Things To Do In SW Florida

SpaceX is rolling out its powerful Falcon Heavy for a late-night launch Wednesday that will feature double sonic booms of its returning boosters that might shake up Central Florida.

The rocket is one of the most powerful available for Space Coast launches, essentially three Falcon 9 rockets strapped together that produce 5.1 million pounds of thrust at liftoff.

The payload for this mission is a telecom satellite for Hughes Network Systems called the EchoStar Jupiter 3 aiming for liftoff from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-A during a 99-minute launch window that opens at 11:04 p.m.

Teams completed the launch readiness review, and we are targeting Wednesday, July 26 for Falcon Heavy’s launch of the @HughesConnects JUPITER 3/@EchoStar XXIV satellite from Launch Complex 39A in Florida pic.twitter.com/hXq3IxQHtd

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 24, 2023

A backup opportunity falls during the same window Thursday. Space Launch Delta 45’s weather squadron predicts an 85% chance for good weather Wednesday, and 60% if the backup window is needed on Thursday. read more

Aisha Counts and Jesse Levine | Bloomberg News (TNS)

It’s rare for corporate brands to become so intertwined with everyday conversation that they become verbs. It’s rarer still for the owner of such a brand to announce plans to intentionally destroy it.

On Sunday, in the middle of a quiet summer weekend, Elon Musk decreed that Twitter’s product name would be changed to “X,” and that he is getting rid of the bird logo and all the associated words, including “tweet.” Musk’s move wiped out anywhere between $4 billion and $20 billion in value, according to analysts and brand agencies.

“It took 15-plus years to earn that much equity worldwide, so losing Twitter as a brand name is a significant financial hit,” said Steve Susi, director of brand communication at Siegel & Gale.

Musk, whose company has already declined significantly in value since he purchased it for $44 billion in October, announced the change on Saturday night. By Monday morning a new black “X” logo, designed by a fan over the weekend, began to appear across the site. New Chief Executive Officer Linda Yaccarino outlined the company’s vision for X to become a site for audio, video, messaging, payments and banking. read more

Cate Deventer | Bankrate (TNS)

Homeowners might choose to renovate to create more living space, update their home’s design or even put in a pool. Whatever the reason, homeowners may want to consider if their renovations could impact their home insurance policy. Some renovations may prompt you to adjust your coverage types or limits, while others may actually save you money on your insurance premium. Bankrate’s insurance editorial team explores how seven popular home renovations may impact your home insurance rates.

Renovations that increase home insurance rates

A home renovation may increase the value of your home, but it can also drive up the cost of your home insurance. In addition to the expense of the renovation, you may see higher premiums if your renovation pushes you to increase your coverage limits or exposes you to greater liability.

1. Building a swimming pool

In certain locations, adding a pool to your home can increase its value and offer an incentive to would-be buyers. However, a swimming pool is considered an “attractive nuisance” and significantly increases your liability risk, which will likely increase your homeowners insurance premium. read more

By Chanelle Bessette | NerdWallet

In the past year, streaming service Netflix has released two financially focused offerings: the film “Get Smart With Money” and the series “How to Get Rich.” Both feature powerhouse financial influencers who help people reevaluate their approaches to money to educate and empower them. Here are four takeaways that you can apply to your own life, no matter your financial situation.

Takeaways From ‘Get Smart With Money’

The “Get Smart With Money” documentary features well-known financial writers, bloggers and podcasters who share their expertise on how to become better at managing money. Here are a couple of lessons they imparted.

1. Emotion management is key to money management

In “Get Smart With Money,” some of the featured participants were dealing with significant debt or with the challenges of living paycheck to paycheck. The stress, fear and frustration that come with money can significantly impact how you manage it.

Tiffany Aliche, a financial educator also known as The Budgetnista, talks through this fear and encourages people to face their money head-on to see what they owe and where they need to save more. If you’re afraid of your money, that’s going to affect how you manage your money, she says in the film. read more