Things To Do In SW Florida

By CALEIGH WELLS

Tax incentives that saved U.S. residents thousands of dollars on home efficiency upgrades, clean energy installations and electric vehicles are expiring this year. That means people who want to take advantage of them before they disappear have to act quickly.

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“There is still time, but the clock is ticking,” said Zach Pierce, head of policy at Rewiring America, a nonprofit focused on electrification.

With thousands of dollars on the line and mere days or months to claim them, we’ve got some tips on how to maximize savings.

Refresh my memory. What are these incentives?

The Inflation Reduction Act that passed in 2022 includes a slew of tax credits for electric vehicles and home efficiency upgrades. read more

By KELVIN CHAN and MATT O’BRIEN, AP Technology Writers

Nvidia, the world’s leading chipmaker, announced on Thursday that it’s investing $5 billion in Intel and will collaborate with the struggling semiconductor company.

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Nvidia said it will spend $5 billion to buy Intel common stock at $23.28 a share. The investment, which is subject to regulatory approvals, comes a month after the U.S. government took a 10% stake in Intel.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang called it “a fusion of two world-class platforms” that combines Intel’s strength in making conventional computer chips, known as CPUs, that power most laptops, with Nvidia’s focus on the specialized graphics chips that are critical for artificial intelligence. read more

By Margarette Burnette, Spencer Tierney, NerdWallet

The Federal Reserve just delivered the rate cut that Wall Street predicted, trimming the federal funds rate by 0.25 percentage points. The new target range is now 4.00% to 4.25%. While the move is likely to make loans cheaper, it will affect more than just debt. People with money parked in high-yield savings accounts will probably see their rates fade as well.

When the Fed lowers rates, banks often follow by lowering savings yields. It may not be a huge drop right away, but annual percentage yields (APYs) for today’s top savings accounts and certificates of deposit — which are north of 4% — will probably decline. If you’re not already earning a high rate on your money, you may want to act soon.

High rates will dip but not disappear

The economy has been showing signs of slowing productivity and rising unemployment, and the Fed typically responds to these conditions by easing its rate policy. In August 2025, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell signaled rate cuts in a speech at the Fed’s annual symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Powell noted that “the baseline outlook and the shifting balance of risks” could justify a change. Today’s announcement made the change a reality. Depending on market conditions, there could be even more cuts in the future. read more

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO, AP Retail Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon says it’s making a $1 billion investment to raise wages and lower the cost of health care plans for its U.S. fulfillment and transportation workers.

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The Seattle-based company said Wednesday the average pay is increasing to more than $23 per hour and said that some of its most tenured employees will see an increase between $1.10 and $1.90 per hour. Full-time employees, on average, will see their pay increase by $1,600 per year.

Amazon also said it was lowering the cost of its entry health care plan to $5 per week and $5 for co-pays, starting next year. Amazon said that will reduce weekly contributions by 34% and co-pays by 87% for primary care, mental health and most non-specialist visits for employees using the basic plan. read more

By CORA LEWIS, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate Wednesday for the first time in nine months. Since the last cut, progress on inflation has slowed while the labor market has cooled. That means Americans are dealing with both high prices and a challenging job market.

The federal funds rate, set by the Federal Reserve, is the rate at which banks borrow and lend to one another. While the rates that consumers pay to borrow money aren’t directly linked to this rate, shifts in Fed policy affect what people pay for credit cards, auto loans, mortgages, and other financial products.

Wednesday’s quarter-point cut is the first since December and lowers the Fed’s short-term rate to about 4.1%, down from 4.3%. The Fed projected it will cut rates two more times before the end of the year.

The Fed has two goals when it sets the rate: one, to manage prices for goods and services, and two, to encourage full employment. This is known as the “dual mandate.” Typically, the Fed might increase the rate to try to bring down inflation and decrease it to encourage faster economic growth and more hiring. The challenge now is that inflation is higher than the Fed’s 2% target but the job market is weak, putting the Fed in a difficult position. read more