Things To Do In SW Florida

One person in Florida has died from eating Listeria-contaminated Boar’s Head deli meat as the outbreak spreads into more states, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention reported Wednesday.

Florida health officials did not release the name of the city or store where the deli meat was purchased. Along with the death, three people in Florida have been hospitalized from eating contaminated deli meat.

Overall,  57 people have been hospitalized and eight have died from what federal officials call the largest listeriosis outbreak since 2011. The CDC reported that, as of Aug. 8, the Boar’s Head deli meat outbreak had sickened people in 18 states.

An investigation into cases of Listeria linked to deli meat began in July when health officials found Boar’s Head brand liverwurst was making people sick. Boar’s Head has since recalled 71 products produced between May 10, 2024, and July 29, 2024, under the Boar’s Head and Old Country brand names. The recall list includes hams, bologna, bacon, sausage, salami and frankfurters. Turkey has not been recalled. read more

The investment group seeking to purchase Red Lobster announced it has appointed the former CEO of P.F. Chang’s to lead the Orlando-based seafood chain, pending court approval of Red Lobster’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan.

Damola Adamolekun, who stepped down as P.F. Chang’s CEO in 2023, was named CEO of RL Investor Holdings LLC on Monday and will become CEO of Red Lobster, if the court approves.

Fortress Investment Group, joined by co-investors TCW Private Credit and Blue Torch, created RL Investor Holdings LLC to acquire Red Lobster through bankruptcy court.

“Red Lobster is an iconic brand with a tremendous future,” Adamolekun said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to working with our team members across North America to reinvigorate the brand by making it the best place to work for our employees and improving the experience for our guests.”

Red Lobster will continue to operate as an independent company, with 544 locations across 44 U.S. states and four Canadian provinces, according to Fortress. read more

By Joe Yerardi | NerdWallet

How much money should you have in your emergency fund? What percentage of your income should you be saving for retirement?

Financial questions like these can be high-stakes. And reaching the right decision on them can seem complex and difficult, in part because there’s just so much information out there.

If you feel daunted by making financial decisions like these, you’re not alone. Less than half (47%) of Americans feel confident in their ability to make good financial decisions, according to a recent NerdWallet survey conducted online by The Harris Poll in July.

Financial confidence grows with age and wealth

People’s confidence in their financial decision-making increases with their age, income and education.

Less than a third (30%) of Gen Zers (ages 18-27) say they are confident in their ability to make good financial decisions. Thirty-nine percent of Millennials (ages 28-43), 47% of Gen Xers (ages 44-59), and 62% of baby boomers (ages 60-78) say they are confident.

Just 38% of Americans with an annual household income of less than $50,000 reported feeling confident in their ability to make good financial decisions. That compares with 49% of those making $75,000-$99,999 and 55% of those making $100,000 and more. read more

By CATHY BUSSEWITZ, AP Business Writer

On a hot summer day in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, dozens of men removed pipes, asbestos and hazardous waste while working to decontaminate a nuclear facility and prepare it for demolition.

Dressed in head-to-toe coveralls and fitted with respirators, the crew members toiling in a building without power had no obvious respite from the heat. Instead, they wore armbands that recorded their heart rates, movements and exertion levels for signs of heat stress.

Stephanie Miller, a safety and health manager for a U.S. government contractor doing cleanup work at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, watched a computer screen nearby. A color-coding system with little bubbles showing each worker’s physiological data alerted her if anyone was in danger of overheating.

“Heat is one of the greatest risks that we have in this work, even though we deal with high radiation, hazardous chemicals and heavy metals,” Miller said.

As the world experiences more record high temperatures, employers are exploring wearable technologies to keep workers safe. New devices collect biometric data to estimate core body temperature – an elevated one is a symptom of heat exhaustion – and prompt workers to take cool-down breaks. read more

Karen Roberts | (TNS) Bankrate.com

If a loved one has named you as a beneficiary of their 401(k), knowing how to make the best use of the bequest is another way to honor them. How to best use an inherited 401(k) depends on a number of factors — first and foremost your relationship with the primary account holder.

Here are the key rules to know when inheriting a 401(k) and how to avoid some major penalties.

What is an inherited 401(k)?

A 401(k) is an employer-sponsored retirement plan that workers can contribute to during their working life. If there’s money left in the account, it can be passed on to heirs, and you can inherit a 401(k) directly from a spouse or any account holder who has listed you as a primary beneficiary or a contingent beneficiary on the account. If listed as a contingent beneficiary, you would inherit the 401(k) if the primary beneficiary has passed away or cannot be located.

This article does not address options for heirs who end up with a retirement account as a result of asset distribution through probate, as different rules apply. read more