Friday's Fast Five: Week of 9.30

Cities push to convert deserted office buildings into housing (Axios): Cities and states across the country are looking to transform vacant office buildings into housing — a solution for both empty downtowns and housing shortages.

What the Royal Family Costs Taxpayers and Where It’s Spent (Wall Street Journal): King Charles III is promising a less expensive monarchy, as Britons face high inflation and economic struggles. WSJ looks at how much money the royal family gets from taxpayers—and how it’s spent.

Mortgage refinancing drops to a 22-year low as interest rates surge even higher (CNBC): Mortgage rates drove even higher last week after the Federal Reserve signaled it would continue its aggressive action to cool inflation. That, and rising uncertainty in the overall housing market, caused mortgage application volume to drop 3.7% last week compared with the previous week.

The World's Aging Societies (Statistica):  By 2050, low- and middle-income countries will be home to 80 percent of the world's older population, according to projections by the World Health Organization. To raise awareness about this topic, the United Nations General Assembly has declared the timeframe between 2021 and 2030 the "Decade of Healthy Ageing." The initiative aims to "reduce health inequities and improve the lives of older people, their families and communities through collective action."

Six-Figure Artworks, by a Fifth Grader (The New York Times):  Andres Valencia’s paintings have sold for more than $125,000. And he’s 10 years old.