Thinking about jumping on the bandwagon but aren’t sure if your home is a good candidate for a heat pump? The USA TODAY team asked the HVAC experts at ARS, a national HVAC installer, to help you decide.

Here, we’ll take a closer look at which regions are best suited for heat pumps and why.

What is a heat pump and how does it work?

The name “heat pump” is misleading, as this machine has the ability to both heat and cool your home. However, this name perfectly describes how a heat pump works. Unlike furnaces, heat pumps do not produce heat. They move it from one place to another.

Starbucks says the popular, colorful drink first debuted as a limited-time product in 2017, and most recently appeared at this year’s Coachella music festival. The drink made waves in 2017 with its pink and blue swirls, color changes, and “unicorn dust” topping.

The Unicorn Frappuccino will return to Starbucks Coffeehouses later this summer for one weekend only, but the company has not yet announced a date.

Starbucks recently discontinued its summer menu

Starbucks’ summer menu will go on sale May 12 and will be available for a limited time, according to the coffee chain. The menu welcomes the return of the new Tropical Butterfly Refresher, the new Horchata Frappuccino Blend Beverage, and the Iced Horchata Shake Espresso.

According to Starbucks, Tropical Butterfly Refresher features guava and passionfruit flavors, as well as bursts of mango-pineapple-flavored pearls. To finish off the drink, a splash of butterfly pea flower infusion is added to effectively create the color of the drink.

Often, what starts out as a focused effort to find a better role, or to get out of a tough job market, quickly becomes repetitive and unfocused, with candidates applying for jobs that don’t quite align with their goals, but that they still feel are worth a shot in the moment.

The experience has a name: “destructive work.” This reflects expanding workplace behaviors shaped by job market uncertainty and the pressure to constantly be on the move.

What is Doomjob?

Doomjobs are a recent workplace phenomenon that reflects the compulsive temptation of doomscrolling. The article describes how job seekers cycle through lists that don’t exactly match what they’re looking for, but apply anyway out of urgency or uncertainty.

Tracy J. Renshaw, 56, claims the incident occurred on May 14, 2023, while she was dining with her family at Outback Steakhouse in Sterling, Virginia. The lawsuit, first filed in Loudoun County Circuit Court in May 2025 and later transferred to federal court on May 27, 2026, accuses the restaurant of failing to maintain a safe environment for its customers.

Renshaw was walking to the bathroom when she stepped on a slippery object on the floor that looked like mashed potatoes, according to the complaint. The fall caused her to land face-first on the hard floor, according to the complaint.

Her application claims the chain had a legal obligation to maintain a safe environment and warn customers of the dangers. The paper alleges that no warnings about the substance were posted and that the restaurant left the spill on the floor for an unreasonable amount of time.

If someone is lucky enough to win the jackpot on Tuesday, they have two options. Take home one-time cash or get paid instantly, then receive an annual check that’s 5% larger than the previous year.

It’s been over two months since I won the Mega Millions jackpot. The last time it happened was on March 17th when the Ohio State player won $60 million.

With Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing just hours away, here’s what you need to know.

What are the winning Mega Millions numbers for June 2, 2026?

USA TODAY will publish the winning numbers for Tuesday’s Mega Millions lottery after the drawing at 11pm ET.

A study of more than 111,000 women published June 2 in a peer-reviewed journal found that women who took the popular GLP-1 drug prescribed for obesity and diabetes had a more than 30% lower risk of breast cancer. However, the researchers cautioned that this observational study does not prove that the popular weight loss drug reduces cancer risk.

University of Pennsylvania researcher Elizabeth MacDonald said that studies linking GLP-1 drugs to breast cancer prevention, along with a study published in May that found GLP-1 users were less likely to see metastasis of some obesity-related cancers, “only raises the possibility that there are real biological signals” that should be studied in robust clinical trials.

Other than skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States, accounting for an estimated 380,000 cases annually. Approximately 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime.

When choosing between the two, it’s important to understand how they differ in areas such as volatility, scarcity, inflation protection, liquidity, and long-term performance. Here’s how to compare gold and Bitcoin and decide which one is right for your portfolio.

Are you ready to buy gold? Best Gold Dealers for Your Investment in 2026

Gold is a physical asset. Bitcoin is digital

“Gold is a tangible, rare metal with 5,000 years of financial reliability,” explains Henry Yoshida, a certified financial planner and co-founder of Dallas-based fintech company Rocket Dollar. Its value is independent of whether governments, banks, and companies fulfill their promises.

In contrast, Bitcoin exists entirely in digital form. It runs on a decentralized blockchain network, and its value depends primarily on investor demand, adoption, and trust in the technology. Bitcoin’s supply is limited by design, but its short track record means investors need to have more faith in the network’s continued growth and acceptance.

Gold has a long track record. Bitcoin is relatively new

Gold has served as a store of value for thousands of years, giving investors a long history of assessing how it performs during times of inflation, market turmoil, and economic uncertainty. “Gold’s thousands of years of track record means we know how it behaves through wars, currency collapses, and inflation cycles,” Yoshida says. “Bitcoin has only experienced one Fed tightening cycle and zero true global recessions.”

This difference in history creates trade-offs for investors. While gold’s long history may make it easier to evaluate it as a defensive asset, Bitcoin’s short history leaves more uncertainty about how it will perform in the broader economic environment.

At the same time, new assets offer greater growth potential if adoption continues to expand. Alexander S. Bloom, CEO of Two Prime, an SEC-registered investment advisory firm, said investments like Bitcoin “may be difficult to attract large-scale adoption, but they also offer even greater benefits if successful.”

Bitcoin is generally more volatile than gold

Bitcoin has historically experienced much greater price fluctuations than gold. “Bitcoin’s annual volatility is about 70% to 80%, which is about four times gold’s 15% to 20%,” Yoshida points out.

This volatility creates both opportunity and risk. Large price movements can lead to large profits in a bull market, but they can also lead to large losses in a short period of time. Gold tends to move more slowly, and many investors find it easier to hold onto gold during times of market stress.

Volatility is not automatically negative, Blume said. Investors can manage risk by keeping volatile assets a small portion of their portfolio, and investors with a long-term horizon may be able to weather market fluctuations. However, retirees and investors who may need to access their money in the near future should be wary of investing too much in Bitcoin.

Compare even more options. Is Silver or Bitcoin the Right Choice for You?

Gold is widely accepted as a safe-haven asset

Gold has long been considered a safe investment, with investors often turning to it during times of economic uncertainty, geopolitical instability, and inflation concerns. “Gold has achieved its status as a safe-haven asset because central banks hold it in reserves, there are no issuers that can default, and historically gold appreciates when confidence in paper money declines,” Yoshida says. He cited the recent rise in gold prices to more than $5,400 this year amid tensions in the Middle East as a recent example.

Unlike stocks and bonds, gold is not tied to a company’s profits or a government’s ability to service its debt. Its independence has allowed it to maintain its reputation as a store of value during times of market downturn and financial stress.

Blume describes gold as “hard money.” This means that its supply is naturally limited. “Hard money assets tend to do well in times of inflation and uncertainty because people trust them and seek security,” he said.

Bitcoin offers potential for growth as it gains adoption

Like gold, Bitcoin is in limited supply and is often seen as a hedge against currency depreciation. In fact, some investors refer to Bitcoin as “digital gold” because there are only 21 million Bitcoins in existence. The key difference is that Bitcoin’s value is highly dependent on its continued adoption by investors, institutions, and governments.

Every time a new exchange-traded fund (ETF), government, or company buys Bitcoin, it adds demand to a supply that cannot grow. At its best, this dynamic helped drive triple-digit profits. As Yoshida says, “Gold won’t go 10x from here, but it won’t go to zero even if hiring stagnates.”

The potential for huge profits is one of Bitcoin’s biggest attractions, but it also brings additional risks. Unlike gold, which derives some of its value from its long history as a store of value, the investment case for Bitcoin relies heavily on continued trust and adoption in the network.

Brian Kuderna, a certified financial planner and founder of the Kuderna Financial Team, warns that the price of Bitcoin can also be influenced by factors that have little to do with fundamentals. Social media trends, investor sentiment, and politicians publicly supporting or criticizing cryptocurrencies can all contribute to sharp price swings, making Bitcoin’s path to widespread adoption more bumpy than it appears on paper.

Gold and Bitcoin supply dynamics are different

Scarcity helps support the value of both gold and Bitcoin, but their supply mechanisms are very different.

“The supply of gold increases by about 1.5% to 2% every year due to mining,” Yoshida says. This growth is slow enough to maintain gold’s purchasing power over time while meeting demand from investors, central banks, jewelers, and industrial users.

In contrast, Bitcoin’s supply is fixed. The network is programmed to never exceed 21 million Bitcoins. Unlike gold, whose supply can gradually increase as more metal is mined, Bitcoin’s supply cannot expand in response to increased demand.

For supporters, its fixed cap is one of Bitcoin’s most attractive features. They argue that Bitcoin’s limited supply makes it resistant to currency depreciation, making it potentially valuable as a long-term inflation hedge. Critics counter that scarcity alone does not guarantee value if investor demand weakens.

Compare even more options. Is it better to invest in silver or gold in 2026?

Inflation hedging: Gold is proven. Bitcoin is being discussed

Many investors buy both gold and Bitcoin because they believe that assets with limited supply can help protect purchasing power when inflation erodes the value of cash. The difference is that gold has a much longer track record.

“Gold has maintained its purchasing power through major inflation episodes of the last century, but Bitcoin’s inflation hedging theory is still under stress testing,” Yoshida observes. “Bitcoin was sold off during a spike in inflation in 2022, and has fallen in 2026 even as the CPI (Consumer Price Index, a key inflation indicator) is soaring.”

That doesn’t necessarily invalidate Bitcoin’s inflation hedge argument. Proponents argue that Bitcoin should be valued over the long term and that its fixed supply may be more important than short-term market sentiment.

Bloom takes that view, noting that Bitcoin has outperformed inflation for several years. The challenge is that investors need to tolerate significant volatility along the way. Those with shorter time horizons or lower risk tolerance may feel uncomfortable holding onto Bitcoin through the sharp drawdowns that often accompany long-term gains.

Liquidity and accessibility

Gold and Bitcoin are both relatively liquid assets, so they can usually be bought and sold without much difficulty. However, the ownership experience is very different.

Gold is traded through dealers, banks and exchanges around the world, primarily during market hours. Bitcoin trades 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so investors can buy, sell, and transfer their Bitcoin virtually any time. As Yoshida points out, Bitcoin can be sent around the world in minutes from your smartphone.

The trade-off occurs after the purchase. Physical gold requires safe storage and often requires insurance to protect against theft or loss. Bitcoin eliminates those costs, but it also introduces risks of its own. Investors who store their own cryptocurrencies must protect their private keys and account credentials, as forgetting a password or losing a key can permanently cut off access to your holdings.

For some investors, Bitcoin’s 24-hour accessibility is a big advantage. Others prefer the simplicity and tangibility of owning a physical asset they can hold in their hands.

Which is better: gold or Bitcoin?

There’s no winner between the two, and most financial planners will tell you that the better question is how much of each to own. Yoshida recommends placing 5% to 10% of your portfolio in gold, and says that when it comes to Bitcoin, “a 1% to 3% allocation can make a big difference in portfolio returns.”

Consider Gold if…	Consider Bitcoin if…	Consider both if…
Prioritizing capital preservation over growth	Have a long-term perspective and don’t need money right away	You need a portfolio anchor with a bet on growth
Are you near or near retirement?	More than 50% stomach drop possible without selling	Diversified across different investment types
You want to hedge around economic factors, not headlines.	Want exposure to mature investments with greater upside potential	I would like to have a basic allocation in gold and a small speculative position in Bitcoin.

conclusion

Gold and Bitcoin can both play a role in a diversified portfolio, but for different purposes. Gold has a long history as a store of value, has a reputation as a safe asset, and generally has low volatility. Bitcoin has greater growth potential, but is riskier and has a shorter track record.

For many investors, the choice is not necessarily one or the other. Gold and Bitcoin often react differently to economic and market conditions, so owning both can help diversify your portfolio. Investors can gain exposure through the purchase of physical gold (such as coins and bars), cryptocurrencies, or through ETFs that provide access to one or both assets.

Consider your time horizon, risk tolerance, and overall financial goals before investing. If you’re not sure how either asset fits into your portfolio, start with a small position and reconsider with your financial advisor as your goals change.

About the editor

Roxanne Downer is an editor and writer with nearly 20 years of experience covering personal finance, consumer services, and investing. She specializes in translating complex topics and thoroughly dissecting industry terminology and sales tactics to provide readers with clear, trustworthy guidance they can use, whether it’s comparing providers, managing debt, or considering new investment strategies.

Read full biography

FAQ

Is Bitcoin better than gold?

it depends. If you want stable, long-term protection for your money, gold makes more sense. Bitcoin has the potential for greater profits, but larger price fluctuations are expected.

Is gold safer than Bitcoin?

For most investors, gold is safer. It has a centuries-old history as a store of value and does not rely on technology to maintain its value. Although Bitcoin has become increasingly mainstream in recent years, it has yet to survive every economic cycle.

Can Bitcoin replace gold?

So far, most investors and analysts are saying no. Gold’s 5,000-year history and central bank support give it a kind of staying power that Bitcoin has not yet built.

Which is a better hedge against inflation?

Gold has long been valued as a reliable inflation hedge. Although Bitcoin has survived most major periods of inflation in the last century, Bitcoin has only survived one.

Should I invest in gold or Bitcoin?

It depends on the type of investor. Many hold both gold as a source of stability and Bitcoin as a smaller growth position.

Can I invest in both gold and Bitcoin?

yes. Many investors use gold as a more stable store of value and Bitcoin as a riskier growth asset. The two assets often react differently to market conditions, so owning both can provide diversification benefits.

Have you ever gone on a trip and wished you could do it all over again later? Maybe you crammed too much into one week, or you took so much on the trip that you almost slept on the bus. (We did it once.)

Are you disappointed? As Kathleen Wong reports, travelers are experiencing a few things.

When food is too delicious to eat

Betty Lin-Fisher tells a story about an app called Too Good to Go. It started in Europe and is available in 62 cities in the United States. Through the service, supermarkets and restaurants can offer “surprise bags” filled with food at more than 50% off the retail price.

Prepare for new student loan rules

Medora Lee reports that federal student loans are undergoing an overhaul. The changes will take effect on July 1st, so borrowers should start preparing now.

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Locations will be located in Illinois, Maryland, and Texas, as well as new markets such as Pensacola, Florida, and Lynnwood, Washington.

“A standout opening in June is the unveiling of our flagship restaurant in Inglewood,” the company said in an email to USA TODAY on Monday, June 1.

The Inglewood store is located about six minutes from SoFi Stadium, which will host World Cup games starting June 11. The Intuit Dome, the home arena of the Los Angeles Clippers, is also nearby, according to the Raising Canes.