Things To Do In SW Florida

By Chanelle Bessette | NerdWallet

I’ve worked as a personal finance writer for seven years, and I’ve picked up some best practices along the way. These lessons come from conversations I’ve had with expert sources, countless hours spent giving star ratings to dozens of banking products and the experiences that readers have shared with me over email.

Here are five lessons that I’d like to share with you from my work as a consumer banking writer.

1. The best bank accounts have high interest rates, no fees and creative perks

The two things that I always recommend when shopping for a new bank account are to look for high interest rates and no monthly or minimum balance fees, since those benefits help you earn the most you can on your money.

Beyond those features, I’ve been really impressed by some of the creative new offerings that banks have been giving to consumers. They include round-up savings programs and overdraft buffers (more on that later). Other features have become a bit more common, like two-day early direct deposit, ATM fee reimbursements, cash back on debit card spending and “buckets,” which are subaccounts within your main savings account that you can create for different savings goals. If you’re shopping for a new account, be sure to look into these added benefits. read more

Global stocks took a hit recently amid fears that the U.S. economy was faltering.

A weaker than expected jobs report, with a rising unemployment rate, was enough for some investors to come to their own conclusions about a coming recession – even if many economists didn’t share the same concerns.

Goldman Sachs raised its odds of a recession occurring in the next year from 15 percent to 25 percent. Some economists have theorized that the economy will have a soft landing, or a slowdown that doesn’t bring about an outright recession, or hard landing.

A complication for economists is that the labor force grew. More Americans entered the job market and looked for work. Those who are on the sidelines and looking for work are officially counted amid the ranks of “unemployed” in federal data, thereby boosting the unemployment rate.

Q: If there’s a U.S. economic slowdown, will it be a hard or soft landing? 

Economists

Ray Major, economist

Soft: The recent slowing of the economy evidenced by layoffs, reduction in consumer spending and the correction in the stock market all point to a looming economic correction. The real question is how willing and how quickly the Fed will use monetary policy to correct the economy in order to avoid a hard landing. In the past five years, it has successfully used the tools at their disposal to stave off a recession at any cost and seem to be poised to do it again. read more

Health care

Nicholas Abrahams was appointed president and chief executive officer of the Winter Park Health Foundation.

Law

Family law attorney Christina Medina has joined The Rebecca L. Palmer Law Group, Orlando, as an associate.

Public relations

Sade Teel has joined the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts as public relations/show manager.

Other

Kelly Astro was appointed senior vice president of community impact at Heart of Florida United Way, Orlando.

JahKiya Bell was appointed senior advisor to the president and chief executive officer at Heart of Florida United Way, Orlando.

Heath Wells was appointed vice president of community impact at Heart of Florida United Way, Orlando.

Submit professional appointments, management-level promotions and significant awards for individuals, along with photos as .jpg attachments, to peopleonmove@orlandosentinel.com.