China launches newest Long March rocket, carrying ‘test satellites’ for broadband networks
With a new year ahead and the holiday fanfare behind, this is a great time to set money goals, especially if you recently spent a lot on gifts and travel and want to get your finances in shape. You’d be in good company, too — according to a January 2024 survey from the Pew Research Center, of the 30% of Americans who made at least one New Year’s resolution, 61% had a goal that was money-related. Right now, you may be highly motivated to solve every single one of your money issues in the next few months, but daily life is guaranteed to get in the way. Your financial to-do list, once so full of promise, can eventually get stuffed in the back of a drawer while you manage more pressing matters. The vast majority of New Year’s resolutions go unfulfilled. So how can you improve your odds of success? It comes down to accepting that you won’t have the time or energy to complete every task to perfection. Creating a system where you can prioritize, plan ahead and hold yourself accountable can help. Many start by setting a goal to trim frivolous costs, which can certainly be helpful, but there are other ways to make a big difference. Taylor Schult — a certified financial planner and founder of Define Financial, an advisory firm in San Diego — recommends starting with a few overlooked financial tasks. Freezing your credit is a quick, easy way to guard yourself against identity theft. It’s free to do, and you can temporarily lift the freeze when you’re applying for a loan or credit card. Schulte also suggests looking into umbrella insurance , which offers additional coverage beyond what your auto, homeowners and other insurance policies provide. This coverage can spare you from massive out-of-pocket costs in the event you get sued. Basic estate planning, including creating a will, is another thing to put high on your list. Putting off this task can create a major headache for your loved ones if something happens to you unexpectedly. “I know it’s a pain point and it’s often kicked down the road,” Schulte says. Paying attention to your spending is always important, but don’t neglect taking steps to protect your money, yourself and your loved ones. So many money goals are born out of social pressure. You “should” want to save up to own a home, even if you’re happily renting. You “should” sacrifice short-term needs and wants to stash away as much as possible for retirement, even though it leaves you feeling deprived. But money goals should be tied to the things that matter most to you. If they aren’t, you’ll quickly lose interest. “If you don’t know what goals to choose, go back to your values and have them guide the goals you set,” says Eric Roberge, a certified financial planner and founder of Beyond Your Hammock, a financial advisory firm in Boston. You can combine goal-setting with a little planning, so expenses are less likely to creep up on you throughout the year. Think about what expected costs will be coming up in the next six to 12 months, like recurring bills, vacations, anticipated home or car repairs, and other expenses. This approach allows you to set money aside each month to put toward planned costs, as well as longer-term goals. Forgetting your goals can be far too easy, so to make something stick, write it down . It can be as simple as a handwritten list you keep on the fridge, or online calendar reminders that will nudge you every so often. For time-sensitive goals, set deadlines. One tactic is to make multiple lists based on what you need to complete within the next week, month or three months. As time passes and you check off items, you can update the list. Enlist others’ help, too. Weekly or monthly household money meetings are useful if you’re completing financial tasks as a group. Or share your goals with a trusted friend or family member who can serve as an accountability partner. Looping in loved ones can help keep you on track. “We don’t mind letting ourselves down,” Schulte says. “But we hate to let other people down.” It’s easy to get stuck in decision-making mode when trying to pick a high-yield savings account, credit card or possible investments, but eventually, you need to make a good-enough choice . Taking action now can have more of a positive effect on your life than waiting until you’ve painstakingly considered each option. Roberge says that though he’d prefer to optimize every financial decision, he doesn’t because if he did, he wouldn’t get things done. “Everything in moderation is one of the things that I live by,” he says. “Going to extremes in any one thing, at the detriment of other things that are important, doesn’t work long-term.” More From NerdWallet Sara Rathner writes for NerdWallet. Email: srathner@nerdwallet.com . Twitter: @sarakrathner. The article Got Money Goals for the New Year? Stay on Track With These Tips originally appeared on NerdWallet.
Stocks closed higher on Wall Street, giving the market its fifth gain in a row and notching another record high for the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The S&P 500 rose 0.3% Friday. The Dow added 1%, and the Nasdaq composite tacked on 0.2%. Retailers had some of the biggest gains. Gap soared after reporting quarterly results that easily beat analysts’ estimates. EchoStar fell after DirecTV called off its purchase of that company’s Dish Network unit. European markets closed mostly higher and Asian markets ended mixed. On Friday: The S&P 500 rose 20.63 points, or 0.3%, to 5,969.34. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 426.16 points, or 1%, to 44,296.51. The Nasdaq composite rose 31.23 points, or 0.2%, to 19,003.65. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 42.65 points, or 1.8%, to 2,406.67. For the week: The S&P 500 is up 98.72 points, or 1.7%. The Dow is up 851.52 points, or 2%. The Nasdaq is up 323.53 points, or 1.7%. The Russell 2000 is up 102.84 points, or 4.5%. For the year: The S&P 500 is up 1,199.51 points, or 25.1%. The Dow is up 6,606.97 points, or 17.5%. The Nasdaq is up 3,992.30 points, or 26.6%. The Russell 2000 is up 379.60 points, or 18.7%.
Stocks closed higher on Wall Street, giving the market its fifth gain in a row and notching another record high for the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The S&P 500 rose 0.3% Friday. The Dow added 1%, and the Nasdaq composite tacked on 0.2%. Retailers had some of the biggest gains. Gap soared after reporting quarterly results that easily beat analysts’ estimates. EchoStar fell after DirecTV called off its purchase of that company’s Dish Network unit. European markets closed mostly higher and Asian markets ended mixed. On Friday: The S&P 500 rose 20.63 points, or 0.3%, to 5,969.34. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 426.16 points, or 1%, to 44,296.51. The Nasdaq composite rose 31.23 points, or 0.2%, to 19,003.65. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 42.65 points, or 1.8%, to 2,406.67. For the week: The S&P 500 is up 98.72 points, or 1.7%. The Dow is up 851.52 points, or 2%. The Nasdaq is up 323.53 points, or 1.7%. The Russell 2000 is up 102.84 points, or 4.5%. For the year: The S&P 500 is up 1,199.51 points, or 25.1%. The Dow is up 6,606.97 points, or 17.5%. The Nasdaq is up 3,992.30 points, or 26.6%. The Russell 2000 is up 379.60 points, or 18.7%.These 2 Growth Stocks Could Help You Become a MillionaireWASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is expected to announce that it will send $1.25 billion in military assistance to Ukraine, U.S. officials said Friday, as the Biden administration pushes to get as much aid to Kyiv as possible before leaving office on Jan. 20. The large package of aid includes a significant amount of munitions, including for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems and the HAWK air defense system. It also will provide Stinger missiles and 155 mm- and 105 mm artillery rounds, officials said. The officials, who said they expect the announcement to be made on Monday, spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details not yet made public. The new aid comes as Russia has launched a barrage of attacks against Ukraine’s power facilities in recent days, although Ukraine has said it intercepted a significant number of the missiles and drones. Russian and Ukrainian forces are also still in a bitter battle around the Russian border region of Kursk, where Moscow has sent thousands of North Korean troops to help reclaim territory taken by Ukraine. Earlier this month, senior defense officials acknowledged that that the Defense Department may not be able to send all of the remaining $5.6 billion in Pentagon weapons and equipment stocks passed by Congress for Ukraine before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in. Trump has talked about getting some type of negotiated settlement between Ukraine and Russia, and spoken about his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Many U.S. and European leaders are concerned that it might result in a poor deal for Ukraine and they worry that he won't provide Ukraine with all the weapons funding approved by Congress. The aid in the new package is in presidential drawdown authority, which allows the Pentagon to take weapons off the shelves and send them quickly to Ukraine. This latest assistance would reduce the remaining amount to about $4.35 billion. Officials have said they hope that an influx of aid will help strengthen Ukraine’s hand, should Zelenskyy decide it’s time to negotiate. One senior defense official said that while the U.S. will continue to provide weapons to Ukraine until Jan. 20, there may well be funds remaining that will be available for the incoming Trump administration to spend. According to the Pentagon, there is also about $1.2 billion remaining in longer-term funding through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which is used to pay for weapons contracts that would not be delivered for a year or more. Officials have said the administration anticipates releasing all of that money before the end of the calendar year. If the new package is included, the U.S. has provided more than $64 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022. Lolita C. Baldor And Matthew Lee, The Associated Press
Dubai : The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai on Friday, December 27, announced an extension of Dubai Metro’s operating hours from Saturday, December 28 to Monday, December 30, 2024. The Metro will operate for longer hours between Centrepoint and GGICO stations to ensure safe and efficient transport for passengers travelling to and from Dubai International Airport (DXB). بهدف ضمان سهولة تنقل المسافرين عبر مطار دبي الدولي، ستمدد #هيئة_الطرق_و_المواصلات ساعات عمل #مترو_دبي بين محطتي سنتربوينت وجي جي كو من 28 إلى 30 ديسمبر 2024. لا تنسَ تفقّد رصيدبطاقة نول قبل الانطلاق (الحد الأدنى 15 درهمًا للدرجة الفضية، أو 30 درهمًا للدرجة الذهبية لرحلتي الذهاب... pic.twitter.com/8dteFQW1Vp The Dubai Metro will operate continuously for 43 hours from December 31 to January 1, 2025, to accommodate New Year’s Eve celebrations.Article content If Game 1 of the second season of the PWHL is any indication, buckle up for even more physicality than the league provided in Year 1. Recommended Videos Toronto squeaked out a 3-1 win in a very physical season opener over Boston, but needed a power-play goal with just over a minute and a half remaining to push things in their favour. Hannah Miller was camped netside with Toronto on the power play and Hillary Knight in the penalty box after a dangerous boarding penalty left Renata Fast slow to get up. Miller was Janey on the Spot as a Daryl Watts rebound bounced directly to her and she made no mistake hitting the wide open net. Emma Maltais sealed it with an empty netter seconds later. Boston struck first in the game on the power play. With Maggie Connors off for a tripping minor, Boston’s big line of Knight, Alina Muller and Hannah Bilka converted very quickly with Knight taking a pass in the slot from Megan Keller and ripping one past Toronto goaltender Kristin Campbell on her low glove side. Toronto gave up just six power-play goals all of last season for an almost 92% success rate on the kill. Playing in Coca-Cola Coliseum, their new home which provides almost triple the number of seats they had at the Mattamy Athletic Centre last season, the Sceptres were cheered on by a near sellout crowd of 8,089. Boston’s physical play gave that crowd plenty of chances to get vocal. Four different Sceptres during the game – Noemi Neubauerova, Emma Maltais, Izzy Daniel and in the dying minutes Fast – all went down hard in the game and either stayed down or waited for a whistle before making their way to the bench. After the game, head coach Troy Ryan said he had checked on all his banged up players and none looked like they had sustained anything that would hold them back going forward. Fast, in fact, was back on the ice for the power play and wound up assisting on Miller’s game winner. Next up for Toronto is a road trip to Ottawa where they will take on the Charge on Tuesday night with a 7 p.m. puck drop. mganter@postmedia.comWilly Adames to the Giants: What the mega-deal means for the shortstop and his new team in San Francisco