#between that and our plans to open a home depot credit card

[judgementkazukun]

whatever happens in infinite wealth i really don't care all i know for sure is kiryu in america = kiryu's costco awakening

[orbemnews]

What Disney, Airbnb and DoorDash results reveal about the post-pandemic economy The big question: As the coronavirus situation improves in countries like the United States, which trends from the past 14 months will have staying power, and which will be resigned to the pandemic past? Airbnb, DoorDash and Disney (DIS), which reported results after US markets closed on Thursday, provide some idea. Airbnb: The company said interest in travel is surging again as vaccines become more widely available, pointing to a sharp increase in bookings in the United Kingdom immediately after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced plans in February to gradually exit lockdown. For US customers aged 60 and above, searches on Airbnb for summer travel rose by more than 60% between February and March. The company is also ready for more customers to use Airbnb for longer-term stays as they take advantage of greater acceptance of remote work. It said that nearly a quarter of stays last quarter were for 28 days or more, up 14% from 2019. Shares are down slightly in premarket trading. DoorDash: People are still ordering lots of food delivery even as restaurants open back up for traditional dining. DoorDash reported a 198% jump in revenue last quarter to $1.1 billion even as it dealt with a shortage of workers, and increased its full-year outlook. “As markets continued reopening and in-store dining increased across the US, the impact to our order volume was smaller than we expected, which contributed to strong performance in the quarter,” the company said, though it cautioned that may have been partially attributable to stimulus checks. Shares are up almost 9% in premarket trading. Disney: Streaming has carried Disney through the pandemic, with Disney+ growing to more than 100 million subscribers. Yet the biggest star in Disney’s media universe appears to be shining a little less bright, sending shares down 4%. The company said Thursday that Disney+ now has 103.6 million subscribers, below the 110 million Wall Street was expecting. That’s forced investors to wonder: Is that because people are getting vaccinated and stepping away from streaming? Netflix also reported sluggish subscription growth last quarter. Down but not out: Disney said it remains on track to reach its long-term subscriber goals despite the apparent slowdown. It’s betting that as the pandemic eases, it will be able to produce more movies and shows, helping to bring in new customers. Whether it’s right will become clearer in the months ahead, which will pose the true test of whether people actually ditch their sweatpants, get out of the house and shake up the economy once again. It could get easier to get a credit card without a credit score For years, if you didn’t have a credit score it was extremely difficult to get a credit card or certain types of loans. But a new plan among some of the nation’s largest banks may help Americans without traditional credit histories get approved. Ten banks — including JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Wells Fargo (WFC) and U.S. Bancorp (USB) — have tentatively agreed to a plan to share data like bank account deposits and bill payment activity to help qualify borrowers without traditional credit histories, according to the Wall Street Journal. The push for financial institutions to come to a data sharing agreement came from a program run by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. The OCC has confirmed there is a plan, but the details of the agreement among the banks still need to be worked out. Should the proposed arrangement go through, it would mean that if you don’t have a credit score but you have a bank account at Wells Fargo, for example, you can use that financial history to help you get a credit card with another bank, like JPMorgan Chase. “This will give millions of Americans the opportunity to access credit that’s essential to building wealth — buying a home, starting a business, or financing education,” Trish Wexler, a spokesperson for JPMorgan Chase, told CNN Business. The backstory: There are currently 53 million people without a credit score, according to the Fair Isaac Corporation, the creator of FICO credit scores. These consumers, who are disproportionately lower income and people of color, face higher borrowing costs because they’re forced to turn to products like payday loans. Banks and lenders refer to those without credit history as “credit invisible.” This group can include young people or recent immigrants, as well as people who haven’t used credit in a long time or who have lost their access due to financial difficulties. The business angle: Big banks may also be eager to revise their policies as online upstarts chip away at demand for their products. “Some of this cooperation among the biggest banks may be a bit of reaction to smaller banks and fintech companies infringing on their space,” said Matt Schulz, chief industry analyst at LendingTree. Target will temporarily stop selling trading cards amid frenzy Target (TGT) has announced that it will stop selling trading cards in its stores following a violent dispute at one of its locations — a sign of just how overheated the market for collectibles has become. The details: Last week, a Target in Wisconsin was locked down after a man was physically assaulted by four others over sports trading cards. “The safety of our guests and our team is our top priority,” Target said in a statement. “Out of an abundance of caution, we’ve decided to temporarily suspend the sale of MLB, NFL, NBA and Pokémon trading cards within our stores, effective [Friday].” The cards will still be available online, the company said. Remember: The value of trading cards has skyrocketed in recent months during the Covid-19 pandemic. That’s grabbed interest from both amateur and professional investors looking to cash in on spectacular returns. Target previously was limiting card purchases to just one item a day, saying that guests were lining up overnight to get their hands on hot items, per CNN affiliate WISN. Walmart (WMT), for its part, said it will keep selling cards in stores for now. “We are determining what, if any, changes are needed to meet customer demand while ensuring a safe and enjoyable shopping experience,” a spokesperson said in a statement. Up next Data on US retail sales, import and export prices and industrial production arrives at 8:30 a.m. ET. Coming next week: Home Depot (HD) and Lowe’s (LOW) report earnings as the housing market booms. Source link Orbem News #Airbnb #AirbnbandDoorDashresultsrevealaboutthepost-pandemiceconomy-CNN #disney #DoorDash #Economy #investing #PostPandemic #Premarketstocks:WhatDisney #Results #Reveal

[dipulb3]

What Disney, Airbnb and DoorDash results reveal about the post-pandemic economy

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/what-disney-airbnb-and-doordash-results-reveal-about-the-post-pandemic-economy/

What Disney, Airbnb and DoorDash results reveal about the post-pandemic economy

The big question: As the coronavirus situation improves in countries like the United States, which trends from the past 14 months will have staying power, and which will be resigned to the pandemic past?

Airbnb, DoorDash and Disney (DIS), which reported results after US markets closed on Thursday, provide some idea.

Airbnb: The company said interest in travel is surging again as vaccines become more widely available, pointing to a sharp increase in bookings in the United Kingdom immediately after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced plans in February to gradually exit lockdown. For US customers aged 60 and above, searches on Airbnb for summer travel rose by more than 60% between February and March.

The company is also ready for more customers to use Airbnb for longer-term stays as they take advantage of greater acceptance of remote work. It said that nearly a quarter of stays last quarter were for 28 days or more, up 14% from 2019. Shares are down slightly in premarket trading.

DoorDash: People are still ordering lots of food delivery even as restaurants open back up for traditional dining. DoorDash reported a 198% jump in revenue last quarter to $1.1 billion even as it dealt with a shortage of workers, and increased its full-year outlook.

“As markets continued reopening and in-store dining increased across the US, the impact to our order volume was smaller than we expected, which contributed to strong performance in the quarter,” the company said, though it cautioned that may have been partially attributable to stimulus checks. Shares are up almost 9% in premarket trading.

Disney: Streaming has carried Disney through the pandemic, with Disney+ growing to more than 100 million subscribers. Yet the biggest star in Disney’s media universe appears to be shining a little less bright, sending shares down 4%.

The company said Thursday that Disney+ now has 103.6 million subscribers, below the 110 million Wall Street was expecting. That’s forced investors to wonder: Is that because people are getting vaccinated and stepping away from streaming? Netflix also reported sluggish subscription growth last quarter.

Down but not out: Disney said it remains on track to reach its long-term subscriber goals despite the apparent slowdown. It’s betting that as the pandemic eases, it will be able to produce more movies and shows, helping to bring in new customers.

Whether it’s right will become clearer in the months ahead, which will pose the true test of whether people actually ditch their sweatpants, get out of the house and shake up the economy once again.

It could get easier to get a credit card without a credit score

For years, if you didn’t have a credit score it was extremely difficult to get a credit card or certain types of loans. But a new plan among some of the nation’s largest banks may help Americans without traditional credit histories get approved.

Ten banks — including JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Wells Fargo (WFC) and U.S. Bancorp (USB) — have tentatively agreed to a plan to share data like bank account deposits and bill payment activity to help qualify borrowers without traditional credit histories, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The push for financial institutions to come to a data sharing agreement came from a program run by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. The OCC has confirmed there is a plan, but the details of the agreement among the banks still need to be worked out.

Should the proposed arrangement go through, it would mean that if you don’t have a credit score but you have a bank account at Wells Fargo, for example, you can use that financial history to help you get a credit card with another bank, like JPMorgan Chase.

“This will give millions of Americans the opportunity to access credit that’s essential to building wealth — buying a home, starting a business, or financing education,” Trish Wexler, a spokesperson for JPMorgan Chase, told Appradab Business.

The backstory: There are currently 53 million people without a credit score, according to the Fair Isaac Corporation, the creator of FICO credit scores. These consumers, who are disproportionately lower income and people of color, face higher borrowing costs because they’re forced to turn to products like payday loans.

Banks and lenders refer to those without credit history as “credit invisible.” This group can include young people or recent immigrants, as well as people who haven’t used credit in a long time or who have lost their access due to financial difficulties.

The business angle: Big banks may also be eager to revise their policies as online upstarts chip away at demand for their products.

“Some of this cooperation among the biggest banks may be a bit of reaction to smaller banks and fintech companies infringing on their space,” said Matt Schulz, chief industry analyst at LendingTree.

Target will temporarily stop selling trading cards amid frenzy

Target (TGT) has announced that it will stop selling trading cards in its stores following a violent dispute at one of its locations — a sign of just how overheated the market for collectibles has become.

The details: Last week, a Target in Wisconsin was locked down after a man was physically assaulted by four others over sports trading cards.

“The safety of our guests and our team is our top priority,” Target said in a statement. “Out of an abundance of caution, we’ve decided to temporarily suspend the sale of MLB, NFL, NBA and Pokémon trading cards within our stores, effective [Friday].”

The cards will still be available online, the company said.

Remember: The value of trading cards has skyrocketed in recent months during the Covid-19 pandemic. That’s grabbed interest from both amateur and professional investors looking to cash in on spectacular returns.

Target previously was limiting card purchases to just one item a day, saying that guests were lining up overnight to get their hands on hot items, per Appradab affiliate WISN.

Walmart (WMT), for its part, said it will keep selling cards in stores for now.

“We are determining what, if any, changes are needed to meet customer demand while ensuring a safe and enjoyable shopping experience,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

Up next

Data on US retail sales, import and export prices and industrial production arrives at 8:30 a.m. ET.

Coming next week: Home Depot (HD) and Lowe’s (LOW) report earnings as the housing market booms.

[thetopmodels-blog1]

10 Ways to Endure Building or Renovation Your House

Building or renovating a home is a difficult experience. Right up there with visiting in-laws and also getting origin canals. So here's some suggestions for locating the positive side on this often difficult time. 1. Think of the job as a new diet. Who does not want to shed at the very least five extra pounds? This is one method to do it. Between going to shops throughout the day and also night long, meeting with specialists, examining the work, looking the Western world for the ideal lighting fixture, that has time to eat? Given you do not undermine this new, unconventional diet regimen plan, with McDonalds drive through, you're good for shedding 5 pounds. If you are a masochistic type who does a few of the work yourself - whether it be painting, laying floor tile, landscaping the lawn - you can rely on another 5 to ten extra pounds of weight management. Just believe, you could be unpleasant, aggravated, worn down, nd down best cynical concerning the good of the humankind, yet your denims will certainly fit perfectly! 2. Create checks as cardio workout. These exercises are fantastic for toning the wrist as well as fingers. Usually done in hectic surges as you race out the door in the morning while the specialists are breathing down your neck and also your children are defeating each other with the lunch boxes you just prepared, the stress as well as frenzied task make sure to raise your heart beat for an excellent hr. Whining under your breath that the plumber, electrical contractor, or you call it, isn't actually worth this much loan includes greater intensity and calorie melt to this little publicized exercise routine. 3. Conserve loan with shopping exhaustion. Yes, even the most die-hard shopper will certainly pertain to fear setting foot in any kind of shop. This affliction starts innocently sufficient as you most likely to seek light fixtures. Exactly how hard can it be? Hard! Either the light you want is being delivered from Yugoslavia and also won't get here up until your youngest kid acquires his very own home, or you simply can not discover the one you want. You'll shop every lighting and also electrical store you know. You'll look House Depot. You'll haunt equipment stores. Then there's pipes components. Sink centers, faucet takes care of, coatings, special orders. Just what's all that concerning? As well as the price. You 'd think you were equipping the royal residence for a previous 3rd globe authoritarian. Naturally, there's carpet, tile, hardwood, stairs, house siding, windows. Enough. And also you believed it was a discomfort picking mints and also pleasant table treats for your wedding event. After your 1000th journey to Residence Depot (or Lowes or Menards or whatever), in addition to all the other journeys you've made for items that shouldn't count as shopping (bathroom seats, for instance), you've had it. Your friends won't have the ability to bribe you to take a look at the most recent sale at Bloomingdales. You'll think it will certainly be much better when you can choose "fun" things like paint, wall surface paper, drapes, textile, furniture - but don't bet on it. Now, the stress to earn your residence look like something besides a vacant rat maze will certainly neutralize any joy in shopping. Investing this much cash has never ever been such an unpleasant experience. Therefore, when your home comes to be half-way presentable, you'll choose not to go shopping once more - also for grocery stores - for a minimum of 6 months. The cash you save during this buying hiatus will certainly suffice for you to resume this previously pleasurable hobby one more time without shame. 4. Impress your pals with rare truths. Just someone that has actually built or renovated their residence can explain the liquid dynamics of a proper bathroom water swirl. Or cite the International Building Code that asks for no more than 6' in between electric outlets. Or brag that three-way glazed windows are truly the wave of the future for light emitting tool modern technology. See what I mean? 5. Satisfaction yourself on your brand-new innovative abilities. You'll discover an innovative side that you never recognized existed. Like ways to clean recipes in the tub. And also ways to make a full training course meal for a family members of four utilizing absolutely nothing more than a toaster as well as hot plate. Or how to fit an entire household in a home smaller sized compared to your very first apartment or condo. They state that necessity is the mommy of creation. That's most likely real, yet I likewise assume that the only thing that divides modern-day and leader life is simply one kitchen or bathroom improvement job. 6. Scream at somebody aside from your children - as well as not really feel guilty. Honestly, as a contemporary woman attempting to manage the operating of our houses, possibly a work, and also the future Olympic football desires of our children, you have the primal have to shout. At someone. Anyone. Typically our partner as well as children struggle with this requirement of ours to release pencil up negative energy created from nothing greater than some mini human leaving foul-smelling gym footwears on the kitchen area table. (Ok, that possibly is worthy of a little bit of screaming - we consume at this table!) But when you redesign your house, you have an entire actors of characters - and also think me, they're personalities - that usually are entitled to a good scream periodically. Like when they tell you that they tore out the fireplace since they really did not think it looked right. Or when they show you a blunder made three weeks ago that currently needs half your house to be taken apart in order to repair. Screaming isn't really premature or a result of excessive estrogen, it's treatment. 7. Throw away (finally) your loved one's treasured [fill in the blank] from his bachelor days. You understand just what I imply. Maybe the semi-nude poster he will not get rid of. Or his collection of exotic beer canisters. Or all of his Sports Illustrated publications given that the Chicago Bears last won the Superbowl. Now is the ideal time to obtain eliminate it. If you should vacate your house while the improvement is done, or you are relocating to a new house, such a favorable time might never occur once more. Say it will not fit in the rental house. It's either this or his golf clubs. Gently advise him that the nostalgic item actually works as a suggestion of foot massager review his progressing years. Anything. Eliminate it. It will certainly be one positive you can advise on your own of when the stress of renovating makes you feel that this project was the largest error of your life. 8. Grow closer to your family members with forced bathroom sharing. The saying goes that absence makes the heart expand fonder. Probably that smart expert had to share a storage room sized restroom with 3 children as well as a spouse. In truth, there's no better way to develop intimacy in a family members compared to by all attempting to prepare yourself for the morning in the exact same 7'x 5' area. You'll discover brand-new exciting things about your children - like bathroom tissue is purely optional for little young boys. You'll find that there is no bond quite like the one created when the entire family members brushes their teeth together over the exact same sink. You'll realize why the older generation of your loved ones only washed their hair once a week rather than dealing with common bathroom time. Yet most importantly, you'll not should yell at your children to hurry for college - they're standing right alongside you. 9. Make cost-free trips from every one of your acquisitions. In just what is undoubtedly (and rather sheepishly) the only practical survival pointer on this list, obtain an airline gas mileage credit card. Cost every little thing on it - lights, pipes components, windows, doors, lumber, carpeting. The windows alone can obtain you close to one totally free trip. Whether you choose to share your miles with any individual else in the family members or to escape on your own to a world of silent privacy and, ideally, an open bar, is completely as much as you. 10. Employ some excellent looking specialists and also seem like you're 15 years old once more. Hey, men get an entire chain of restaurants and bars where the piece de resistance is busty waitresses in tight tees (Hooters). Why cannot us gals have some eye sweet from time to time? Besides, it's a performance tool. You'll be more likely to inspect the task or satisfy the architect if some young, healthy, good-looking men exist - especially in the summer months when t shirts have the tendency to come to be optional. For example, we as soon as worked with a roof team of male model wannabees for a house we constructed. My spouse called them the "Beefcake Roofers." They created rather a mix in your area that summer season. Allow me inform you, it made hurrying to visit your house to go over notes with the trades first thing in the early morning a bit extra interesting ... as well as far more fun! Finally, bear in mind, the end outcome of your new house will deserve the irritation of the procedure. Plus, think about all the great stories you can inform!

[shadowysandwichrunaway-blog]

The House Depot Coupons & Money Again

A powerful housing market has buoyed the efficiency of both House Depot and Lowe's this 12 months. With all of new technology in our homes, we wish a software platform that orchestrates our experiences with them. Ambient OS brings the house to life by choreographing the units, content, folks, and context in it. In case you are a developer, Ambient OS is the API for house technology, permitting you to write down functions that provide a unified experience throughout multiple devices. Several other institutional buyers have additionally bought shares of the company. STATE ROAD CORP additionally announced decreased place in The Dwelling Depot, Inc. (HD) in the course of the quarter. It has ditched 1.sixty five million shares. Latest insider traits for The House Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) have caught the eye of traders. Insider exercise is usually a powerful indicator of future efficiency in a inventory, and if the data on HD is anything to go by, buyers ought to pay attention.sir bradley basset and darren 1c*jpg" width="265px" alt="the home depot stock"/> Google House does not work absolutely with G Suite accounts (including previous Google apps on your domain ones). Same old story from Google. Lax development missing out the most loyal (in many circumstances) paying prospects. Why does every product launch with poor support for g suite. You can't get personalised outcomes with G suite for some unknown reason. The Home Depot® Present Playing cards cannot be used toward installation services. As much as ten reward cards can be redeemed per on-line transaction. While Residence Depot's one hundred ten second advert has some emotional connection, I vote for the Lowe's 30 second spot. It is direct and solves an actual holiday decoration drawback. Plus, it affords savings on Disney vacation decorations. Beazer Properties cookies are restricted to our Web sites solely, and are usually not designed to comply with you when traveling on the web after leaving the Website. Along with Beazer Properties cookies, various third parties can also place cookies in your computer's laborious drive. Beazer Houses isn't responsible for the presence or absence of third get together cookies, or for the technological capabilities or practices employed by third events in reference to third social gathering cookies.

Home Depot on the time shelved plans to construct 50 shops. It closed 15 stores extra. Since then, store openings have been largely in the single digits, with the present rely at simply over 2,200 places. The Home Depot, Inc. or Home Depot is an American house improvement provides retailing firm that sells instruments , construction products, and providers. The company is headquartered at the Atlanta Retailer Support Middle in unincorporated Cobb County, Georgia (with an Atlanta mailing deal with).

⁴Up to six individuals can hyperlink their accounts to Google Dwelling for personalized responses. Residence Depot's inventory has surged on hopes of a decrease company tax rate, but that is still not a certainty. Not only do House Depot stores supply free workshops for teenagers, in addition they have some free workshops that are for the grown-ups. In Quebec , the place it has 22 shops, The Home Depot is branded merely "Residence Depot" (utilizing English phrases however without the definite article "the"). At the moment, 0.11% of The Residence Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) are owned by insiders with seventy two.06% six-month change in the insider ownership. The insider filler information counts the variety of monthly positions over 3 month and 12 month time spans. The inventory closed maximum at $186.31 over the fifty two weeks but is now -2.forty two% away from that point. Short-term as properly long run investors always deal with the liquidity of the shares so for that concern, liquidity measure in current quarter outcomes of the corporate was recorded 1.20 as present ratio and on the opponent facet the debt to fairness ratio was 10.06 and lengthy-time period debt to fairness ratio additionally remained 9.fifty four. Sharing of personal data between Associates. Beazer Houses is made up of a variety of corporations (Associates”). Beazer Properties could share with and between its Affiliates personal data you present to Beazer Houses or any of its Affiliates. Home Depot has good occasions ahead. Management says that 6.5% comps will be expected for the entire FY17, and net revenue should grow by 14%. That is merely fantastic. In the meantime, the secular tailwinds should keep its stock flying. Homes over 25 years outdated make up greater than 25% of the overall market. The retailer also provides a range of companies , from water heater installation to rest room reworking, wherein prospects will probably be connected with trusted dwelling improvement professionals to meet their wants. Based in 1978, The House Depot is the fastest rising retailer in U.S. history. From the start, The Residence Depot developed strategic product alliances directly with trade-main producers to ship on probably the most unique assortments to prospects. HOUSE fulfills its mission is to make sure equal entry to housing for all individuals by addressing the still obtrusive particular person situations of housing discrimination. Additionally, HOME works to tackle systemically divisive housing practices on a bigger scale by means of fair housing enforcement and research, advocacy and statewide coverage work. DWELLING additionally takes direct action to assist first-time homebuyers and households with homes under the threat of foreclosure. At a time when unequal access to housing and credit contributes most to the United States' growing wealth hole, HOME's multi-faceted strategy is a robust catalyst towards furthering truthful housing.

[ntrending]

Gift card crime fueling opioid addiction across the US

New Post has been published on https://nexcraft.co/gift-card-crime-fueling-opioid-addiction-across-the-us/

Gift card crime fueling opioid addiction across the US

Those numbers stunned Tennessee state Sen. Richard Briggs, who is also a cardiovascular surgeon.

“Absolute shock,” Briggs said. “It would be no different than if there was a rock lying there. And if you lifted it up, and this horrible smell came out, and this monster came out. We had no idea that the organized retail theft was related so intimately with the opiate and drug trade in general in Appalachia.”

Briggs sponsored legislation this year that requires all transactions involving cash for gift cards on the secondary market to be reported to local law enforcement. But the law does not impose a penalty for not complying, and Briggs said he plans to push for tougher rules next year.

Tennessee loses more than $14 million a year in sales tax revenue due to this crime, according to a retail industry report.

“The criminal element is very creative,” Briggs said. “And I don’t think this is the sole problem to solving financing of the opiate problem in Tennessee. But it’s one part of the problem. And right now it’s a very big part of the problem.”

Home Depot said it has changed its policy to crack down on return fraud and acknowledged the link between gift cards and drugs.

“Of course, it impacts our bottom line, but it’s also about safety of the community, drug trafficking, even terrorism,” Home Depot spokesman Matt Harrigan told CNBC.

Home Depot only accepts “store credits for in-store purchases and we require proof of ID when store credits are redeemed at checkout because of the increase in return fraud,” Harrigan said. “We never want to inconvenience our customers, but this policy impacts more than just our bottom line. It helps minimize returns fraud tied to bigger organized crime in the community.”

The home-improvement retailer’s store credits differ from gift cards because they cannot be used online, which limits their resale value. Its gift cards are more open to resale.

The company also does not allow customers “to buy gift cards with store credits or another gift card due to the potential fraud linked to that behavior,” Harrigan said in a statement.

Target’s return policy also attempts to limit gift-card fraud. If the store can’t find a receipt when employees try to look one up, they may offer exchanges or store credits.

The company also says it limits the number of returns without a receipt.

Walmart has “in place a series of policies and procedures to closely monitor merchandise returns where no receipt is required,” said Charles Crowson, senior manager of corporate communications.

Lowe’s, which also works with law enforcement and the retail industry to combat return fraud, will “hold perpetrators accountable for their illegal conduct,” said Steve Salazar, corporate communications manager.

On the police side, the Coalition of Law Enforcement and Retail sees the return fraud-opioid connection as a top priority.

The group will be “leveraging its public and private partnerships to combat the crisis in both areas,” said Curt Crum, president of the coalition.

The larger business community is also taking aim at the issue.

Retail Theft Analysis, a Florida-based private company, is pitching software to police departments to help track the number and value of gift cards that stores buy and individuals sell.

CEO Matt Ryan said the company found one example of a customer who sold $349,000 worth of gift cards to a store in Tennessee during a three-month period. Most of them were iTunes cards.

“This data tells me this is somebody that they should look at pretty closely,” Ryan said. “The other thing I would look at is what store he is selling to. Because this type of store is obviously not really examining who they’re buying cards from. Because anybody that’s bringing in [$349,000] worth of iTunes cards is probably doing something fraudulent.”

To the drug abusers in treatment, all of these efforts are positive signs as they all try to rebuild their lives.

“I’ve always told myself I’d be a wonderful mom,” Booth said, wiping away tears. “I’d do anything for my little girl. And it’s crazy to look back and see all the times that I didn’t care, how selfish I can be.”

Share & Written By CNBC

[militaryspouse101]

New Post has been published on Military Spouse

New Post has been published on http://militaryspouse.com/news/contests/2017-orange-honors-travis-baumann/

2017 Orange Honors | Travis Baumann

Travis Baumann

The unemployment rate among military spouses is about 26%, and constant relocation makes finding, maintaining, and advancing in a job difficult. This may explain why the families of service members face such dire financial hardships. Credit card debt is carried month-to-month by nearly 60% of service members. Of those, roughly half have a balance of $10,000 or more. In each of these instances, and many others, service members are twice as likely to be affected as civilians. A college degree makes it easier to avoid unemployment which in turn makes it easier to avoid the costs of being unemployed. Similarly, a degree in an industry that has strong growth projections further reduces the chance of unemployment. Building on that, if a degree provides tools that are highly transferable, the likelihood of a military spouse being or remaining unemployed drops considerably. I am currently working towards such a degree: a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting. After graduation, I will attempt to earn the titles of Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Financial Planner (CFP). Not only will these licenses provide me with ample employment opportunities wherever the military may send my wife, they will allow me to help combat the financial crisis that disproportionately affects our military community.

In her four years of service thus far, my wife has added four mailing addresses from three different states to our list of residences. Moving in the military is a fact of life, and the government provides allowances to pay for the actual costs; however, it does not pay for abstract costs like those associated with losing friendships or employment. Many military spouses struggle to regain employment after a move resulting in the aforementioned 26% unemployment rate. Reasons for this rate vary from the size of the market to the skillset of the spouse, but the financial impact on families is constant. Some families choose to stay behind when their service member is moved. Unfortunately, separating is not an option for most families; the cost of maintaining one household is a struggle, so the cost of maintaining two households is impossible.

My wife and I faced this reality nearly a year ago when she was ordered to move from Texas to California. Moving to California meant I would be forced to wait a year to continue my education because of a missed registration deadline and a backlog of applications. There was an added threat that many of my credits would not transfer and would require an additional year to recoup. An equally undesirable option was for me to stay behind in Texas and finish my education. Both instances presented additional costs. Staying behind meant taking on the cost of maintaining a second household; as stated before, that option is not possible for most military families. However, we have seen the costs to friends who moved before obtaining their degrees. In the most extreme case, a friend was moved three times in eight years. Because credits aren’t always accepted between one institution and another, each move caused her to lose credits. She then had to retake numerous courses and delay graduation by two years. With all of this in mind, my wife and I compared the costs between maintaining two households and the costs of delaying graduation and decided it was best to live separately. While our current situation set us back financially in the short-term, we expect to benefit from earning a degree in an industry that is projected to grow 10-15% over the next decade. That degree, coupled with a CPA license and the expected growth of the industry, should allow me to avoid the plight affecting so many other military spouses whenever my wife is inevitably moved again.

Within the military community I have been assisting service members with their personal finances since before my wife joined the Air force. Previously I served in the Marines where I developed a penchant for personal finances. A new Marine joined our squadron, and he explained to me that he was tens of thousands of dollars in debt from previous student loans. From our conversations, I realized that he did not understand the long-term effects of his debt. Professionally he risked losing his clearance to work, and personally he risked being unable to build his wealth because of exorbitant interest. I asked if I could help him get a handle on his debt, and he obliged. We spent many hours over the next few days calling creditors to determine how much was owed and to whom. We then created a budget to determine how much money could be directed to paying loans. Finally we contacted lenders in an effort to consolidate his multiple loans into one. Once we had accomplished the consolidation, I had him set up automatic withdrawals into a newly opened savings account as well as automatic withdrawals toward his student loan. A year later he excitedly told me about the amount of money he had saved, the additional amount by which his loan had been repaid, and his plans to get married.

During the time that his accounts were improving, I had become an unofficial authority on personal finance issues for the junior Marines in my squadron. I was even selected by my superiors to formally brief my peers on the topic of education benefits. I helped service members find information about auto loans and insurance, the Thrift Savings Plan and other retirement options, and information about accounts from checking and savings to investments. Although I was a defacto authority on personal finance issues, obtaining a CFP certification will make me an actual authority on those topics, and the statistics show that our service members could use more help from such professionals. I thoroughly enjoyed assisting those individuals during my service, and I look forward to being able to better serve them when I have my certifications.

There are many values that our military community shares with The Home Depot. We take care of our own because most citizens can’t relate to the hardships of service. Less than .5% of Americans are active duty and less than 8% have ever served. We care for each other by giving back to our community. For instance, my wife has previously led a free fitness program for anyone who had wished to improve upon their lifestyle. I tend to volunteer with youth organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club and Big Brothers Big Sisters. Others in our community donate clothes and food to families with newborns, help with children or pets, or any number of other things. Our service to each other acts as a foundation that allows us to build strong relationships that often last a lifetime.

In closing, I want to thank The Home Depot and the scholarship committee for not only providing such a generous scholarship but also taking the time to hear our stories – Thank you.

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