COVID-19 & Your Health

Coronavirus: The married couple behind the successful Pfizer COVID vaccine. “Ugur Sahin and Ozlem Tureci founded the pharmaceutical company BioNTech which has developed the 90% effective coronavirus vaccine.” (Sky News)

Meet Kathrin Jansen, the woman leading Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine effort. “The rock star scientist has a track record of producing difficult vaccines against the odds.” (Fast Company)

Pfizer Says Its COVID-19 Vaccine Is 90 Percent Effective. What Happens Now? (Slate)

The story of mRNA: How a once-dismissed idea became a leading technology in the Covid vaccine race (Stat)

Moderna’s Covid-19 Vaccine Is 94.5% Effective in Early Results, Firm Says. “Awaiting fuller safety data later this month, Moderna said it plans to seek federal authorization for shot by early December.” (The Wall Street Journal)

Your Finances & other Wealth Management links

Now’s the Time to Sign Up for Health Insurance. Here’s How. “It’s open enrollment season for the Affordable Care Act. Anyone who needs insurance for next year can pick a plan now.” (The New York Times)

Why do we make spending decisions that we later regret? (Humble Dollar)

An Uneven Recovery (Michael Batnick, CFA)

“One of the core lessons from this awful pandemic is that you never know when a crisis will strike. Whether you’re making $50,000 or $500,000, if you can’t go without a few paychecks, then you don’t have economic freedom. I understand how hard it is to save money, so I don’t mean to lecture, but you have to pay yourself first. Saving what’s left over doesn’t work. Save first, then spend what’s left.

If you don’t think there’s anything to save, then you should probably find $6.58 a month for Tiller Money, a powerful piece of software that shows you where all of your money is going.”

Businesses, Stock Markets & the Economy

The Glass is Half Full and Half Empty Right Now (Ben Carlson, CFA)

“Balancing the fact that bad things can happen in the short-run while wonderful things can be accomplished over the long-run is one of the hardest parts about keeping your sanity as an investor.

The same can be said about living through a pandemic.”

The Environment & ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) Investing

Any hope of keeping Earth habitable now requires sucking carbon back out of the atmosphere, a new study found (Business Insider)

Your Physical & Mental Well-being

Maitland triathlete Chris Nikic 1st person with Down syndrome to finish Ironman (Orlando Sentinel)

Old Dogs, New Research and the Secrets of Aging. “The ways that dogs grow, and age may provide potentially useful similarities with people.” (The New York Times)

Who Is the Smartest Dog? Let the Competition Begin. “Scientists in Hungary are streaming experiments with dogs that know many words, featuring them in a contest of canine intelligence.” (The New York Times)

Today’s WFH office

Today we have a different treat for you, a selection from Erin Ruberry’s In Better News newsletter, a daily email to bring a smile to your face:

• Baby panda on a pumpkin.
• A green puppy named Pistachio.
• Evie the goat loves her sock monkey sweater.
• Hippo pumpkin smash.
• A kangaroo rat gets fitted for a tiny radio telemetry backpack.

and a classic thread:

• How to weigh a baby giraffe (and other assorted animals).