Things To Do In SW Florida

By Joe Yerardi | NerdWallet

Maintaining solid credit can open doors to financial goals, but misunderstanding how credit works can make your efforts futile.

As part of the 2024 State of Consumer Credit study, a NerdWallet survey conducted online by The Harris Poll asked more than 2,000 adults a series of questions focusing on common misconceptions about credit.

Two thirds (67%) of Americans believed at least one of the five credit misconceptions we asked about. Here, we’re busting them.

1. Leaving a small balance on your credit card is not better for your credit scores than paying it off completely

Roughly a third (32%) of Americans wrongly believe that leaving a small balance on their credit card is better for their credit scores than paying it off completely each month, including about half (49%) of those who carry a balance on at least one card from month to month. But it’s not true.

The best way to build your credit scores is by paying off your card balances on time and in full each month.

This is true for a couple of reasons.

First, payment history has the biggest influence on credit scores. Lenders want to see that you consistently pay back money you’ve borrowed. So you want to make sure you never miss a payment. read more

Law

Tasha L. Vazquez Santiago has joined the Orlando office of ShuffieldLowman as an associate practicing in the areas of guardianship, probate, and estate planning.

Public relations

Katie Mitzner has joined Tucker/Hall as vice president of the firm’s Orlando office.

Real estate

Nicholas O’Shea has joined Hold-Thyssen Inc. as a director in the firm’s Winter Park office.

Zach Kulics has joined Hold-Thyssen Inc. as a director in the firm’s Winter Park office.

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

Chapter 7

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

J & M Affordable Auto Inc., 1526 U.S. Highway 441, Leesburg. Filed: June 12. Assets: $0. Liabilities: $407,608. Major creditors: AFC, Orlando, $213,647; Wells Fargo, Los Angeles,  $81,493; U.S. Small Business Administration, Portland, Ore., $58,300. Creditors meeting: Aug. 1.

Altier Enterprises Inc. doing business as Giftique, 911 E. New Haven Ave., Melbourne. Filed: June 13. Assets: $4,425. Liabilities: $116,828. Major creditors: Bank of America, Wilmington, Del., $61,659; TD Bank N.A., Columbia, S.C., $26,083; U.S. Small Business Administration, Portland, Ore., $25,218. Creditors meeting: July 30.

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:

D & J Pool Prep Corp., 5610 Carder Road, Orlando. Filed: June 11. Assets: $50,001-$100,000. Liabilities: $500,001-$1 million. Major creditors: ByzFunder, New York City, $213,927; Alliance Funding Group, Tustin, Calif., $207,136; SCP, Kissimmee, $75,991. Creditors meeting: July 15. read more

The “Ghostbusters” franchise is returning to Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights, this time with a haunted house based on “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” a film that debuted in March.

Among the scenes in the HHN maze at Universal Studios theme park will be Ray’s Occult Books stores, the new high-tech lab/containment facility of the Ghostbusters, the New York City sewer system and freezing conditions. Visitors also will see “iconic ghosts, creatures and characters from the beloved classic series,” according to a Universal news release.

The Frozen Empire house will be at Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood in California.

The 2024 film, a sequel to 2021’s “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” stars Paul Rudd, Finn Wolfhard and Carrie Coon with Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and Annie Potts reprising their characters, which date back to the original 1984 movie.

Previously announced haunted houses for Orlando’s HHN include Slaughter Sinema 2; Goblin’s Feast; Major Sweets Candy Factory; The Museum: Deadly Exhibit; Monstruos: The Monsters of Latin America; Triplets of Terror; and a maze based on the films of “A Quiet Place” franchise. The event will feature 10 houses and five scare zones. HHN33 officially debuts Aug. 30. read more

By MARK SHERMAN

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday stripped the Securities and Exchange Commission of a major tool in fighting securities fraud in a decision that also could have far-reaching effects on other regulatory agencies.

The justices ruled in a 6-3 vote that people accused of fraud by the SEC, which regulates securities markets, have the right to a jury trial in federal court. The in-house proceedings the SEC has used in some civil fraud complaints, including against Houston hedge fund manager George Jarkesy, violate the Constitution, the court said.

“A defendant facing a fraud suit has the right to be tried by a jury of his peers before a neutral adjudicator,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court’s conservative majority.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who read from her dissent in the courtroom, said that “litigants who seek to dismantle the administrative state” would rejoice in the decision.

Federal agencies that oversee safety in mines and other workplaces are among many that can only impose civil penalties in in-house, administrative proceedings, Sotomayor wrote, joined by Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Elena Kagan. read more