Popeyes Taking a Second Shot at the Chicken Sandwich Wars, Hires 400 People

Written by adminOctober 28, 2019
Business

For a brief moment this summer, the country was transfixed in a war. A chicken sandwich war. Everyone knew Chic-fil-A had the best sandwich around. Popeyes, known for their chicken as well, wanted put brand loyalty to the test. They released their own top-notch chicken sandwich. In fact, many people were claiming it was better than Chic-fil-A! The war was on.

Popeyes could’ve won the war, which was no easy task. The problem? They completely ran out of chicken sandwiches across the country. The demand was huge, the establishments had to put signs up on their doors. They simply didn’t expect the massive demand. As such, workers were overwhelmed. Lines would form out the building. Many waited half an hour or even longer for their chicken sandwich.

Popeyes must’ve felt defeated that they had some great press, but couldn’t keep up. They decided to put their chicken sandwich on hold for a time and regroup. In fact, starting in early November, they plan on making a return. In fact, they have decided to hire on 400 new employees, about two per store, dedicated to making these wonderful sandwiches.

In a statement, Popeyes said: “We have been working diligently to bring the sandwich back to our restaurants soon, as we know our guests are anxiously anticipating its return.” The exact date of the relaunch hasn’t been released yet. Are you eager to jump back in line for your Popeyes chicken sandwich?

The Chicken Sandwich Wars

Chic-fil-A and Popeyes faced off this past summer. While many fans are brand-loyal, there’s no shame in admitting Popeyes was definitely the larger sandwich. Yet, many still say Chic-fil-A tastes better. When you pull apart the ingredients, a simpler version might be best overall.

Of course, they’ve been in the chicken game a long time. Popeyes also is known for the Louisiana-style dishes, including fried chicken.

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Betsy DeVos Held in Contempt for Violating Court Order to Stop Student Loan Payments

Written by adminOctober 25, 2019
Politics

In a fresh controversy for the Trump administration, his education secretary is in trouble. Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, was recently held in contempt of court. A federal judge ordered DeVos to stop collections on student loans for defunct Corinthian College. The school closed back in 2015 after being found to use dishonest advertising to enroll students.

As of now, DeVos and the Department of Education as continued to collect on those loans. This violates the judge’s order. Not only have they continued to collect, they have gone ahead with typical collection practices. That includes garnishing wages and keep the tax returns of the borrowers caught up in the scam.

As a result of this, a judge has imposed a $100,000 fine. DeVos herself will not be paying this fine, but the department. They stated how disappointed they are in the court’s decision. They also stated: “We acknowledged that servicers made unacceptable mistakes,” the department said. “Betsy DeVos directed FAFSA to take immediate action to help every impacted borrower. As of today, FAFSA has taken the actions needed to make every impacted borrower whole.”

The DeVos Violation

Sallie Kim, a federal magistrate judge in California, said, “Defendants have not provided evidence that they were unable to comply with the preliminary injunction, and the evidence shows only minimal efforts to comply with the preliminary injunction,” she issued in 2018, which ordered the Department stop collecting the loans.

“Here, there is no question that Defendants violated the preliminary injunction,” the court order reads. “There is also no question that Defendants’ violations harmed individual borrowers who were forced to repay loans.”

Still, Kim has also stated she will take further steps of the department continues to ignore her ruling. That might include sanctions being imposed on them or even the judge appointing someone to ensure the ruling is being complied with. She even threatened that someone could end up in jail if it continues.

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Defaulting on Your Student Debt Will Only Make Life Miserable

Written by adminOctober 25, 2019
Credit & Debt

It’s understandable that someone who graduates college might want to decide to default on their student debt. It can be hard keeping up with monthly payments. You already graduated and trying to get your life in order. Then, here comes the payments, sapping your money. People with student debt are deciding to put off major life decisions. That’s how expensive this crisis is.

Currently in the United States, 44 million people owe $1.53 trillion. That’s a lot of money and a debt most don’t ever see being paid off. That is, unless you talk to one of the Democratic candidates running for office. They all have plans for taking care of student debt. At the same time, 11% of federal borrowers went into default last year.

To go into default means you’ve gone more than 270 days without paying your bill. That’s about 2/3 of a year. While this might seem like a solution for people struggling, it never it. That’s because your student debt never goes away. It will always stick to you until it’s completely paid off. You can’t just declare bankruptcy or hope they’ll stop chasing you.

Let’s take a look at the several ways going into default makes life miserable.

1) Not paying student debt will kill your credit score

35% of your credit score is made up of your payment history. Anything less than 100% on-time payments will hurt you. This is especially true if you go into default. Good luck getting a mortgage or any other type of loan if your student loan is in default. Lenders won’t trust you to pay it back. This is also probably why many people buried under piles of debt put off those big decisions. Going into default forced their hand.

2) You lose access to certain repayment plans

This can be a major one. After you graduate, you have the chance to enroll in difference repayment plans. These plans can help you conquer your student debt. It might take a while, usually up to ten years, but they can be helpful. If you go into default, you can kiss that goodbye. You can even file for a forbearance to pause payments if you’re going through a rough time. That’s not true any longer if you’re in default.

3) You’ll have to pay your whole loan

Lenders know they have to work with students and that’s why they’re willing to put you on a repayment plan. But what happens if you default? Suddenly, your entire student debt becomes due. You’d have to immediately call your lender to discuss putting you on a repayment plan. If not, you’ll be expected to pay it off in whole.

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Elizabeth Warren’s Plans Would Cost $4.2 Trillion Per Year

Written by adminOctober 25, 2019
Politics

Elizabeth Warren is currently emerging as the potential frontrunner as the Democrat’s 2020 candidate. With that position comes a lot more scrutiny about what she stands for. As of late, Warren has been making a lot of promises. That’s typical for any politician fighting hard in the race of their life. The problem is, she didn’t have any answers to how much her plans might cost.

Even those on the left have been taking shots at Warren over the past week. When asked about whether the middle class would have their taxes raised to pay for her plans, she refused to answer. Instead, she kept saying their overall costs would go down. She could never answer how much the plans cost. Well, now there’s an answer.

Yahoo Finance took a look at the books and found that Warren’s plan would double the current federal spending rate at $4.2 trillion per year on top of the $4.4 trillion we currently spend. That’s a lot of money! That means under Elizabeth Warren, spending would total $8.6 trillion. That amount all but guarantees her promises won’t be fulfilled. Already running a $23 trillion deficit, there’s no way to justify it.

To pay for her plan, of course Warren would have to increase taxes. But not just on the wealthy like she says. She’d have to increase the federal taxation rate by 124%. We’re already running a trillion dollar per year deficit, so she clearly has no answers without raising taxes significantly. By significantly, we mean it’s not possible to raise taxes high enough.

Warren’s Medicare-For-All

The biggest weapon in Warren’s arsenal is wanting a Medicare-for-all system. Her supporters think it’s a great idea. It would completely replace the private healthcare system we have right now. Yet, she has no clue how we will pay for it yet. Every time she’s asked, even by fellow Democrats, she changes the subject. It’s almost as if she’s afraid to admit she would have to increase taxes on the middle class.

The Urban Institute found that this type of single-payer system would cost us $3.4 trillion per year. That’s a massive chunk of change. This is nearly equivalent to all of our tax revenue in 2019. Healthcare costs might go down, but how do you feel about paying double the taxes? And that’s before any of Warren’s other ideas see the light of day.

It’s possible she could raise a few hundred billion per year by increasing taxes on the wealthy. Many businesses and corporations do what they can to push their tax liability down to zero. There are plenty of loopholes Warren says she’ll close. That might help a little bit, but so far, she has yet to provide answers on how this plan will be sustainable or covered in full.

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5 Red Flags that Your Spouse is Hiding Money Problems from You

Written by adminOctober 24, 2019
Real life

Money problems is considered the number one reason for divorce. It can be tough living with someone who has the opposite mindset than you do when it comes to money. For example, what do you do if you’re a saver and your spouse is a spender? There are ways to work on that together, like putting together a budget that makes both of you happy.

Yet, spending can become a problem. This is especially true if your spouse isn’t being honest with you about what they’re doing with the money. You might not know that they took out a credit card without telling you. What about taking out a loan? These things happen all the time. If your spouse isn’t honest with you, it can come back to haunt you.

Let’s take a look at 5 red flags your spouse is hiding money problems from you.

1) Has Difficulty Being Honest about Money

When you’re first seeing someone and things are becoming serious, usually they’re open about things in their lives. Sometimes, the opposite is true about things they want to hide. Financial problems are on that list. If they don’t want to tell you about how much debt they have, that should be a red flag. If they wave off talking about their student debt, they probably have a lot. There’s a lot of shame that goes with having debt. Many potential partners might consider that a deal breaker. If they’re not open and honest about it, they might have something to hide.

2) Guards the Mailbox

If someone has debt, the odds are good they will receive letters in the mail. Maybe it’s a credit card statement or a letter from a debt collector. Either way, someone is being fishy if they’re always quick to jump at the mail. It might mean they are trying to prevent you from finding something.

3) Has Addictive Behaviors

Financial difficulties are often the result of other types of addictive behavior. Imagine a drug abuser who has to do whatever they can to get their next fix. Even average people have things they’re ashamed of and addictions they can’t seem to deal with. In that same light, they will waste their money on their addiction, whether it’s drugs, gambling, or whatever it is. When that happens, it’s difficult to hide the money lost. That’s when they get into doing shady things, like taking out a loan or getting a new credit card.

4) Unsure How They Purchased Items

Some people like to have all the latest stuff. If you can easily afford it, and it’s common, there’s no big deal here. You expect your spouse to get the latest iPhone and dress buy new clothes. But, what if you don’t have the budget for it? It’s not necessarily a sign of trouble. For example, many phone companies will upgrade for free or offer a free tablet. If you’re concerned, take the time to check.

5) Hides their Statements

Have you seen the credit card statement in a while? What about the bank statement for the month? Are you keeping track of the money? A sign someone is doing something wrong is they hide what they do. If you’re not allowed to look at the statements, it can cost you in the long run. This is especially true if you’re getting married and/or thinking about buying a home together.

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72% of Parents Admit to Stealing their Kid’s Halloween Candy (and other scary stats)

Written by adminOctober 24, 2019
Entertainment

We’re less than a week away from Halloween. Most kids are excited and ready to dress up in a costume to go trick-or-treating. The real trick, though, is apparently the majority of parents who steal their kid’s candy. Hey, it’s only fair, right? They drag you along from house-to-house, so it’s not stealing if you’re owed that sweet relief.

WalletHub conducted a survey to find out what other hijinks parents and kids are up to on the spookiest night of the year. 72% of parents admit to stealing their kids’ candy. Usually it’s after they go to bed. Parents don’t really let their kids keep all the candy anymore. Instead, it’s put in a central location where they can “monitor” it. If only the kids knew what was happening late at night!

83% of parents say they routinely check their children’s candy to make sure there isn’t anything dangerous going on. There are always rumors of razorblades or needles in the candy. It’s estimated that 41 million kids will hit the street on October 31st this year. Only 29% of parents said they planned on taking their kids out. Usually parents might leave their kid with a group of friends or let them go out on their own.

36% of parents believe the older kids, around 12 or 13, can go trick-or-treating on their own. With that, only 35% of parents say they discuss Halloween safety with their kids. This is dismaying, as two times as many kids are killed than pedestrians each Halloween. That means it’s a good idea to add reflective tape to your child’s costume. Make sure they’re bright and visible.

Other Halloween Stats

Americans like to go all-out for Halloween. In 2019 alone, it’s expected that we will spend nearly $9 billion. $3.2 billion of that is on costumes. $2.6 billion will be spent on candy and sales to haunted houses could push past $300 million. There are a lot of other numbers to consider for this holiday.

76% of us will spend less than $50 on Halloween. 68% celebrates in some way, whether big or small. A little less than half, 49%, will decorate their homes. It’s interesting to see how many people do celebrate Halloween. Many people spend thousands of dollars turning their home into a haunted playground. It’s always a great time of year to decorate and enjoy the fall season.

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Do You Often Stay Up Late Working? Here’s How Losing Sleep Hurts Our Productivity and Our Health

Written by adminOctober 23, 2019
Real life

There is nothing more important to our health than getting a good night’s sleep.  I know when I get less than what my body needs, my entire next day is completely thrown off.  I mean, how can I properly concentrate on my deadlines while barely keeping my eyes open the next morning?  The lack of sleep each night can really sabotage your performance, drive, and ability to function.  

The good news is you can completely reverse sleep-related health conditions by changing your sleep habits.  To change your habits, though, means you need to understand what causes you to lose sleep in the first place.  Once you figure out what robs you of those precious Zzzs, it’s easier to devise a plan to get the optimal rest you need to function at your best.  

Here is a list of ten reasons you can’t sleep I’ve put together to help you figure out the changes you need to make in your sleep schedule:

Reason #1: Losing Sleep Forces Us to Sleep In

This one is a drag.  I’m sure most us hit our alarms at 5:30 AM every morning and mutter how much we can’t wait for Saturday so we can sleep in.  Maybe we even stay up late Friday night painting the town. It’s become a tradition, week in and week out. But little do we realize how badly this throws off our internal clock. 

Essentially, sleeping in Saturday morning sets off a chain reaction of inappropriate sleeping conditions the rest of the weekend. We stay up later Saturday night, knowing once again we can sleep in Sunday morning.  So what happens on Sunday? Our sleeping habits have been reprogrammed. We stay up later Sunday night and then feel like garbage Monday morning when 5:30 AM rolls around again.  

To fix this, try to keep to a regular sleep schedule, even on the weekends.  Even if you decide to stay up late Friday night, wake up at the same time every morning.  Try taking a quick 3-minute nap in the early afternoon to make up for it.

Reason #2: Inconsistent Sounds

For me personally, I cannot sleep without a fan blowing somewhere in the room.  I need that white noise sound to lure me to slumber. I’m not sure where that need came from, other than growing up in the deep south where there were fans on all the time and it stuck with me.  All I know is if I stay at someone’s house and there is no fan, I cannot sleep. Period.  

If you’re stuck in a place where sleeping conditions are the opposite extreme of what you desire, a fan or white noise machine might do the trick, even if you prefer silence, suggests Thomas Roth, PhD, director of the Sleep Disorders and Research Center at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. 

Reason #3: Allergies

According to Alan Goldsobel, MD, a fellow of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology in San Jose, CA, your bed has a pest problem.  As many as 10 million could be sharing your sleep space, who leave behind a nasty residue known to trigger allergies.  

If you are prone to allergies, especially at night when you go to bed, this may be the case.  Luckily, there are ways to reduce this disgusting problem. Other countermeasures include cleaning regularly by dusting and vacuuming, as well as opening a window, which is one of the most effective ways to cut down on mites.  

Reason #4: Food Intake (or lack thereof) 

This one can go both ways.  If you have a habit of eating a large meal before hitting the sack, as most of us are probably guilty of at times, the food digesting in your gut can keep you awake.  This is especially true for high-protein foods, as they require more time and energy to digest.

Fatty and spicy foods, along with anything else that disagrees with you, can cause gas, heartburn, and discomfort, which are all things to avoid if you hope to fall asleep peacefully.  And of course, do I need to mention staying away from caffeine? It’s a major stimulant that will make sleep difficult.

Reason #5: A Work Room

Stress can be caused by even the smallest of situations.  Do you use your bedroom as an office? Is it a big ‘ole pile of papers and messy?  It’s said a cluttered room/office is a cluttered mind. It’s this overworked mind that keeps working, and turning, and churning.  Reality is, using your work space as a sleep space does not work. What you associate at one time of the day as a stressor, full of deadlines and overdue bills, can’t easily be shut off at night to become this amazing place of rest.  

According to the American Psychological Association, stressors are the top cause of short-term sleep and waking up frequently in the night.  This means if you keep your stress in the room with you, you’re going to struggle getting the sleep you need. When you remove all that stress, you begin to associate your room once again with sleep and intimacy. 

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Is the “Income Share Agreement” a Better Way to Pay for Student Loans?

Written by adminOctober 23, 2019
Loans

As the student debt problem keeps getting worse, many politicians are looking at solutions. Many 2020 Democratic presidential candidates want to wipe the slate clean. The problem is, that puts taxpayers in line to pay the $1.53 trillion students owe. Yet, there might be a better way to take care of student loans. It’s called the “income share agreement.”

For many, getting a college degree is like an investment. You put a lot of money into it and hope it helps you get quality employment when you graduate. But, what if you getting a college degree was an investment from someone else? Let’s say a wealthy person makes an investment into a college. In turn, the college uses that investment to pay for your tuition.

The investment can pay for all of your tuition or part of it. The students who receive this investment money will most likely be the most vulnerable. If a number of investors are willing to jump in, the number of students who can be helped jump as well. So, what do the investors get out of the deal? That’s the interesting part.

Rather than being beholden to a loan company, you would pay back the investor. You would make an agreement with them to pay back the loan with a certain percentage of your future income. This is why it’s called the “income share agreement.”

Student Loans and the Income Share Agreement

“It’s a way for the school to say to students, ‘You’re only going to pay us if we help you succeed’,” explains Beth Akers, co-author of the book “Game of Loans.”

Andrew Hoyler was thrilled when Purdue University got him an ISA loan. He will now only pay back 8% of his income to over the debt.

“After that 104-month term ends, if you still owe money, it’s forgiven, forgotten, you don’t owe another penny,” he says in my latest video. “Now, if I find myself in a six-figure job tomorrow, there’s a chance that I’ll pay back far more than I took out.”

Hoyler says it wouldn’t be a big deal if he paid back more than he owed. He would have a secure job and income, so he would have the security he needed. It’s about not having to pay more than you can afford at any given time. Most student loans are unaffordable to people struggling to get by. They have to pay back the amount regardless of what they’re making.

 “It may also sway students away from majors that don’t have job prospects,” says Hoyler. ISA recipients learn “not only what a career may pay, but how stable it may be, what the future is like.”

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Gen Z isn’t Using All of their Vacation Days and THIS is Why

Written by adminOctober 23, 2019
Real life

Can you imagine having a full slate of vacation days, but only using half of them? That’s exactly what one-third of Gen-Zers are doing. Priceline released a new survey yesterday that found out that 55% of Americans, not just Gen-Z, are leaving as many as 10 vacation days on the table. The reason why is quite interesting.

According to the survey, many workers feel guilty about taking their vacation time. 24% of Gen Zers surveyed said they felt guilt. This is compared to only 8% of Baby Boomers and 16% of Gen Xers. 19% of millennials feel the same. The guilt is a driving factor, but they also are concerned about how their employers views them. They feel as if taking their full vacation time allotted to them will ruin their reputation.

That means a lot of people who even take vacations aren’t fully unplugging. They are staying connected. Half of Gen-Zers feel the need to check work emails or keep up on their voicemails while away from work. Again, the percentages drop as you go through the generations. 16% of Gen-Zers check their work email every few hours. How do they get a chance to unwind and relax?

Any Regret for Not Taking More Vacation Days?

So, the big question that needs to be asked next is whether Gen-Z regrets not taking vacations. 30% of them said they wished they did something more spontaneous, like took a quick trip when they had the opportunity. Most of the regret they felt was taking vacation time for others. That means they might’ve taken a day off to go to a friend’s wedding.

A lot of this guilt might have more to do with the employers. They make it seem as if taking a few days off would hurt the worker. Their reputation with the boss would definitely suffer. While they offer these weeks of vacation to draw in workers, they don’t want you to take them. If you felt taking a needed vacation works against you, you might feel guilty doing it.

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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Named Hollywood’s Highest Paid Actor

Written by adminOctober 22, 2019
Entertainment

It’s been another amazing year for the man known as “The Rock”. The professional wrestler turned movie star has made more money than any other actor in Hollywood this year. From June 1st, 2018 to June 1st, 2019, Johnson earned an astounding $89.4 million. Last year, he was the #2 paid actor in the world, only behind George Clooney. This year, he topped the list.

To find out how The Rock is making his dough, we have to take a look at all the different projects and endorsements he earns. The man is a beast in all things, waking up at 4 and 5 in the morning to work out and keep up his amazing physique. He shoots whatever film he’s working on and takes the time to stay grounded.

Recently, Johnson went back to his childhood home. It was an emotional video. He talked about the time he got arrested and seemed to be on a bad track. It was family and wrestling that changed his life. At one time, Johnson only had $7 in his pocket. This is why he named his production company “Seven Dollars Productions.”

From troubled teen to one of the most famous wrestlers of all time, Johnson started making movies and his acting career shot upward like a rocket. His charm, hard work, and charisma took him to the top in only a few short years. Now, he’s making tens of millions of dollars every year. He has officially topped the mark as the world’s highest paid actor.

The Rock and 2019 Movies

Johnson starred in two of the biggest movies of the year, from “Hobbs and Shaw” to “Jumanji”. Each one worth 8-figure checks and other royalties that are tied in with ticket sales. That’s as much as 15% of the film’s take. There’s a third Jumanji film in the works and he’s set to take in $24.5 million up-front from that movie. That price doesn’t include royalties.

TV Shows

Johnson hasn’t just starred in blockbuster movies. He’s on TV as well! If you’ve ever watched the show “Ballers” on HBO, then you can get a good look at his amazing talent and strength as an actor. He carries the whole show and it’s fantastic, earning him a whopping $700,000 per episode. At 10 episodes per season, that’s $7 million per season. He also hosts “Titan Games” on NBC, which is a Gladiator-like gameshow.

Endorsements

As any ripped athlete like The Rock would do, he also has an endorsement deal. He recently signed a contract with the apparel giant Under Armour. His deal includes selling clothes, shoes, and even headphones under his “Project Rock”. This deal earns him at least 7-figures in royalties alone. This is the highest paying endorsement deal out there today according to Spotted.

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