Things To Do In SW Florida

James Royal, Ph.D. | (TNS) Bankrate.com

Traders love to hear projections about their investments, whether it’s stocks, cryptocurrency or something else entirely. But crypto traders follow forecasts even more closely than the average investor because crypto prices thrive on optimism. Without increasing levels of optimism, cryptocurrency would be worthless — and literally thousands of crypto coins have substantially no market price.

Christine Benz of Morningstar

Forms of compensation like r estricted stock units  and performance shares—whereby executives receive a batch of stock from their companies after meeting a performance target — have some key advantages relative to employee stock options.

They’re more straightforward than stock options, and the associated taxes are less complex and often better aligned with gains. That said, employee stock options can be a key source of wealth for some households. That means if options are part of your compensation package, it’s worth your while to get familiar with how they work generally, as well as how your company handles stock options specifically.

Employee stock option basics

When employees receive stock option grants, they have the opportunity to exercise the options at some later date at a predetermined price, called the strike price or exercise price.

Assume that Sharon received 100 shares of her employer stock in 2014, when it was trading at $2.35 per share, with a strike price of $10 per share and an expiration date of Dec. 31, 2023. If the stock were trading at $20 per share when Sharon wanted to exercise her options toward the end of 2023, the options would be “in the money,” meaning that the strike price is below the stock price at the time of exercise. Her profit would be on the difference between her $1,000 exercise price (her 100 stock options multiplied by the $10 strike price) and $2,000, the shares’ value at the time of exercise. She could either continue to hold the stock after exercise in the hope that it would go higher, or sell and pocket her profit. read more

Chapter 7

Central Florida individuals and businesses that have filed for liquidation under Chapter 7 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code include:

Jireh & Shomri Holdings Inc., 3415 W. Lake Mary Blvd., Lake Mary. Filed: Dec. 17. Assets: $0-$50,000. Liabilities: $0-$50,000. Major creditors: Not available. Creditors meeting: Jan. 17.

Chapter 11

Central Florida individuals and businesses that have filed for reorganization and protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code include:

Florida Monster Chef LLC doing business as Vines Grille & Wine Bar, 7533 W. Sand Lake Road, Orlando. Filed: Dec. 17. Assets: $500,001-$1 million. Liabilities: $500,001-$1 million. Major creditors: Leaf Capital Funding LLC, Philadelphia, $200,000; Kapitus Loan, New York City, $146,000; Florida Department of Revenue Bankruptcy Unit, Tallahassee, $85,000. Creditors meeting: Jan. 22.

Bigritans Inc., 9374 Juniper Moss Circle, Orlando. Filed: Dec. 20. Assets: $0-$50,000. Liabilities: $500,001-$1 million. Major creditors: Lou Kirk Enterprises, St. Cloud, $200,000; Transportation Alliance Bank, Ogden, Utah, $154,535; BMO Bank N.A., Irving, Texas, $150,893. Creditors meeting: Jan. 27. read more

TALLAHASSEE — After an investigative agency sided with the company, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office will urge an administrative law judge to find that Starbucks has improperly used race-based hiring practices.

Moody in May filed a complaint with the Florida Commission on Human Relations alleging Starbucks had policies that “appear on their face to be racial quotas.” But after an investigation, the commission’s executive director in November issued a determination that there was “no reasonable cause” to believe that the Seattle-based coffee company violated a state anti-discrimination law.

Moody’s office responded by filing a petition that led Monday to the case going to the state Division of Administrative Hearings, where a judge will consider it.

The case came as Moody and other Republican leaders in Florida and across the country have targeted diversity, equity and inclusion efforts by companies and at places such as colleges and universities.

Moody’s office alleges Starbucks violated the Florida Civil Rights Act of 1992, which says it is illegal to make hiring or other employment-related decisions based on factors such as race. The human-relations commission has authority under the law to investigate alleged violations. read more

By TOM KRISHER and BERNARD CONDON, Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) — Tesla posted its first annual sales drop in more than a dozen years Thursday, sinking a stock that has soared since Donald Trump’s victory on optimism Elon Musk’s close relationship to the president-elect will help the company.

Tesla’s global vehicle sales rose 2.3% in the final quarter thanks to 0% financing, free charging and low-priced leases. But that was not enough for billionaire Musk’s most valuable holding to overcome a sluggish start to 2024.

The Austin, Texas, company sold 495,570 vehicles from October through December, boosting deliveries to 1.79 million for the full year. That was 1.1% below 2023 sales of 1.81 million as overall demand for electric vehicles in the U.S. and elsewhere slowed.

The year-over-year global sales drop is Tesla’s first since 2011, according to figures from analytics firm Global Data. The company sold 1,306 vehicles in 2010, but that dropped slightly to 1,129 the following year. read more