Author: troyashbacher

The Gigglescape toys are on sale for Buy One Get One 50% off.  These are such cute toys with so much personality.  The plush animals are only $10 and remind me so much of Jellycat.   They also have a bunch of whimsical doll accessories and toys.  The toys for babies and toddlers are really cute with vibrant colors and designs.   This line is just so cute.  Click here to check it out.

The Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe lives up to the brand’s luxe reputation, offering upscale amenities and dining options with world-class service. Located mid-slope at Northstar Mountain (my favorite family-friendly ski resort in California), guests can grab their ski gear from the ski concierge and be on the chairlift within minutes of leaving their room. The hotel underwent a complete renovation in 2024 and now features gas fireplaces in every guestroom, in addition to outdoor heated pools and jacuzzis, a spa with a private slope-side pool, a gondola for access to the restaurants, ice skating rink and nightlife at Northstar Village and…

Key Takeaways Workers filed 232,000 unemployment claims the week ending Oct. 18, the Department of Labor said.The number was unusual mainly because we weren’t supposed to see it: the department said the release, the first after the government shutdown ended, was a mistake. A week in late October, 232,000 people filed for unemployment, an uptick from 219,000 in late September and a remarkable figure for the simple fact that we know what it is.That’s according to the Department of Labor, which released the figure for unemployment claims made the week of Oct. 18 on a website tracking historical data Tuesday.…

Welcome everyone! Welcome to the 464th episode of the Financial Advisor Success Podcast! My guest on today’s podcast is Katie Calagui. Katie is the owner of Katie Calagui Consulting, a coaching and consulting firm that works with financial planning firm executives and leadership teams. What’s unique about Katie, though, is how she supports firms in building out their talent development capabilities to boost employee retention, create a pipeline of next-generation advisors, and, ultimately, facilitate stronger and more sustainable growth. In this episode, we talk in-depth about why Katie thinks that firms can benefit from investing in a people development role…

Stocks got up from their intraday lows, but all three main indexes closed down a day before one of Wall Street’s most anticipated earnings reports. Government-collected economic data is flowing again. And markets will, of course, note the release of the minutes from the most recent Federal Open Market Committee meeting. But it only sets the stage for numbers and commentary from the leader of the AI revolution after Wednesday’s closing bell.Five of the 11 S&P 500 sectors were down for the day, with declines for consumer discretionary, industrial, utility, financial and technology stocks dramatized by downgrades for big names…

An individual’s legacy used to be measured in acres and bank balances. Now? It might be hiding behind a password, stored in the cloud, earning ad revenue on YouTube or waiting in your Venmo history. For the modern estate planner, it’s no longer enough to ask about bank accounts and property deeds. We must now ask: What’s your Apple ID? Who has the crypto keys? Is there a Google Photos archive, or worse, a TikTok account with a following?Imagine this: Your client passes away with thousands of photos in iCloud and a monetized Etsy store … but nobody knows the…

President Trump has repeatedly called for sending $2,000 “tariffTariffs are taxes imposed by one country on goods imported from another country. Tariffs are trade barriers that raise prices, reduce available quantities of goods and services for US businesses and consumers, and create an economic burden on foreign exporters. dividends” to low- and middle-income Americans, saying revenues from his increased import taxes can cover the cost and still pay down the debt. While doing so would require an act of Congress, and details on the proposed $2,000 payments have not been fully fleshed out, we model a range of options to…

Key Takeaways Bitcoin’s price has dropped by more than $30,000 in the last six weeks, a reminder that the most popular cryptocurrency’s value is highly unpredictable. Even when conditions seem favorable, crypto assets can be volatile because of limited supply, concentrated ownership among “whales,” and hair-trigger market sentiment. Bitcoin’s volatility presents great risks for everyday investors, but also the chance for gains from significant price swings. Just this fall alone, the price of Bitcoin, the leading cryptocurrency, has plunged by more than a quarter (28%), dropping below $90,000 before rebounding about 4%. At 2 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, the price…

(Image credit: Getty Images)After years of inflation driving up prices, many Americans are feeling the pinch. In order to cut your budget, you might be looking for ways to be more frugal.In general, frugality is good. It’s a way to be more intentional about what you buy and how you use it to avoid overspending when you don’t have to.But, in the pursuit of pinching every penny, it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. Sometimes, the effort or stress you’re adding to your life aren’t worth the few cents you’re saving. Even worse, some frugal habits aren’t actually…

Two leading tax professionals were honored as distinguished award winners Tuesday at the 2025 AICPA National Tax Conference in Washington, D.C. Arthur Auerbach, CPA, CGMA, received the Arthur J. Dixon Memorial Award, the highest honor given in the tax area, and Cory Perry, CPA, was presented the Jonathan Horn Distinguished Service Award. Auerbach, who has given 23 years of volunteer service to the AICPA, according to a news release, served as vice chair of the AICPA’s Tax Practice and Procedures Committee last year and as a member of the State and Local Tax Deduction Pass-Through Entity Tax Task Force. Now…