XMWare

2026-10-26T11:01:01

(BPT) – The holiday season is marked by special moments with hot beverages and indulgent treats and intimate gatherings with loved ones around beautiful tables laden with your favorite seasonal recipes. However, you don’t have to reserve little luxuries for celebrations and milestones. Imagine capturing the warmth, abundance and sense of occasion that make the holidays so memorable and weaving them into your everyday routine. The truth is you can.

Take the beauty of the holiday season as inspiration to add a touch of opulence to your life, turning ordinary experiences into lavish daily rituals. These five easy, everyday indulgences can help you carry that festive sense of a special occasion into everyday life.

1. Skip the paper plates

Don’t let your best dinner and glassware gather dust. Set the table with pieces usually reserved for special occasions, even if dinner is takeout or a weeknight pasta.

Adding small but thoughtful touches like linen napkins or candles on the table can elevate a familiar meal to a memorable feast. More importantly, it reminds everyone at the table that gathering together is reason enough to celebrate.

2. Don’t skimp on the butter

Using butter with a high butterfat content is a daily indulgence that brings a rich and luxurious flavor to every dish, from your morning toast to the crust on your cinnamon apple tart. Red Barn™ Creamery Butter brings an effortless taste of decadence to the table with 84% butterfat — among the highest available on the market — and the quality and performance that home cooks expect. With an SRP of $4.49 and availability at retailers nationwide, it makes premium American dairy craftsmanship an attainable everyday indulgence.

Consider keeping this type of high-quality butter in the refrigerator for holiday baking and for everyday use.

3. Keep a “just because” dessert within reach

No holiday feast would be complete without a decadent dessert, but that doesn’t mean you can only indulge when company is around. Consider making a simple yet delicious snacking cake or buttery cookies to pair with your daily coffee or afternoon tea. Plus, if you have company drop by, you’ll already have something special on hand to offer.

Need inspiration? Try Broma Bakery founder Sarah Fennel’s Brown Butter Cookie Skillet with Brown Butter Ice Cream. Make sure to use a high butterfat butter, which helps create a tender cookie base and a rich and creamy ice cream that can make a simple Wednesday night dinner feel like a celebratory holiday get-together.

4. Create a holiday-inspired coffee bar

Bring a touch of whimsy and warmth to your mornings and dazzle your guests with a holiday-inspired coffee bar. Gather your fancy cups and festive mugs to place alongside pretty canisters, seasonal syrups, cinnamon sticks and a milk frother on a bar cart or buffet.

Before guests arrive, add a plate of cookies or a bowl of chocolate shavings for an extra-special touch. You can keep this setup year-round, swapping out flavors and toppings as the seasons change, to bring the charm of the holidays to your first cup every morning.

5. Light a richly scented candle every day

Isn’t it amazing how a scented candle can make a simple routine like reading the morning paper or settling down with a cozy book feel like an inspiring ritual? The warm light and lingering fragrance of a nice candle can soften any room, inviting you to slow down and savor where you are.

Choose a fragrance that captures the season, like evergreen, amber, vanilla or spice, and swap in new scents regularly, amplifying the atmosphere and carrying the holiday mood into the new year.

Luxury does not need to be extravagant; rather, elevating moments with intentionality can create a sense of luxury every day. That may mean using the good plates on a Tuesday night, spreading high-quality, rich butter on a dinner roll or enjoying a delightful slice of dessert after work during the week. This holiday season, make room for these small, beautiful gestures that you can continue to enjoy to create pockets of peace every day, no matter the time of year.

2026-10-26T13:45:00

(BPT) – There’s something truly special about the cozy, golden-hued magic of a vintage Christmas: the deep emerald greens, rich velvet ribbons, a crackling fireplace and the iconic jewel-toned glow of oversized tree lights from decades past.

In recent years, holiday decor has turned from stark, minimalist monochrome to embrace the warmth of nostalgia. Channeling the cozy chaos of your favorite ’90s Christmas movies, the sophisticated elegance of East Coast maximalism or a playful hot pink retro vibe are all a part of modern holiday styling.

What’s the secret to modern vintage styling? Hint: it’s not about scavenging antiques. Instead, pair classic design elements with modern innovation.

The nostalgia paradox: Tradition meets modern innovation

Before trimming the tree, you’ll need to answer this dilemma: Stick with incandescent lights for that warm retro glow, or switch to modern LEDs? While traditional incandescent lights carry nostalgia, they bring plenty of headaches. Here’s how they stack up against today’s smart LED lights:

• Warmth and glow: Traditional lights have a natural warm glow but a fixed color temperature. With customizable warm RGBIC shades from Govee, you’ll access 16 million colors and tunable whites that can replicate any retro hue.
• Heat and safety: Incandescents get extremely hot, posing a real fire risk. LEDs, however, are cool to the touch and safe around dry pine needles and delicate vintage ornaments.
• Energy and lifespan: Traditional bulbs have high power consumption and bulbs burn out frequently. But LEDs are eco-friendly, long-lasting and use up to 90% less energy.
• Control and customization: Incandescent lights have a single static mode requiring manual plug-in. With today’s LEDs you have full app control for scheduling, plus dynamic scenes and custom color mapping.

The upshot? Traditional incandescents provide warm nostalgia, but smart LEDs refine that experience for the exact retro aesthetics you want — minus the heat and energy draw.

Here are five timeless ways to create vintage holiday decor in your home, and how smart lighting can bring your vision to life.

1. Capture your favorite ’90s cinematic home vibe

Create the perfect Christmas backdrop filled with glowing ornaments and brimming with holiday magic.

How to style: Drape silver globe ornaments along the fireplace mantel together with a natural pine garland to create a warm, layered look for cozy movie nights.

Solution: Govee Christmas 2-in-1 String Lights merge a 99-foot main string light (300 LEDs) with a 26-foot silver ornament strand (20 pull-bulbs). The translucent silver globes project delicate, magical snowflake patterns onto nearby walls and ceilings, instantly transforming your living room into a cozy, snow-dusted ’90s film set.

2. Channel the heritage elegance of The Hamptons

If your holiday mood board is inspired by a classic New England estate — tartan plaids, leather accents, brass bells and deep emerald needles — you need lighting that grounds your tree without visible wires.

How to style: Layer tartan ribbons and brass ornaments on your Christmas tree, keeping the wire invisible deep within the branches.

Solution: Govee Christmas String Lights 2 are designed with a dark green wire that seamlessly vanishes into pine branches. This set features dense RGBWIC LEDs that deliver saturated amber whites, ruby reds and forest greens. Using Govee’s AI Lighting Bot or 130+ present scenes, you can evoke an authentic Hamptons sophistication glow that elevates your tree into an heirloom-worthy centerpiece.

3. Bring back retro dollhouse glam

Love everything pink, vinyl and playful? No need to stick to traditional reds and greens. Instead, your lawn and entryway can be your mid-century pop playground using pink-tinted whites, pastels and jewel tones — with an iconic cone tree silhouette.

How to style: Place a structured cone tree in your entryway, porch or lawn for a bold, multi-dimensional focal point.

Solution: Govee Cone Tree Lights offer high-brightness outdoor smart LEDs for a cone tree that lets you switch between classic red-and-green and dreamlike pink-and-gold color palettes with a single tap. Your outdoor display will have a playful, retro-glam nostalgia, without the hassle of setting up fragile wireframes.

4. Transform windows into vintage storybook and movie displays

In classic holiday cinema, shop windows were transformed into glowing storybooks featuring Santa silhouettes, flickering fireplaces and gentle snowfall.

How to style: Transform a living room window into a dynamic backdrop, layering brass candleholders and velvet drapes on the sill.

Solution: Govee Smart Curtain Lights Pro provides ultra-dense layers of 960 LEDs that let you “paint” pixelated retro Santa art, vintage fireplace flames or soft winter snowfall directly on your window glass, delighting inside guests and outside neighbors alike.

5. Let your lights “dance” to nostalgic music with smart syncing

Music is a big part of holiday magic. Songs from years gone by become the soundtrack to these special times, helping them last a lifetime.

How to style: Create a cozy listening corner with a vintage vinyl player, plush seating and ambient lighting that reacts subtly to the sounds.

Solution: Govee’s built-in Music Sync technology lets your holiday lights react in real time to audio. Simply put on your favorite holiday vinyl or stream a Christmas playlist and use the Govee Home App to synchronize your entire lighting setup. Watch your Govee Christmas Lights softly dance to the rhythm of classic holiday jazz or upbeat carols, creating a fully immersive, multi-sensory vintage experience.

Bringing it all together with Govee

Creating a cozy, retro holiday atmosphere doesn’t mean sacrificing modern convenience or safety. You can celebrate the warmth of past holidays while enjoying the full versatility of today’s technology. Whether you’re evoking holiday film nostalgia, timeless sophistication or a whimsical retro vibe, Govee is the ultimate smart holiday lighting solution to help you bring those vintage vibes to life.

This season, drop the needle on your favorite classic record and elevate your home with style, using dynamic smart features and creating a holiday glow that’s both nostalgic and totally modern.

Visit Govee.com to explore the full Govee Smart Holiday Lighting Collection to customize your holiday decor, bringing timeless festive charm into your home with effortless smart control.

2026-10-22T08:15:00

(BPT) – From national sports events to local fundraisers, breast cancer seems to be discussed everywhere. But despite all the conversations around breast cancer, most Americans are not talking about, and have never even heard of, a type of breast cancer that is on the rise.

Accounting for up to 15% of all breast cancer diagnoses, lobular breast cancer is the second most common type of breast cancer, around 50,000 cases a year in the U.S. — but its prevalence has not guaranteed its visibility. Awareness of lobular breast cancer remains disproportionately low among American adults, 4 out of 5 of which have never heard of the disease. And despite having an annual incidence that averages higher for women than brain, kidney, liver, pancreatic or ovarian cancer, a lobular breast cancer diagnosis is foreign to nearly 50% of people personally diagnosed with breast cancer.

This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it is important to make yourself aware of all types of breast cancer, including lobular breast cancer.

Four key things to know about lobular breast cancer:

• The tumors don’t usually form as lumps: Lobular breast cancer, also known as invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC), can have symptoms other than a lump. The cancer cells grow in single-file lines or sheets through the breast tissue rather than forming a distinct, dense lump.
• Detection can be more challenging: Because of the way it presents itself ILC can be less conspicuous on mammography and harder to detect by self-exam. This often means that many patients find their lobular breast cancer undetectable until a biopsy confirms the diagnosis.
• Metastatic lobular breast cancer is hard to monitor and treat: Because lobular breast cancer is hard to image, it makes monitoring metastatic lesions and whether they respond to treatment nearly impossible. It is hard to know when to switch a metastatic lobular breast cancer patient to a new line of treatment to stop tumor growth and sadly, for this same reason, metastatic lobular breast cancer patients are often excluded from clinical trials of new drugs.
• ILC incidences are increasing three times faster across all demographics than any other breast cancer type.

“Unfortunately, despite how relatively common lobular breast cancer is, it has historically been overlooked by research and has no specific treatments,” says Dr. Rebecca Shatsky, Professor of Clinical Medicine, UC San Diego Health, Breast medical oncology team leader at Moores Cancer Center and Chair, Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance Scientific Advisory Board.

But, as Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance Executive Director and 8-year ILC survivor Laurie Hutcheson says, “Lobular breast cancer is not rare, has troubling and unique characteristics that are quite different from the more common breast cancer types and urgently needs attention. There are more and more women diagnosed with ILC every day wondering why even now so little is known about lobular breast cancer and when this will change. More attention and research into ILC is critical to changing this narrative and the lives of lobular breast cancer patients everywhere.”

To learn more about lobular breast cancer, the only lobular-breast-cancer-focused patient advocacy organization in the country, visit Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance.

2026-10-22T10:01:00

(BPT) – Key takeaways

• Your daily habits, routines and environmental cues make up your sleep ecosystem, affecting how you fall asleep and stay asleep.
• Melatonin, which helps signal to your brain that it’s time to wind down, is important to that ecosystem.
• Better sleep is one of the strongest investments you can make in your health and well-being.

Americans are increasingly focused on optimizing their health, from tracking activity and recovery to managing weight and nutrition. Sleep is the foundation of overall health, supporting mental and physical well-being and reinforcing healthy lifestyle habits.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 30% of U.S. adults regularly get less than the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep each night.¹

Dr. Stephanie Stahl, medical director at Indiana University Health, notes that many people still treat sleep as something they’ll fit in if there’s time. Stahl is the Sleep Medicine Fellowship Program director and associate professor at Indiana University School of Medicine as well as a member of the Natrol^® Sleep Science Advisory Board.

“Many people think of sleep as the first thing they can sacrifice when life gets busy. But sleep isn’t a luxury. It’s one of the most powerful tools we have to support our health, mental well-being and daily performance.”

But in today’s always-on world, packed schedules, constant notifications and late-night scrolling can all work against the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle. In fact, 38% of adults say using their phone or tablet before bed to read the news or “doomscroll” makes their sleep somewhat or significantly worse.²

What is keeping you awake?

“One of the biggest misconceptions I hear is that sleep starts when your head hits the pillow,” said Stahl. “The truth is that your body has been preparing for sleep all day. Your light exposure, activity, meals, stress and evening routine all influence how prepared your brain and body are for sleep.”

She describes this as your sleep ecosystem — the daily habits, routines and environmental cues that work together to influence your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle. One of the most important players in that ecosystem is melatonin, a hormone your body naturally produces in response to darkness. Rather than forcing sleep, melatonin helps signal to your brain that it’s time to wind down.

Stahl debunks three common sleep myths:

Myth 1: Better sleep starts at bedtime.

Stahl: “Great sleep starts the moment you wake up. Morning sunlight helps regulate your body’s internal clock and supports natural melatonin production later that evening.”

Myth 2: I’ll catch up on sleep this weekend.

Stahl: “Consistency may be just as important as sleep duration. Keeping a regular sleep and wake schedule (yes, even on weekends) helps reinforce your body’s natural rhythm.”

Myth 3: The eight hours you’re asleep are all that matter.

Stahl: “The hour before bed matters, too. A consistent wind-down routine, and dimming the lights and avoiding screen time help prepare your brain and body for quality sleep.”

How can small changes in habits aid in falling asleep and staying asleep?

Improving sleep doesn’t require overhauling your lifestyle. Stahl recommends focusing on a few consistent habits: Get outside for natural light early in the day, stay physically active, avoid caffeine in the afternoon and evening, maintain a regular sleep schedule and create a cool, dark, quiet sleep environment.

Beyond healthy habits: How to get extra sleep support from supplements

Healthy sleep habits are the foundation of better sleep, but even the best routines can’t account for everything. Travel, shift work, changing schedules, stress and age-related changes can all temporarily disrupt your body’s natural rhythm.

It’s one reason more than 27% of U.S. adults report using melatonin supplements, making it one of the country’s most commonly used sleep supplements.³ Melatonin is a well-studied naturally occurring hormone that plays a key role in regulating the sleep-wake cycle.

“One myth I hear is that we don’t know enough about the safety of melatonin supplements,” said Stahl. “In reality, melatonin has been studied and widely used for more than 30 years, and research across a range of doses and durations of use supports its role as a safe, effective and non-habit-forming option for temporary sleep support when taken as directed.”

Melatonin is also the No. 1 doctor-recommended ingredient for sleep⁴ and is recognized by experts as a reliable way to help people fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.*

Because sleep challenges vary from person to person, some people may also benefit from ingredients such as magnesium glycinate, valerian root, GABA or L-theanine depending on their individual needs. Guided by leading sleep experts, including Stahl, Natrol develops science-backed sleep solutions designed to complement healthy sleep habits and support different sleep needs.

The benefits of prioritizing sleep extend well beyond feeling rested — 88% of adults who are satisfied with their sleep report they are flourishing, compared with just 47% of those who aren’t.⁵ Better sleep isn’t just another wellness goal. It’s one of the strongest investments you can make in your overall health and well-being.

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

SOURCES:

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Short Sleep Duration Among Adults. National Center for Health Statistics, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2025, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db559.htm. Accessed 26 June 2026.
2. American Academy of Sleep Medicine. “Americans Are Doomscrolling at Bedtime, Prioritizing Screen Time Over Sleep.” American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 2025, https://aasm.org/americans-are-doomscrolling-at-bedtime-prioritizing-screen-time-over-sleep/. Accessed 26 June 2026.
3. Sleep Foundation.org survey. October 2022. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-news/how-much-melatonin-do-adults-really-take.
4. Based on a 2026 survey of doctors who recommend drug-free sleep support products.
5. National Sleep Foundation. Sleep in America^® 2025 Report. National Sleep Foundation, March 2025.

2026-10-22T06:01:00

(BPT) – Arron Johnson, of Union, New Jersey, was a teenager when alopecia areata began changing how he saw himself and moved through the world.

Thirty years later, 18-year-old Liam Simmons, of Waxhaw, North Carolina, is preparing for college with the same autoimmune disease.

They are two Black men from different generations, connected by an experience that reaches far beyond visible hair loss.

For Johnson, it began with a trip to the barber. He came home and noticed a bald spot, initially thinking his barber had clipped him. But the hair loss continued. What he couldn’t see was what was happening beneath the surface.

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks hair follicles. Approximately 700,000 Americans have some form of the disease, according to a 2020 study published in Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology. For Johnson, it progressed to alopecia universalis, resulting in the loss of all his hair.

The impact went much deeper than appearance.

“I didn’t like who I saw in the mirror,” Johnson says. “Everyone in my family looked a certain way, and I was the person who looked different.”

He began hiding beneath hats and du-rags, missing weddings, staying out of pools and pulling back from parties.

Years later, Johnson realized during his commute to work that he had forgotten his du-rag. He could turn around or keep going.

“I had a choice to return and go back to hiding, or I had a choice to live authentically as myself,” he says. “I chose to live authentically regardless of the insecurities I faced.”

Today, Johnson is an author, coach, father and advocate passionate about increasing representation of Black men living with alopecia areata.

Simmons’ experience is different.

Diagnosed at age 2, alopecia has been part of his life for almost as long as he can remember. As a teenager, he became more aware of comments, stares and the ways hair could shape belonging.

“As a Black man, hair is such a big part of identity,” Simmons says. A lifelong basketball player, he sometimes feels disconnected when friends, teammates and his brothers talk about hairstyles. “It’s something I want to be part of.”

Now Simmons is preparing to study political science in college, with plans to pursue law. Starting over socially on a large campus brings a new challenge.

“There’s a part of me that’s analyzing everybody and trying to figure out who’s looking at me and who’s not,” he says.

Their experiences show why alopecia areata should not be dismissed as cosmetic. Hair loss may be its most visible sign, but the disease can affect identity, confidence, relationships, school, work and daily life.

Their stories are part of Beyond the Mirror, a National Alopecia Areata Foundation^® (NAAF^®) campaign bringing together lived experience and scientific evidence to reveal the full burden of alopecia areata.

“Beyond the Mirror to me is about looking at yourself and not just seeing your physical appearance, but seeing the relationships and the past experiences and all these key defining moments that make you who you are,” Simmons says.

Johnson can now look back at the teenager who once hid from the world. Simmons, at 18, is looking forward.

The road ahead will be his own. But he is beginning it in a world where people like Johnson have chosen to be visible, speak openly and make the path a little less lonely for whoever comes next.

Learn more at naaf.org/beyond-the-mirror and join the conversation using #MoreThanHairLoss.

2026-10-21T04:01:00

(BPT) – By Janet Murguía, President and CEO, UnidosUS

Work hard and you can get ahead. For the many working-class Latinos who work long hours, often at more than one job, and stretch every dollar, that no longer rings true. Nearly seven in 10 told us in a new UnidosUS survey of working-class Hispanic adults that they are falling further behind. The ladder of upward mobility is broken.

With a new legislative session ahead, lawmakers have an opportunity to act on these findings.

As we learned from the UnidosUS Economic Prosperity Agenda, the message from Latinos is practical, urgent and rooted in their everyday experiences. Forty percent of working-class Latinos say their economic situation has gotten worse in the past year. Seventy percent currently struggle to afford gas and more than 60% struggle to pay utility bills or buy groceries. The basics are harder to afford, resulting in growing economic insecurity. These solutions will require action from Congress to take effect.

That pressure is compounded by a mass deportation agenda that has resulted in a two-for-one economic and humanitarian crisis. Forty-four percent of working-class Latinos report that immigration enforcement has negatively affected their household finances, and nearly 1 in 5 say it has increased their household expenses. Among Hispanic small-business owners, 60% say immigration enforcement has hurt their business, often through lost customers and workforce disruptions.

Latinos surveyed want to see a demonstrated commitment by our political leaders to address the economic concerns that all working-class families face every day, and they support concrete solutions: 77% back raising the federal minimum wage to $25 an hour, 80% support universal public child care and early childhood education, and 83% support federal funding to lower monthly energy bills.

With the midterms just weeks away, 58% of working-class Latinos say no party, campaign or organization has asked for their vote. As the head of the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization, my message to candidates is simple: if you want Latino support, earn it consistently, not just in the final weeks of a campaign but while in office, too.

Long-term legislation from Congress would help provide stability for working families and the economy. Working-class Latino families are asking for the opportunity of the American Dream, and their concerns are shared by millions of working-class Americans. What is needed now is the political will to listen and deliver.

2026-10-20T03:33:00

(BPT) – Key takeaways:

• Enterprises are rapidly adopting AI agents for contract management. But when contract data lacks context, the answers AI produces can be difficult to trust.
• Contract data is often fragmented and disconnected from the commercial context teams need to make decisions. This creates contract blindness.
• Agents can deliver quickly, but incomplete contract knowledge can produce fast, confident and costly mistakes. The answer is contract awareness: connecting contract data with the context behind it so teams and AI can have relevant context.
• Contract-aware enterprises don’t start from zero. They use the learnings, negotiations and commitments buried in the contract history to act with the right commercial context during the decisions that matter.
• To learn more about what it takes to become a contract-aware enterprise, visit https://www.sirion.ai/library/reports/contract-aware-enterprise/.

Enterprises are racing to integrate AI agents into their contract processes, with 42% of organizations already actively adopting or implementing AI within contracting processes.* However, in many organizations, contract data is scattered, incomplete and disconnected from the business context that gives it meaning. The information exists, but it isn’t always available to the teams that need it to make decisions. Imagine a major supplier renewal is due tomorrow, and multiple departments need information as soon as possible. Procurement needs price adjustment information, legal needs contract terms, finance needs the budget and forecasting, and operations needs performance metrics.

The answers may all exist somewhere in the enterprise. The challenge is bringing that information together and understanding it in the context of the business relationship.

This condition is best recognized as contract blindness.

A contract-blind organization has the terms, obligations and leverage negotiated, but no person, system or AI agent can contextualize or reliably use them when decision time arrives. Over time, that gap translates into value leakage, slower decisions and weaker control over risk and performance. WorldCC highlights that poor contract management can cost an enterprise 9% of its annual revenue.

And the arrival of AI makes the problem harder to ignore.

Why contract blindness endures

Enterprises don’t necessarily lack contract data. They lack a connected view of it, because data is still siloed by function. Legal owns the language, procurement owns the supplier, finance sees spending and revenue, and business owners manage performance. In fact, contract data in a typical enterprise is often scattered across 24 systems.

Research highlights the scope of the fragmentation across global enterprises. Only 27% of organizations globally store all executed contracts exclusively in a contract lifecycle management (CLM) platform, with the majority operating in fragmented environments.*

And in any case, having a repository is not enough. Even with a CLM, contract data can remain fragmented and disconnected across systems, limiting data flow and deepening contract blindness. In fact, 54% of organizations report no automated data flow between systems and only 9% have bidirectional data flow where systems stay in sync.*

Disconnected data makes it harder for teams to bring together the information they need to make informed decisions. The emerging challenge is that same fragmentation can limit the context available to AI agents when they act. AI agents are designed to do more than retrieve information. They can review contracts, answer questions, recommend actions and initiate workflows. That makes the quality and context of the underlying contract data more important than ever, because AI will deliver the best outcome it can—based on the information it has access to.

Consider the supplier renewal.

An agent asked whether a supplier can raise its prices might find the relevant clause and confidently provide an answer. But what if an amendment changed the pricing mechanism? What if a negotiated exception applies to this supplier? What if the supplier agreed to a performance commitment in exchange for the increase?

The agent may have found the right clause. It may even have interpreted that clause correctly. But without the surrounding contract context, its answer could still lead the business in the wrong direction.

The problem isn’t that the AI cannot read the contract.

The problem is that it does not know what else it needs to read.

That distinction matters. AI can only create context from the information it can access. But when relevant contract data is fragmented across systems, an agent does not have enough information to understand the full commercial picture. An agent working from an incomplete contract record can produce an answer that sounds authoritative while missing the exception, obligation, negotiation or commercial condition that changes what the business should do.

The stakes change when AI moves from reading contracts to acting on them. The question is no longer whether AI can find the right clause, but whether it understands what that clause means for the business.

The goal is no longer just to find, summarize or draft contracts faster. It is to make the full story of a contract accessible, from its terms and obligations to the negotiations and relationships behind them.

How to turn contract data into usable knowledge

A contract-aware enterprise treats its agreements as a connected business asset rather than a collection of documents. By making contract data continuously accessible, contextual and actionable across the business, leaders can perform analyses, surface real-time insights, build high-leverage agreements and instantly answer commercial questions that were previously impossible to ask.

So, what does contract awareness look like in practice?

In the supplier-renewal scenario above, procurement can see the price adjustment alongside previous negotiations, legal can identify exceptions and fallback language, finance can forecast the monetary impact, and operations can compare service with actual performance. Each team works from the same connected contract knowledge, allowing the enterprise as a whole to make informed decisions with its obligations and leverage intact.

Each team is working from connected contract knowledge rather than an isolated piece of the agreement. The result is not simply better visibility. It is better decision-making.

Creating contract awareness requires more than adding AI to an existing repository.

An AI-native CLM can create a connected contract intelligence layer by structuring agreement data around counterparties, deals, obligations and other contract elements while preserving the relationships and context between them.

This new approach enables AI agents to act on what you need, not on what you click. By combining context and intent, an agent can answer questions like, “Which suppliers have price increases without corresponding service improvements?” and “Which obligations are at risk of being missed?” The result: A workflow that can move from question to insight to action without losing the commercial context.

Moving from contract knowledge to commercial action

The next phase of enterprise AI won’t be defined by access to powerful models. It will be defined by whether those models can act within the right business context.

By moving from contract blindness to contract awareness, enterprises can give both people and AI agents a more complete view of the agreements that shape their commercial relationships. To learn more about the contract-aware enterprise, visit https://www.sirion.ai/library/reports/contract-aware-enterprise/.

*Sirion and World Commerce & Contracting, “Trusted Contract Data: From Repository to System of Record,” 2026.

2026-10-20T15:31:01

(BPT) – Filing your taxes is never a top item on anyone’s fun to-do list, but it’s definitely a must, and can lead to a very welcome refund. The good news is, there’s a new service that can help make getting taxes done a lot easier, and without breaking the bank. Many are already familiar with Credit Karma, the personal finance platform from Intuit that helps users track their credit scores, but may not know about the recently launched Credit Karma Tax.

This new service is being offered at a simple, flat-rate pricing model to all members, no matter their tax complexity:

• $0 for federal taxes
• $15 for state filing*

With Credit Karma Tax, members get self-guided DIY tax filing, with real-time AI help to simplify the entire process, tackling much of the manual work that makes filing tedious and time-consuming. AI-powered tools support members every step of the way, giving them a head start by centralizing key financial data, optimizing tax outcomes, delivering refunds faster, and building long-term financial health long after they submit their taxes. It is designed to meet the shifting expectations of modern filers, particularly Gen Z and younger taxpayers making under $50K who want a reliable free DIY option regardless of tax complexity.

Unmatched speed and convenience

Credit Karma is already part of millions of consumers’ daily financial routines. Because the platform centralizes a member’s financial data, including income, credit, cash flow and taxes, all in one place, this gives Credit Karma members a head start. Filers can skip the manual data entry: simply snap a photo or automatically import forms directly from employers or financial institutions, including stock sales, plus financial and crypto transactions. Credit Karma Tax then uses this information to pre-fill the return.

Thanks to its comprehensive document checklist and gathering tools, Credit Karma Tax takes the guesswork out of filing. With no complexity restrictions, local gig workers, freelancers and small business contractors can take advantage of the free federal filing without unexpected upsells.

Financial progress and confidence

It’s natural to worry about filing correctly, and to wonder when that refund will show up. Now, from the instant members start the filing process to the moment the refund lands, Credit Karma Tax uses Intuit’s domain expertise, AI and platform technology to get members’ taxes done right and make that money work harder for them.

Credit Karma Tax provides:

Real-time help — Giving clear explanations of return outcomes and catching errors along the way, using built-in AI tools like its expert chat function and coming soon, Explanation and Error Agents. Credit Karma Tax runs thousands of accuracy checks before submission to ensure compliance with IRS and state requirements. All returns are backed by a 100% accuracy guarantee. If a calculation error causes an IRS or state penalty, Intuit covers the penalty and interest. Over the past 14 years, Intuit has helped Americans file more than 150 million tax returns for free, more than all other tax prep companies combined.

Assistance beyond filing — Tax refunds are often the single biggest financial event of the year for Americans. Credit Karma transforms that moment into year-round financial health through its suite of AI-powered financial tools:

• The Refund Agent turns refunds into actionable plans to pay down debt, save or invest
• The Debt Agent builds personalized paydown plans, saving members $200+ a month and
• The Paycheck Agent allocates paychecks across bills, spending and goals.

Faster access to money — With 70% of Americans relying on tax refunds to cover basic living expenses, Credit Karma Tax can provide accelerated access to funds.

Up to 5 days early: Access 2026 federal tax refunds up to 5 days early for free with deposit into a Credit Karma Checking account.[1]

Refund Advance loan: With the upcoming launch of Credit Karma Tax’s Tax Year 2026 offering, apply for an up to $4,000 Refund Advance loan with $0 loan fees and 0% APR.[2]

Simple, flat-rate pricing

To make the next tax filing season even easier and more affordable, Credit Karma Tax offers a predictable, flat-rate pricing structure, regardless of each member’s tax complexity, with no hidden fees: $0 for federal filing and $15 per state filing.

For filers seeking added peace of mind or expert support as they file their 2026 taxes, Credit Karma Tax offers straightforward, optional paid add-ons:

Expert Support Bundle: Includes audit defense, ID protection benefits, 1:1 live product support and the ability to pay the $15 state fee using the tax refund. ($29 at launch. Pricing subject to change.)[1]

Expert Final Review: An option to add a final review by a tax expert to the above bundle will also be available at launch. ($39 at launch. Pricing subject to change.)[1]

Operating as a distinct, streamlined tax preparation offering, Credit Karma Tax is available on the Credit Karma website and app. To learn more, become a member and create a free Credit Karma account, visit CreditKarma.com.