Things To Do In SW Florida

The U.S. economy is humming and there are hundreds of thousands of jobs being added every month. In a stunning burst of hiring to start the year, the nation added 353,000 jobs in January, shrugging off the highest interest rates in two decades that have been put in place by the U.S. Federal Reserve in part to cool off hiring and spending.

The unemployment rate is hovering at 3.7%, just above a half-century low.

At the same time, layoffs continue to arrive across almost every sector in 2024 as companies adjust to a shifting economy, including Monday.

Job cuts in tech and retail follow a massive ramp-up in hiring during the COVID-19 pandemic — when people spent more time and money online. Now, many companies are reducing headcounts to help lower costs and bolster their bottom lines. Many still have more workers than they did a few years ago.

Here’s where some of the job cuts have taken place in recent weeks.

Estee Lauder is cutting 3% to 5% of its global workforce. The downsizing, which will affect as many as 3,100 workers, will be made by July, Estee Lauder said. The company employed 62,000 workers worldwide, according to its latest regulatory filing. read more

SeaWorld Orlando has unveiled some of the  concerts that will be held during its Seven Seas Food Festival, which began last week. Among the upcoming announced singers are Hanson, Gloria Gaynor and Ludacris.

The performances are scheduled for every Saturday and Sunday evening during the event, which runs through May 19. The lineup posted on SeaWorld’s website, lists many of those slots as “announcement coming soon.”  The acts thus far include:

• Feb. 10: Colt Ford
• Feb. 17: Gente de Zona
• Feb. 24: Hanson
• Feb. 25: Newsboys
• March 2: Gloria Gaynor
• March 3: Night Ranger
• March 16: Corey Kent
• March 24: Warrant
• April 6: Grupo Niche
• April 18: Hoobastank
• April 28: Ludacris

Kicking off the event last weekend were Kool & the Gang and Josh Turner.

Busch Gardens: SkyRide returning to operation

The concerts, held at Bayside Stadium, are included with regular SeaWorld Orlando admission. The park offers a tier of reserved seating, including a reserved seat for $35.99, floor seating for $45.99, and premium floor seating (“the best seats in the house,” SeaWorld’s website says) for $64.99.

This year’s festival has more than 200 food and beverage options available for purchase, including items sold at its four new markets, Indian Market, French Market, Vegetarian Market and Half Pipe Pavilion, which features assorted vodka lemonade drinks. read more

Here are some of the issues you should be reviewing in 2024 regarding making withdrawals from your retirement accounts, making charitable contributions, considering Roth conversions, and making decisions regarding investment options in 2024.

Larger RMDs in 2024: It is likely that if you had significant investments in equities in your retirement accounts, your portfolio at year-end 2023 increased substantially from the beginning of the year. This means that if you have reached the age when required minimum distributions (RMDs) apply, you will be required to make larger withdrawals from your requirement accounts. The required distributions are based on two factors, the size of your retirement accounts at the end of 2023 and your new life expectancy.

Every year, as you age, the IRS requires you to take a larger percentage of your year-end account balance from your retirement account to meet the RMD.

Future tax rates: No one is happy to take larger RMDs and incur higher federal taxes as a result. However, when you decide the size of the withdrawals you take in 2024, you should take into consideration your current marginal tax rate, as well as the one you will face in subsequent years. In 2024 and 2025, your marginal tax rates will be lower than they will be in 2026, when tax rates will increase. read more

DEAR TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER: I recently rented a car from Dollar at the Atlanta airport. When I arrived at the airport, there was a four-hour wait for a car. There were no computer or weather issues. If I had continued waiting, I would have missed my wedding rehearsal. I tried to resolve the problem by calling the 800 number, but I could not. So I left and rented from a different company. But since I had prepaid for the rental, Dollar charged me $82 for the car anyway.

I reached out to Dollar on Twitter, and a representative offered me a $50 coupon and a credit for the rental that would expire in just a few months. I’d rather get my $82 back. I paid for a rental car at a certain time, and Dollar could not deliver it. I should not have to pay for the car. Can you help me?

— Beth Bonness, Portland, Oregon

ANSWER: Dollar shouldn’t have charged you for a car that it couldn’t deliver. And when you pointed out the problem, the company should have promptly refunded the $82 instead of offering you an expiring credit. read more