When Is it Time to Stop (or Start) Hosting the Holidays?

Posted on December 19, 2022December 14, 2022 by Shield Insurance Agency

Passing the baton and changing traditions can be difficult for families

AARP | By Robin L. Flanigan | December 06, 2022| Hosting the Holidays | Home Insurance

Hosting the holidays can be a marathon sport. There’s planning the meals, buying the groceries, cleaning the house, cooking the food. It’s a lot of work, especially for older adults who have been at the holiday helm for two — sometimes three — generations.

When is it time to call it quits and let the younger generation take over hosting the Holidays?

That’s a difficult question for all involved. It can be difficult to give up the role of host after so many years; on the other side, it can be hard to take over that role, especially after a lifetime of baking, decorating, game-playing and gift-giving traditions.

“It’s a very emotional topic,” says Andrew G. Celli Jr., a 57-year-old attorney in Manhattan.

The traditions at his mother’s house — the home where he grew up in Rochester, New York — have “a rhythm and a regularity that makes it incredibly special and specific to her and the way she does things.”

But their family is large. Celli and his two siblings each are married with multiple children, some of whom have significant others, which means gatherings draw nearly 20 people. It’s a lot of work for Dolores Celli, who lives alone and is approaching 90, to make her usual lasagna; prime rib, or chicken with lemon, garlic, and rosemary; pizzelles; and the apple pie recipe her grandmother always used in Italy.

“It means taking the house apart and putting extra tables out, but I enjoy every moment of it,” she says, adding that she also provides breakfast for guests in the mornings. “Fortunately, I’m healthy enough to do it. Every year is a blessing as far as I’m concerned, even though I’m sure one of these days one of the kids is going to say, ‘No more.’”

While Andrew Celli says neither he nor his siblings have put their foot down once and for all just yet, he will be hosting Christmas at his home this year.

His mother “is incredibly strong and somewhat stubborn, but at the end of the holiday weekend, she is pretty tired,” he says. “We want her to enjoy the traditions that we can re-create at my house, without her having to do all the work.”

The importance of hosting the holidays & rituals

Going to the same house, eating the same food, and interacting with the same people for decades brings a sense of comfort and belonging.

“Traditions help create meaning in our lives, and help find and establish family connections,” says William C. Torrey, the Raymond Sobel professor of psychiatry and interim chair of psychiatry at Dartmouth Health and Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine in New Hampshire. “Any change in how you celebrate the holidays can easily feel disruptive, but it also creates an opportunity for more conversation and expression of appreciation.”

That’s not so easy for Evey Meyer, 76, to believe. “I will be at the edge of my grave when I stop hosting,” says the former biology professor from St. Louis.

Rather than a chore, Meyer views hosting Hanukkah (“It wouldn’t be Hanukkah if I didn’t make potato pancakes”) as an act of survivorship, “something the Jewish holidays are partly about.” She points out that her generation may resist relinquishing the holiday reins in part because subsequent generations are less likely to engage in religious rituals — a worldwide phenomenon confirmed by a Pew Research Center analysis in 2018.

Meyer says that providing meals is linked to her self-image: “I’ve always been the feeder. When people think of me, I hope they think of food.”

At some point, however, the duties can become too much. It may take an older person days to recover, and younger adult guests may start to feel guilty for remaining on the receiving end. When this happens, it’s time for an honest, and possibly tough, conversation.

Adjusting to new holiday approaches

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How to Tie a Wreath Bow in Five Different Styles

Posted on December 16, 2022December 14, 2022 by Shield Insurance Agency

Plus, the best ribbon to use for each wreath bow technique.

MarthaStewart.com | By Roxanna Coldiron | November 22, 2019 | Wreath Bow | Visit Shield Insurance

The holiday season means decorating the house with lights, ornaments, and garlands of winter evergreens. And while the Christmas tree may take center stage in your home, it’s the wreath that welcomes your guests at the front door. In most cases, this is the first thing that people see when they come calling at your door, and it’s a hint at the rest of the holiday décor that awaits them inside. “Wreaths are like small, round Christmas trees,” says Cynthia Sheen, owner and interior designer at Cinzia Interiors. “A lot of the bow styles that I do for Christmas trees can be done for wreaths as well.”

Some wreaths don’t seem complete until they are finished off with a large, lavish bow, which enhances the overall look of the wreath and can be complementary to the other décor in your home. A crisp ribbon will make the nicest bow; grosgrain, satin, taffeta, and velvet are ideal choices. You can tie different styles of bows on your wreath. We asked designers for their ideas on styling your own wreath bows.

Traditional Bow

Of course, a traditional bow on your Christmas wreath is a classic choice. Ideally, use a wide ribbon in one of these classic colors—red, green, gold, or white. Cut ribbon to the desired length. (A bow with extra-large loops or extra-long tails will require more length.) Form the ribbon into two equal loops with about 12 inches of ribbon between them. Cross the right loop over the left. Knot the loops by pushing the right loop behind the left, under, and through the hole. Pull the knot tight, adjusting loops and tails to the desired size. Lightly fold the ends and cut, creating a notch. Attach the finished bow to the wreath with a small piece of green florist’s wire.

Rosette Wreath Bow

Rosette bows are tufted with several loops, and therefore, have a lot of fullness to them. Sheen makes large rosette bows using 16 to 19 loops, but you can make fewer loops for a smaller wreath. Satin ribbon is perfect for this style because it keeps its shape and does not easily fall flat. To tie a rosette, fold a length of ribbon accordion-style into a stack, with as many loops as you like. Cinch the middle of the stack with wire, and twist to secure. Cover the wire with more ribbon if desired (just glue it in back), and fluff the loops.

Curly Wreath Bow

Kade Laws-Andrews, owner and interior designer at Kade Laws Interior Design, is partial to the curly bow. For a large bow, you will need 24 to 36 inches in length for the ribbon. “Wired ribbon is best,” Laws says. “Cinch the middle with a pipe cleaner.” Then, roll up the ribbon and unroll it to make spiral curls. This style of bow is ideally placed on the top or bottom of the wreath. A bow with shorter curls looks nice on the top of a wreath, while one with longer curls looks best from the bottom.

Layered Bow

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4 Surprising Benefits of the Flu Shot

Posted on December 15, 2022December 14, 2022 by Shield Insurance Agency

The vaccine can protect you from influenza, and it may have some other perks as well

AARP | by Beth Howard | October 3, 2022 | Flu Shot | Health Insurance with Shield Insurance

Not getting sick from the flu is reason enough to roll up your sleeve for a flu vaccine every fall. And along with preventing millions of cases of influenza each year, flu shots also reduce hospitalizations for complications of this misery-making seasonal illness.

A 2021 study from researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that adults who got vaccinated were 26 percent less likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit and 31 percent less likely to die from the flu compared to those who were unvaccinated. There seems to be protection from illness even when vaccines aren’t perfectly matched to the strain of flu virus circulating (since the shot is formulated months in advance).

But evidence suggests that there are other payoffs beyond defense from fever, fatigue, chills, and aches.

“People don’t really appreciate the other potential benefits of flu shots,” says Michelle Barron, M.D., senior medical director of infection prevention and control for UCHealth in Aurora, Colorado. “It’s actually arming your immune system to fend off other problems.”

Here are four unexpected ways a flu vaccine can benefit the body and the brain.

1. A boost for the brain?

Previous research has suggested that flu vaccines may protect the brain from dementia, and a new study from the McGovern Medical School at UTHealth in Houston makes the case even stronger.

This study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, compared more than 47,000 people age 65 and older who were vaccinated against flu to a similar group of nearly 80,000 people who were not vaccinated. The findings: Those who got a flu shot were 40 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease over a four-year period.

“We weren’t actually expecting it to be that high,” says study coauthor Avram S. Bukhbinder, M.D., now a neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Bukhbinder has several theories for the vaccination’s potential effects on the brain. Perhaps by preventing the flu, the shot quells inflammation that can lead to harmful brain changes.

His most intriguing hypothesis is that vaccines alter the brain’s overall defenses. “There’s good evidence that when we get these vaccines, they help us make antibodies to the specific pathogen — the influenza virus,” he says. “But they may also modify the immune system in such a way that it’s better at either cleaning up amyloid and tau [the proteins responsible for the plaques and tangles that are the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s] or by preventing these proteins from building up in the first place.”

2. The flu shot is linked to a stronger heart

A history of heart disease or a stroke can make flu more likely and more dangerous. In addition, flu can be a trigger for heart attacks and strokes in people at high risk for them.

According to a 2018 Canadian study, people who got the flu were 6 times more likely to have a heart attack within a week of getting the diagnosis. And Columbia University researchers saw a significant jump in strokes in the month after fighting the flu, according to new research published in the American Heart Association’s journal Stroke.

A flu shot can also spare you the potential heart harms. A new study led by the University of Toronto that incorporated six previous studies covering more than 9,000 patients showed that people who received a flu vaccine had a 34 percent lower risk of a major cardiovascular event in the 12 months following vaccination. Higher-risk vaccinated individuals with acute coronary syndrome — a group of conditions that abruptly stop blood flow to the heart — had a 45 percent risk reduction of a major cardiovascular event, and a 56 percent reduced risk of dying from heart disease in the year after they got the shot, according to the findings, which appear in JAMA Network Open. How the flu shot protects the heart isn’t fully known, but it may have to do with the plaques that build up on the artery walls of people with heart disease. The body’s immune response to the flu creates inflammation that is believed to disrupt these fat deposits, causing blood clots that may trigger heart attacks and strokes.

“The vaccine may interact with the body’s immune system and inflammatory processes to help stabilize plaques that might be present in blood vessels, thus preventing these plaques from rupturing and causing further problems,” says lead study author Bahar Behrouzi Homa, an M.D./Ph.D. candidate at the university.

3. The flu shot could curb complications from other chronic conditions

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13 Fall Home Improvement Projects That Pay Off Big in Winter

Posted on December 9, 2022December 5, 2022 by Shield Insurance Agency

Some are simple DIY tasks, others should be done by a professional

AARP.org | By Sheryl Jean | October 19, 2022 | Home Insurance | Home Improvement

As winter approaches, fall is the perfect time to prepare your home so you stay warm and dry in colder weather.

A checklist of inspections and projects will ensure your home’s systems and appliances work properly, which may increase its energy efficiency and lower your utility bills. Think of it as an annual checkup for your home just like you see your family doctor regularly.

“Staying on top of simple maintenance pays dividends in the long run,” says John Wessling, president of the American Society of Home Inspectors. “Little things can make a huge difference … and prevent bigger problems. That window caulking now may prevent a $35,000 wall repair because water got behind the siding.”

Lora Novak, an editor for the House Method website that provides home service recommendations and reviews, advises scheduling service sooner than later. It may take longer to get an appointment as many companies may be short of staff or parts due to supply chain issues, she adds.

Here are 13 home improvement chores to focus on this fall:

1. Fine-tune your furnace: Home Improvement

Novak says a furnace check is crucial so you don’t risk losing heat during winter. Change the air filter, which becomes dirty and inefficient over time. Hire a professional for a full maintenance check, which may include a furnace inspection, duct cleaning, and an airflow evaluation.

A furnace inspection could cost less than $100, but a tuneup may cost more than $200. If you’ve got a tight budget, Wessling suggests getting a heating and cooling inspection every other year but only if you change the filter regularly yourself. Look for HVAC specialists through Air Conditioning Contractors of America and North American Technician Excellence.

2. Clear gutters and downspouts: Home Improvement

Even if you don’t have trees, leaves, pine needles, and other debris can clog gutters in the fall. That can cause ice dams or water to back up, potentially damaging the roof, siding, or trim. Clean out gutters and downspouts, and direct downspouts 2 to 4 feet away from the foundation, says Mark Graham, vice president of technical services for the National Roofing Contractors Association. DIY is possible, but if you don’t feel safe on a ladder, hire a professional. The average cost for a single-story house is about $160.

3. Check seals and weatherstripping

If you see gaps between exterior windows or door frames, you may need to re-caulk them or install new weatherstripping. Check that storm windows are secure. Cover screen doors with glass or replace them with storm doors for energy efficiency, says Wessling, who owns Wessling Home Inspection Services in St. Louis.

4. Repair roofs

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Why employee turnover is more contagious than ever

Posted on December 8, 2022December 5, 2022 by Shield Insurance Agency

Worklife | November 30, 2022, by Oliver Pickup | Business Insurance | Employee Turnover

In the hybrid-working era, job departures are more contagious than ever.

When a teammate goes — whether pushed or pulled — it leaves colleagues reflecting on their positions while having to pick up the extra slack. And it means they are 9.1% more likely to head for the exit, too, according to a new report published in mid-November by global employee analytics and workforce platform Visier. As the Great Resignation shows no sign of breaking stride, this statistic could become a thornier issue for business leaders and HR professionals.

“Employee turnover can be contagious because humans tend to imitate other people,” said Andrea Derler, principal of research and value at Visier. “This means that when a fellow employee’s intentions to quit become clear, it can trigger others to evaluate their situation.”

A cluster of departures is also incredibly destabilizing for any organization and could lead to a recruitment scramble. This desperate-but-necessary tactic might plug the gaps before more employees leave, but the rush to hire could be a misstep if they turn out to be a bad fit for the company.

“I was taught that teams ‘form, norm, perform, and storm,’ so one resignation can lead to many,” said Simon Roderick, managing director of Fram Search, a U.K.-based financial recruitment organization. “Firms, managers, and teams often lose their way, and sometimes whole change is the only way to gain stability again.”

The Visier report found that smaller teams have a higher probability of experiencing higher resignations due to turnover contagion. “This is because of stronger interdependencies between team members’ tasks and their stronger personal relationships,” said Derler.

Smaller teams but bigger problems

Piers Hudson, senior director of Gartner’s HR functional strategy and management research team, agreed with this insight. “Smaller teams have micro-cultures, so when someone goes, it is worse as a trigger point,” he said.

As such, Hudson was not shocked by the 9.1% figure. “If anything, I was surprised it wasn’t higher,” he said. “Any departure would lead you to reconsider your role. It might raise things like your compensation and whether the person who has left is being paid more elsewhere.”

Gartner delved into causes for considering one’s position should a teammate leave. “It often creates more work for the rest of the team, and 56% of people told us that the number of tasks went up when a colleague left,” said Hudson. Also, 28% reported that if a favorite colleague had departed, then work was “less pleasurable.”

“Employee turnover can be contagious because humans tend to imitate other people. This means that when a fellow employee’s intentions to quit become clear, it can trigger others to evaluate their situation.”

Andrea Derler, principal of research and value at Visier.

Lesley Cooper, a well-being consultant and founder of London-headquartered mental health service WorkingWell, believes that having best friends at work develops a mutually reinforcing attitude to stick at a job, whatever the challenges. So when that workplace buddy goes, the person left feels isolated and exposed.

“Some people stay in jobs or inside a toxic team because they have one or more work relationships that they value enough to compensate for the aspects of their job or the team culture that they find uncomfortable,” Cooper said. “We often hear: ‘I don’t like the job or the company, but I love my colleagues.’”

Therefore, when a favored colleague leaves, the balance is disturbed, and “the ‘protective’ effect of the co-worker companionship” is removed, meaning there are fewer reasons to stay, she added.

Employee Turnover is a Hybrid headache

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The New Heart Health Guidelines You Need To Know About

Posted on December 7, 2022December 5, 2022 by Shield Insurance Agency

HuffPost.com | Jillian Wilson | Nov 16, 2022, 05:45 AM EST | Health Insurance | Heart Health

You can cut your risk of cardiovascular disease by following this advice from the American Heart Association.

Maintaining a healthy heart is a challenge for many people. It requires dedication to a workout regimen, eating healthy food, and staying in touch with your doctor about your cardiovascular disease risk factors (high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, and more).

Cardiovascular disease ― which includes heart disease, heart attack, stroke, heart failure, arrhythmia, and heart valve problems ― is the No. 1 killer of Americans, according to Dr. Leslie Cho, the section head of preventive cardiology at Cleveland Clinic. Every 34 seconds, someone in the U.S. dies of cardiovascular disease.

This all may sound pretty scary, and it is. But “90% of heart disease is preventable,” Cho said. And those preventable measures are outlined in the American Heart Association’s recently updated Life’s Essential 8, which is described by AHA as “key measures for improving and maintaining cardiovascular health.”

Here’s what to know:

Sleep is now included in the heart health guidelines.

For the first time, sleep is included in the heart health guidelines because it is “vital to cardiovascular health,” according to the AHA. Adults should get seven to nine hours of sleep each night to have an optimal immune system, for cell, blood vessel, and tissue restoration, to improve brain function, and to lessen the risk of chronic disease.

“There’s lots of data about Americans not getting enough sleep or having bad sleep, and we know a lot more about if you have poor sleep, that increases your risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but also things like high blood pressure and heart failure,” Cho said.

She added that studies show sleep deprivation can also increase cardiovascular risk factors like obesity and diabetes. “It’s a vicious cycle,” she said.

And there is even more risk for people with sleep apnea, a condition in which you stop breathing in your sleep. The condition has “been linked to things like high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation and heart failure,” Cho said, noting that it’s important to talk to your doctors about your quality of sleep to see if you might be suffering from sleep apnea or another sleep issue.

Secondhand smoke and vaping are now official risk factors (though they were already well-known risks).

Quitting smoking has always been an important way to cut your risk of cardiovascular disease, but now the guidelines explicitly include the dangers of secondhand smoke and vaping.

According to the AHA, “about a third of U.S. children ages 3-11 are exposed to secondhand smoke or vaping,” and both are linked to an increased risk of heart disease and certain kinds of cancer.

“In modern America, we’ve been led to believe that vaping is better than smoking, and that’s not true,” Cho said. Vaping can cause lung problems and cancer, and delivers nicotine, which is highly addictive, she said.

The heart health guidelines also underscore the importance of other healthy lifestyle habits.

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Wearable Devices: Tech’s Real-Time Ergonomic Data Is a Workers’ Comp Game Changer

Posted on December 6, 2022December 1, 2022 by Shield Insurance Agency

RiskInsurance.com | By: Abi Potter Clough | November 1, 2022 | Business Insurance | Wearable Devices

Technology is changing the scope of treatment plans and helping to keep employees safer by stopping injuries before they happen.

Carriers and risk managers share a vested interest in helping workers avoid injuries, but until now, many of the available interventions have suffered timing issues.

Training workers in advance, showing them safety demonstrations, and teaching ergonomics are all interventions before employees start working. And corrections or reprimands from management after an incident are too late to stop an injury from occurring and are quickly forgotten before the next incident.

Technology solves some of these challenges with real-time interventions, better data collection and analysis designed to influence patient outcomes over time.

Wearable devices equipped with artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT) are one way to help keep workers safe by reducing and preventing injuries through behavior modification.

Mike Rhine, SVP, chief operating officer at Onsites at Concentra, and Sean Petterson, founder and CEO at StrongArm Tech, tackled this topic at the 2022 National Comp conference, in the session “How Wearables, AI and IoT are Informing Injury Treatment and Protecting Employee Health.”

As Petterson commented in the session, “Injuries happen fast, and we need to be faster.”

Wearable Devices Help Create a Culture of Safety

Wearables are changing the timing game by providing in-the-moment alerts, notifications and corrections designed to alter human behavior before an injury happens.

When a worker is wearing an IoT-enabled device, they can receive immediate feedback based on their actual movements — critical information designed to stop risky behaviors and teach safer ones.

These small devices can tell if a worker is moving in ways that will cause repetition-based injuries over time or if an employee is about to get hurt through their actions.

A haptic notification alerts the worker in real time of any dangers so they can modify their actions. The sensors also provide a safety score to each worker at the end of each day, then the worker sees customized tips at the start of their next shift to help them improve their score.

Wearables can help develop a safety culture through these real-time alerts and daily interventions.

“There is nothing more potent than a positive safety culture. But it has been impossible to manage in the past. Now, we can measure the impacts and the effects of a safety program, like injury reduction, and attach ROI to different training programs, IoT, wearables and so on. Wearables are bringing a new way to look at problems,” Petterson said.

Wearable devices are often small sensors that fit in a pocket or can be clipped to a worker’s collar or belt.

They aim to prevent injuries and see what happens to employees over time so measures can be introduced to keep people safer at work and reduce claims.

By understanding how injuries occur, they can be prevented.

Petterson said, “We want to make it simple. We don’t need to measure every single movement, but we want enough data to meet the needs of operations and to create a baseline for understanding how real-time risk changes can impact operations, like how pushing a workforce too far can lead to injury. This correlation wasn’t always seen. Humans were once viewed as a cost of doing business, but that’s no longer an option.”

“It’s about keeping employees healthy, not watching their every move,” Rhine added.

Wearable Devices Change the Landscape of Injury Prevention

Rhine described how small wearable sensors could change the landscape of injury prevention.

With wearables, employers can observe how employees’ behavior changes throughout their shift due to fatigue or other issues. And the wearable device allows employers to see exactly when and how an injury occurred — helpful both for investigating the injury and preventing similar incidents in the future.

“With wearables, we know what happened when they got hurt, so we can clinically intervene and incorporate some training, job rotation, more conditioning, to allow us to impact health outcomes. Without wearable data, we rely on clinicians being on site and observing workers. They may spend a half hour watching an individual employee but miss fatigue issues at hour six, for example,” Rhine elaborated.

“The sensor feeds data right to an onsite clinician. In addition to using the data, we can apply clinical learning and an ergonomic eye to the workstation.”

This best-of-both-worlds approach combines data that wasn’t readily available in the past with the clinical observations only a human can bring to the table, with an end goal of fewer employee injuries and healthier workers.

Broad Impacts of Wearable Devices

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Used-Car Prices Are Falling, but Buying Is Still a Challenge

Posted on December 5, 2022December 1, 2022 by Shield Insurance Agency

As used-car prices ease from all-time highs, higher interest rates are ramping up monthly payments

Consumer Reports | By Benjamin Preston | Updated November 10, 2022 | Used-Car

After a historic used-car price spike throughout much of last year, prices have begun to come down. Although they haven’t yet deflated to levels that would fall into the deal territory, a recent drop of nearly 4 percent may offer hope to used-car shoppers, albeit mainly those paying with cash. Rising interest rates will likely negate the drop in prices for buyers who have to finance, meaning you could end up paying more over the life of the loan.

That said, the luxury of waiting for a sunnier economic outlook isn’t available to everyone. If you need to buy a used car now, Consumer Reports can tell you how to make the best of the current situation, with expert advice and market insights from industry insiders.

In good times and bad, Consumer Reports members can search our Used Car Marketplace for vehicles for sale in their area, sorting by the factors that matter most. The listings include CR reliability and owner satisfaction ratings, and there’s a free Carfax report for most of the vehicles. Members can also access ratings and information on used vehicles going as far back as 20 years.

Our main advice for buyers in this tricky market is to act quickly and negotiate from an informed perspective. That can make the difference between getting a fair deal or paying too much. Also, it’s never been more important to make sure your credit is in as good shape as it can be. Interest rates are up, but the most competitive rates are reserved for those with strong credit ratings.

Here are some other ways to make the best of a tricky market.

Consider buying a new car instead of a Used-Car

If you’re looking at newer used cars—models in the 1- to 3-year-old range, you may find that prices are still relatively close to what they sold for new. If you have to borrow money to buy the car, it may be better to find a new car that can qualify you for a lower interest rate, to say nothing of the benefit of a fresh factory warranty. Many manufacturers subsidize financing and may offer interest rates that are much lower than normal to qualified buyers. Check dealer incentives in your area and see what’s being offered.

Look at older models of Used-Cars

Everything is more expensive, so your budget may preclude used cars on the newer end of the spectrum. Also, prices on older cars have dropped the fastest. If you go the older car route, Consumer Reports recommends looking at models known for reliability. They will provide better value than more recent models that can be closer in price to new cars. The downside is that if you have to finance the purchase, interest rates tend to be higher on loans for older cars.

Prearrange financing. Used-Car

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New ways to find holiday deals on Google

Posted on November 30, 2022November 28, 2022 by Shield Insurance Agency

Google.com | Nov 01, 2022 | Shashi Thakur, VP/GM, Consumer Shopping | Holiday Deals | Home Insurance

Find the best holiday deals on Google with new features like promotion badges, coupon clipping, deals comparisons, and price insights.

The holiday season is upon us, and many are already getting into the (shopping) spirit. Holiday Deals are particularly top of mind this year: Among Americans planning to shop for the holidays, 43% are planning to look for deals and sales more than last year.¹ So we’re sharing a few new features to help you easily find those discounts and get the perfect gift at the right price.

New labels for coupons and promotions

Coupon codes are a great way to save, but finding them — and making sure they work — can be challenging. To help shoppers save money and time, we’re bringing promotions front and center in product searches.

Our new promotion badge will show up in Search on items running a promotion (like “15% off with coupon code HOLIDAYS”). While in the past we’ve shown when items are on sale or the price has dropped, you can now see specific promotions and compare them to others right in Search.

We’re also adding a new coupon clipping feature, which allows you to easily copy promo codes when you’re ready to buy. These new features will roll out in the coming weeks.

Compare holiday deals side by side

For the past year, more than half of U.S. shoppers have visited multiple websites before settling on what and where to buy.² We’re bringing you a new, easy way to cut down on all that research time and compare shopping deals across retailers.

A mobile search for “shop women’s puffer jackets” scrolls down to a section labeled “deals” showing products with discounted prices from various merchants.

If you search for a women’s puffer coat, for example, we’ll show you a side-by-side comparison of available puffer coat deals right in your results. This new view will roll out in the U.S. this month, just in time for the holidays.

Get price insights

While it’s easy to get enticed by holiday sales, it can be hard to tell whether something is a good value. So we’re bringing our price insights feature to Search to help shoppers understand the prices they see and make better buying decisions. Now, you’ll quickly see how one merchant’s price compares to others’ and whether it’s low, typical, or high for that product.

A mobile search for “shop speaker jbl tune 130nc” shows results for speakers. It scrolls down to an “online stores” section, where the color “white” is selected from a drop-down menu and a graph shows different price ranges.

And merchants, don’t forget you can always see how your deals are performing and review your business’ promotions wherever you manage your product listings on Google.

These new features will make it easier to find great prices and check everything off your list this season.

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Year-end Financial Checklist

Posted on November 29, 2022November 28, 2022 by Shield Insurance Agency

US Bank.com | October 11, 2022 | Shield Life Insurance | Financial Checklist

An end-of-the-year financial checklist is a good opportunity to make sure you’re still on track toward your financial goals.

Sometimes it feels like a year can disappear in the blink of an eye. When you look back over the previous 12 months, you might be surprised at what may have changed for you, whether that’s in terms of the economy at large, your individual finances, or your personal circumstances.

That’s why the end of the year is a good time to review your accounts and investments and make smart adjustments for the new year. Also, with tax season around the corner, reviewing your portfolio and personal finances now could potentially help reduce your tax liability.

Use this year-end financial checklist as a guide.

1. Review your financial plan

Think about what you spent money on this year, and how much. Whether it was home improvements, a vacation, or boosting a loved one’s college savings, did you achieve your family’s financial goals? Or did you put some on hold in favor of other priorities that came up during the year? Do you foresee having to make any large purchases in the next year?

Also, consider what changed in your life this year. Births, deaths, marriage, divorce, and retirement can all have an impact on both your personal finances and your strategic financial plan.

Financial planning tips

Be honest with yourself. If money was tight, or if you had a surplus, this is a good time to adjust your spending and priorities.
Use a financial professional as a sounding board. An outside perspective is helpful when reviewing short- and long-term family financial goals. A financial professional might be able to make suggestions you haven’t thought about.

2. Review your employee benefits

It’s tempting to just keep your employee benefits humming along in the background, but reviewing them yearly can make a big difference. Look at your employer-sponsored 401(k) or IRA account contributions for the year. Did you max out your contributions? If not, did you at least contribute as much as the company match?

For the 2022 tax year, the maximum 401(k) contribution is $20,500, plus an additional $6,500 if you’re 50+. The maximum IRA contribution is $6,000, plus $1,000 if you’re 50+. If you’re not maxing out your contribution, consider at least increasing it on an annual basis.

Don’t forget to pay attention to your allocations. Are you happy with the ratio of stocks, bonds and other assets, or do you need to rebalance?

Other employee benefits to review and adjust—with a financial professional, if you like—include corporate stock options and other incentive plans (restricted stock, restricted award units, etc.); health, life and disability insurance coverage; and your flexible spending account (FSA).

And don’t forget your health spending account (HSA), if you have one. For the 2022 tax year, the maximum HSA contributions are $3,650 for individuals, $7,300 for families, and an additional $1,000 for individuals age 55+.

Finally, are your beneficiaries up to date? Can you also designate a successor beneficiary? You work hard for your employees’ benefits, so be sure they end up where you want them.

Employee benefit tips

Calculate your remaining health insurance deductible. Can you accelerate or postpone medical treatments?
Use up your FSA. There are some qualified products you may not have thought of, from contact lens solution to bandages, that you can purchase with those funds.

3. Conduct a year-end tax review

Tax Day might not be until April 15, but it’s always a good idea to get a head start on preparation. For example, did you experience any life transitions (marriage, births, divorce, deaths, retirement, etc.) in the last year that could affect your tax withholding status?

Based on your anticipated income for next year, would deferring or accelerating any bonuses, property sales, other taxable transactions, deductible expenses, charitable gifts, etc., benefit you from a tax perspective? A financial professional can help you review your options.

Tax review tip

Explore tax loss harvesting. If you had investments that lost money, tax loss harvesting can help you reduce your tax liability. There are strict rules around how this is executed, so to avoid potential penalties, consider talking to a financial or tax professional before using this strategy.

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