Things To Do In SW Florida

By Tommy Tindall, NerdWallet

Are you feeling financially stressed or fiscally encouraged this year?

Over a third of Americans said they feel optimistic (35%) and/or confident (35%) about their finances going into 2026, according to NerdWallet’s 2026 Consumer Outlook Report. But nearly as many feel anxious (32%) and/or stressed (30%).

If you’re in camp nervous, looking for clever ways to cut expenses could chill you out.

I’m no genius, but these couple of money traits keep me clever:

• I’m curious enough to question the value of the services I pay for.
• I’m willing to try a new service, plan or strategy when potential savings are compelling.

I’ve also gotten more comfortable being uncomfortable. These subtle shifts saved me thousands.

I switched my cell phone plan and sacrificed nothing

I think $90 per month for two lines of cell phone service is too much. That’s about what I was paying for two lines of T-Mobile service. One of my most impactful money moves was leaving T-Mobile proper for its lower-cost Mint Mobile brand a couple years back. I’ve saved hundreds in the time since.

My biggest worry — that I might lose my precious phone number during the change over — was unfounded. Fortunately, the process of porting your number when you change providers has become easy to do yourself. read more

NEW YORK (AP) — The parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus is closing most of its Saks Off 5th locations to focus on its iconic department stores and raise money to pay off its debts during its Chapter 11 bankuptcy reorganization.

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Saks Global operates 70 Saks Off 5th locations and plans to shutter all but 12 stores, the company said Thursday. The remaining outlets will serve primarily as a selling channel for residual inventory from Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman, it said.

The company will close the remaining five Last Call stores, which are outlet locations that serve as a discount channel for Neiman Marcus. read more

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER, Associated Press Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday that he will nominate former Federal Reserve official Kevin Warsh to be the next chair of the Fed, a decision likely to result in sharp changes to the powerful agency that could bring it closer to the White House.

Warsh would replace current chair Jerome Powell when his term expires in May. Trump chose Powell to lead the Fed in 2017 but this year has relentlessly assailed him for not cutting interest rates quickly enough.

“I have known Kevin for a long period of time, and have no doubt that he will go down as one of the GREAT Fed Chairmen, maybe the best,” Trump posted on social media. “On top of everything else, he is ‘central casting,’ and he will never let you down.”

The appointment, which requires Senate confirmation, amounts to a return trip for Warsh, 55, who was a member of the Fed’s board from 2006 to 2011. He was the youngest governor in history when he was appointed at age 35. He is currently a fellow at the right-leaning Hoover Institution and a lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. read more

So, you want to be an astronaut when you grow up?

Or did you want to be an astronaut when you grew up?

“Mission: Astronaut,” the latest traveling exhibit to land at Orlando Science Center, features the many job requirements and duties that come with outer-space assignments.

“It talks about the training. It talks about what it takes to be an astronaut, how to train to be one, what they’ll be doing in space,” said Jeff Stanford, vice president of marketing. “So it breaks it down into very specific areas that you can see.”

Stations within the exhibit, created by Flying Fish Exhibits, explain the future of space exploration, how to pack your capsule, working with robotics and some basics for staying, well, alive, like meal prep.

“We’re all about trying to get people excited about STEM and talking about STEM careers and STEM skills. … An astronaut is like the ultimate STEM professional,” Stanford said.

“They do critical thinking, they’re problem-solving, they’re creative, they’re collaborative, they communicate,” he said. So this exhibit is “a really colorful way to get people to show people what a STEM career is, what STEM skills are. I mean, astronauts are problem-solving all the time.” read more

By DEE-ANN DURBIN, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Starbucks said Thursday that it plans to open hundreds of new stores across the U.S. and add seating capacity at thousands of existing locations, doubling down on a strategy of emphasizing the company’s cafes as community hubs even as consumer demand for drive-thru coffee grows.

The company unveiled its plans during a presentation in New York for investors. After announcing in September that it would close hundreds of less profitable stores, Starbucks said it now expects to open up to 175 new U.S. coffee shops this year and around 400 in 2028.

Its plans include smaller-format stores that are 20% cheaper to build but still offer comfortable seating, drive-thru service and mobile order pickup capacity.

Chairman and CEO Brian Niccol said Starbucks ultimately sees an opportunity to build at least 5,000 new cafes across the U.S., with the smaller store format presenting much of that opportunity. There are thousands of sites where no Starbucks operates within a mile of a competitor, he said. Starbucks is particularly eyeing the central, southern and northeastern U.S. for store development. read more