General Motors recently announced that it would invest $1 billion across several U.S. plants, creating or retailing 1,500 jobs. Ford also announced it would cancel a planned $1.6 billion plant in Mexico and would instead invest $700 million to expand production in Michigan, adding 700 jobs. Chrysler recently announced it would invest $1 billion in Michigan and Ohio, adding 2,000 jobs while Toyota, Hyundai, and Kia have announced multibillion dollar investments, as well.
Even if La La Land cleaned up at the Academy Awards – and at press time, with the big night just ahead, it seemed like an all but sure thing – the #OscarsSoWhite complaints have deservedly abated this year. One of the major reasons is Moonlight, an indie drama about a young black man’s maturity and identity that earned eight Oscar nominations while both embracing and transcending race.
A specialty at Bubba O’Malley’s Wild Irish Inn, this dish consists of grilled chicken topped with bacon, cheese and honey mustard. On March 1, 2017, Bubba O’Malley’s will have undergone a makeover and menu change, becoming a new restaurant: Elgood’s. Don’t worry; although the eatery’s menu is changing, the folks at Bubba O’Malley’s shared their recipe for the delicious and easy-to-make Blarney’s Chicken.
We are pressing forward into 2017, which I personally believe is going to be a great year! Although we were recently pummeled with snow, freezing rain, and winds that moved my kids trampoline from our backyard into our neighbor’s front yard, the two things that I can guarantee as a financial advisor are:
If you’ve seen the drama Manchester by the Sea, you will understand why Michelle Williams is such a strong contender for her first Academy Award. A certain scene on a town street where Williams’ character encounters her ex-husband (played by Casey Affleck) is a brief but brilliant depiction of two heartbroken people, lost souls whose lives will never be the same apart as they were together. Williams really isn’t in the film all that much, but that key moment lingers.
On Friday, January 20, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. The federal government’s current fiscal condition will limit Trump’s ability to substantially change economic policy; Social Security and Medicare comprise 50 percent of the federal budget. National defense and interest on the national debt comprise another 25 percent. Thus, 75 percent of the federal budget is essentially on auto-pilot before Trump takes office while the other 25 percent includes things such as income security, education and transportation, things unlikely to be substantially changed. Unless Trump is willing to cut entitlements or defense, which thus far he seems uninterested in doing, I would not expect substantial changes in government spending in his administration.
February is a month for hearts, flowers, and of course … groundhogs. Yes, you can be certain that everywhere you go until around the 15th of this month, the world will be awash with heart-shaped everything, and a whole lot of red and pink. Count on it.
Falling halfway between the winter solstice and spring equinox, February 2 – Groundhog Day – has roots in the ancient European tradition, Candlemas Day (the Christian festival of lights). The weather on that day was considered a predictor of when winter would end. An old English song goes, “If Candlemas be fair and bright/Come, winter, have another flight.”
Football fans all around the country eagerly await the annual contest between the champs of the NFC and AFC … the final game of the National Football League season and the year’s biggest sporting event – the Super Bowl. I have to admit, I’m not a big football fan, but I love to watch the Super Bowl! There is something special about watching the “best of the best” compete, and gathering with friends and family to cheer for your favorite team. Or, maybe I like it because of the abundance of yummy food that is involved (not to mention a friendly wager among friends and football squares). In any event, much of the world will be watching on February 5 as the Atlanta Falcons take on the New England Patriots.
When it comes to museums, I am spoiled. Some of my favorite haunts are not necessarily big-gunners like The Louvre or the Met, but I’ll visit the Mauritshuis in the Hague, the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan, or the Art Institute of Chicago over and over again. So, on a recent trip to Los Angeles, the idea of spending some leisure hours at the Getty Center Museum was more than welcome.
A news story I just read reports that young people are starting to have their tattoos removed and their piercings spackled over (or however it is that doctors fix such things).
This winter, Americans will file their Income Tax returns and eagerly await their refunds. According to the IRS, the average tax refund is $3,120. Rather than do something “fun” with that money, Americans should use their refunds to save or pay down debt.
