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Manchin favors trimming Biden budget plan

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Democratic senator vital to the fate of President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion plan for social and environmental spending said Sunday he won’t support even half that amount or the ambitious timetable envisioned for passing it. The stand by Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., was described as unacceptable by the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, who is helping craft the measure. But Democrats have no votes to spare if they want to enact Biden’s massive “Build Back Better” agenda, with the Senate split 50-50 and Vice President Kamala Harris the tiebreaker if ...

4 ways to manage retirement health care costs

(AP) — Health care in retirement is a big-ticket item. Experts estimate that an average 65-year-old retired couple in 2021 would need about $300,000 in after-tax savings earmarked for health care costs in their post-work life, even with Medicare, according to Fidelity. The totals are daunting, but you can take steps to keep costs as low as possible with the right planning, good insurance choices and a healthy understanding of your conditions and coverage. Try these strategies — now and in retirement — to help control your health care bills. 1. Take advantage of an HSA A ...

FUTURES FILES

Natural gas price explodes Natural gas prices have nearly doubled in the past 12 months, reaching $5.06 per million British Thermal Units (BTUs) early Friday morning. (A BTU is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit.) It has been over 12 years since prices were this high, and they could fly sharply higher in the event of a colder than usual winter. Gas, which is the main source of home heating in the U.S., is also used to generate electricity for manufacturing industrial products, chemicals and fertilizers. Supply ...

Town & Country Credit Union named one of the Top 200 Healthiest Credit Unions in America

Town & Country Credit Union recently received an A+ financial health grade and was named one of the Top 200 Healthiest Credit Unions in America for 2021. DepositAccounts.com, a subsidiary of LendingTree, analyzes financial institutions nationwide and publishes the Top 200 list for healthy banks and credit unions each year. “Our members trust us with their money and we don’t take that responsibility lightly,” said Jeremiah Kossen, president/CEO of Town & Country Credit Union. “This A+ financial health grade recognizes our efforts to maintain a strong credit union and keep our ...

Futures Files

Jackson Hole talk moves financials higher Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s annual Wyoming speech sent metals, stock indexes, energy, and Treasury bond futures sharply higher on Friday. His talk was mainly “dovish” in tone. Toward the end, Powell implied the Fed would delay tapering or raising interest rates soon, partially due to the COVID delta variant’s dampening effect on our economic recovery. If the Fed holds off on raising rates, inflationary expectations tend to rise and pull commodities upward, especially precious metals. December gold traded at $1,819 per ounce ...

Five tips for fostering a successful hybrid workplace

(AP) — Businesses figured out how to work remotely on the fly when COVID-19 rapidly disrupted our way of working. Those planning to adopt a hybrid work model when they return to the office still have time to prepare. But managing a distributed team comes with its own unique challenges, like: — What does hybrid look like for your company? — How do you keep remote employees engaged? — What apps and software do you need to create a seamless experience? These are tough questions to answer and you’re unlikely to please everyone. But you get a chance to build a new office ...