By JAMES RISWICK

As if the impending arrival of your first child isn’t stressful enough, you’re undoubtedly shopping for a seemingly endless list of baby gear. Cribs, strollers, bottle warmers, sound machines and whatever the heck a MamaRoo is. You’ll likely get most of that stuff from a baby registry. But the biggest baby gear item requires a more significant cash outlay: a new vehicle for your growing family.

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We can’t help you pay for that, but we can point you toward five great SUVs of different sizes that all start for under $40,000. Edmunds’ car experts focused on three qualities: 1) lots of space between the first and second-row seatbacks for bulky rear-facing infant safety seats; 2) big rear door openings to make it easy to get your newborn in and out; and 3) a roomy cargo area for all of your baby gear. The pricing below includes destination fees.

2025 Volkswagen Taos

Subcompact SUVs are not usually top choices for young families because of their limited space for cargo and child safety seats. The Volkswagen Taos is an exception. It’s one of the roomiest models in its class and even rivals a Mazda CX-5 for all-around baby-toting usefulness. Got a rear-facing infant seat, or even a convertible seat, combined with a stroller and a travel crib? No problem — they’ll all likely fit without having to slide the front seats far forward. The 2025 Taos also receives some welcome improvements such as an updated interior with a bigger center touchscreen and a more powerful engine that gets up to an EPA-estimated 31 mpg combined.

2025 Taos starting price: $26,420

2025 Kia Niro

This photo provided by Kia shows the 2025 Niro. The Kia Niro is a great all-around option for anyone wanting an efficient compact crossover. Its standard hybrid powertrain gets up to an EPA-estimated 53 mpg combined. (Courtesy of Kia America via AP)

The Niro is available as a hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicle. The hybrid comes oh-so-close to matching the Toyota Prius’ fuel economy by getting up to an EPA-estimated 53 mpg combined. It also costs less than the Prius and has a more spacious back seat. The cargo area is nice-sized too. There are a lot of hybrid-powered SUVs available and the Niro is one of the least expensive. The plug-in version and the Niro Electric are considerably more expensive than the regular Niro hybrid, but otherwise they share the same family-friendly utility.

2025 Niro starting price: $28,385

2025 Honda CR-V

This photo provided by Honda shows the 2025 CR-V. The CR-V is a standout small SUV thanks to its ample interior space and an appealing mix of features for your money. (Courtesy of American Honda Motor Co. via AP)

The CR-V has long been a go-to choice for parents and rightfully so. It’s an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick. It has a vast back seat, so you won’t likely have to move the front seats up to accommodate the infant car seat in any of the rear positions. The CR-V’s rear door openings are huge, and cargo space is among the roomiest you’ll find for a compact SUV. The entry-level versions of the CR-V come with a 190-horsepower engine, while the more expensive trims have a 204-horsepower hybrid powertrain that gets up to an EPA-estimated 40 mpg combined.

2025 CR-V starting price: $31,495

2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV

This photo provided by Chevrolet shows the 2025 Equinox EV. The Equinox EV is a well-rounded and spacious SUV with exceptional range at a relatively low price. (Courtesy of General Motors via AP)

The Equinox EV is Edmunds’ top-rated electric SUV under $40,000. It has loads of space between its first and second seating rows for fitting a rear-facing child seat. The cargo area is also of a decent size, though ultimately you’ll find more in the CR-V and other compact SUVs. Its electric vehicle credentials are also excellent. It traveled 356 miles on a full charge in the independent Edmunds EV Range Test and has enough power to zip around town without issue. Basically, the Equinox EV is a great family-friendly SUV, and a great EV, at a reasonable price.

2025 Equinox EV starting price: $34,995

2025 Hyundai Santa Fe

This photo provided by Hyundai shows the 2025 Santa Fe. The Santa Fe is a smart pick for a family-oriented SUV thanks to its three rows of seating and ample room for people and cargo. (Courtesy of Hyundai Motor America via AP)

The Santa Fe is the most expensive vehicle on our list, but it is a great choice if you foresee multiple children and want to get a head start with a slightly bigger vehicle. It has three rows of seating. That’s good for future-proofing and just generally handy for those times when you’re going out to dinner with the grandparents and want to take just one vehicle. The Santa Fe isn’t quite as large as Hyundai’s Palisade, but it’s roomy enough for new families and is less expensive. It has also received the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick+ award for crash test results and is available with a hybrid powertrain that gets up to 36 mpg.

2025 Santa Fe starting price: $35,775

Edmunds says

These are great SUVs to start your search with. Make sure to bring along your car seat and any other baby gear on a test drive to know for sure what will work for you.

This story was provided to The Associated Press by the automotive website Edmunds. James Riswick is a contributor at Edmunds.

By Christine Benz of Morningstar

If unanticipated expenses exceed your emergency fund, here’s a look at where to go next.

1. Your own emergency fund/short-term securities

Emergency funds should be held outside of tax-sheltered wrappers and include highly liquid investments like bank savings accounts, money market accounts, and so on.

2. Low-risk assets in taxable account

Next, look at other taxable holdings: investments in brokerage accounts, outside the confines of tax-sheltered vehicles.

When identifying possible securities that you could sell to raise funds, focus on liquidity, tax consequences, and any commissions you’ll owe.

3. Roth IRA contributions

It’s never great to tap your retirement assets unless you absolutely need to, but the Roth IRA offers more flexibility and has fewer strings attached than other tax-sheltered retirement vehicles.

Specifically, you can withdraw any Roth IRA contributions at any time, without incurring penalties or tax—but you’ll have fewer retirement funds working for you.

4. Life insurance cash values

Cash values that have built up in your whole life insurance or variable universal life insurance policy can be another decent source of emergency cash. You can withdraw money outright and have it deducted from your policy’s face value.

Another possibility is to borrow from the cash value of your life insurance. You’ll owe interest on the loan, and these rates can be reasonable but aren’t always low.

5. 401(k) loan

A 401(k) loan is better than a hardship withdrawal because the interest you pay will get paid back into your account.

On the downside, borrowing from your 401(k) plan short shrifts your retirement savings. Not only will you have less money working for you in the market, but having to pay the loan back with interest also means you’re less likely to be able to make new contributions.

6. Home equity line of credit

If you must take out a loan, a home equity line of credit is one of the better options.

Interest rates on HELOCs are usually reasonable relative to other forms of credit, particularly if you maintain a good credit rating, have a fair amount of equity in your home, and aren’t taking out a huge loan.

But if you’re not a perfect borrower, you could be asked to pay a high interest rate or be denied the line of credit altogether.

7. Hardship withdrawals

Unlike a 401(k) loan, which requires that you pay the money back, funds you take out of a 401(k) via a hardship withdrawal cannot be paid back.

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Moreover, you’ll owe taxes on any untaxed dollars you pull out of the account. You’ll also owe an additional 10% penalty unless you’re age 59.5 or older or your situation meets one of several exceptions.

8. Reverse mortgage

A reverse mortgage allows older homeowners to receive a pool of assets that represents equity in their homes. The homeowners don’t have to repay the loan as long as they’re in their homes, but when they do leave, the borrowed amount, plus interest, is deducted from the home’s value.

Reverse mortgage rates can vary widely, so shop around and read the fine print.

9. Margin loans

A margin account allows you to borrow against the value of the securities in your brokerage account.

This option would be most attractive for those who have assets but don’t want to sell them because that would mean unloading them at a bad time and/or incurring tax consequences. If you expect to be able to repay the money quickly, a margin loan could work.

On the downside, interest rates aren’t always attractive. They’re also risky, because the securities in your account are your collateral.

10. Credit cards

This is usually not a great idea: For most people, credit cards are the single easiest way to wreck your financial standing.

Not only are rates high, but credit card companies have every incentive to keep you paying for as long as possible. Thus, minimum payments don’t make a dent in your loan’s principal.

This article was provided to The Associated Press by Morningstar. For more personal finance content, go to  https://www.morningstar.com/personal-finance

Christine Benz is the director of personal finance and retirement planning at Morningstar.

If you’re a night owl, this is the perfect time of year for you, as stargazing has now become a late-night delight! Catch an afternoon nap, grab a lawn chair and the June star map. If you have an app like Sky Guide, all the better!

(Mike Lynch)

The transition in the night sky is just about complete. The stars and constellations of winter are pretty much gone, setting well before the sun. In early June you can still see a few holdovers. Among them are Castor and Pollux, in the constellation Gemini the Twins. You can see them side by side in the low west-northwestern sky. A little to the right of them is the bright star Capella in the constellation Auriga the Charioteer.

A little higher above the western horizon, look for a right-leaning backward question mark. That’s the chest and head of the spring constellation Leo the Lion, with the bright star Regulus at the bottom of the question mark, marking the lion’s heart. A triangle of three moderately bright stars to the upper left of the question mark makes up the hind end and tail of the celestial feline. Leo will have a visitor throughout June, the planet Mars, perusing the southern side of Leo.  On the nights of June 16-17, Mars will pass within one degree of Regulus, making for a great show!

Face north and lie back on a lawn chair, and you’ll easily see the Big Dipper in the high northwest sky hanging upside down by its handle. The Big Dipper isn’t an official constellation, but it does outline the rear end and tail of Ursa Major, the Big Bear. Just to the lower right is the fainter Little Dipper, standing on its handle with Polaris, the North Star, at the end of the handle. The Little Dipper doubles as the actual constellation Ursa Minor, or Little Bear.

Extend the arc of the handle of the Big Dipper beyond the end of the handle, and you’ll run right into a very bright orange-red star. That’s Arcturus, the brightest star in the evening sky this month. It’s more than 20 times the diameter of our sun and around 37 light-years away. The light we see from Arcturus tonight left that star in 1988 when the No. 1 movie at the box office was “Die Hard” with Bruce Willis. Arcturus is the brightest star in the constellation Bootes the Herdsman, although the constellation really looks more like a giant nocturnal kite with Arcturus marking the tail.

Over in the east, the stars of summer are making their initial evening appearances. Leading the way is the Summer Triangle asterism, made up of the bright stars Vega, Deneb and Altair. The highest and brightest is Vega, the brightest star in the constellation Lyra the Harp. To the lower left of Vega is Deneb, the brightest shiner in Cygnus the Swan, rising sideways with the asterism known as the “Northern Cross,” within it. Altair, on the lower right side of the Summer Triangle, is the bright star in the constellation Aquila the Eagle.

The full moon in June will officially be on the 11th. It’s often referred to as the Strawberry Moon in Native American culture, and it’s also called the Rose Moon and the Honey Moon along with other monikers. You can’t help but notice that the full moon this month takes a very low arc across the sky from rising to setting. It’s nearly mirroring the path taken by the sun on the first day of winter.

Speaking of seasons, the summer solstice is on June 20-21 depending on where you live on our home planet. On this summer solstice day, the sun shines directly overhead at noon along the Tropic of Cancer. In the northern hemisphere, it’s the longest day of the year and the shortest night of the year. See if you can pull an all-nighter under the stars!

There is a meteor shower this coming week on June 7, although there’s a big catch to it. Most of this meteor shower occurs during the day, making it nearly impossible to see. That’s why it’s called the Daytime Arietids. However, you might see some meteors during the early morning twilight.

Enjoy the beginning of summer stargazing!

Mike Lynch is an amateur astronomer and retired broadcast meteorologist for WCCO Radio in Minneapolis/St. Paul. He is the author of “Stars: a Month by Month Tour of the Constellations,” published by Adventure Publications and available at bookstores and adventurepublications.net. Mike is available for private star parties. You can contact him at mikewlynch@comcast.net.

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President Trump is unhappy with Vladimir Putin. The Russian isn’t heeding the president’s entreaties to stop the killing in Ukraine, and Mr. Trump is nonplussed.

“I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY! He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I’m not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever,” Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social.

Separately, Mr. Trump told reporters: “I’m not happy with what Putin is doing. He’s killing a lot of people, and I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin.”

Mr. Trump may be the only person in the world still surprised by how Mr. Putin is behaving. The Russian is the same man he’s been for two decades, bent on reconstituting as much of the old Soviet empire as he can get away with. Ukraine is his obsession. He’s not going to modify his ambitions merely because Mr. Trump alternates between begging for peace and scolding outbursts on social media.

Mr. Trump and his advisers fancy themselves steely-eyed realists on foreign policy. No “neocon” idealism for them. But on Mr. Putin they are starry-eyed idealists, mouthing “peace” as if they can make it happen by wishing it were so. Mr. Trump’s naivete is helping Russia continue the killing as long as Mr. Putin wants.

The good news is that the U.S. Senate still has some genuine realists when it comes to Russia. GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham has 82 co-sponsors on a bill that would hit countries that buy Russian oil and gas with tariff sanctions. Energy sales are Mr. Putin’s financial lifeline. President Biden refused to apply these so-called secondary sanctions, and Mr. Trump can’t make up his mind.

If Mr. Trump signaled that he supports the Graham-Tom Cotton-Richard Blumenthal sanctions bill, it would sail through the Senate. Combined with the promise of more arms to Ukraine when the current supply runs out, these sanctions might change Mr. Putin’s calculations about the price of war. But GOP senators can act whether or not Mr. Trump approves. They can vote on the sanctions bill, and force the president to face the hard reality of Mr. Putin’s ambitions that Mr. Trump would rather avoid.

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