kendrick Lamar leads the pack with nine nominations, including best album, record, and song of the year.

🍳 A24 is getting into non-scripted content with a competition-show adaptation of the very stressful cooking game Overcooked.

⚽ USC women’s basketball player JuJu Watkins took a minority stake in Boston Legacy FC, potentially making her the first collegiate athlete to become an investor in a team.

💳 Samsung is in talks with investment bank Barclays to launch a branded credit card in the US.

🫠 Meta reportedly generated 10% of its ad revenue in 2024 from fraudulent or scammy ads. Yikes.

🪵 Tech startup Terranova is trying to keep San Rafael, California, from sinking by injecting the ground with “a slurry of wood waste.” Whoa.

📦 Amazon debuted a standalone shopping app in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, where products typically range from $2-$10.

💰 A Vanguard study found that about half of Gen Z workers are saving enough for retirement, compared with only 40% of boomers.

👗 eBay partnered with influencer Emma Chamberlain for a live auction featuring 100 pieces from her personal fashion collection.