LAS VEGAS (AP) — Trae Young might be the NBA's biggest enigma. Young's fans can point to numbers and say he's an elite player. His detractors can point to numbers and say he's overrated. Both arguments have validity. To some, his cocky ways are endearing. To others, they're infuriating. This can't be argued: He's helping Atlanta author one of the season's surprise stories. The Hawks are in the NBA Cup semifinals, set to play Milwaukee on Saturday before the other semifinal between Oklahoma City and Houston. The title game is Tuesday night. “When we talk about Trae, the word I like to use is evolution,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “And every player evolves. They just evolve in different ways. He's been an important part of our young guys' growth and being able to elevate them.” The Hawks haven't had a ton of big moments in Young's seven seasons. But he has shown a propensity for rising to the occasion: ousting New York in the 2021 playoffs, ousting the Knicks from the quarterfinals of this tournament to get to Las Vegas — and now comes another chance on national TV on Saturday, facing the Bucks with a chance to play for a trophy. “I feel like this team has been embracing the challenge each and every night from the beginning of the season,” Young said. “We haven’t looked too far ahead in any moment. We’re just taking it day by day. Even though early on in the season we may have had some struggles and some bumps in the road and some guys out, we stuck with the process and focus on each day." Here's part of the pro-Young argument: He's averaging 21 points and 12 assists something that only Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas have done over a full season, and he's on pace to lead the league in assist average for the first time. Here's part of the anti-Young argument: Among the 220 players with at least 50 3-point attempts this season he ranks 189th at 30.8%, and of the 248 players with at least 100 field goal attempts this season he ranks 231st at 38.4%. Choose your side. They're both valid. But it's clear that Young — who made no secret that he was upset over not being picked for the team that won gold for USA Basketball at the Paris Olympics this past summer — is growing and maturing. “He’s doing a better job on both ends of the floor,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “Defensively he’s figured out a way of keeping himself out of actions. I know that sounds easy. That’s hard to do, and he’s brilliant at it, he really is. ... He must be really studying the game on both ends of the floor, and you can see that in his play. And he’s earned the trust of his players. This team likes playing with him, that’s obvious. I couldn’t say that in the past, but now they love playing with him.” Hawks forward Jalen Johnson doesn't deny that point. “He’s so good, man,” Johnson said. "It’s crazy, like just seeing it in person and on TV prior to me playing with the Hawks and getting drafted by the Hawks, it was crazy just watching it. A guy that’s undersized, being able to score at will, being able to make any pass at will. And then next thing you know you’re his teammate and you’re on the receiving end of those passes. “Watching those clutch late game buckets, it’s a joy to watch. It’s a gift that he has that’s very special and not many people have had it at that elite of a level. It’s been great being his teammate. It’s been a blessing.” Saturday is an opportunity. The semifinals are the only games on the NBA calendar for that day; the title game Tuesday — which doesn't count in the standings — is the only game on the NBA slate that night as well. Young will have tons of eyeballs on him Saturday and would have tons more on him Tuesday if the Hawks find a way to win another big game against the Bucks. They're 3-1 against Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland and Boston already this season, 1-0 against Milwaukee. The potential is clear for the Hawks. The potential for Young has always been clear as well. Only now, it's starting to be realized. “The narrative about me not being able to do certain things or being too mad or frustrated about certain things is — I mean, just aren’t true,” Young said. "I think you’re just now being able to see like with the young team we have, just some of the different things we’ve been doing this year, I think just now you’re starting to kind of see it because the results are showing and we’re winning now. We’re here in this final four of the Cup, and it’s a big deal.” AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
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When it comes to shopping at Aldi, being in the know goes a long way. The famed German store may look simple on the surface, but it's a retailer that keeps its cards close to the chest. There's a lot of classified information that Aldi's not sharing, from cashier secrets to shopping information that's kept strictly in confidence. A lot of the time, these secrets can help you have a better shopping experience, and they aren't kept for any enormous reason: Instead, they're treated sort of like Easter eggs for customers to discover along the way. Well, it's time for those Easter eggs to be revealed, folks. As a frequent Aldi shopper who loves discovering the truth about how to get the best out of stores, I decided to put together all of the top secrets about shopping at Aldi that I've learned in my time. Some of these secrets, like the best time to shop in the week, the best private labels to opt for if you want top-quality products, and the best apps to use while in-store can get you some massive savings and help you ensure your shopping trip is successful. Other secrets will make your experience at Aldi smooth and stress-free, and you'll wish you knew them years ago. Ready to get the goods? We thought so. 1. If you want the best goods, you have to go at a certain time in the week Figuring out when to shop isn't just important to make your experience stress-free. It's also important because as we all know, some supermarkets can be a little hit and miss about what they have on their shelves at any given time. Although Aldis are normally well-stocked, there are certain times of the week when you'll find the best selection and the freshest produce. It's all down to the chain's restocking schedule, which is the same across most stores. Most Aldis will restock their items periodically throughout the day and the week. However, the most thorough restock tends to take place on Wednesday mornings. This is usually when Aldi Finds are released, giving you a double whammy of new items to sink your teeth into. It should be noted that some stores release Aldi Finds on Sundays instead of Wednesdays, so it can be worth double-checking with your chosen branch before heading in. It's also useful to remember that the combo of restocking and Aldi Finds can make Wednesdays a fairly busy time to shop — but in our opinion, the crowds are worth it. 2. Aldi's wine is likely the best you can get on a budget If you're looking to booze on a budget, there are few better places to stock up than Aldi. Aldi's wine selection is pretty legendary, and the store offers way more bang for its buck than you might think in this department. Red, white, rosé, and sparkling wines are all available at several different price points, with a number of the wines winning awards for their taste and quality. One award-winning white wine even won a Product Of The Year award, and a bottle comes in at under $10. Not bad, huh? If you're unsure about which wine to buy, you generally can't go wrong with bottles that have a "Specially Selected" logo on the front label. These wines tend to be pretty curated with a few selections for each wine style, mostly coming in at a medium price point. If you're determined to keep things as cheap as possible, Aldi's California Heritage selection comes in at a reasonable price point and compares favorably to a lot of other retailers' budget wine ranges. 3. Aldi's return policy is super generous We've all been in a position where we've purchased an item from a store and ended up with buyer's remorse. For some reason, though, it can feel like a little more work to return things to supermarkets, even if the items we bought are somehow substandard. This isn't the case with Aldi. The retailer offers an incredibly generous return policy thanks to its Twice as Nice Guarantee, which gives you a full refund and a replacement of the item if you're not happy with it within 90 days of purchase. This is provided that you have the packaging for the item in question, and that it hasn't been used. Sounds pretty good, huh? As always with return policies, there are a few things to keep in mind. The first is that the Twice as Nice Guarantee doesn't apply to every item at Aldi stores, with non-Aldi food items, national brands, and alcohol falling in the exceptions. As well, you'll need to have a receipt for the item you bought, or you won't get a full refund and may end up with a merchandise certificate instead. 4. Checking the Aldi website before you go shopping can help you make great savings How often do you check the website of your favorite supermarket? If you're anything like us, you probably don't do it that often — but you really should if you're heading to Aldi. The store's website is a treasure trove of information on savings, and it can show you exactly what price to expect on certain items before you head in. If you're doing a large shop, you can save dozens of dollars by comparing Aldi prices to what other retailers are charging, and calculating which items to buy at which store. Plus, if you're thinking that the physical ads in the store are enough and you don't need to look at the website, we're afraid you're wrong. The Aldi website has the most up-to-date information on its prices, and they often differ fairly significantly from the prices on the paper ads. Therefore, you should never rely on the physical ads alone to tell you how much items cost in-store. Click onto the Aldi website and see how much everything really is. 5. Aldi's spices are likely made by a reputable company, giving you bang for your buck If you've ever considered buying spices at Aldi, you may well have been put off by its rock-bottom prices. Honestly, folks, we get it. Aldi spices are suspiciously cheap, and we tend to associate higher spice prices with quality. Here's the thing, though — what if we told you that Aldi's spices are way better than you think, and there could be a good brand behind them that's supplying the store with its spice selection? While it's difficult to tell for certain, a lot of folks think that McCormick actually makes the Stonemill Aldi spice range, with a few clues that seem to back this up. The first clue is the lids, as Stonemill's seem to be pretty similar to McCormick's. There's also the formulation of each spice, which keen-eyed observers have noted is near-identical for both brands across many of their products. As with a lot of private label ranges, it's not entirely clear whether McCormick's is actually the supplier, and a lot of this knowledge is based on customer observation and word-of-mouth info. However, it's pretty universally acknowledged that Aldi spices are really good, so don't be put off buying them. 6. The price code for certain items reveals that it might be being discontinued Figuring out what price codes mean is a favorite hobby of ours, and we've had a lot of fun doing it at Aldi. It's not just for our entertainment, though. Learning to understand price codes can help you make purchases for items that may not be around for much longer. This is particularly important at a place like Aldi, which can revolve out certain items without much warning. If you're not careful, you may miss out on buying your favorite product, and never have an opportunity to get it again. The key is to look out for a "D" in the price code. This will usually be on the bottom right of the item's shelf label, and may be after a number and before a hyphen. The D will tell you that the product will soon be discontinued, so you should snap it up real quick. It's worth keeping in mind that the presence of a D on a price code doesn't necessarily correlate to the color of the label itself, so don't get distracted by whether it's red or yellow. 7. Aldi has an extensive gluten-free section Perhaps one of the most surprising secrets about Aldi is how accommodating it is of certain diets. It's especially good when it comes to gluten-free foods. Aldi has a generous gluten-free product line and often has a similar selection of items to more prominent retailers. If that wasn't good enough, you will likely also find that Aldi's gluten-free items are significantly less expensive than comparable items in other stores, in keeping with the retailer's commitment to maintaining its prices low — so you can stick to your diet and budget simultaneously. Having said this, it's important to remember that Aldi's selection can vary considerably from store to store. If you're shopping at a smaller outlet, you might find that its gluten-free section is way more limited, and you can't get everything you need. It's therefore a good idea to head to the biggest store you can find to get your gluten-free goods. If you're unsure, you can also always call the store and ask the manager how large their gluten-free selection is, to save yourself from being disappointed once you finally arrive. 8. Check the expiration date on the bakery items to save some cash The bakery section at Aldi is way better than you probably expect. Most Aldis offer a generous selection of baked goods, and do so at a price point that's way lower than most other major supermarkets. Plus, you can make an even bigger saving with one bakery aisle secret , which involves simply checking the expiration date on the item you're buying. If you find that the baked good is nearing its expiration date, you might be able to get it marked down to a rock-bottom price. Aldi bread is generally marked down a few days before its expiration date, and when it is, it'll get slapped with a big markdown sticker. However, it's entirely possible for employees to miss the expiration date — and if you can find one of these coveted items which is due to expire in a few days, then let them know and you'll be rewarded with a saving. You can also do this with any other baked good that is approaching the expiration date. Crucially, though, don't wait around to eat the bread or baked goods you buy. They'll start to be past their prime pretty quickly, so eat or freeze them as soon as possible. 9. You may not be able to use coupons at Aldi, but certain apps can help you get cash back A lot of stores go big on coupon offers to help their customers save money, but Aldi's not one of them. You'll rarely find the retailer offering coupons, and while they're not unheard of, they're usually linked to specific events instead of given out to entice customers. Aldi's mindset behind its lack of coupons is that its prices are already so low that it doesn't need to offer customers an extra discount — after all, the savings are already baked in. However, that doesn't mean you can't pick up extra savings on the way — you just have to check out your apps. There's a wide variety of apps out there that offer cash back on purchases already made at Aldi, and if you're buying a large amount then this cash can add up. Banking apps are particularly likely to run time-limited or permanent cash back deals on retailers, and third-party apps like Ibotta can help you spy great savings. Crucially, these savings may only be on certain items in-store, so make sure you check what's eligible for cash back before you buy. 10. It's better to avoid name-brand items at Aldi — just go for the private label instead It's easy to feel like private label items at stores like Aldi are somehow lower quality than the name-brand items they sell. When you combine this with the fact that Aldi offers a good selection of name-brand products at a pretty low price, it can feel a bit strange to buy the house-brand option. After all, why compromise on quality when the savings are that good? Because the private label items are worth buying, that's why. From personal experience, Aldi's private label range is just as good quality as the name-brand options it stocks, and you'll get that quality at a much lower price. In a lot of cases, you'll barely notice the difference. Essentials like breakfast cereals, coffee, bread, and dried goods like pasta and rice are virtually interchangeable from the more expensive stuff. Plus, these private label items don't just come from thin air. There are a lot of brands behind popular Aldi items that supply the store with a version of their products, which Aldi then brands under its own names. Don't be tempted by the products you know. 11. Don't be afraid to grab the boxes from the shelves to store your items Walk through any Aldi aisle, and you'll likely see a lot of boxes. A big reason why Aldi manages to keep its prices low is that it's looking for time-efficiency savings everywhere, including how the employees stock the shelves. Instead of wasting time pulling items out and stacking them in an aesthetically-pleasing manner, they just put the packaging the item comes in on the shelf and open it, leaving customers to grab the products straight from the box. A lot of the time, these boxes are emptied of products and sit there waiting to be broken down. That's when you should strike. Grab the boxes and use them to take your items home instead of paying for a bag at the checkout. The bags that Aldi sells are surprisingly expensive, and these boxes are free. Plus, from personal experience the employees really don't mind you doing this. After all, it means they don't have to find and break down the boxes themselves. If you're unsure, though, just ask before taking the box from the shelves. 12. Once you learn about Aldi's color codes, you'll start saving money and getting hard-to-find items If you want to become a money-saving pro at Aldi , then it's time for you to get familiar with its color codes. As you stroll through the aisles, you'll likely notice that the price tags have several different colors. Most of the items have a yellow tag, but fresh produce has a green tag, and white tags usually indicate frozen items. Generally these tags have black text that tells you the name of the item and its price. If, however, an item has a yellow tag but it also has red text, that means the price has been reduced and it's currently on sale, and you should snap it up quickly. You should also look out for splashes of blue. Blue tags indicate a seasonal product, and while it may not be at a specially-reduced price, it might not stick around for long. As for white tags with red text, these are placed on Aldi Finds products which will likely disappear once they've sold out. 13. Buying Aldi produce is a great way to shop local on a budget Shopping locally can be harder than it seems. While it's always a great idea to get your produce at farmer's markets or local stores, these can be few and far between, and seasonal offerings might be lacking what you need. All too often, we end up trawling through the aisles of our local supermarket, picking up produce that has been flown in from thousands of miles away. Well, you'll be pleased to hear that's often not the case at Aldi. The store is (perhaps surprisingly) great at sourcing items locally, proudly displaying its "locally grown" creds on its website. This isn't just good marketing for the company, but also a way for it to keep transport costs down, and to ensure that produce is making it to the stores at peak freshness. Those cheap fruit and veggies are affordable for a reason, folks, and it's not because they're not fresh or tasty. If you're aiming for only local, it's always wise to double-check the label for anything you're buying to ensure it's definitely local. While Aldi sources a lot of items from nearby farms, there's always the chance that more exotic produce has been flown in from further afield. 14. Aldi is a German company, and its German products offer huge value for money Most people know by now that Aldi is German, and a big clue is the kind of items it often sells in its stores. Dotted between the more standard products, you might find bars of German chocolate, delectable Christmas stollen loaves , and large bottles of glühwein to ring in the holiday spirit. It's important to remember that while these products proudly celebrate the store's German origins, they're also a good way to experience more European tastes at a way more reasonable price than you'd find elsewhere. Plus, these products are good, folks. Aldi's German chocolate is especially tasty, with a rich, buttery flavor that puts other candies to shame — and it's offered at a seriously reasonable price. As such, we'd always recommend going for the German brands at Aldi stores wherever possible. You'll get a more unique product, and you'll likely make a saving while doing so.
Paid non-client promotion: Affiliate links for the products on this page are from partners that compensate us (see our advertiser disclosure with our list of partners for more details). However, our opinions are our own. See how we rate investing products to write unbiased product reviews. Investing in the stock market is crucial for maintaining spending power and hedging against inflation. A diversified portfolio is a better long-term strategy for preserving wealth than holding cash. Extreme highs and lows in your portfolio and fixating on the short-term are signs you may be underinvesting. The US stock market continues to soar through the final quarter of the year, with major indexes like the Dow Jones, Nasdaq, and S&P 500 hitting record closes on Wednesday. Investors remain optimistic following Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's comment that the US economy seems to be in "remarkably good shape." Now is a better time than ever to invest in the market. Here are four signs you're not investing enough in the stock market, according to financial advisors. 1. You keep everything in cash Holding onto your cash may seem like the safer option compared to risking it on the market. But in actuality, your money is losing value due to inflation diminishing the purchasing power of the US dollar. "Even though cash yields are better than five or six years ago, they're still low compared to inflation," Tom Graff, chief investment officer at Facet , told Business Insider. "By holding onto cash, you're functionally not making any money." The best way to combat inflation and preserve wealth is by investing in a diversified portfolio of stocks, bonds, and other securities. The S&P 500 index, a popular stock market benchmark, has a historic average annual return of 10% that far outperforms the US inflation rate of 2.6%. Savings accounts, on the other hand, only have an average return of 0.43% APY . That said, your bank account is still the right place for money you know you need to pay off short-term expenses like rent, groceries, and debt. Only invest money you won't need access to for at least several years. "We've all felt inflation over the last several years eat away at our earnings and our spending power," Corbin Blackwell, senior financial planner at Betterment , told BI. "You aren't getting anything from your savings account, but investing keeps pace with inflation." 2. You're experiencing extreme highs and lows in your portfolio "One sign that you're not investing enough in the stock market is if you're experiencing extreme highs and lows every time you look at your portfolio's performance," said Blackwell. Being thoroughly invested in the market doesn't necessarily mean buying more stocks or increasing the size of your portfolio, she says. Rather, it refers to diversifying your assets to gain exposure from multiple areas of the market. Someone who owns 100 shares of different technology companies is less diversified than someone who owns half that amount of shares but has exposure to a mix of market sectors like health care, real estate, financials, tech, and communication services. Similar to a roller coaster, an investment portfolio that lacks proper diversification is vulnerable to frequent market swings. These extreme highs, although thrilling, prevent your portfolio from growing at a steady and reliable pace. Instead, you're at greater risk of a major loss. Diversifying your investments across various market sectors is a proven strategy to mitigate risk and enhance your portfolio's performance. By spreading your investments, you can better weather market fluctuations and capitalize on opportunities in different sectors. "You don't need to spend a lot of money to have a diversified portfolio," said Blackwell. "You can buy a share of an ETF , which is already diversified in and of itself. But you shouldn't just buy one ETF, either." Don't know where to start? Finding a financial advisor doesn't have to be hard. SmartAsset's free tool matches you with up to three fiduciary financial advisors that serve your area in minutes. Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. Start your search now. 3. You never increase your retirement contributions At the beginning of your working career, you likely could only contribute a small percentage of your paycheck to your 401(k) or another of the best retirement plans . But did you increase your contributions the last time you got a raise? As you make more money, contribute more toward your retirement plan to make up for the years you could only contribute a little. This is especially important if your employer offers a match, as this is essentially free money. Although retirement may feel light years away, time is paramount as retirement savings steadily grow with compound interest and long-term investment opportunities. As mentioned before, holding onto loads of cash diminishes its spending power. Blackwell noted that investing is a crucial step in securing retirement as you can't get back that time that you missed, and relying on Social Security alone isn't recommended. "If you don't have any help in the form of investment gains and compound interest, you're going to have a really hard time affording that retirement, especially when life expectancy is so long," said Blackwell 4. You're focused on short-term volatility rather than long-term gains Another sign of underinvesting is if you find yourself holding back from participating in the current market due to its short-term volatility. The market's daily fluctuations can look intimidating, especially if you're new to stock investing, but not all volatility is bad. Blackwell explains that financial advisors prefer people to invest long-term as many opportunities need time in the market to accumulate gains. "Investing isn't about the big wins," She said. "There's not enough certainty in any portfolio to only benefit from the upside. It's always a risk, return trade-off." Graff notes that current economic and political factors impact people's perspective and optimism about the market and the US economy as a whole. However, those circumstances generally impact the short-term rather than the actual long-term potential of the average investor's portfolio. "There's always something, and when the market has been up a lot, anything that goes wrong could be a downturn," said Graff. "At some point there's going to be a bear market again, but timing that is so difficult." At the end of the day, there's no better time to invest in the market than the present, as you risk missing out on growth opportunities by focusing on the short term instead of having a long-term perspective. Moreover, long-term investing is generally less risky and provides opportunities for recovery from market downturns. "It's not fair to tell investors not to worry about problems like inflation. Instead, the real advice is to use that time to your advantage," said Graff. Credit cards Investing apps Retirement savings Cryptocurrency The stock market Retail investingSenior students in Surrey high schools will get a chance to take online classes next school year, in the board's latest strategy to free up classroom space. "Hybrid learning is a blend of face-to-face and online learning for students and in our context, for kids in the senior Grades 10, 11 and 12," explained Perry Smith, assistant superintendent for Guildford-area schools. Exploring hybrid learning is motivated by a "capital crunch" trustee Bob Holmes says the district is facing, as student enrolment outpaces available school space. While the permanent implementation of hybrid classes would be new, students got a taste for the model during the pandemic years when schools were running classes virtually. As well, teachers became accustomed to the model and likely have learned lessons to improve on this time around, district staff suggested. "We identified many benefits of hybrid learning in our secondary schools," Smith said, pointing to research on the topic to support the claim. The superintendent explained that students will have a choice of going home for their online blocks, staying at school in shared spaces or being out in the community, for example, at a library. For those students who do not have access to internet services or personal electronic devices, technology will be provided so the opportunity is more inclusive, Smith said. He added that the district would receive a grant to make this possible. "While there is a side benefit for students to get ready for the 21st century, as previous speakers have mentioned, the reality is that this was driven because we have such a shortage of space," chair Gary Tymoschuk said. The issue of overcrowding in Surrey Schools can be seen at nearly every school, with trustee Laurie Larsen noting Walnut Road Elementary, that is set to receive a prefabricated module. "They have had one playground for 800 students because the other playground has been cordoned off, they have no greenspace, they have no adequate parking for parents, visitors or for staff. Staff are double parking so they all have to know which teacher is in front of them so they can let them know when they have to leave," Larsen said. The trustee added that prefabs do not provide everything. "We appreciate the modulars, I don’t want to say that we don’t but the modulars do only give the classroom," Larsen said. "They don’t give the gym space, they don’t give any extra outdoor space, they don’t give any library space and especially for the gym so in that school, they have to have three assemblies for every event.. because the gym is too small and the occupancy is just over 300 people." Walnut Road also has nine portables on school site and with the addition of the modulars, whether those portables will remain on site is still unknown. According to the board, affording to relocate the portables may be a challenge. Staff recommended for the board to approve the implementation of up to three senior level courses in a hybrid learning model at secondary schools as a trial for next school year, available on an optional basis. The board unanimously passed the motion.