Getting | Common News Update

Feb232021 by adminNo Comments

The smallest businesses are getting extra PPP help. What to know before you apply

Finance

andresrThe smallest businesses that have had the most trouble accessing forgivable loans from the Paycheck Protection Program will soon get extra help.The Biden administration on Monday announced changes for the pandemic aid program focused on helping small and minority owned firms as well as sole proprietors.For two weeks, starting Wednesday, the Small Business Administration will only accept applications for PPP loans from firms with fewer than 20 employees.The administration is also making several changes to the program, including increasing loan amounts for sole proprietors and individual contractors, eliminating restrictions around delinquent student loan debt and non-fraud felony convictions as well as allowing some non-citizen business owners to apply.Goal is to expand accessThe cha...

Jan202021 by adminNo Comments

Experts say some stock investors could be at risk of getting burned. How to make sure you’re not one of them

Finance

Trevor Williams | DigitalVision | Getty ImagesAs some stocks have climbed to record highs, you may have been tempted to double down on a favorite pick, like Tesla or the latest initial public offering.But at least one money expert is sounding the alarm that some investors may be overexposed to individual stocks.Christine Benz, director of personal finance at Morningstar, said she vowed to speak up the next time she saw potentially dangerous market conditions crop up, after the dot-com bust of the late 90s."It feels like that time is here," she tweeted last week.More from Personal Finance:Here's a decade-by-decade retirement planning guideState, local tax breaks could be revived, but not without a fightSavings interest rates hit rock bottom as Americans stash more cashA sudden pullback on ...

Oct262020 by adminNo Comments

Here are tips from financial advisors for getting your Medicare coverage right

Finance

Choreograph | iStock | Getty ImagesFor the nation's older residents, the stakes can't be higher when it comes to choosing health-care coverage.That's partly because under Medicare — you're eligible at age 65 — changing plans can be challenging in some circumstances and costly if you get your choices wrong. So whether you're giving your coverage an annual checkup during open enrollment (Oct. 15 through Dec. 7) or signing up for the first time, financial advisors say there are some key considerations to factor into your decision-making. "I encourage people to get the best plan they can, because you don't know what will happen with your health," said certified financial planner Carolyn McClanahan, a physician and founder of Life Planning Partners in Jacksonville, Florida."The most import...

Sep242020 by adminNo Comments

Coronavirus: Test turnaround times getting longer in England

Health

People are waiting longer for test results from England's community Covid testing centres, figures show.Only 28% of tests carried out in these venues came back in 24 hours in the week up to 16 September.That is down from one in three last week, and two in three the week before, NHS Test and Trace said.Just over 5% of tests took more than three days to turn around. It comes as the government is struggling to increase lab capacity to process tests.Access to community testing has had to be rationed because the network of five Lighthouse Labs, which process tests done in the community, are struggling to keep up with demand.The opening of a sixth lab in Newport has been delayed from August.The government said that lab and a seventh in...

Jul92020 by adminNo Comments

Pop music is getting faster (and happier)

Entertainment

"This is my dancefloor, I fought for," Lady Gaga sings euphorically on Free Woman, a track from her new album, Chromatica. She's not alone. The charts are suddenly crammed with pop songs that celebrate joy and sensuality and precipitous thrill: Dua Lipa's Physical, Doja Cat's Say So, Harry Styles' Watermelon Sugar and Gaga's own Stupid Love.At the same time, music is getting faster. The average tempo of 2020's top 20 best-selling songs is a pulse-quickening 122 beats per minute. That's the highest it's been since 2009. Average tempo of a hit songBased on the Top 20 best-sellers each yearThe outbreak of euphoria is as sudden as it is unexpected. For the last few years, pop has been getting slower, as artists like A...