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By Kimberly Palmer, NerdWallet The investing information provided on this page is for educational purposes only. NerdWallet, Inc. does not offer advisory or brokerage services, nor does it recommend or advise investors to buy or sell particular stocks, securities or other investments. The start of a new year can bring a surge of motivation around setting new goals, including financial resolutions. One way to help those goals become reality, financial experts say, is to make them as specific as possible. Then, track your progress, while allowing flexibility for unexpected challenges. “It’s easier to track progress when we know where we are going,” says Sylvie Scowcroft, a certified financial planner and founder of The Financial Grove in Cambridge, Massachusetts. That’s why she encourages her clients to set clearly defined goals, often related to paying off a specific debt, saving a certain amount per month or improving their credit score. Here are more tips from financial experts about crafting 2025 financial goals : Trying to accomplish too much can feel overwhelming. Instead, pick your priorities, says Cathleen Tobin, CFP and owner of Moonbridge Financial Design in Rhinebeck, New York. She suggests focusing on those big, often emotionally-driven goals to find motivation. “It’s more compelling than just a number,” she says. For example, do you want to make sure you’re on track for retirement or save money for a house? “Start there.” Scowcroft says she sees clients get tripped up by selecting overly broad goals, such as “get better with money.” Instead, she encourages people to select specific action items, such as “sign up for a budgeting tool and set aside time each month to learn where my money is going.” That level of specificity provides direction so you know what steps to take next, she adds. For example, if your top priority is to become debt-free, then your specific goal might be to pay off an extra $200 of your debt balance each month. Tobin says labeling savings accounts so they correspond with goals can also help. An emergency fund could be named something like “Peace of mind in 2025,” so you remember why you’re saving every time you make a transfer. “It’s more motivating than just ‘emergency fund,’” Tobin says. Measuring your progress as the year unfolds is also a critical component of successful goal setting, Tobin says. She compares it to weight loss. If you want to lose 20 pounds by June, then you need to lose about a pound a week for the first six months of the year. Similarly, she says it helps to break savings goals into microsteps that specify what you need to do each week. Schedule a weekly or monthly check-in with yourself to make sure you are meeting those smaller goals along the way. You might want to review your debt payoff progress or check your credit score , for example. “Being able to break it down into steps that can be done each week or twice a month really helps,” Tobin says. If your goal is to save more money , then setting up an automatic transfer each month can help turn that goal into reality, as long as you know you have the money in your checking account to spare. “It reduces the mental load,” says Mike Hunsberger, CFP and owner of Next Mission Financial Planning in St. Charles, Missouri, where he primarily supports veterans and current members of the military. He recommends starting small to ease into the change. “I wouldn’t jump to double what you’re currently saving,” he says. For example, when it comes to saving in a retirement account, if you’re starting with a 3% contribution, you might want to bump it up to 4%, then slowly increase it from there. “My number one piece of advice is to start small, but make sure you scale over time,” Hunsberger adds. “Because it’s gradual, you probably won’t notice it impacting your lifestyle.” “Stay flexible,” Scowcroft says. “Part of it is just being kind to yourself and not being too rigid.” When unexpected challenges come up, such as a big unplanned expense, you might have to pause making progress on your goal and reset. You might even need to change your goal. Scowcroft says that doesn’t mean you “failed,” just that life changed your plans. Dwelling on any negativity won’t help your forward progress. Sharing your goals with a friend can also make it easier to reach them, Scowcroft says. “It really helps to have an accountability buddy,” she says. She suggests putting a regular “money date” with your friend on the calendar so you can ask each other how you’re doing, brainstorm any challenges or even budget together side-by-side . “It’s a fun excuse to meet up with a friend.” More From NerdWallet Kimberly Palmer writes for NerdWallet. Email: kpalmer@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @kimberlypalmer. The article The Secret to Making Successful Financial New Year’s Resolutions originally appeared on NerdWallet .For filmmakers with points to make about good versus evil (and not necessarily subtle ones), World War II would seem a safe space. Take the shortened life of anti-Nazi German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a voice against intolerance who worked to save Jews, who may have aided people trying to kill Hitler and who was executed by the crumbling Third Reich in its final days. There’s righteousness there that’s hard to ignore, and it’s made Bonhoeffer, the author of dozens of books before his death, a figure of admiration and a martyr to many. But writer-director Todd Komarnicki’s aggressively lionizing, faith-driven movie about Bonhoeffer seems uninterested in any complexity about pacifism and violence coexisting in one man. Instead, it presents him as a steadfast superhero for justice, no less in the full title itself, which adds the descriptors usually saved for a summer-blockbuster tagline: “Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin.” The poster, too, ups the action ante, giving this blond, bespectacled Lutheran thinker (played by Jonas Dassler) a conspicuous handgun and the air of someone all too ready to use it. First, though, the movie hustles us through some early-years mythologizing: childhood in a loving family, losing an older brother to World War I, and some time in New York in 1930 as a seminary student, learning about American racism from no less than the Rev. Adam Clayton Powell (an authoritative Clarke Peters). It’s also not enough that this eager white ally is the one to get punched by a spitting bigot — the first of the movie’s curious choices in depicting who experiences violence — but he’s also called on stage at a jazz club to jam with the band. So make that “Pastor. Spy. Assassin. Has Black Friends.” Back in Germany, though, the rise of the Nazis is what sets Bonhoeffer on his Christian resistance path, disturbed by the country’s sudden fealty to a false god stoking “rumor and rage.” He calls out sympathizing clergy (one of them looks like Max Shreck of the original “Nosferatu”), rails against Hitler from the pulpit and takes to teaching seminarians in a hideaway before deciding to do more dangerous work, like sneaking into Britain to muster clandestine support from priests. Some of the movie’s hand-wringing conversations — about politics poisoning the church, dividing people, fostering lies and hypocrisy — sound timely and will strike a chord. But label the movie’s politics at your peril, because it comes from conservative Christian outfit Angel Studios (the “Sound of Freedom” distributor). Bonhoeffer’s own legacy has lately been usurped by outspoken Christian nationalists, enough so that his own descendants have come out to decry anyone distorting his life and words as anything but a peace-loving man of God. What to make, then, of a movie that puts Bonhoeffer in the room with assassination plotters or asking British clergy to smuggle in explosives? It’s disputed history, for one thing, which means it unnecessarily slathers genre suspense on an already overwrought, cookie-cutter and ideologically ultra-confident biography. What’s missing are the character nuances that speak to hard times under a divided church, and how that affected Bonhoeffer the man and a citizen, not just the servant of God. Every awkwardly declarative, stagy scene in “Bonhoeffer” is just a right-against-wrong equation to be answered by the title character’s virtue. And while one scene does have him meeting a handful of Jews he’s helping, the only camp victim ever shown from arrest to imprisonment to suffering to death is you-know-who. No matter how historically significant the subject is, that kind of framing will only ever be queasy.
Published 4:19 pm Friday, December 13, 2024 By Data Skrive The Gonzaga Bulldogs versus the UConn Huskies is one of many strong options on Saturday in college basketball play — suggested picks against the spread for 10 games are available below. Watch men’s college basketball, other live sports and more on Fubo. What is Fubo? Fubo is a streaming service that gives you access to your favorite live sports and shows on demand. Use our link to sign up. Bet on this or any men’s college basketball matchup at BetMGM. Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER .
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Unlike scores of people who scrambled for the blockbuster drugs Ozempic and Wegovy to lose weight in recent years, Danielle Griffin had no trouble getting them. The 38-year-old information technology worker from New Mexico had a prescription. Her pharmacy had the drugs in stock. And her health insurance covered all but $25 to $50 of the monthly cost. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
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Published 5:33 pm Friday, December 27, 2024 By Data Skrive As they get ready to meet the Oklahoma City Thunder (24-5) on Saturday, December 28 at Spectrum Center, with the opening tip at 6:00 PM ET, the Charlotte Hornets (7-23) have two players currently listed on the injury report. The Thunder’s injury report has four players on it. Watch the NBA, other live sports and more on Fubo. What is Fubo? Fubo is a streaming service that gives you access to your favorite live sports and shows on demand. Use our link to sign up. The Hornets head into this matchup on the heels of a 113-110 loss to the Wizards on Thursday. LaMelo Ball totaled 31 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Hornets. The Thunder came out on top in their most recent matchup 120-114 against the Pacers on Thursday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 45 points in the Thunder’s victory, leading the team. Sign up for NBA League Pass to get live and on-demand access to NBA games. Get tickets for any NBA game this season at StubHub. Catch NBA action all season long on Fubo. Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER .Published 5:31 pm Friday, December 27, 2024 By Data Skrive Joe Burrow was a limited participant in his most recent practice. The Cincinnati Bengals match up with the Denver Broncos at 4:30 PM ET on Saturday in Week 17. Check out Burrow’s stats below. Looking at season stats, Burrow has passed for 4,229 yards (281.9 per game) and 39 touchdowns, with eight picks. He has connected on 68.9% of his passes (384-for-557), and has 37 carries for 177 yards one touchdown. Don’t miss a touchdown this NFL season. Catch every score with NFL RedZone on Fubo. What is Fubo? Fubo is a streaming service that gives you access to your favorite live sports and shows on demand. Sign up today and watch seven hours of commercial-free football from every NFL game every Sunday. BetMGM is one of the most trusted Sportsbooks in the nation. Start with as little as $1 and place your bets today . Pass Comp. Pass Att. Comp. % Pass Yards Pass TDs INTs Pass Yards/Att. Rush Att. Rush Yards Rush TDs 384 557 68.9% 4,229 39 8 7.6 37 177 1 Catch NFL action all season long on Fubo. Week Opponent Pass Comp. Pass Att. Pass Yards Pass TDs INTs Rush Att. Rush Yards Rush TDs Week 1 @Patriots 21 29 164 0 0 4 15 0 Week 2 @Chiefs 23 36 258 2 0 6 9 0 Week 3 @Commanders 29 38 324 3 0 1 4 0 Week 4 @Panthers 22 31 232 2 1 1 10 0 Week 5 @Ravens 30 39 392 5 1 2 1 0 Week 6 @Giants 19 28 208 0 0 4 55 1 Week 7 @Browns 15 25 181 2 0 3 -3 0 Week 8 @Eagles 26 37 234 1 1 3 15 0 Week 9 @Raiders 27 39 251 5 1 3 11 0 Week 10 @Ravens 34 56 428 4 0 2 6 0 Week 11 @Chargers 28 50 356 3 0 2 28 0 Week 13 @Steelers 28 38 309 3 1 2 9 0 Week 14 @Cowboys 33 44 369 3 1 2 -2 0 Week 15 @Titans 26 37 271 3 2 0 0 0 Week 16 @Browns 23 30 252 3 0 2 19 0 Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER .PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A pair of conservative groups on Friday challenged a Maine law that limits donations to political action committees that spend independently in candidate elections, arguing that money spent to support political expression is "a vital feature of our democracy.” Supporters of the referendum overwhelmingly approved on Election Day fully expected a legal showdown over caps on individual contributions to so-called super PACs. They hoped the referendum would trigger a case and ultimately prompt the U.S. Supreme Court to clarify the matter of donor limits after the court opened the floodgates to independent spending in its 2010 Citizens United decision. The lawsuit brought by Dinner Table Action and For Our Future, and supported by the Institute for Free Speech, contends the state law limiting individual super PAC donations to $5,000 and requiring disclosure of donor names runs afoul of that Citizens United legal precedent. “All Americans, not just those running for office, have a fundamental First Amendment right to talk about political campaigns,” lawyers wrote in the lawsuit in federal court. “Their ‘independent expenditures,’ payments that fund political expression by those who are not running for office but nonetheless have something to say about a campaign, are a vital feature of our democracy.” Cara McCormick, leader of the Maine Citizens to End Super PACs, which pressed for the referendum, said the lawsuit attempts to undermine the will of the people after an overwhelming majority — 74% of voters — approved the referendum last month. “Super PACs are killing the country and in Maine we decided to do something about it. We want to restore public trust in the political process,” she said. “We want to say that in Maine we are not resigned to the tide of big money. We are the tide.” But Alex Titcomb, executive director of Dinner Table Action, argued Friday that the government “cannot restrict independent political speech simply because some voters wish to limit the voices of their fellow citizens.” Named in the lawsuit are Maine’s attorney general and the state’s campaign spending watchdog, the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices. The ethics commission is reviewing the complaint, said Jonathan Wayne, executive director. The Maine referendum didn’t attempt to limit spending on behalf of candidates. Instead, it focused on limits on individual donations to super PACS, an area the Supreme Court has not ruled on, observers say. Harvard Law School professor Lawrence Lessig, a longtime advocate for campaign finance reform, contends the U.S. Supreme Court has not ruled on the issue of individual contributions to PACs, and long-established case law supports the notion that states can limit individual contributions to PACs despite a decision to the contrary by the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Lessig, whose Equal Citizens nonprofit backed the Maine referendum, previously said the cap on donations imposed by the referendum "is not asking the Supreme Court to change its jurisprudence, not asking them to overturn Citizens United.”
