Things To Do In SW Florida

By Kimberly Palmer | NerdWallet

While financial fraud can happen to anyone, older adults face unique challenges when it comes to scams, which are increasingly common among that age group.

Losses due to scams targeting those age 60 or older ballooned to $3.4 billion last year, an increase of 11% over the previous year, according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. The average amount lost was $33,915.

Tech support scams were reported to be most common among this demographic, followed by personal data breaches and confidence and romance scams, where the scam artist first gains trust before moving on to the topic of money. The FBI notes that older adults make an attractive target because they usually have savings, a home and other assets. They may be more trusting and less likely to report being scammed.

“They are willing to take the phone call,” says Mark Kapczynski, senior vice president of strategic partnerships at Onerep, a technology company that helps people protect their privacy by removing consumers’ personal information online. “A fraudster can build an immediate sense of trust and execute the con,” he adds. read more

Noam N. Levey | (TNS) KFF Health News

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Jolynn Mungenast spends her days looking for ways to help people pay their hospital bills.

Working out of a warehouse-like building in a scruffy corner of this former industrial town, Mungenast gently walks patients through health insurance options, financial aid, and payment plans. Most want to pay, said Mungenast, a financial counselor at Rochester Regional Health. Very often, they simply can’t.

“They’re scared. They’re nervous. They’re upset,” said Mungenast, who on one recent call worked with an older patient to settle a $143 bill. “They do think ‘I don’t want this to affect my credit rating. I don’t want you to come take my house.’”

At Rochester Regional Health, that won’t happen. The nonprofit system in upstate New York is one of only a few nationally that bar all aggressive collection activities. Patients who don’t pay won’t be taken to court. Their wages won’t be garnished. They won’t end up with liens on their homes or be denied care. And unpaid bills won’t sink their credit scores. read more

Two days after it declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Orlando-based Red Lobster sent a letter Tuesday to customers assuring them that most of its restaurants would stay open despite the company’s financial troubles.

“Bankruptcy is a word that is often misunderstood,” states the letter, which does not list an author.

“Filing for bankruptcy does not mean we are going out of business,” it continues. “In fact, it means just the opposite. It is a legal process that allows us to make changes to our business and our coststructure so that Red Lobster can continue as a stronger company going forward.”

Orlando-based Red Lobster files for bankruptcy but will stay open

Red Lobster is looking to restructure amid nearly $300 million in outstanding debt.

The company shuttered as many as 80 of its 650 locations last week, including at least six in Central Florida in Orlando, Altamonte Springs, Sanford and Kissimmee.

San Diego-based restaurant analyst John Gordon said the sale of its real estate by its private equity owners, which required the restaurants to pay rent, and other added debt and poor management decisions over the past decade were key contributors to the company’s financial woes. read more

Two days after it declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Orlando-based Red Lobster sent a letter Tuesday to customers assuring them that most of its restaurants would stay open despite the company’s financial troubles.

“Bankruptcy is a word that is often misunderstood,” states the letter, which does not list an author.

“Filing for bankruptcy does not mean we are going out of business,” it continues. “In fact, it means just the opposite. It is a legal process that allows us to make changes to our business and our cost
structure so that Red Lobster can continue as a stronger company going forward.”

Orlando-based Red Lobster files for bankruptcy but will stay open

Red Lobster is looking to restructure amid nearly $300 million in outstanding debt.

The company shuttered as many as 80 of its 650 locations last week, including at least six in Central Florida in Orlando, Altamonte Springs, Sanford and Kissimmee.

San Diego-based restaurant analyst John Gordon said the sale of its real estate by its private equity owners, which required the restaurants to pay rent, and other added debt and poor management decisions over the past decade were key contributors to the company’s financial woes. read more

By PAUL WISEMAN (AP Economics Writer)

WASHINGTON (AP) — As president, Donald Trump imposed a 25% tariff on foreign steel, which hurt Clips & Clamps Industries, a Michigan auto supplier — raising its materials prices, making it harder to compete with overseas rivals and costing it several contracts.

Jeff Aznavorian, the company president, thought he might enjoy some relief once Joe Biden entered the White House. Instead, Biden largely preserved Trump’s tariffs — on steel, aluminum and a mass of goods from China.

“It was a little surprising that an ideologically different administration would keep the policies so intact,’’ Aznavorian said, recalling how a previous Democratic president, Bill Clinton, had fought for freer trade. “That’s just so different from a 2024 Biden administration.’’

Trump and Biden agree on essentially nothing, from taxes and climate change to immigration and regulation. Yet on trade policy, the two presumptive presidential nominees have embraced surprisingly similar approaches. Which means that whether Biden or Trump wins the presidency, the United States seems poised to maintain a protectionist trade policy — a policy that experts say could feed inflation pressures. read more