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Back in 2010, you could buy bitcoin for just a few cents. Fast forward 15 years, and the cryptocurrency’s price has skyrocketed to roughly $93,000 per coin as of early January 2026.

It’s easy to get FOMO when you see what your returns could have been had you invested alongside the early crypto devotees. The number of bitcoin millionaires worldwide grew 70% between July 2024 and July 2025, Henley & Partners reported in its recent Crypto Wealth Report. But have you actually missed the boat to invest in bitcoin and reap the benefits of its popularity?

Current had financial experts weigh in and outline the risks of putting your money toward such a volatile asset.

Bitcoin’s volatile price movements

If you’ve ever felt the stomach-churning drops and euphoric climbs of riding a rollercoaster, you may have a little bit of insight into what it feels like to own bitcoin. Just take last year: Bitcoin started around $93,000 before dropping to $75,000 in April, soaring as high as $125,000 in October and winding up back around where it started 2025 in December.

“Bitcoin has always been a highly volatile asset,” says Ben Loughery, a certified financial planner and founder of Lock Wealth Management in Atlanta. “We have seen it go through multiple boom and bust cycles and each peak has historically been followed by new all-time highs years later.” 

But those ups and downs are also what gives bitcoin its potential for high returns. If you buy in during a sell-off, you benefit if a price surge follows. So while you may have missed bitcoin’s early and massive gains, the price could very well take off again.

Should you invest in bitcoin?

Just because bitcoin comes with the potential for high returns doesn’t mean you should necessarily invest in it. The important question to ask is whether bitcoin fits into your overall investment plan, risk tolerance and time horizon — not whether you perfectly timed an entry into the market, Loughery says.

“It is better to understand its long-term role in your portfolio versus worrying about missing a short-term dip or spike,” he adds.

That’s because it’s hard enough for Wall Street professionals to time the stock market. So you probably don’t want to bet on your own ability to guess where bitcoin’s price is headed next. Instead, do your own research. Bitcoin has entered the mainstream investing world, with federal regulators allowing for exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that track its price and an influx of money from institutional investors. But crypto skeptics say that the asset has no intrinsic value.

“Whether it goes up or down in the next year, or five or 10 years, I don’t know. But the one thing I’m pretty sure of is that it doesn’t produce anything,” billionaire investor Warren Buffett, who often warns investors of crypto’s risks, Read more

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A QR Code scan is like a raised hand in a crowded room. It’s voluntary, visible, and tells you exactly who’s interested. Compare that to website cookies, which are more like secretly following someone around a store.

As privacy laws crack down on digital surveillance, savvy marketers are realizing something obvious: permission beats stalking every time. The data you earn will always outperform the data you take.

That deliberate scan gives you context and not just contact information. You know exactly where they were, what caught their attention, and that they chose to engage. It’s intent wrapped in action.

This move from surveillance to permission marketing isn’t just about compliance. It’s about building relationships instead of collecting profiles. Every scan represents a micro-moment of trust, and for marketers who understand this, QR Codes have become an important call to action, Uniqode reports.

Why the focus on first-party data now?

Marketing is undergoing a reset. Third-party tracking is losing credibility, privacy laws are tightening, and consumers are asking for transparency and control.

With the old tools of silent surveillance fading out, the question has shifted from how much data a brand can gather to how responsibly it can do so. Clean, contextual, and consent-based data has become the new competitive edge.

Uniqode

That’s where QR Codes come in. Each scan is a choice, making QR Code data not only compliant but also more reliable and meaningful than any third-party cookie.

Why scans speak louder than clicks

Clicks are cheap. Scans aren’t.

A click can come from anywhere: a wrong screen tap, a bot, or an algorithmic push. A scan, on the other hand, takes effort. Someone has to notice a QR Code, lift their phone, point their camera, wait for recognition, and tap to follow through.

Unlike clicks, scans carry context. Where did it happen? On packaging, in-store signage, or an ad? Each scan connects digital behavior to a real-world moment, helping brands understand what drives action, not just where traffic comes from.

And this behavior has become mainstream. According to the 2025 State of QR Codes Report, 59% of customers scan QR Codes daily, and 9 in 10 users do so weekly.

Read more

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On a hot week in late May, rescue teams at Grand Canyon National Park launched 13 helicopter missions in just seven days due to hauling overheated or injured hikers out of the abyss and, in several cases, straight to nearby hospitals.

Episodes like this are not unusual in some of the visited parts of the United States. Hospital emergency departments handle more than 150 million visits a year, including roughly 43.5 million injury-related visits. Many of those patients are residents, but in high-tourism states, a notable share are people on vacation.

Recovery Law Center, a Honolulu-based personal injury law firm, provides this analysis to highlight 10 states where visitor volume and environmental or recreational risks frequently intersect, increasing the possibility that a vacation can turn into a hospital visit.

1. Hawai‘i

Hawai‘i’s setting, tropical surf, volcanic landscapes, and winding coastal roads make it both a dream destination and, for some visitors, a high-risk environment. The state recorded about 9.64 million visitors in 2023, still below 2019’s record but enough to keep beaches, trails, and roads busy.

Peer-reviewed research highlights the frequency with which these visitors appear in hospital trauma data. One statewide analysis of visitor injuries in Hawai‘i found that over a five-year period, 466 of 8,244 major trauma admissions (5.7%) were visitors, with falls, water-related activities, and motor-vehicle crashes the most common causes. Visitors made up only about 12.6% of the population on a typical day but accounted for 44.2% of admissions for water-related injuries.

Water-related trauma in particular often involves head and spinal injuries, which can require intensive care and long hospital stays far from home. Local health officials have repeatedly called for stronger visitor education on ocean safety, hiking hazards, and moped or scooter risks.

2. Florida

Florida markets itself as a year-round playground—and visitors respond. The state welcomed about 140.6 million visitors in 2023, a record that was surpassed again in 2024 when visitation climbed to roughly 143 million. Theme parks, water parks, beaches, and boating make unintentional injuries a persistent undercurrent in that economy.

State and local reporting on theme park incidents, drawing on required quarterly disclosures by major operators, documents hundreds

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As U.S. business owners begin planning their budgets for 2026, security is emerging as a key topic in a different conversation. Instead of being treated as an expense that’s easy to postpone, it’s increasingly being looked at as a way to protect cash flow, reduce risk and avoid unexpected costs.

With theft on the rise and insurance premiums climbing, modern security — especially cloud-based video surveillance — is starting to play a bigger role in how businesses think about financial stability and long-term planning, Videoloft reports.

Retail crime is no longer an isolated issue

For many businesses, theft and vandalism are no longer rare or one-off events. They are ongoing challenges that affect day-to-day operations.

According to the National Retail Federations ‘Retail Security Survey’, U.S. retailers reported an estimated $112.1 billion in shrinkage in 2022, which includes theft, fraud and operational losses .

More recent research suggests the situation has intensified. In its 2024 report, The Impact of Retail Theft and Violence, the NRF found that the average number of shoplifting incidents increased by 93% in 2023 compared with 2019, while dollar losses from shoplifting rose by 90% in the same period.

​​Together, these findings indicate a clear trend: losses remain high, and incidents are occurring more frequently.

Smaller businesses often feel this pressure more acutely. Forbes reports that the majority of small retail businesses experience theft each year, and many owners say those losses directly influence decisions around pricing, staffing and expansion.

Why insurers pay close attention to security

Insurance is ultimately about assessing and pricing risk. When incidents are frequent or details are unclear, insurers must account for that uncertainty in premiums and coverage terms.

In practice, insurers frequently request CCTV footage during theft, vandalism, or liability claims. Legal analysis of U.S. insurance practices explains that insurers are entitled to request relevant video evidence as part of a claims investigation, and that the availability and quality of footage can affect how a claim is handled.

From a risk management perspective, video footage can help establish timelines, confirm events, and reduce uncertainty during claims reviews. Because uncertainty is a key driver of claim costs, insurers often view accessible, well-managed video evidence as an important part of the overall risk picture.

Industry guidance often highlights that professionally installed security systems — including video surveillance, alarms, and access control — can lower a business’s perceived risk profile, and some industry experts suggest that these risk reductions may be reflected in premium discounts commonly cited in the ra

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No Super Bowl spread is complete without the wings! Super Bowl chicken wings are the undisputed MVP of game-day eating and a fan favorite that’s as essential as the halftime show itself. While classic Buffalo wings will always hold their rightful place in the lineup, this year, Wildfire Outdoor Living is turning up the hosting game with a collection of elevated, flavor-forward Super Bowl chicken wing recipes meant to impress. From bold global inspirations to refined takes on familiar favorites, these Super Bowl chicken wings bring gourmet flair and guarantee your Super Bowl celebration is anything but ordinary.

Grilled Lemon Pepper Garlic Parmesan Wings

This recipe is a fresh take on two timeless favorites: tangy lemon pepper wings and rich, garlicky parmesan. By bringing them together on the grill, you get the best of both worlds: crispy, flame-kissed wings coated in a buttery finish. It’s a familiar duo, reimagined with a twist that makes them irresistible for game day.

Ingredients

For the wings

• 2 pounds chicken wings (drumettes and flats)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoons pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

For the sauce

• 8 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 4 tablespoons lemon pepper seasoning
• Juice of half a lemon
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

Instructions

Season the wings

In a large bowl, toss the chicken wings with olive oil. Add onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Mix until all wings are evenly coated.

Preheat the grill

Heat grill to medium (350°F).

Grill the wings

Place the wings on the grill slightly crowded together so they gently steam and stay juicy.

Grill with the lid closed for 20 minutes, flipping every 5 minutes.

Make the lemon pepper garlic butter sauce

While the wings grill, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and lemon zest, cooking 2–3 minutes until fragrant but not browned.
 

Sauce toss (Round 1)

Transfer wings to a bowl and toss with half the sauce.

Crisp the wings

Increase grill heat to medium-high (375–400°F). Return wings to the grill and cook 1–2 minutes per side until the edges crisp and caramelize slightly.

Final sauce toss

Remove wings and toss with the remaining sauce.

Serve

Plate and garnish with extra parmesan and chopped parsley if desired.

Classic Grilled Buffalo Wings

These grilled Buffalo chicken wings honor everything people love about the original Buffalo chicken wings: spicy heat, buttery richness, a