lodi91

( ) stock’s dividend yield is more or less a must-watch at this point now that it’s above the 10% mark, a level that I previously thought was unfathomable from such a mega-cap titan and one of the bluest blue chips on the entire TSX Index. After sliding 30% year to date, there’s considerable pressure weighing down the $34.5 billion behemoth. While a dividend cut remains a realistic possibility going into the new year, I think that investors in BCE shares ought to be thinking about the long-term game plan rather than the near-term sustainability of the payout. At these ominous depths, I think it’s only prudent to buy the stock with the assumption a dividend cut will kick in at some point. If it doesn’t, you may just have locked in one of the most bountiful payouts in your investment career. Either way, BCE stock seems like more of a capital gains play at this juncture and a bet on management’s abilities to reverse course over the medium term in the face of some pretty horrendous headwinds. Undoubtedly, the Canadian telecom scene has no shortage of things to worry about. The telecom scene could stay under pressure in 2025 Regulatory unknowns, still-high interest rates, the sinking media business, overstretched dividend commitments, and the existential threat posed by the likes of satellite internet companies like Elon Musk’s Starlink, which is reportedly going to provide internet services to some 15,000 homes and firms in Ontario’s northern region. Undoubtedly, it’s pretty expensive to construct cell towers to serve remote communities. While Starlink seems to be an option for such hard-to-reach areas, I have absolutely no idea where the technology will go over the next decade. Who knows? Internet from space (rather than cell towers) may very well be the new normal a couple of decades from now. Either way, the implications from the telecom scene are huge. In the meantime, however, BCE and the telecom stocks need not worry about such competitive pressures. Even if Starlink were to move in on the telecom business in the future, Canadian telecoms could compete on the satellite connectivity front. IA Financial stock: A lesser-known outperformer In any case, if you’re not willing to reach for shares of BCE on the dip, I think there are more intriguing options out there that can provide secure passive income and growth. Take shares of ( ), which are up an impressive 48% year to date. The lesser-known $12.5 billion insurer has been doing so many great things of late, and shareholders have been rewarded for their patience. Though the dividend yield is smaller — currently 2.67% — than it normally is, I view plenty of dividend raises in the cards over the next three years as the company continues taking steps to grow earnings. In the latest round of quarterly results (Q3), IA hiked its dividend by a solid 10%. That’s a very generous raise. And I have a feeling there will be more such raises in the future as IA continues to make a case for why it should be considered one of Canada’s next big dividend growth heroes. Despite the parabolic run, shares are still cheap at 13.49 times trailing price to earnings. Sure, a yield north of 10% may be more compelling to passive-income seekers. However, if you’re looking for total returns, I think IAG stock is worth consideration. Personally, I view IAG and BCE shares as great pick-ups together. You’ll get a falling knife with a sky-high yield alongside a surging performer that’s poised to keep spoiling investors.lodi91 。

Otis Worldwide Corp. stock falls Wednesday, underperforms marketNone

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House shut down Democrats' efforts Thursday to release the long-awaited ethics report into former Rep. Matt Gaetz , pushing the fate of any resolution to the yearslong investigation of sexual misconduct allegations into further uncertainty. The nearly party-line votes came after Democrats had been pressing for the findings to be published even though the Florida Republican left Congress and withdrew as President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general. Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., was the sole Republican to support the effort. Most Republicans have argued that any congressional probe into Gaetz ended when he resigned from the House. Speaker Mike Johnson also requested that the committee not publish its report, saying it would be a terrible precedent to set. While ethics reports have previously been released after a member’s resignation, it is extremely rare. Shortly before the votes took place, Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., who introduced one of the bills to force the release, said that if Republicans reject the release, they will have “succeeded in sweeping credible allegations of sexual misconduct under the rug.” Gaetz has repeatedly denied the claims. Earlier Thursday, the Ethics panel met to discuss the Gaetz report but made no decision, saying in a short statement that the matter is still being discussed. It's unclear now whether the document will ever see the light of day as lawmakers only have a few weeks left before a new session of Congress begins. It's the culmination of weeks of pressure on the Ethics committee's five Republicans and five Democrats who mostly work in secret as they investigate allegations of misconduct against lawmakers. The status of the Gaetz investigation became an open question last month when he abruptly resigned from Congress after Trump's announcement that he wanted his ally in the Cabinet. It is standard practice for the committee to end investigations when members of Congress depart, but the circumstances surrounding Gaetz were unusual, given his potential role in the new administration. Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., the committee chairman, said Wednesday that there is no longer the same urgency to release the report given that Gaetz has left Congress and stepped aside as Trump's choice to head the Justice Department. “I’ve been steadfast about that. He’s no longer a member. He is no longer going to be confirmed by the Senate because he withdrew his nomination to be the attorney general,” Guest said. The Gaetz report has also caused tensions between lawmakers on the bipartisan committee. Pennsylvania Rep. Susan Wild, the top Democrat on the panel, publicly admonished Guest last month for mischaracterizing a previous meeting to the press. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing and said last year that the Justice Department’s separate investigation against him into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls ended without federal charges. His onetime political ally Joel Greenberg , a fellow Republican who served as the tax collector in Florida’s Seminole County, admitted as part of a plea deal with prosecutors in 2021 that he paid women and an underage girl to have sex with him and other men. The men were not identified in court documents when he pleaded guilty. Greenberg was sentenced in late 2022 to 11 years in prison.

Home Franchise Concepts' Leading Window Covering Brand Promotes and Expands Roles for Veteran Team Members to Drive Collaboration, Growth and Innovation IRVINE, Calif. , Dec. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Budget Blinds, a leader in window coverings, today announced significant changes to its executive leadership team, positioning the company for continued success and industry disruption. Effective immediately, the brand has promoted Tracy Christman to Chief Operating Officer; and expanded roles for Amy Campbell to Vice President of Marketing, Product Design & Strategy; and Nicholas (Nick) Petropoulos as Director of Information Technologies. As part of Home Franchise Concepts' family of brands, these executive changes reflect the leading franchise platform's commitment to setting industry standards and laying the groundwork for building exponential future growth opportunities. Home Franchise Concepts, a subsidiary of JM Family Enterprises, places an emphasis on strategic leadership development to continue positioning its brands as industry front-runners. Budget Blinds' restructuring aligns with its strategic vision to become the most revered brand in the window coverings industry, while pursuing its primary objectives of operational excellence and innovative customer experience. "We're on the verge of transformational changes that will redefine Budget Blinds' presence in the industry," said Heather Nykolaychuk , President of Budget Blinds. "Earlier this year, we introduced a new business model for our franchisees to enhance brand reinvestment and elevated our strategic planning process to incorporate input from key stakeholders, including our franchisees, fostering greater buy-in and alignment to our long-range plan. As such, with their combined experience and expertise, we are confident that as Tracy, Amy and Nick take on their new or expanding roles, they will ignite our bold new direction, benefiting our associates, franchisees, vendor partners and customers." Additional details on Budget Blinds' leaders and their expanded roles are outlined below: These organizational changes, coupled with the brand's proactive engagement of key stakeholders, position Budget Blinds for improved performance and sustainable growth. The brand is confident that this new structure will foster collaboration and drive innovation, ensuring Budget Blinds remains the leader in window coverings while Home Franchise Concepts continues to reinvest in the brand for future growth. Budget Blinds looks forward to providing enhanced franchisee support, more efficient operations and the development of products and services that truly resonate with our consumers. "We strive to be regarded with deep respect and admiration by all who work and partner with us, through championing high-standards of child-safety, product quality and exceptional experiences rooted in trust and brand reputation," continued Nykolaychuk. "We're excited for the bright future we have ahead, and look forward to the lasting impact Tracy, Amy and Nick will bestow on the Budget Blinds legacy." With Budget Blinds contributing to the success of Home Franchise Concepts, the parent company plans to execute even more innovative strategies and remain ambitious in implementing new tactics to generate additional awareness and support for its family of brands. With new shifts in leadership, Home Franchise Concepts is focused on ongoing operational and technology improvements and is dedicated to enhancing the support for its family of brands. To learn more about Home Franchise Concepts and franchise development opportunities, visit homefranchiseconcepts.com . For more information specific to Budget Blinds, please visit budgetblinds.com . About Budget Blinds Budget Blinds ® is the largest window covering franchise in North America, offering custom blinds, shutters, shades, drapery, and more for residential and commercial consumers in more than 10,000 communities in the U.S. and Canada. Budget Blinds' over 900 business owners, and 1,500 locations, have dressed more than 25 million windows since the brand's founding in 1992. Budget Blinds is part of the Home Franchise Concepts family of home improvement goods and services brands. About Home Franchise Concepts Home Franchise Concepts® , is one of the world's largest franchising systems in the home improvement goods and services space, among the world's largest franchise businesses and a recognized leader in franchisee-franchisor relationships. Home Franchise Concepts' brands including AdvantaClean® , Aussie Pet Mobile®, Bath Tune-Up® , Budget Blinds® , Concrete Craft® , Kitchen Tune-Up®, Lightspeed RestorationTM , PremierGarage® , The Tailored Closet®, and Two Maids® are supported by more than 2,600 franchise territories in the U.S., and Canada . For information on franchise opportunities, please visit http://homefranchiseconcepts.com/ . About JM Family Enterprises JM Family Enterprises, Inc. was founded by automotive legend, Jim Moran in 1968. It is a privately held company with more than $20 billion in revenue and more than 5,000 associates. Rooted in automotive and united in its strong culture and core values, JM Family is in the business of helping other businesses succeed. As a long-term partner, it is invested in its companies, associates and its communities. Driven by exceptional performance, current subsidiaries are in the automotive, financial services, franchising and specialty distribution industries. Its family of companies includes: Southeast Toyota Distributors , JM&A Group , World Omni Financial Corp. (dba Southeast Toyota Finance ), JM Lexus , Home Franchise Concepts ®, Futura Title & Escrow and Rollease Acmeda . Interact with JM Family on Facebook , Instagram and LinkedIn . Contact: Margo Williams mwilliams@fish-consulting.com View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/budget-blinds-announces-strategic-changes-to-executive-leadership-team-302324283.html SOURCE Home Franchise Concepts

By SHAWN CHEN NEW YORK (AP) — It’s time for the holidays, which means robust family conversations and seemingly never-ending courses of food. But for the more tech-savvy among us, the journey home could also mean we’ll be called on to provide a backlog of tech support to parents, grandparents and other family members. And with generative AI being used to supercharge some major cyber scams this year, it’s also a good time to teach and not just fix. Here are some tips on how to manage your tech encounters this holiday season : Whether it’s Windows , macOS , iOS or Android , simply keeping your operating system and apps up-to-date will help protect your family’s computers and devices against a surprising number of security threats, such as malware, viruses and exploits. Most operating systems, especially those for mobile devices and their app stores, typically have auto-updates turned on by default. Be sure to double-check the device to make sure it has enough storage space to carry out the update. (More on this below.) Keeping apps updated may also reduce the number of “Why isn’t this app working?” type of questions from your relatives. Chances are someone in your family is going to have a completely full mobile device. So full, in fact, that they can no longer update their phone or tablet without having to purge something first. There are many approaches to freeing up space. Here are a few you can easily take without having to triage data or apps. — Use the cloud to back up media: iPhone users can free up space occupied by songs and pictures by storing them on iCloud . Android users can use the Google Photos app to back up and store their photos on their user space. — Clear browsing data: Each major browser has an option to clear its data cache — cookies, search and download histories, autofill forms, site settings, sign-in data and so on. Over time, these bits take up a significant amount of storage space on mobile devices and home computers. So cleaning caches out periodically helps free up space and, in some cases, improves system performance. According to some admittedly unscientific studies, the average person has hundreds of passwords. That’s a lot to remember. So as you help your relatives reset some of theirs, you may be tempted to recycle some to keep things simple for them. But that’s one of the bad password habits that cybersecurity experts warn against. Instead, try introducing your forgetful family member to a password manager . They’re useful tools for simplifying and keeping track of logins. And if you want to impress a more tech-savvy cousin or auntie, you could suggest switching to a more secure digital authentication method: passkeys . As scammers find new ways to steal money and personal information, you and your family should be more vigilant about who to trust. Artificial intelligence and other technologies are giving bad actors craftier tools to work with online. Related Articles National News | What We Know About the Killing of Brian Thompson, UnitedHealthcare CEO National News | Massive lottery jackpot is set to expire. Mystery player was part of an incredibly rare draw National News | The next census will gather more racial, ethnic information National News | As data centers proliferate, conflict with local communities follows National News | NASA’s stuck astronauts hit 6 months in space. Just 2 more to go A quick way to remember what to do when you think you’re getting scammed is to think about the three S’s, said Alissa Abdullah, also known as Dr. Jay, Mastercard’s deputy chief security officer “Stay suspicious, stop for a second (and think about it) and stay protected,” she said. Simply being aware of typical scams can help, experts say. Robocalls frequently target vulnerable individuals like seniors, people with disabilities, and people with debt. So-called romance scams target lonely and isolated individuals. Quiz scams target those who spend a lot of time on social media. Check our AP guide on the latest scams and what to do when you’re victimized. Home internet speeds are getting faster, so you want to make sure your family members are getting a high-speed connection if they’ve paid for one. Run a broadband speed test on your home network if they’re still rocking an aging modem and router.ITV I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! stars Alan Halsall and Coleen Rooney took part in Monday's Bushtucker trial to earn food for their campmates. The pair performed excellently in the tough challenge, called ‘Farmyard of Fear’, and won an excellent 10 out of 10 stars, meaning the celebs will be eating well. But the duo brewed up a plan to convince their campmates they only won two stars, and surprise them at dinner time. READ MORE: ITV I’m A Celebrity viewers ask ‘how’ as they spot Tulisa detail after two weeks in jungle Already in its final week, I'm A Celebrity viewers are now voting to keep their favourite celebs in camp. Prior to this, ITV fans were voting for which celeb they wanted to see take part in the Bushtucker trials to earn food for camp. WAG Coleen Rooney and Corrie star Alan Halsall nominated themselves to take part in the 'Farmyard of Fear' trial, which involved transporting jungle nasties from a platform manned by Alan into a giant container with weighing scales on the ground, that Coleen handled. Fans have flocked to social media to express how well they performed. Viewers have dubbed Coleen a "machine". @adamjeffrey98 wrote on X, formerly Twitter : "Coleen Rooney is a machine #ImACeleb", and @JasminexHx added: "What a woman colleen is", and @sarahfw40 said: "Coleen hasn’t moaned once, what a trooper!". @josh_earl3 said: "Alan and Coleen, absolute dream team", and @sewissupremacy agreed: "Alan and Colleen were awesome! #imaceleb". The pair won 10 out of a possible 10 stars (Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock) The pair had some communication issues during the challenge and @nikkimol said: "Alan not hearing Coleen is too funny". Fans loved seeing Coleen and Alan dupe the celebs and noted Coleen's excellent acting skills. @fadeeeintoyou said: "Get Colleen an acting gig on Corrie asap", and @Coopernator added: "This is the best fake out I’ve ever seen ngl #ImACeleb". @Imtherealanon said: "That is great acting from Coleen and Alan. They're good. Sign them both up for something", and @SG902110 said: "Colleen on Corrie". Coleen, dubbed 'Wagatha Christie' following her exposure of Rebekah Vardy conflict, is known for sniffing out lies in the jungle. @HelloIamLis wrote on X: "If another camp mate pulled this trick with hiding the amount of stars they got, Colleen would’ve sniffed it out in seconds #ImACeleb". Only ten celebs remain in the jungle since Radio DJ Dean McCullough was the second campmate to leave the jungle on Sunday night, after Loose Women star Jane Moore was the first to be voted out on Friday night. Viewers are voting for to keep in their favourite celebs, and another campmate will be eliminated on Monday night. I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! continues nightly at 9pm on ITV1, STV and ITVX