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Your Money: Looking ahead to the fourth quarter

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 13:38:59 GMT

Bruce Helmer and Peg WebbThe stock market continues to defy expectations. In 2022, Wall Street predicted that rising rates would cause another down year and likely lead to a recession. Instead, corporate earnings have proved to be resilient, the jobs market is robust, and core inflation, despite volatile gas and food prices, is generally subsiding to normal levels. Stocks have done much better than many imagined.So, how will 2024 unfold? We advise our clients to focus on what they can control. You cannot control the direction of the stock market. But by sticking to a well-constructed financial plan, you should be able to remove a lot of the stress from your decision-making. That’s the goal of today’s handy quarterly planning calendar.October is financial planning monthWhen the weather cools, it’s always a good time to focus on education — and learning how to secure your financial future. Mid-October is when the IRS typically announces changes to tax brackets, 401(k) plan contributio...

Sunday Bulletin Board: The Evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John … and the Softball Lady!

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 13:38:59 GMT

Life as we know itTHE HAPPY MEDIUM writes: “Subject: That Which We Teach.“Once upon a time, I taught Vacation Bible School to children attending the little country church on the hill in rural Wisconsin. These children ranged from ages 6 to 12. If I recall, moms and dads dropped their children off at 9:00 in the morning and picked them up around 3:00 in the afternoon.“The emphasis this particular summer was the four gospels of the New Testament. Booklets were provided for each student to write answers to questions or take notes during the study. Each day we had good discussions about each gospel: what all four of them had in common and what were any differences.“We had brief breaks in the morning, with a noon lunch. Each child brought a lunch from home, which was a balanced meal, of course.“Following lunch, we played softball. Bases were established, and teams were formed. I joined in the games each day, sometimes as the everlasting pitcher. We all had a...

'I love you all so much' : Adam Wainwright treats Cardinals fans to postgame concert

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 13:38:59 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Adam Wainwright has created many memories at Busch Stadium over the years, usually on the pitcher's mound. On Saturday evening, his second-to-last night as a big-league ballplayer, he treated fans once again, but elsewhere in the ballpark and without his baseball attire. Wainwright held a postgame concert at Freese's Landing after the St. Louis Cardinals' 15-6 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday. "I love you all so much. I'm so proud to be a St. Louis Cardinal for this long," said Wainwright to fans ahead of his big show. Wainwright gets at-bat, huge ovation in series opener of grand sendoff Backed by a supporting cast of close friends Gary Baker and Greg Barnhill, he debuted three new original country songs. "Hey Y'all""A Song Will Bring You Back" "Time To Fly"St. Louis Cardinals' Adam Wainwright performs a short concert for fans after the team's baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Scott Kane)Wainwri...

Ask Amy: Widowed man smothered by new love

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 13:38:59 GMT

Dear Amy: I am a 73-year-old man who was widowed four years ago.I’ve been dating “Maria” for over a year. She is 71 and was raised in Spain.Maria is a genuinely good person, and she is madly in love with me, to the point of smothering. (Her late husband was not very kind to her.)Maria has been professing her love for me since we began texting before our first date. (She is a neighbor of some friends of mine and apparently had her eye on me for a while.)She says I am the man of her dreams and that she wants to spend the rest of her life with me. And she says this with total earnestness and wide-eyed schoolgirl innocence.I do feel love for her, though not as intensely as she does for me. I’ve just never felt that special “click” with her.My dilemma is this: I want to date other women. I want to find one that I really click with and without having to always explain basic Americana (like baseball, “The Wizard of Oz”, the Emmy Awards, etc.). Maria never really imm...

El invierno llega a Ucrania, pero Kyiv adapta sus tácticas

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 13:38:59 GMT

(CNN) — Ucrania pronto enfrentará su segundo invierno en guerra, y las audaces campañas de hace un año que lograron avances significativos en Járkiv y Jersón parecen un recuerdo lejano.El Ejército ucraniano está librando ahora una guerra de intenso desgaste contra fuerzas rusas más obstinadas y más grandes a lo largo de un frente de casi 1.000 kilómetros. Todavía sufre una escasez desesperada de poder aéreo y la acción ofensiva se verá interrumpida por el deterioro del tiempo.Es probable que los rusos lancen otra campaña para paralizar la infraestructura energética de Ucrania, hundiendo a su pueblo en un oscuro invierno. En el campo de batalla, los rusos se han adaptado. El presupuesto de defensa del próximo año será un 70% mayor que el de este año. Están en esto a largo plazo.Pero los ucranianos también se están adaptando, después de un comienzo vacilante de la contraofensiva.Como argumentaron Franz-Stefan Gady y Michael Kofman en The Economist, “la capacidad de los soldados ...

Reportan al menos siete muertos en un incendio en una discoteca en Murcia

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 13:38:59 GMT

(CNN) — Al menos siete personas murieron y cuatro resultaron heridas en un incendio que se produjo la madrugada de este domingo en una discoteca española de Murcia, informó el Ayuntamiento de Murcia en la plataforma social X, antes conocida como Twitter.Previamente se informó que los heridos eran dos mujeres, de 22 y 25 años, y dos hombres, de 41 y 45 años, que fueron trasladados al hospital por inhalación de humo, según informó la web del servicio de urgencias de Murcia.“Preocupado y consternado por las noticias que llegan desde allí (Murcia). Los servicios de emergencia siguen trabajando”, publicó el presidente de la región de Murcia en X.En el momento del incidente, los servicios de emergencia fueron enviados y los bomberos locales solicitaron la intervención del helicóptero a la dirección general de Seguridad y Emergencias, dijeron los servicios de emergencia, añadiendo más tarde que los recursos terrestres eran suficientes para apagar el incendio.Tragedia en una boda en I...

Live updates | US faces tough climb to end Ryder Cup losing streak in Europe

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 13:38:59 GMT

GUIDONIA MONTECELIO, Italy (AP) — Europe has history on its side as the Sunday singles matches begin in the Ryder Cup. No team has ever lost a five-point lead on the final day. Europe needs to win only four points from 12 matches to regain the Ryder Cup.The first match is compelling enough — Scottie Scheffler against Jon Rahm. Not only have they traded places as No. 1 in the world this year, this is a rematch from two years ago at Whistling Straits. Scheffler birdied the opening four holes in a 4-and-3 victory.Scheffler is No. 1 in the world. The last No. 1 player to lose in singles was Rahm two years ago.Also worth watching is Patrick Cantlay against Justin Rose. The European crowd has targeted Cantlay for not wearing a cap amid an unsubstantiated report that it’s a form of protest for not being paid. Cantlay said there’s no truth to that and simply the hat isn’t a good fit for him.Cantlay had the last word Saturday night. He birdied the last three holes to at lea...

Flood Watch in Effect this Sunday

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 13:38:59 GMT

We’re nearing the light at the end of the tunnel as we welcome October with some big weather changes arriving early this week, but before then more storms will be possible this Sunday.With the potential for heavy rain with totals as high as 6 inches in isolated areas leading to the risk for flash flooding in spots, the National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for metro and coastal Miami-Dade and Broward Counties through 8PM this evening.The morning will feature sunshine with scattered showers rolling onshore. It’s not until the afternoon when it should turn more active with scattered to numerous thunderstorms developing across the area. This is when the flood threat will be the highest. It’s not until the evening gradually improving conditions should build in with fewer showers and storms.Overnight tonight will continue to feature the risk for some showers, especially by the coast, as a weak front crosses through the area and heads south.By Monday, South F...

Revolution become 10th team in MLS history to go unbeaten in their first 15 home matches of a season

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 13:38:59 GMT

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Dave Romney scored a go-ahead goal in the 85th minute and the New England Revolution beat Charlotte 2-1 on Saturday night to become the 10th team in MLS history to go unbeaten through their first 15 home matches of a season.New England (14-6-10) is the only team without a home loss this regular season, with 11 wins and four draws. The Revs have won three of its four meetings with Charlotte, including a 1-0 victory on the opening day of the season.Charlotte (7-11-12) suffered just its fourth loss in the last 18 matches in all competitions, with 11 draws.Noel Buck opened the scoring for New England in the 64th minute.Karol Swiderski tied it at 1-all in the 84th before Romney headed home a cross by DeJuan Jones at the back post.The Revolution, who announced a crowd of 37,701, host the Columbus Crew on Wednesday while Charlotte plays Toronto.

Mountcastle leads AL East champion Orioles over last place Red Sox 5-2 for 101st win

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 13:38:59 GMT

BALTIMORE (AP) — Ryan Mountcastle hit a tiebreaking RBI double in the seventh inning and scored on an infield hit to lead the AL East champion Baltimore Orioles to their 101st victory of the season, 5-2 over the last-place Boston Red Sox 5-2 on Saturday night.Baltimore (101-60), which hosts an AL Division Series starting Oct. 7, is finishing its winningest season since going 102-57 in 1979.“I want our guys to understand how great of an accomplishment that is,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “We won every series against the AL East. That’s an incredible accomplishment as well with all the talent, how good the teams are in our division.”After Boston’s Kutter Crawford allowed one hit in six innings, Josh Winckowski (4-4) gave up a single to Adley Rutschman leading off the seventh. Pinch-runner Jorge Mateo stole second standing up, and Mountcastle doubled to right with two outs for a 1-0 lead.Heston Kjerstad’s infield single that second baseman Pablo Reyes couldn’t field enabled Mount...