Federica Cocco
@federicacocco.bsky.social
Reporter, business and economic data at the Washington Post. Hic manebimus optime.
Conrad Miles saved about $200,000 for his retirement years, as well as earning a pension with the Santa Fe Railroad. But after he moved into assisted living, his savings were “gone in a heartbeat,” his daughter said. When he died at age 93, he had about $30,000 left. Below: Conrad and Marion Miles
Among the poorest fifth of Americans in the analysis, 41 percent were left with nothing after accounting for their care costs in the years before death. Such figures exclude the cost of housing seniors, which can increase costs even more. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
As the cost of aging soars, families’ wealth is evaporating
Growing old is eroding the inheritance Americans hoped to leave behind, a Washington Post analysis found. Many will have nothing to pass on.
washingtonpost.com
The Post's @federicacocco.bsky.social analyzed those who died between 2006 and 2022, totaling what they spent out of pocket on care in their final decade and assessing the impact. The median American spent $19,179. One in 6 spent more than $50,000. One in 20 spent more than $100,000.
Economists have talked about it as the greatest wealth transfer in history. But generational wealth is obliterated for many by the astronomical costs of elder care. The poorest Americans spent nearly a third of their wealth on out-of-pocket care costs. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Just a devastating story from @federicacocco.bsky.social and Shannon Najmabadi today. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Washington Post Data Team@wpdatateam.bsky.social · 2w agoConrad Miles saved about $200,000 for his retirement years, as well as earning a pension with the Santa Fe Railroad. But after he moved into assisted living, his savings were “gone in a heartbeat,” his daughter said. When he died at age 93, he had about $30,000 left. Below: Conrad and Marion Miles
We've all internalised a rule: wait a year, and the tech gets cheaper. But the new price index data suggests that era may be ending. Software prices just posted their largest annual rise on record. Next up, hardware www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Trump: "Every time I see a crypto guy where they dropped an investigation, I said, 'You're lucky I'm president.'"
"Over the past 40 years or so we’ve built a world in which national economies are so interdependent that there are potential choke points everywhere you look." paulkrugman.substack.com/p/when-hyper...
When Hyperglobalization Meets Chaos
Choke points are everywhere you look
paulkrugman.substack.com
A snapshot of Trump Republicans’ White America immigration policy. It’s had its greatest impact on student and medical visa applicants. By @laurenkaorigurley.bsky.social & @federicacocco.bsky.social [gift link] wapo.st/47kh8cq
Under Trump, legal immigration to U.S. is falling from most countries
The State Department issued a quarter million fewer visas in the first eight months of 2025, compared to the same period in 2024, with the largest declines for India, China and the Philippines.
wapo.st
Apple weather is run by a hallucinatory AI, you read it here first (yes I still have Celsius on my phone, please don’t report me to ICE)
The trailer for EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU FOR MONEY. In select theaters starting April 17th 🍿🤑🤣
"bets made among the staff over which detainee would be next to die by suicide." apnews.com/article/suic...
New: I talked to the traders who bet Khamenei would die. One, an Israeli ex-pat, would've won $63,000 before Kalshi froze the bet: “I was booking my trip to Courchevel.” “American commercial immorality on steroids," @chrismurphyct.bsky.social told me www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
Bettors wagered $54 million on Khamenei’s death. Now they’re not getting paid.
Kalshi, a prediction market site, has sparked outrage after freezing $54 million in bets on the death of Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, citing a rule against profiting from death.
washingtonpost.com
Hello Bluesky! We're the Washington Post data team. We dig through government records, social media, campaign finance reports, weather maps, and any other data we can dig up, download, FOIA or create. Then, we share what we find with you. We've worked on a lot in the past year. A few highlights 🧵
Happy birthday to Charles Darwin, patron saint of tired scientists, grumpy fieldworkers, and hating your own manuscript.
I made a map of 3.4 million Bluesky users - see if you can find yourself! bluesky-map.theo.io I've seen some similar projects, but IMO this seems to better capture some of the fine-grained detail
Bluesky Map
Interactive map of 3.4 million Bluesky users, visualised by their follower pattern.
bluesky-map.theo.io
It was incredibly difficult to come into the office today and see so many empty desks. Indefatigable reporters, Pulitzer winners, and deeply creative journalists who loved experimenting and pushing their work further. [1/4]
Co-sign all of this; hire these amazing people! I'm happy to talk to a potential hiring manager about any of them
Caitlin Gilbert@caitlingilbert.bsky.social · 6mo agoAmid the hundreds of colleagues we’ve lost today, I wanted to highlight the BRILLIANT data/graphics folks who any newsroom should be fighting to hire right now—threading here:
I think I'll have more to say tomorrow but for right now, just: @emilygiam.bsky.social *taught herself to code* so she could tackle all the cool stories she came up with on the sports beat. It's been amazing to have her as a teammate and a collaborator, and we're going to miss her a ton. 💜
Emily Giambalvo@emilygiam.bsky.social · 6mo agoThe past eight years at The Washington Post have been a dream. I am so sad but so grateful.
Emily is hands down the best data reporter in sports. She always has the smartest ideas. I know nothing about sports, yet I always read her work, including her inventive look at parlays and their role in America’s booming gambling addiction. [1/2]
Emily Giambalvo@emilygiam.bsky.social · 6mo agoThe past eight years at The Washington Post have been a dream. I am so sad but so grateful.
I'm not very active here, but given the news: I'm one of the hundreds of reporters laid off from the Post. I worked as a graphics reporter, mostly covering the U.S economy and politics. My portfolio: www.lmelgar.me
You're in Luis' website.
lmelgar.me
Amid the hundreds of colleagues we’ve lost today, I wanted to highlight the BRILLIANT data/graphics folks who any newsroom should be fighting to hire right now—threading here:
Whatever you think of the Washington Post at this moment, here's a chance to support the dedicated, hard-working journalists who were just laid off. If you have the means, your donation is most welcome. If you don't, a kind thought and maybe spreading the word to others is support enough 💙
Donate to Washington Post 2026 layoff fund, organized by Rachel Siegel
On Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, The Washington Post laid off hundreds of journalists. We ar… Rachel Siegel needs your support for Washington Post 2026 layoff fund
gofundme.com
I wrote about my childhood friend Alexi Pretti. Please read it and share it and remember him as a human being. @theverge.com
I grew up with Alex Pretti
The kind-hearted ICU nurse shot by ICE agents was my childhood best friend.
theverge.com
We analyzed about a thousand corporate earnings transcripts to get a sense of how corporate American views the economy, and how that changed over the course of a year like no other. Our findings in full: www.washingtonpost.com/business/int...
We analyzed hundreds of earnings calls to see what executives really think of the economy
Executives on earnings calls in late 2025 struck an increasingly optimistic tone about growth and strength even as U.S. households grew more pessimistic on the economy.
washingtonpost.com
