This Week’s Money Map:

• 🤖 AI and your paycheck: 170 million new jobs coming by 2030

• 🛟 Why your employer’s life insurance isn’t enough

• 🧐 FICO Score 10T: The new credit model that could instantly boost (or tank) your number

• 💵 MG Book Club: The retirement spending paradox nobody talks about

🤖 AI and your paycheck: The real story behind 170 million new jobs coming by 2030

Here's something that might surprise you: while everyone's talking about AI taking jobs, the World Economic Forum just revealed that artificial intelligence will actually create 170 million new positions by 2030. But here's the catch — 92 million existing jobs will disappear in the process.

Numbers don't lie
The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025 isn't crystal-ball-gazing, it's hard data from over 1,000 major employers representing 14 million workers worldwide. The report anticipates that by 2030, AI and other information processing technologies will transform 86% of businesses, sparking the creation of 170 million new roles worldwide while making 92 million existing jobs redundant.

Here's what this means in plain English: there will be a net employment increase of 78 million jobs. The math works in favor of job creation, but only if you're prepared for the transition.

Reality check: Employers are already planning cuts
Let's be brutally honest here. Most employers anticipate reducing their workforces where AI can automate tasks. This isn't happening in some distant future — companies are making these decisions right now, in boardrooms across America.

The jobs most at risk? Routine, repetitive tasks that don't require complex problem-solving or human interaction. Think data entry, basic customer service, simple manufacturing processes, and even some administrative roles.

Your action plan: Three moves to make starting today

1. Identify your "AI-proof" skills — Look at your current job and honestly assess: which parts of your work require human judgment, creativity, or emotional intelligence? These trends are expected to increase the demand for creative thinking and resilience, flexibility, and agility skills. 

2. Start learning now (it's cheaper than you think) — You don't need to quit your job to retrain. Many community colleges offer evening programs, and platforms like Coursera partner with universities for accredited certificates. Focus on skills that complement AI rather than compete with it, think data analysis, digital marketing, sales or technical troubleshooting.

3. Aggressively build your safety net — Here's the uncomfortable truth: career transitions take time. If you haven't already, start building an emergency fund that covers 3–6 months of expenses (6–12 if you have dependents). Better yet, park it in a high-yield savings account that will grow while sitting there. Treat your financial stability like the life-or-death priority it is.

Jobs that are actually growing
The jobs created are equivalent to 14% of today's employment. The new positions aren't just tech jobs, they're roles that require human skills AI can't replicate yet:

• Health care workers (aging population needs human care)

• Skilled trades (plumbing, electrical, HVAC — robots can't crawl through your walls yet)

• Creative professionals who use AI as a tool

• Customer success managers who solve complex problems

• Training and development specialists (someone needs to teach people new skills)

The future of work is coming whether you're ready or not. The question is: will you be prepared to benefit from it, or will you be scrambling to catch up?

🛟 Life insurance through your workplace isn’t enough — here’s why

Free life insurance through work feels like a nice perk, until you realize it's probably covering about 20% of what your family actually needs. Most employer policies offer 1–2 times your salary, probably not enough if you have a family, a mortgage, or anyone depending on your income long-term.

Why employer coverage falls short

The coverage gap is massive — If you earn $75,000 per year, your work policy might provide $150,000. But financial experts recommend 10–12 times your income, meaning you need $750,000–900,000 total. That's a $600,000+ gap your family would have to figure out.

It's tied to your job — Get laid off, fired, or decide to switch careers? Your coverage disappears exactly when your income does. Converting to individual coverage through your employer typically costs 3–5 times more than buying your own policy.

Limited customization — Employer policies are one-size-fits-all. Got kids with special needs? Big mortgage? Elderly parents you support? The cookie-cutter coverage doesn't adjust for your actual responsibilities.

The fix: Supplement with a personal policy
Keep the free employer coverage as a foundation, then buy a separate term life policy to fill the gap. A term life policy (think 20–30 years) can cost as little as $20–30/month for hundreds of thousands in coverage. And it’s yours, no matter where you work.

🧐 FICO Score 10T: The new credit model that could instantly boost (or tank) your number

Think your credit score is set in stone? FICO’s new scoring model could shake up your number overnight. Meet 10T, the latest model that lenders are starting to use to evaluate your creditworthiness. And yes, it could make your score jump or nosedive, even if nothing’s changed on your report.

What’s new with 10T?
The "T" stands for "trended data," meaning this new model looks at your credit behavior over the past 24 months, not just a snapshot. It's tracking whether your balances are climbing or dropping month over month. It’s more sensitive to recent late payments, rising debt, and patterns of credit use, making it harder to “game” your score with short-term fixes.

Key differences from previous models:
1. 10T rewards consistent debt reduction, not just low balances today.
2. It may penalize large balance fluctuations, especially if they look like risky behavior.
3. Personal loans used to consolidate debt may hurt more if you rack up balances again.

Your action plan
Paying down your cards steadily over time? That’s a win. Carrying high balances, even if you pay them off each month? That could ding you. Here’s how to come out on top:

• Always pay your bills on time — late payments hurt more than ever.

• Keep credit card balances low — not just at the end of the month, but consistently over time.

• Avoid taking on new debt unless necessary, and don’t let balances creep up.

• If consolidating debt, don’t run up your old credit cards again.

• Keep old accounts open to help your credit age and utilization ratio.

Most lenders are still using older FICO models (8 and 9), but some major credit card companies and auto lenders have already adopted 10T. Expect wider adoption over the next 2–3 years.

If you’re a “swipe now, pay in full later” kind of spender, 10T might surprise you. On the flip side, if you’ve been quietly chipping away at balances, your score could see a glow-up.

💵 MG Book Club: The retirement spending paradox nobody talks about

If you’re following along with the MoneyGeek Book Club, we’ve got two more weeks with Die With Zero by Bill Perkins. This time, we’re talking about the retirement spending paradox.

Studies show retirees typically spend only 60–80% of what they could safely withdraw. Even wealthy retirees with millions often live like they're one expense away from poverty. This means that most retirees dramatically underspend their savings, robbing themselves of experiences they worked decades to afford.

The median retiree dies with more assets than they had at retirement — literally saving money while in retirement — despite that being the opposite of retirement's purpose.

Perkins identifies three psychological barriers to spending in retirement. One is having a Depression-era mindset, where you have deep-rooted fears about running out. Another is identity protection. For example, after decades indentifying as a "saver," spending feels like betraying your identity. Last is uncertainty paralysis, where fear of unknown future costs causes extreme conservatism.

And yet, research consistently shows spending decreases with age, regardless of wealth:

• Ages 65–74: Spending drops 15% from pre-retirement levels

• Ages 75–84: Another 20% decrease

• Ages 85+: Spending stabilizes at 50–60% of age 65 levels

Most retirement calculators assume constant spending, but reality shows a steady decline.

Action step: Calculate 4% of your current retirement savings. That's your safe annual withdrawal rate. List everything you'd like to do this year but think you "can't afford." Compare the costs to your safe withdrawal amount.

Next week: How to calculate your personal Die With Zero number.

Smart Cents gives you actionable tips and mindset shifts to help you reach your financial happy place. Thanks for being a part of our community.

The MoneyGeek Team

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