ResidentialBusiness

New-home mortgage applications dropped, but the annual sales pace was the strongest in over a year, the Mortgage Bankers Association said. View the full article

Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook's legal team argued in a new letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi that the claims "fail on even the most cursory look at the facts." View the full article

Being the children of Francis Ford Coppola had a profound impact on the filmmaking sensibilities of Sofia and Roman Coppola, but their mother, Eleanor Coppola, may have played a larger role in nurturing their creative pursuits. “She taught me how to be in charge without being loud, and the importance of being real,” Sofia writes in her introduction to Two of Me: Notes on Living and Leaving, Eleanor Coppola’s posthumous memoir, published by A24 on November 11. Sofia and Roman convened in New York City last week for a conversation about the book and their mother, who died in April 2024 at the age of 87. One of Eleanor’s last wishes was to have Two of Me, which she wrote over the course of a decade using material from the diaries she kept for 50 years, published as a book. Eleanor’s other last wish was to have the 100 hours of video footage she shot on the set of Sofia’s 2006 film Marie Antoinette edited into a documentary, which is expected to be included in a 20th-anniversary edition of the film to be released next year. An artist and filmmaker whose mediums ranged from sculpture and conceptual art to photography and dance, Eleanor made her first documentary, Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse, after her husband asked her to shoot behind-the-scenes footage on Apocalypse Now. In 2016, at the age of 80, she became the oldest American woman to direct a debut feature film by releasing the comedy Paris Can Wait. At an event last week, moderated by Vogue editor Keaton Bell and held at Barnes & Noble Union Square, Sofia and Roman shared some of the ways in which their mother influenced them, both as artists and as people. Here are five biggest lessons they learned from her: Stories are made of details Whether it’s the neon lights of Tokyo’s Shinjuku district in Lost in Translation or the elaborate floral arrangements in Marie Antoinette, Sofia Coppola is known for her filmmaking style that focuses on small details. She credits her mother with teaching her the importance of paying attention to such details. “I got a lot from her just being this quiet observer,” Sofia said. “I notice details and I think that’s in my films, which comes from her eye.” Everything is art Shortly after Sofia was born, Eleanor presented a gift to Francis in the form of one of Sofia’s dirty diapers, as it was the only work of “art” that Sofia could create at the time. Eleanor also once turned her home into a performance art space where she welcomed friends to observe a young Sofia watching a video of her own birth on a TV. “What inspired me in my work is, she was very interested in conceptual art, specifically, and conceptual films,” Roman said. “She dabbled in that in the ’70s, and so the notion that anything can be a work of art and that sense of play and idea art is something I’ve brought into my work.” Film is not the only visual art form An avid appreciator of many different forms of art, Eleanor often brought her children to museums all over the world. One of Sofia’s most memorable experiences with her mother was being taken to see a performance by the German dancer and choreographer Pina Bausch. “I was like, ‘Oh, we have to go to some weird modern dance with mom,’ and it was one of the most incredible, most beautiful things I’ve ever seen,” Sofia said. “I’m really glad she brought us to see a lot of really interesting contemporary art that she was excited about.” Challenges are opportunities As an adult “dealing with some personal issues and financial issues,” Roman Coppola learned how his mother valued the experience of struggling in life. “I was sort of moping a little bit, and she was like, ‘Wow, this is really great. There are a lot of things you have to figure out now in your life, and you’re really going to take that on,’” Roman said. “Some of the lessons weren’t just average things, but how to sort of embrace difficulty. It spoke to her confidence, but also just instilled that push to strive to pull yourself out of things and to work hard and be committed.” Mothers can also be filmmakers Eleanor didn’t let her role as a mother prevent her from pursuing creative and artistic endeavors. She stressed to Sofia that it was important to make time to be both a mother and an artist. “I learned from my mom that it was okay to do both,” Sofia said. “I think every mom that works feels guilty about it, so you’re always torn, but she really encouraged me, and I was excited that I could do both.” View the full article

The bank is adding trusted contacts, specialized teams and new tech against scams, but consumer advocates say reimbursement is the key missing piece. View the full article

Looking for some holiday cheer? Customers who want to try Starbucks’ new holiday treat, the Frozen Peppermint Hot Chocolate drink, will have to go to Target, where it will be exclusively available throughout the holiday season at all in-store Starbucks cafes. The drink is a creme Frappuccino with a blend of mocha sauce, milk, and ice, poured over a layer of peppermint-flavored whipped cream and red and green sprinkles, finished with another layer of that same whipped cream and sprinkles. Starbucks is hoping to capitalize on the holiday season and the holiday craze around its special drinks and limited-edition cups. And customer enthusiasm is high, as evidenced by this year’s limited-run “Bearista” cups—which have customers literally fighting and lining up at 3 a.m. to shell out $30 a pop. “Last Thursday’s Holiday launch was our biggest sales day ever in North America,” Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said in a recent note. And according to the company, millennials and Gen Z customers are driving Q3 improvements in customer value perception. The new Frozen Peppermint Hot Chocolate appears to be an attempt to keep that momentum going. The collaboration between the coffee chain and the big-box retailer debuts Monday for Target Circle 360 loyalty members, just in time for the busiest and most profitable time of the year: the run up to Christmas Day. The rest of us will have to wait till tomorrow, Tuesday, November 18. Both Starbucks and Target have been hit hard by consumer backlash and boycotts respectively, at a time when Americans are buying less due to increased inflation and higher living costs. Starbucks, which recently announced a wave of store closings, is under pressure to increase profits. At the same time, management is facing baristas striking for higher pay and better hours. (Last week, unionized workers went on strike at more than 65 Starbucks locations across 42 cities.) Meanwhile, Target is facing its own problems as customers boycott the stores due to its rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion programs (DEI). It’s also contending with lower in-store foot traffic. Starbucks financials Starbucks reported fourth-quarter earnings on Wednesday, October 29, with quarterly same-store sales growing for the first time in nearly two years and global same-store sales rising 1%, but same-store sales in the U.S. staying flat for the quarter (which turned positive in September). The company reported earnings per share (EPS) of 52 cents adjusted versus 56 cents expected, and revenue of $9.57 billion, beating expectations of $9.35 billion. Target is set to report its third-quarter earnings results this week. View the full article

Novo Nordisk, the Danish drug company that makes Ozempic and Wegovy, is now offering the drugs at lower prices for self-pay patients. On Monday, the company announced it would offer both medications, Ozempic (the weight loss version of the drug) and Wegovy (the version that addressed diabetes), at a discounted rate of $199 per month for a limited time. The introductory offer goes from now until March 31, 2026. The announcement noted that the pricing is only good for the first two months of treatment, and at the lowest doses of the medications. After the initial months of treatment, the payrate will move to the new monthly self-pay rate of $349 per month, down from $499. “As pioneers of the GLP-1 class, we are committed to ensuring that real, FDA-approved Wegovy and Ozempic are affordable and accessible to those who need them,” Dave Moore, Executive Vice President, US Operations of Novo Nordisk Inc., said in a press release. Moore continued, “The US healthcare system is complex, with different types of insurance and various ways for patients to obtain their medicines. Our new savings offers provide immediate impact, bringing forward greater cost savings for those who are currently without coverage or choose to self-pay.” Per the announcement, patients can access the new offers in three different ways: through Wegovy.com or Ozempic.com.; through NovoCare Pharmacy; or through participating organizations and select telehealth providers that work directly with Novo Nordisk, like Costco, GoodRx, WeightWatchers, Ro, LifeMD, and eMed). The offer comes amid the The President administration’s call for the companies that manufacture weight loss drugs to lower prices. Earlier this month, when speaking in the Oval Office, The President said, after months of negotiation, a deal had been reached that would impact prices on the drugs for those who receive Medicaid, Medicare, and for users of the The PresidentRx website, which is expected by the end of the year. “Today, I’m thrilled to announce that the two world’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturers, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, have agreed to offer their most popular GLP-1 weight loss drug — I call it the fat drug, remember — at drastic discounts,” The President said. The competitive pricing comes as the obesity rate is trending down, as a result of reliance on weight loss drugs. While in 2022, 39.9% of Americans met the criteria for obesity, that number is down to 37% — or around 7.6 million Americans who no longer meet the threshold. View the full article

Last week, the baby nutrition company ByHeart recalled all of its infant formula over concerns that it may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, the bacterium that causes infant botulism. Now the company is facing increasing legal drama and backlash from customers for potentially exposing babies to the dangerous illness. According to a November 14 update from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a total of 23 infants in 13 states who were exposed to the formula have developed suspected or confirmed infant botulism. All of the infants have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported to date. ByHeart had voluntarily recalled two batches of its infant formula on November 8. Just three days later, it expanded that recall to encompass all of its products, including any unexpired lots of formula cans and single-serve “anywhere pack” sticks. Per the FDA, most babies with infant botulism will initially develop constipation, poor feeding, loss of head control, and difficulty swallowing, which can progress to difficulty breathing and respiratory arrest. Symptoms of infant botulism, which is diagnosed clinically, can take as long as several weeks to develop following formula ingestion. Parents are advised to stop using any ByHeart infant formula products immediately. As new botulism cases potentially related to ByHeart’s products continue to emerge, the company—which positions itself as dedicated to making the “best formula in the world”—is facing backlash both through multiple lawsuits and a social media firestorm led by its own customers. Legal backlash against ByHeart ramps up As of this writing, at least five different lawsuits have been filed against ByHeart related to the infant botulism outbreak, according to federal court records. All of the plaintiffs are identified in the complaints as buyers of ByHeart’s products. Three of the complaints are proposed class actions. In at least two cases, the plaintiffs have infant children whom they believe contracted infant botulism through the contaminated formula, the court filings show. According to a November 12 legal complaint, plaintiffs Stephen and Yurany Dexter of Flagstaff, Arizona, decided to introduce formula three days after the birth of their child (referred to as E.D.) to supplement breast milk. “Looking at the available choices, they chose the ByHeart brand because of the healthy-looking labeling, top shelf placement, and higher price,” the filing reads. But over a month later, the child began to exhibit symptoms of infant botulism, it says, resulting in multiple hospital stays and hundreds of thousands in medical expenses. In a second complaint filed on that same day, plaintiffs Michael and Hanna Everett of Richmond, Kentucky, detail a similar experience with their child, referred to as “P.E.” “This case arises from a parent’s worst nightmare: infant formula laced with dangerous Bacteria,” the suit reads. It goes on to explain that the Everetts purchased ByHeart’s products due to its promises to be a “healthier alternative to traditional formula,” only for their four-month-old daughter to contract infant botulism. “Soon after consuming the formula, she developed constipation and alarming neurological symptoms,” it reads. “Plaintiffs brought their first-born daughter to the emergency department where doctors diagnosed P.E. with infant botulism. Public health investigators later confirmed that she was part of a multistate outbreak caused by ByHeart formula.” Reached for comment by Fast Company, ByHeart emailed a statement from cofounder and president Mia Funt. “Our number one priority is infant health,” Funt says. “We express our deepest sympathy to the families currently impacted by the cases of infant botulism. We are working with the FDA and independent experts to implement the recall quickly while the factual investigation continues. We are committed to getting answers—including partnering with the FDA and independent experts—and will share updates as soon as we can.” Disappointed customers take to social media Throughout the new lawsuits against ByHeart, a recurring theme is the idea that parents chose the company’s products due to its positioning as a healthy, science-backed alternative to traditional formula. And under an Instagram post from ByHeart apologizing for the recalls, hundreds of commenters have echoed those sentiments, expressing their disappointment in the brand. “I’m a sitting duck waiting around to see if my baby is okay because she consumed contaminated formula from you,” one commenter wrote, added that “we trusted you with nourishing our baby and you failed us.” Another added, “From the bottom of my heart I hope your company goes bankrupt and that no retailer will ever carry your products again.” New York-based ByHeart was founded in 2016 and most recently raised $72 million in a Series C round from undisclosed investors, according to PitchBook, for a post-valuation of $908 million. In the wake of the recalls, ByHeart has updated its website to spotlight information about the situation, including a link to its customer support line (866-201-9069). Fast Company reached out to the FDA for the latest details. The agency says it is continuing to investigate the outbreak along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state-level public health officials. View the full article

Walking is great exercise, but can be slow and a little boring, unless you're truly captivated by the wonders of the natural world—though that won't get you very far if your scenery is the walls around a treadmill, rather than a walking path. Whether you're walking outdoors or indoors, you can benefit from using guided walks to spice up your ambling. I love the walking video offered by Peloton, but I to access them, I pay $50 a month (though I get so much else as part of my subscription). But if you want a free option, there are some great ones on YouTube. They're similar to the free guided runs on the platform, but here, you just walk. (In general, if you want to find guided walking workouts on YouTube on your own, make sure to add "outside" or "treadmill" so you get results that will serve your needs.) Prowalk Tours (749,000 subscribers) For "walks" around a specific location, Prowalk Tours might be the best out there. You can visit a variety of cities, markets, and locales from the comfort of your home or the gym. Running one of these on your phone or iPad while you use a treadmill is a great way to distract yourself and see what other parts of the world are like. There's no guidance, necessarily—at least not in an audio sense. This channel does divvy up the videos, though, so along the slider bar at the bottom of the player, you can see descriptions of the different areas you'll "pass" through. If there's a building you love in Paris, you can skip right to it. There are also other kinds of tours, like ones taken by boat and bike, so you can follow along on a stationary cycle or just watch and enjoy. Get Fit With Rick (843,000 subscribers) I like this channel because it's much more exercise-focused, but still pretty chill—sometimes, you don't want to do Pilates or an all-out cardio session; you just want to walk. On the Get Fit With Rick channel, you can get motivation and pace cues, plus stretching and other movements (he might have you do some side-stepping or knee touches during a walk). Bear in mind he is stationary while he teaches, so you could actually just dance in place like he does, but you can—and should—walk around instead, hitting the beat of the music and keeping up with his pace cues. The variety of modifications available make this channel suitable for all levels. It's a great option if you're a beginner, having an active rest day, or just checking it out. The audio and video quality is high, which I always appreciate. You don't need incredible production values if the coaching is good, but it never hurts to actually be able to adequately hear and see the instructors. Sunny Health and Fitness (194,000 subscribers) You might be familiar with Sunny if you've ever been scouring Amazon for cheap, at-home workout equipment. That was my first experience with the brand: I bought a tiny, mechanical elliptical from them that I used until I was able to get my own Peloton Bike. Their videos are like their products, in that they're straightforward and to the point, with no fuss or flare. They are geared specifically for walkers using treadmills, and offer pacing and form cues, plus motivation from a coach. IBX Running (59,000 subscribers) IBX appeared on my best YouTube running channels list too, because they offer so many options in terms of workout length and structure. One of the options? Just plain walking. The videos are abundant in volume, but more importantly, they're clear and useful: Side bars show you what your incline and pace should be, which many of the other channels don't do. This helps you stay motivated and work toward your fitness goals. Headspace (1 million subscribers) You might be surprised to see Headspace here, since it's an app and platform dedicated to meditation and mental health, rather than exercise. But Headspace offers up some quality guided walking meditation videos I think are worth checking out. Exercise isn't just good for the body, but good for the mind, and sometimes, it's better to focus on that aspect, rather than just calorie burning. Think of them as guided walking meditations. If you want to take a stroll and be a little more mindful (while still reaping the physical benefits of moving around), start here. View the full article

Home Office says hesitancy around deporting families creates ‘perverse incentives’ to put children on small boats View the full article

Salesforce is stepping up its game in the analytics world with its recent acquisition of Spindle AI, a platform renowned for its advanced agentic analytics capabilities. Small business owners might just find this development revolutionary in making data-driven decisions simpler, more effective, and faster. Spindle AI’s cutting-edge technology blends advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning with sophisticated data modeling. This fusion allows businesses to navigate complex datasets and derive actionable insights rapidly. For small business owners often overwhelmed by data, such technology promises a means to unlock its value without getting bogged down in technical complexities. Ryan Atallah, co-founder and CEO of Spindle AI, explained, “We built Spindle AI to intelligently close the gap between what questions enterprises want to ask of their data and what their data systems can understand.” This is particularly crucial for small businesses that may lack the human resources to sift through data efficiently. With Spindle AI’s tools, smaller teams can simulate decision-making scenarios around areas like pricing strategies or sales optimizations rapidly, thereby avoiding costly trial-and-error methods. Salesforce’s Executive Vice President & General Manager of the AI Platform, Adam Evans, pointed out the vital need for businesses to make their data “speak a common language.” He emphasized that as enterprises generate an unprecedented amount of data, the challenge lies in extracting reliable answers. The acquisition is expected to enhance Salesforce’s capabilities in “custom agentic analytics, ROI forecasting, and continuous optimization,” particularly benefitting users of its Agentforce platform. For small business owners, these features can lead to improved operational efficiency and more accurate forecasting. A notable aspect of Spindle AI’s technology is its ability to autonomously model business scenarios, addressing queries about potential outcomes proactively. Business owners can simulate various pricing structures, marketing strategies, and product mixes without needing a specialized analytics team. This accessibility translates to faster decision-making, which is often a critical factor in today’s fast-paced market. However, while these functionalities are increasingly attractive, small business owners should also consider potential challenges associated with integrating such advanced technologies. Transitioning to an AI-driven analytics approach may require a certain level of tech-savviness, which can pose hurdles for some owners who may not be as familiar with cutting-edge tools. Additionally, the acquisition is expected to close in Salesforce’s fourth fiscal quarter of 2026, meaning that it might take time before small businesses can fully leverage the benefits of Spindle AI’s offerings. Adam Evans stressed that the acquisition is not merely about technology but about welcoming “incredibly talented engineers with deep expertise.” Such expertise can guide small business owners toward optimizing their operations and leveraging data in ways they might not have previously envisioned, aligning with the strategic growth most small businesses strive for. Jayesh Govindarajan of Salesforce added, “We aren’t just acquiring a platform; we’re bringing on world-class expertise.” With leaders from Spindle AI joining Salesforce, small business owners can expect advancements in the realm of AI analytics that could redefine their operational strategies. As for the immediate future, small business owners eager to harness the powers of AI-driven analytics should begin familiarizing themselves with the fundamental concepts and potential applications of such technologies. Engaging with training resources, online courses, or local workshops could provide an invaluable advantage when the new features roll out. The convergence of Salesforce and Spindle AI marks a significant moment for analytics, presenting exciting opportunities for small businesses to make data-driven decisions more efficiently. With the promise of enhanced analytics capabilities on the horizon, owners would do well to keep an eye on this evolving landscape. Those ready to adapt will likely find themselves ahead in understanding their markets and improving their bottom lines. For more information on the acquisition and its implications, visit the original Salesforce press release at Salesforce News. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Salesforce Enhances AI Capabilities with Spindle AI Acquisition" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Salesforce is stepping up its game in the analytics world with its recent acquisition of Spindle AI, a platform renowned for its advanced agentic analytics capabilities. Small business owners might just find this development revolutionary in making data-driven decisions simpler, more effective, and faster. Spindle AI’s cutting-edge technology blends advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning with sophisticated data modeling. This fusion allows businesses to navigate complex datasets and derive actionable insights rapidly. For small business owners often overwhelmed by data, such technology promises a means to unlock its value without getting bogged down in technical complexities. Ryan Atallah, co-founder and CEO of Spindle AI, explained, “We built Spindle AI to intelligently close the gap between what questions enterprises want to ask of their data and what their data systems can understand.” This is particularly crucial for small businesses that may lack the human resources to sift through data efficiently. With Spindle AI’s tools, smaller teams can simulate decision-making scenarios around areas like pricing strategies or sales optimizations rapidly, thereby avoiding costly trial-and-error methods. Salesforce’s Executive Vice President & General Manager of the AI Platform, Adam Evans, pointed out the vital need for businesses to make their data “speak a common language.” He emphasized that as enterprises generate an unprecedented amount of data, the challenge lies in extracting reliable answers. The acquisition is expected to enhance Salesforce’s capabilities in “custom agentic analytics, ROI forecasting, and continuous optimization,” particularly benefitting users of its Agentforce platform. For small business owners, these features can lead to improved operational efficiency and more accurate forecasting. A notable aspect of Spindle AI’s technology is its ability to autonomously model business scenarios, addressing queries about potential outcomes proactively. Business owners can simulate various pricing structures, marketing strategies, and product mixes without needing a specialized analytics team. This accessibility translates to faster decision-making, which is often a critical factor in today’s fast-paced market. However, while these functionalities are increasingly attractive, small business owners should also consider potential challenges associated with integrating such advanced technologies. Transitioning to an AI-driven analytics approach may require a certain level of tech-savviness, which can pose hurdles for some owners who may not be as familiar with cutting-edge tools. Additionally, the acquisition is expected to close in Salesforce’s fourth fiscal quarter of 2026, meaning that it might take time before small businesses can fully leverage the benefits of Spindle AI’s offerings. Adam Evans stressed that the acquisition is not merely about technology but about welcoming “incredibly talented engineers with deep expertise.” Such expertise can guide small business owners toward optimizing their operations and leveraging data in ways they might not have previously envisioned, aligning with the strategic growth most small businesses strive for. Jayesh Govindarajan of Salesforce added, “We aren’t just acquiring a platform; we’re bringing on world-class expertise.” With leaders from Spindle AI joining Salesforce, small business owners can expect advancements in the realm of AI analytics that could redefine their operational strategies. As for the immediate future, small business owners eager to harness the powers of AI-driven analytics should begin familiarizing themselves with the fundamental concepts and potential applications of such technologies. Engaging with training resources, online courses, or local workshops could provide an invaluable advantage when the new features roll out. The convergence of Salesforce and Spindle AI marks a significant moment for analytics, presenting exciting opportunities for small businesses to make data-driven decisions more efficiently. With the promise of enhanced analytics capabilities on the horizon, owners would do well to keep an eye on this evolving landscape. Those ready to adapt will likely find themselves ahead in understanding their markets and improving their bottom lines. For more information on the acquisition and its implications, visit the original Salesforce press release at Salesforce News. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Salesforce Enhances AI Capabilities with Spindle AI Acquisition" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

The measures underline the financial realities facing the party after its first six months in local governmentView the full article

A social media calendar is a structured tool that helps you organize and schedule your social media posts. It streamlines your content planning, ensuring consistent messaging across platforms during making collaboration with your team easier. By planning ahead, you can align your posts with key events and social media holidays, enhancing your audience engagement. Comprehending the different types of calendars and their crucial features can notably impact your brand’s online presence. So, how do you create one that works for you? Key Takeaways A social media calendar organizes and schedules posts, improving content visibility and management across platforms. It enhances collaboration among team members, reducing the stress of last-minute content creation. Utilizing a calendar allows for proactive planning around social media holidays and key events for timely engagement. Regularly tracking performance metrics helps refine strategies and maintain fresh, relevant content. Essential features include unified planning, asset management, and customization options for scalability. Understanding the Concept of a Social Media Calendar When you think about managing your social media presence, a social media calendar is an essential tool that can streamline your efforts. This strategic plan organizes your upcoming posts by publish date and time, allowing you to efficiently allocate resources. It improves organization by providing visibility into content plans and supporting collaboration among team members. By scheduling posts in advance, you can maintain a consistent posting schedule, which builds trust and sets clear expectations for your audience. Furthermore, a well-structured social media calendar enables proactive planning for social media holidays and key events, increasing content relevance and quality. This approach greatly reduces the stress associated with last-minute content creation, making your social media strategy more effective. Key Benefits of Implementing a Social Media Calendar Implementing a social media calendar brings significant time management efficiency, allowing you to plan your content ahead of time and avoid the stress of last-minute posts. This structured approach guarantees consistent brand messaging, which builds trust with your audience and improves your visibility across platforms. Time Management Efficiency A well-structured social media calendar can greatly improve your time management efficiency, as it allows you to plan and schedule content well in advance. By using a social media holiday calendar, you can anticipate key dates and events, ensuring timely and relevant content delivery. This proactive approach reduces the chaos of last-minute tasks and helps you maintain a consistent posting schedule. Moreover, a social media calendar boosts organizational efficiency by acting as an assignment board for team members, facilitating clear communication about deadlines and campaigns. With tools like Excel or Buffer, you can also review past topics, ensuring your content remains fresh and balanced, eventually allowing you to focus on high-quality content creation that aligns with your marketing strategies. Consistent Brand Messaging Consistent brand messaging is crucial for establishing a strong identity in the crowded social media environment, especially since it helps to unify your voice across various platforms. By utilizing a social media calendar, you can guarantee that your content planning aligns with your brand goals, leading to better audience engagement. Here are some key benefits: Unified Voice: Avoid conflicting messages that could confuse your audience. Structured Approach: Facilitate collaboration among team members for consistent messaging. Trust Building: Regular posting schedules improve reliability and strengthen your brand reputation. With a well-organized calendar, you can strategically mix content types that reinforce your brand identity as you keep your followers engaged and informed. This structured method ultimately supports your overarching marketing strategies. Types of Social Media Calendars Available Navigating the terrain of social media calendars can significantly boost your content management strategy. Various types of calendars are available to suit different needs, including daily and monthly planners for routine tasks, and long-term planning calendars for strategic initiatives. These tools help you organize content effectively across platforms. Moreover, best time to post calendars utilize audience data to maximize engagement, whereas cross-network visibility calendars guarantee your messaging is coherent across channels. Social media calendar templates likewise provide structured formats to save time and improve organization. Type of Calendar Purpose Daily Planner Manage daily posts and interactions Weekly Planner Plan content for the week ahead Monthly Planner Overview of content for the entire month Long-Term Planning Calendar Strategic execution over extended periods Best Time to Post Calendar Optimize posting times for engagement Essential Features of a Social Media Calendar Tool When choosing a social media calendar tool, you’ll want to focus on several vital features that can improve your strategy. A unified content planning system helps you manage posts across various platforms, ensuring your messaging remains consistent. Furthermore, effective team collaboration features and performance tracking metrics are critical for enhancing content quality and evaluating your efforts, allowing for data-driven decisions that optimize your social media presence. Unified Content Planning A well-structured social media calendar tool not just centralizes content planning but also improves your overall strategy by ensuring cohesive messaging across various platforms. With this tool, you can effectively incorporate social media holidays into your schedule, making your posts timely and relevant. Here are some important features to evaluate: Performance tracking that links to key metrics, allowing you to assess engagement and refine your strategies. Asset management for easy access to media, copy, and campaigns, streamlining the content creation process. Customization options that enable scalability, so you can adapt your planning processes as your business grows. Team Collaboration Features Effective team collaboration is essential for the success of any social media strategy, and a well-designed social media calendar tool facilitates this by incorporating key features that improve teamwork. These tools improve team collaboration through review options, comments, and content approval processes, ensuring everyone can contribute and stay aligned with content plans. Real-time updates allow multiple team members to work together seamlessly, reducing miscommunication and increasing efficiency. Centralizing content assets simplifies access for all, making necessary media and copy readily available. Integrated communication tools streamline feedback, enabling quick input and approval within the calendar. Furthermore, a structured calendar supports cross-functional collaboration by providing visibility into content timelines and campaigns, aligning marketing, sales, and other departments in pursuit of shared goals. Performance Tracking Metrics Monitoring performance tracking metrics is crucial for evaluating the success of your social media efforts. By focusing on key data points, you can assess content effectiveness and adapt your strategy to meet audience preferences. A well-structured social media calendar tool should include features for tracking: Engagement rates Impressions and clicks Conversions and audience growth Utilizing these metrics helps you identify trends and themes in your content performance over time. This analysis allows you to optimize posting schedules and content types, eventually enhancing your return on investment (ROI). Regularly reviewing performance metrics guarantees your social media strategy remains relevant and effective, enabling you to make informed decisions that resonate with your audience. Steps to Create an Effective Social Media Calendar Creating a social media calendar that truly improves your marketing efforts requires a structured approach. Start by auditing your existing content to assess performance, identifying what resonates with your audience. Next, define clear goals that align with your marketing strategy, ensuring every post serves a purpose. Plan ahead by scheduling posts around key dates, like July social media holidays, August social media holidays, and September social media holidays, during considering audience engagement patterns. Utilize tools like Sprout Social to optimize posting times. Incorporate performance tracking by monitoring metrics such as engagement rates and impressions. Finally, collaborate with your team throughout the process to gather feedback, enhancing your content’s effectiveness across all platforms for a cohesive strategy. Conducting a Social Media Audit for Better Strategy When you conduct a social media audit, you’re not just reviewing your past content; you’re gathering essential insights that can shape your future strategy. By evaluating engagement metrics like likes, shares, and comments, you identify what resonates with your audience. Utilize tools like Sprout Social’s Post Performance Report to analyze content effectiveness, especially around key dates like April social media holidays and October social media holidays. Review metrics per network to tailor success criteria. Analyze competitor content for benchmarks and trends. Share audit findings with your team for data-driven decisions. This process guarantees your content strategies are optimized for each platform, guiding you toward more effective engagement and better results in future campaigns. Selecting the Right Social Media Channels When selecting the right social media channels, it’s essential to analyze your audience demographics to understand where they spend their time online. Each platform requires specific content strategies; for instance, short videos thrive on TikTok, whereas LinkedIn is better suited for in-depth articles. Furthermore, evaluating engagement metrics across channels helps guarantee your approach resonates with users and improves your overall reach. Audience Demographics Analysis How can comprehension of audience demographics improve your social media strategy? By grasping who your audience is, you can select the most effective channels to reach them. Each platform attracts different age groups, interests, and behaviors. For example, Instagram is popular among users aged 18-34, whereas Facebook caters more to those aged 30 and above. LinkedIn is ideal for B2B marketing, targeting professionals with higher incomes. TikTok thrives with Gen Z, making it perfect for engaging younger consumers. Recognize age and income trends for effective targeting. Choose platforms that align with your audience’s preferences. Utilize demographic insights for customized content strategies. Platform-Specific Content Strategies Selecting the right social media channels is essential for maximizing your marketing efforts, as each platform serves unique purposes and attracts distinct audiences. Start by identifying where your target audience is most active; for instance, Instagram works well for visual content and younger demographics, whereas LinkedIn thrives in professional networking and B2B communications. Comprehending each platform’s nuances is critical; Twitter‘s character limit promotes concise messaging, whereas Facebook supports longer posts and community interaction. Utilize analytics tools to assess which channels deliver the highest engagement rates, directing your focus effectively. A mixed approach that incorporates multiple platforms can boost reach, but remember to tailor your content particularly to fit each platform’s unique features and audience preferences for ideal results. Engagement Metrics Evaluation What metrics should you consider when evaluating engagement on social media channels? Comprehending how your audience interacts with your content is essential for selecting the right platforms. Focus on specific metrics that reveal user behavior, such as: Likes: Indicate content popularity and audience approval. Shares: Reflect how often users distribute your content, broadening reach. Comments: Show active engagement and interest in discussions around your posts. Utilizing tools like Sprout Social can help you analyze these metrics, revealing ideal posting times and audience activity patterns. Regularly reviewing performance across platforms enables you to adjust strategies, concentrating on channels that deliver the best engagement and ROI. A multi-channel approach can considerably improve brand visibility and interaction rates, so consider leveraging various platforms for maximum impact. Organizing Content Types for Maximum Engagement Organizing content types within your social media calendar is crucial for maximizing audience engagement, as it allows you to create a strategic mix that appeals to your followers. By incorporating cornerstone content, educational posts, promotional materials, and engagement-focused formats, you guarantee a diverse and appealing feed. Aim for 20-30% of your posts to be cornerstone content, reinforcing your brand identity. Prioritize high-performing formats, like videos, which can generate up to 1200% more shares than text and images combined. Furthermore, a well-structured calendar helps align your posts with current trends and key events, making your content timely and relevant. Consistently tracking and evaluating content types likewise aids in refining your strategy for better engagement over time. Performance Tracking and Continuous Improvement Effective performance tracking is essential for any social media strategy, as it allows you to measure the impact of your content and understand audience interactions. By monitoring key metrics like engagement rates and conversions, you can evaluate your content’s effectiveness. Regular review sessions help you identify trends and adjust your posting schedule. Consider implementing A/B testing to discover which formats resonate best with your audience, leading to improved performance over time. Utilize tools like Sprout Social for real-time insights. Analyze data to refine content strategies based on audience behavior. Adapt quickly to changing needs and market dynamics for continuous improvement. This systematic approach enables you to optimize engagement and maximize your social media reach effectively. Tools for Managing Your Social Media Calendar To successfully manage your social media calendar, it is crucial to leverage various tools designed to streamline the process. Platforms like Hootsuite, Buffer, Sprout Social, and Agorapulse offer features that include scheduling, analytics, and social listening, making them suitable for businesses of all sizes. On the other hand, spreadsheets provide a cost-effective and customizable option, allowing you to control data entry and presentation directly. Here’s a comparison of some popular tools: Tool Features Hootsuite Scheduling, analytics, social listening Buffer Post scheduling, performance analytics Sprout Social Engagement tracking, social listening Agorapulse Content scheduling, team collaboration Spreadsheets Customizable tracking, low cost Utilizing templates and automation features helps maintain a consistent posting schedule during saving time. Frequently Asked Questions What Is the Purpose of a Social Media Calendar? The purpose of a social media calendar is to organize and schedule your content effectively. It helps you plan posts in advance, ensuring you deliver timely and relevant information to your audience. What Role Does a Social Media Calendar Play in Content Planning and Why Is It Important for a Successful Strategy? A social media calendar plays an essential role in content planning by organizing your posts and ensuring they align with your marketing goals. It helps you avoid last-minute rushes, allowing for more thoughtful content creation. Furthermore, it encourages collaboration among team members by providing a clear timeline. This consistency not merely builds audience trust but also allows you to track performance metrics, refining your strategy based on what resonates best with your audience. Why Is It Important to Have a Social Media Holiday? Having a social media holiday is essential as it allows you to create relevant content that resonates with your audience. By aligning your posts with specific holidays, you boost engagement and visibility. Planning ahead for these holidays prevents last-minute scrambles and guarantees a consistent posting schedule. Furthermore, incorporating social media holidays shows your brand’s awareness of cultural trends, nurturing a deeper connection with your audience and enhancing brand loyalty over time. When Creating a Social Media Content Calendar, What Is the Most Important Factor to Consider? When creating a social media content calendar, the most important factor to contemplate is aligning your content with your overall marketing goals and audience preferences. You need to guarantee that what you post is relevant and engaging. Incorporating a mix of content types, like educational posts and promotions, can help maintain interest. Furthermore, scheduling based on ideal posting times derived from audience activity can greatly boost engagement and effectiveness. Conclusion In conclusion, a social media calendar is an essential tool for brands, streamlining content planning and enhancing engagement. By organizing posts around key dates and events, it guarantees consistent messaging and reduces last-minute stress. Implementing a social media calendar not merely improves collaboration among team members but additionally allows for effective performance tracking and continuous improvement. With the right tools and strategies, you can maximize your online presence and drive better results for your brand. Image via Google Gemini This article, "What Is a Social Media Calendar and Why Is It Essential?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

A social media calendar is a structured tool that helps you organize and schedule your social media posts. It streamlines your content planning, ensuring consistent messaging across platforms during making collaboration with your team easier. By planning ahead, you can align your posts with key events and social media holidays, enhancing your audience engagement. Comprehending the different types of calendars and their crucial features can notably impact your brand’s online presence. So, how do you create one that works for you? Key Takeaways A social media calendar organizes and schedules posts, improving content visibility and management across platforms. It enhances collaboration among team members, reducing the stress of last-minute content creation. Utilizing a calendar allows for proactive planning around social media holidays and key events for timely engagement. Regularly tracking performance metrics helps refine strategies and maintain fresh, relevant content. Essential features include unified planning, asset management, and customization options for scalability. Understanding the Concept of a Social Media Calendar When you think about managing your social media presence, a social media calendar is an essential tool that can streamline your efforts. This strategic plan organizes your upcoming posts by publish date and time, allowing you to efficiently allocate resources. It improves organization by providing visibility into content plans and supporting collaboration among team members. By scheduling posts in advance, you can maintain a consistent posting schedule, which builds trust and sets clear expectations for your audience. Furthermore, a well-structured social media calendar enables proactive planning for social media holidays and key events, increasing content relevance and quality. This approach greatly reduces the stress associated with last-minute content creation, making your social media strategy more effective. Key Benefits of Implementing a Social Media Calendar Implementing a social media calendar brings significant time management efficiency, allowing you to plan your content ahead of time and avoid the stress of last-minute posts. This structured approach guarantees consistent brand messaging, which builds trust with your audience and improves your visibility across platforms. Time Management Efficiency A well-structured social media calendar can greatly improve your time management efficiency, as it allows you to plan and schedule content well in advance. By using a social media holiday calendar, you can anticipate key dates and events, ensuring timely and relevant content delivery. This proactive approach reduces the chaos of last-minute tasks and helps you maintain a consistent posting schedule. Moreover, a social media calendar boosts organizational efficiency by acting as an assignment board for team members, facilitating clear communication about deadlines and campaigns. With tools like Excel or Buffer, you can also review past topics, ensuring your content remains fresh and balanced, eventually allowing you to focus on high-quality content creation that aligns with your marketing strategies. Consistent Brand Messaging Consistent brand messaging is crucial for establishing a strong identity in the crowded social media environment, especially since it helps to unify your voice across various platforms. By utilizing a social media calendar, you can guarantee that your content planning aligns with your brand goals, leading to better audience engagement. Here are some key benefits: Unified Voice: Avoid conflicting messages that could confuse your audience. Structured Approach: Facilitate collaboration among team members for consistent messaging. Trust Building: Regular posting schedules improve reliability and strengthen your brand reputation. With a well-organized calendar, you can strategically mix content types that reinforce your brand identity as you keep your followers engaged and informed. This structured method ultimately supports your overarching marketing strategies. Types of Social Media Calendars Available Navigating the terrain of social media calendars can significantly boost your content management strategy. Various types of calendars are available to suit different needs, including daily and monthly planners for routine tasks, and long-term planning calendars for strategic initiatives. These tools help you organize content effectively across platforms. Moreover, best time to post calendars utilize audience data to maximize engagement, whereas cross-network visibility calendars guarantee your messaging is coherent across channels. Social media calendar templates likewise provide structured formats to save time and improve organization. Type of Calendar Purpose Daily Planner Manage daily posts and interactions Weekly Planner Plan content for the week ahead Monthly Planner Overview of content for the entire month Long-Term Planning Calendar Strategic execution over extended periods Best Time to Post Calendar Optimize posting times for engagement Essential Features of a Social Media Calendar Tool When choosing a social media calendar tool, you’ll want to focus on several vital features that can improve your strategy. A unified content planning system helps you manage posts across various platforms, ensuring your messaging remains consistent. Furthermore, effective team collaboration features and performance tracking metrics are critical for enhancing content quality and evaluating your efforts, allowing for data-driven decisions that optimize your social media presence. Unified Content Planning A well-structured social media calendar tool not just centralizes content planning but also improves your overall strategy by ensuring cohesive messaging across various platforms. With this tool, you can effectively incorporate social media holidays into your schedule, making your posts timely and relevant. Here are some important features to evaluate: Performance tracking that links to key metrics, allowing you to assess engagement and refine your strategies. Asset management for easy access to media, copy, and campaigns, streamlining the content creation process. Customization options that enable scalability, so you can adapt your planning processes as your business grows. Team Collaboration Features Effective team collaboration is essential for the success of any social media strategy, and a well-designed social media calendar tool facilitates this by incorporating key features that improve teamwork. These tools improve team collaboration through review options, comments, and content approval processes, ensuring everyone can contribute and stay aligned with content plans. Real-time updates allow multiple team members to work together seamlessly, reducing miscommunication and increasing efficiency. Centralizing content assets simplifies access for all, making necessary media and copy readily available. Integrated communication tools streamline feedback, enabling quick input and approval within the calendar. Furthermore, a structured calendar supports cross-functional collaboration by providing visibility into content timelines and campaigns, aligning marketing, sales, and other departments in pursuit of shared goals. Performance Tracking Metrics Monitoring performance tracking metrics is crucial for evaluating the success of your social media efforts. By focusing on key data points, you can assess content effectiveness and adapt your strategy to meet audience preferences. A well-structured social media calendar tool should include features for tracking: Engagement rates Impressions and clicks Conversions and audience growth Utilizing these metrics helps you identify trends and themes in your content performance over time. This analysis allows you to optimize posting schedules and content types, eventually enhancing your return on investment (ROI). Regularly reviewing performance metrics guarantees your social media strategy remains relevant and effective, enabling you to make informed decisions that resonate with your audience. Steps to Create an Effective Social Media Calendar Creating a social media calendar that truly improves your marketing efforts requires a structured approach. Start by auditing your existing content to assess performance, identifying what resonates with your audience. Next, define clear goals that align with your marketing strategy, ensuring every post serves a purpose. Plan ahead by scheduling posts around key dates, like July social media holidays, August social media holidays, and September social media holidays, during considering audience engagement patterns. Utilize tools like Sprout Social to optimize posting times. Incorporate performance tracking by monitoring metrics such as engagement rates and impressions. Finally, collaborate with your team throughout the process to gather feedback, enhancing your content’s effectiveness across all platforms for a cohesive strategy. Conducting a Social Media Audit for Better Strategy When you conduct a social media audit, you’re not just reviewing your past content; you’re gathering essential insights that can shape your future strategy. By evaluating engagement metrics like likes, shares, and comments, you identify what resonates with your audience. Utilize tools like Sprout Social’s Post Performance Report to analyze content effectiveness, especially around key dates like April social media holidays and October social media holidays. Review metrics per network to tailor success criteria. Analyze competitor content for benchmarks and trends. Share audit findings with your team for data-driven decisions. This process guarantees your content strategies are optimized for each platform, guiding you toward more effective engagement and better results in future campaigns. Selecting the Right Social Media Channels When selecting the right social media channels, it’s essential to analyze your audience demographics to understand where they spend their time online. Each platform requires specific content strategies; for instance, short videos thrive on TikTok, whereas LinkedIn is better suited for in-depth articles. Furthermore, evaluating engagement metrics across channels helps guarantee your approach resonates with users and improves your overall reach. Audience Demographics Analysis How can comprehension of audience demographics improve your social media strategy? By grasping who your audience is, you can select the most effective channels to reach them. Each platform attracts different age groups, interests, and behaviors. For example, Instagram is popular among users aged 18-34, whereas Facebook caters more to those aged 30 and above. LinkedIn is ideal for B2B marketing, targeting professionals with higher incomes. TikTok thrives with Gen Z, making it perfect for engaging younger consumers. Recognize age and income trends for effective targeting. Choose platforms that align with your audience’s preferences. Utilize demographic insights for customized content strategies. Platform-Specific Content Strategies Selecting the right social media channels is essential for maximizing your marketing efforts, as each platform serves unique purposes and attracts distinct audiences. Start by identifying where your target audience is most active; for instance, Instagram works well for visual content and younger demographics, whereas LinkedIn thrives in professional networking and B2B communications. Comprehending each platform’s nuances is critical; Twitter‘s character limit promotes concise messaging, whereas Facebook supports longer posts and community interaction. Utilize analytics tools to assess which channels deliver the highest engagement rates, directing your focus effectively. A mixed approach that incorporates multiple platforms can boost reach, but remember to tailor your content particularly to fit each platform’s unique features and audience preferences for ideal results. Engagement Metrics Evaluation What metrics should you consider when evaluating engagement on social media channels? Comprehending how your audience interacts with your content is essential for selecting the right platforms. Focus on specific metrics that reveal user behavior, such as: Likes: Indicate content popularity and audience approval. Shares: Reflect how often users distribute your content, broadening reach. Comments: Show active engagement and interest in discussions around your posts. Utilizing tools like Sprout Social can help you analyze these metrics, revealing ideal posting times and audience activity patterns. Regularly reviewing performance across platforms enables you to adjust strategies, concentrating on channels that deliver the best engagement and ROI. A multi-channel approach can considerably improve brand visibility and interaction rates, so consider leveraging various platforms for maximum impact. Organizing Content Types for Maximum Engagement Organizing content types within your social media calendar is crucial for maximizing audience engagement, as it allows you to create a strategic mix that appeals to your followers. By incorporating cornerstone content, educational posts, promotional materials, and engagement-focused formats, you guarantee a diverse and appealing feed. Aim for 20-30% of your posts to be cornerstone content, reinforcing your brand identity. Prioritize high-performing formats, like videos, which can generate up to 1200% more shares than text and images combined. Furthermore, a well-structured calendar helps align your posts with current trends and key events, making your content timely and relevant. Consistently tracking and evaluating content types likewise aids in refining your strategy for better engagement over time. Performance Tracking and Continuous Improvement Effective performance tracking is essential for any social media strategy, as it allows you to measure the impact of your content and understand audience interactions. By monitoring key metrics like engagement rates and conversions, you can evaluate your content’s effectiveness. Regular review sessions help you identify trends and adjust your posting schedule. Consider implementing A/B testing to discover which formats resonate best with your audience, leading to improved performance over time. Utilize tools like Sprout Social for real-time insights. Analyze data to refine content strategies based on audience behavior. Adapt quickly to changing needs and market dynamics for continuous improvement. This systematic approach enables you to optimize engagement and maximize your social media reach effectively. Tools for Managing Your Social Media Calendar To successfully manage your social media calendar, it is crucial to leverage various tools designed to streamline the process. Platforms like Hootsuite, Buffer, Sprout Social, and Agorapulse offer features that include scheduling, analytics, and social listening, making them suitable for businesses of all sizes. On the other hand, spreadsheets provide a cost-effective and customizable option, allowing you to control data entry and presentation directly. Here’s a comparison of some popular tools: Tool Features Hootsuite Scheduling, analytics, social listening Buffer Post scheduling, performance analytics Sprout Social Engagement tracking, social listening Agorapulse Content scheduling, team collaboration Spreadsheets Customizable tracking, low cost Utilizing templates and automation features helps maintain a consistent posting schedule during saving time. Frequently Asked Questions What Is the Purpose of a Social Media Calendar? The purpose of a social media calendar is to organize and schedule your content effectively. It helps you plan posts in advance, ensuring you deliver timely and relevant information to your audience. What Role Does a Social Media Calendar Play in Content Planning and Why Is It Important for a Successful Strategy? A social media calendar plays an essential role in content planning by organizing your posts and ensuring they align with your marketing goals. It helps you avoid last-minute rushes, allowing for more thoughtful content creation. Furthermore, it encourages collaboration among team members by providing a clear timeline. This consistency not merely builds audience trust but also allows you to track performance metrics, refining your strategy based on what resonates best with your audience. Why Is It Important to Have a Social Media Holiday? Having a social media holiday is essential as it allows you to create relevant content that resonates with your audience. By aligning your posts with specific holidays, you boost engagement and visibility. Planning ahead for these holidays prevents last-minute scrambles and guarantees a consistent posting schedule. Furthermore, incorporating social media holidays shows your brand’s awareness of cultural trends, nurturing a deeper connection with your audience and enhancing brand loyalty over time. When Creating a Social Media Content Calendar, What Is the Most Important Factor to Consider? When creating a social media content calendar, the most important factor to contemplate is aligning your content with your overall marketing goals and audience preferences. You need to guarantee that what you post is relevant and engaging. Incorporating a mix of content types, like educational posts and promotions, can help maintain interest. Furthermore, scheduling based on ideal posting times derived from audience activity can greatly boost engagement and effectiveness. Conclusion In conclusion, a social media calendar is an essential tool for brands, streamlining content planning and enhancing engagement. By organizing posts around key dates and events, it guarantees consistent messaging and reduces last-minute stress. Implementing a social media calendar not merely improves collaboration among team members but additionally allows for effective performance tracking and continuous improvement. With the right tools and strategies, you can maximize your online presence and drive better results for your brand. Image via Google Gemini This article, "What Is a Social Media Calendar and Why Is It Essential?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

You may be doing everything you can to protect your privacy online—using tools like multi-factor authentication, a secure password manager, and a VPN—but unfortunately, not all privacy-focused apps and services are actually doing what they promise. In its November fraud and scam advisory, Google is warning users about VPN apps and extensions that appear legitimate but are actually vectors for malware. VPNs may actually be spyware A VPN, or virtual private network, makes your internet activity much more difficult to track by routing your traffic through a different connection rather than your regular internet service provider (ISP). This allows you to hide your IP address and location, obscure your browsing data, and protect your information and devices from bad actors. According to Google, malicious VPNs (posing as real ones) are delivering infostealers, remote access trojans, and banking trojans to user devices once installed, allowing hackers to access sensitive personal data like browsing history, financial credentials, and cryptocurrency wallet information. This means that an app you rely on to keep your information private could be doing the exact opposite. Cybercriminals are capitalizing on user trust in these services, creating apps that look and feel like legitimate VPNs but are actually dangerous spyware. How to ensure your VPN app is safeAs with any app or extension, only download or install a VPN from an official source like the Google Play store. While malicious programs do sometimes sneak through, it's typically safer and more reliable than sideloading through a messaging app or other unvetted site. In January 2025, Google launched a VPN verification process to help users identify trustworthy VPN apps in the Google Play store. To earn a "verified" badge, VPN apps have to undergo a Mobile Application Security Assessment (MASA) Level 2 validation and opt into independent security reviews. Badges are awarded only to VPNs that have been published for at least 90 days and reach 10,000 installs and 250 user reviews. Of course, this system isn't perfect either: As TechRadar reported earlier this year, a popular (free) Chrome VPN extension earned a badge and was later discovered to be spying on users. That's why you should rely on a reputable VPN service—which means you'll likely have to pay for it. Free VPNs are far more likely to a privacy nightmare, and any app that sounds too good to be true probably is. You aren't going to get unlimited traffic at no cost without sacrificing something. Finally, review VPN permissions carefully, and allow the minimum access possible for the app or extension to function. (You should do this with any app you download, and you should audit apps regularly to remove unnecessary permissions.) You can check your VPN service's support pages to find out which permissions are essential—this should not include access to your contacts, camera, microphone, or photos, for example. View the full article

Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket successfully made its way to orbit for the second time on Nov. 13, 2025. Although the second launch is never as flashy as the first, this mission is still significant in several ways. For one, it launched a pair of NASA spacecraft named ESCAPADE, which are headed to Mars orbit to study that planet’s magnetic environment and atmosphere. The twin spacecraft will first travel to a Lagrange point, a place where the gravity between Earth, the Moon, and the Sun balances. The ESCAPADE spacecraft will remain there until Mars is in better alignment to travel to. And two, importantly for Blue Origin, New Glenn’s first stage booster successfully returned to Earth and landed on a barge at sea. This landing allows the booster to be reused, substantially reducing the cost to get to space. Blue Origin launched its New Glenn rocket and landed the booster on a barge at sea on Nov. 13, 2025. As a space policy expert, I see this launch as a positive development for the commercial space industry. Even though SpaceX has pioneered this form of launch and reuse, New Glenn’s capabilities are just as important. New Glenn in context Although Blue Origin would seem to be following in SpaceX’s footsteps with New Glenn, there are significant differences between the two companies and their rockets. For most launches today, the rocket consists of several parts. The first stage helps propel the rocket and its spacecraft toward space and then drops away when its fuel is used up. A second stage then takes over, propelling the payload all the way to orbit. While both New Glenn and Falcon Heavy, SpaceX’s most powerful rocket currently available, are partially reusable, New Glenn is taller, more powerful, and can carry a greater amount of payload to orbit. Blue Origin plans to use New Glenn for a variety of missions for customers such as NASA, Amazon, and others. These will include missions to Earth’s orbit and eventually to the Moon to support Blue Origin’s own lunar and space exploration goals, as well as NASA’s. NASA’s Artemis program, which endeavors to return humans to the Moon, is where New Glenn may become important. In the past several months, several space policy leaders, as well as NASA officials, have expressed concern that Artemis is progressing too slowly. If Artemis stagnates, China may have the opportunity to leap ahead and beat NASA and its partners to the lunar South Pole. These concerns stem from problems with two rockets that could potentially bring Americans back to the Moon: the space launch system and SpaceX’s Starship. NASA’s space launch system, which will launch astronauts on its Orion crew vehicle, has been criticized as too complex and costly. SpaceX’s Starship is important because NASA plans to use it to land humans on the Moon during the Artemis III mission. But its development has been much slower than anticipated. In response, Blue Origin has detailed some of its lunar exploration plans. They will begin with the launch of its uncrewed lunar lander, Blue Moon, early next year. The company is also developing a crewed version of Blue Moon that it will use on the Artemis V mission, the planned third lunar landing of humans. Blue Origin officials have said they are in discussions with NASA over how they might help accelerate the Artemis program. New Glenn’s significance New Glenn’s booster landing makes this most recent launch quite significant for the company. While it took SpaceX several tries to land its first booster, Blue Origin has achieved this feat on only the second try. Landing the boosters – and, more importantly, reusing them – has been key to reducing the cost to get to space for SpaceX, as well as others such as Rocket Lab. That two commercial space companies now have orbital rockets that can be partially reused shows that SpaceX’s success was no fluke. With this accomplishment, Blue Origin has been able to build on its previous experience and success with its suborbital rocket, New Shepard. Launching from Blue Origin facilities in Texas since 2015, New Shepard has taken people and cargo to the edge of space, before returning to its launch site under its own power. New Glenn is also significant for the larger commercial space industry and U.S. space capabilities. It represents real competition for SpaceX, especially its Starship rocket. It also provides more launch options for NASA, the U.S. government, and other commercial customers, reducing reliance on SpaceX or any other launch company. In the meantime, Blue Origin is looking to build on the success of New Glenn’s launch and its booster landing. New Glenn will next launch Blue Origin’s Blue Moon uncrewed lander in early 2026. This second successful New Glenn launch will also contribute to the rocket’s certification for national security space launches. This accomplishment will allow the company to compete for contracts to launch sensitive reconnaissance and defense satellites for the U.S. government. Blue Origin will also need to increase its number of launches and reduce the time between them to compete with SpaceX. SpaceX is on pace for between 165 and 170 launches in 2025 alone. While Blue Origin may not be able to achieve that remarkable cadence, to truly build on New Glenn’s success it will need to show it can scale up its launch operations. Wendy Whitman Cobb is a professor of strategy and security studies at Air University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. View the full article

Changes announced by home secretary Shabana Mahmood aim to cut number of people seeking to become refugeesView the full article

Relying on a jumble of tax rises will only make Reeves’ task more difficultView the full article

Beep, beep: Amazon is making a bigger move into the market for used vehicles. The retail giant and Ford Motor Company announced a partnership today which will mean car buyers in three major cities can shop for, finance, and purchase a certified pre-owned Ford vehicle on Amazon Autos. This new partnership is initially launching in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Dallas, with plans to expand, and will allow customers to complete all steps of the car-buying process online before scheduling a pickup time at a participating dealer and signing the paperwork. “The addition of Ford certified pre-owned vehicles to Amazon Autos represents an exciting expansion of our store, giving customers access to thousands of quality vehicles backed by Ford’s comprehensive inspection and warranty programs,” Fan Jin, global leader of Amazon Autos, said in a statement. This marks the third major partnership that Amazon Autos has struck in the nearly two years since it launched in late 2023. It first began selling new vehicles from South Korean automaker Hyundai and partnered with car rental company Hertz earlier this year to sell used vehicles through Amazon Autos. As is true with the Hyundai partnership, the Ford dealer is ultimately the seller and handles the pricing, vehicle pickup, and future servicing needs. Amazon Autos merely serves as the facilitator of the online transaction. USED VEHICLE MARKET So far, more than 160 Ford franchised dealers have expressed interest in the new Amazon Autos program and about 20 dealers in those three cities are in the process of getting fully onboarded and launched, according to Ford. Expanding the number of places where consumers can buy a vehicle is also a savvy move for Ford at a time when used car sales have become a bit more sluggish. An uptick in prices for used vehicles has meant it’s taken longer for these vehicles to move off a dealer’s lot. For three-year-old vehicles, selling at more than $31,000 during the third quarter, it took an average of 41 days for these cars to sell, which was the slowest pace for this quarter since 2017, according to data from Edmunds.com. CARVANA, CARMAX COMPETITION Now that Amazon Autos will be offering vehicles that are new, certified pre-owned, and from the Hertz rental market fleet, it clearly is making a pretty aggressive move into territory once dominated by Carvana and CarMax. In the first three quarters of the year, Carvana sold more than 433,000 vehicles, compared to a 2024 total of 416,000-plus, according to figures from its quarterly earnings. Shares of Carvana fell nearly 3% in midday trading on Monday, while CarMax shares were down more than 2%. Meanwhile, Ford shares are trading about 0.7% lower. This weekend, Ford hosted the grand opening of its new, 2.1 million-square-foot headquarters. The Detroit-based automaker has sought to embrace a new era of innovation after some struggles in recent years. Rather than opt for the direct-to-consumer sales path that Tesla has favored, partnering with Amazon Autos may offer advantages. “Everyone has an Amazon account,” Wendy Lane, senior manager of Ford’s Blue Advantage unit, told Yahoo! Finance. “Knowing that it is a trusted source for consumers and having our vehicles listed there, we’re really excited to see how it works and how well consumers adopt it.” View the full article

Could the era of the super cheap phone case arriving from China in a week finally be ending? Thanks to a major change to European regulations, it just might. European Union finance ministers have agreed to impose customs duties on low-value parcels entering the bloc at some point next year, scrapping the long-standing “de minimis” exemption for goods under €150 (or $175). The move is seen as a way to slow the flood of cheap Chinese imports from platforms such as Shein and Temu. These goods now account for the bulk of the EU’s 4.6 billion small parcels a year, more than 90% of which came from China. The EU’s move follows the U.S. government’s decision to destroy its own de minimis waiver for Chinese e-commerce products. Because companies like Shein and Temu depend on shipping huge volumes of low-value parcels directly from Chinese warehouses to consumers, they will be hit hardest by the EU’s change. “It’s difficult to see how they will find an easy way around it—although given it’s coming on the heels of the U.S. doing similar, I’m sure they are already working on that,” says e-commerce expert Ben Graham. The regulatory shift will allow e-commerce to be more competitive across all digital channels. As a result, the shift is being presented as a big win for the EU, even if it happens to follow the United States taking a similar approach to small package rules earlier this year under Donald The President. Yet while the moves in both countries is aimed at Shein and Temu, it could also wind up harming homegrown companies in both Europe and the U.S. “The removal of de minimis rules is reshaping global e-commerce,” says Ronald Kleijwegt, CEO at logistics platform Vinturas. “EU exporters now face tariffs on low-value items, extra customs paperwork, and higher shipping costs when selling to the U.S.” Kleijwegt says the impact cuts both ways: “U.S. small businesses lose access to affordable European goods, while smaller EU firms lose duty-free access to the American market,” he explains. It’s not just the infamous de minimis import duty benefit that’s in the firing line in Europe: Brussels has also floated a €2 handling fee on every low-value parcel and is pushing member states to stop underdeclared packages from slipping through customs. Some individual countries, including Romania and Italy, are already introducing their own national fees while they wait for the EU-wide regime to kick in. Existential or not? The question is whether Temu and Shein will face a simple hit to their margins, or an existential threat to their whole business model. Roberto Lobue, partner and retail sector expert at accountancy and business advisory firm Menzies, argues the changes will bite hard and fast. “Since the U.S. scrapped its own de minimis duty free limit, the amount of low-value items exported to the U.S. has dropped dramatically, as firms like Shein and Temu focused increasingly on the EU market,” he says. “With Europe becoming a back door for lower valued goods, the EU’s move to accelerate its own reversal next year comes as no surprise.” For Lobue, the end of duty-free thresholds is where the Temu and Shein model starts to crack. “Once duties and handling fees apply from the first euro, prices will rise, logistics will get more complex, and Shein and Temu will need to shift to bulk imports, EU warehousing, and stricter customs compliance,” he says. “The change removes a long-criticized competitive distortion, and will likely dampen the impulse buying that fuels these platforms, as even small added fees can make a big impact.” As prices edge up, he warns, the whole purpose of the two platforms—its ultracheap prices—gets weaker. “As their prices climb, competitors like Amazon are already moving to capture bargain-hunters, with the launch of its new ‘Haul’ feature, and others may seek to capitalize,” he says. Julian Skelly, managing partner of retail at Publicis Sapient, thinks Temu and Shein are unlikely to be killed off. But they will have to evolve. “They’ve built impressive capabilities around direct-to-consumer logistics and demand sensing; now they’ll need to leverage those strengths differently,” he says. The attempt to hobble the Chinese companies might not have its intended goal. “Platforms built on ultra-low-value cross-border shipping are under similar pressure,” says Kleijwegt. Both Temu and Shein explored appointing U.S.-based entities or distributors to manage domestic clearance and distribution, but that adds cost and complexity to their operations, he adds. Kleijwegt points out that the turbulence also exposes a bigger systems problem. “Businesses need systems that can adapt quickly, share information securely, and provide visibility across borders as trade tensions and new rules mount,” he says. “Stronger connectivity reduces compliance friction, enables companies to respond faster to regulatory change, cuts complexity, and builds the resilience needed to compete in an unpredictable trade environment. This can make the difference between staying competitive in international markets and being shut out.” View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. If you own a home or just like to maintain your stuff, you probably own a bunch of tools that help you do stuff that would be impossible otherwise. (Unless you've had more success than I have at hammering a nail into a block of wood with your fists). But tools themselves can often be augmented with accessories that make them a little easier to use, more effective, and safer—think of these accessories as tools for your tools. Even the best-stocked tool chest can be improved with the addition of a few simple, low-cost accessories. Here are eight that every DIYer should pick up to make their next project a little easier. Bucket organizersMy DIY process used to involve several trips back and forth between the project site and my tool closet, because I can only carry so much stuff at one time. Stuffing tools and loose screws into your pockets might get the job done, but it isn’t pretty, especially when the clawtooth hammer gets stuck in your pocket and you rip your pants open while standing on your roof in full view of the neighborhood, which is definitely not something that has ever happened to me. That’s why a bucket organizer (like the Bucketeer) is a must-have. It’s so simple it’s ridiculous: These organizers slide into the bucket and act as a tool belt around the exterior. You can still use the bucket as a bucket, while also easily transporting your gear. Depth stop collarsOne lesson I’ve learned in my DIY journey is that I’m never as in control of my power tools as I think I am. The evidence for this is all the times I’ve drilled way too deep for what I need. Whether you need a series of holes drilled to a precise depth, or you want to avoid overdrilling through the back of something, you quickly learn that eyeballing stuff and drilling by “feel” is an easy way to screw everything up. Having a set of depth collars like these is the answer. They clamp onto your bit and prevent you from over- or under-drilling. Aside from the precision, they also allow you to put full force behind the drill, because you don’t have to worry about losing control at the critical moment and over-drilling. Anti-vibration padsDIY projects can be pretty noisy. An anti-vibration pad like this one is an essential tool accessory. It reduces the noise from vibration and helps to protect the surface under your tools or materials so you can work safely. You can buy these in pre-sized versions, but buying a roll allows you to cut it up to fit your needs, so you can create pads for use under appliances (like the washing machine) to reduce noise and vibration, to use under portable saws and other tools, and to slide under materials that you’re working on. It’s a simple fix that makes DIY projects a lot more pleasant. Dust collectorsDust is a byproduct of just about every project you’ll ever do around the house. You can try hanging plastic sheets or using tape and/or envelopes to catch dust, but in my experience, neither really works—dust still gets everywhere. That's why this dust collector from DeWalt is a genius tool accessory: It suctions to the wall and connects to your wet/dry shopvac, effortlessly capturing all that dust from drilling and sanding. Anti-vibration gloves or wrapsIf you’ve ever used a power tool for a long stretch of time, you know how tired your hands and arms can get. You can reduce that stress on your body by reducing the vibrations you absorb from your tools with either anti-vibration gloves or an anti-vibration wrap that you can apply to hand tools (like hammers). These accessories absorb those vibrations, not only making them more comfortable to use but also increasing your control, because the tool won’t vibrate right out of your hands. Magnetic wristbandsIf you’ve ever wasted an hour of your life trying to find a dropped screw because you had no spares (I can neither confirm nor deny I’ve done this), you need a simple magnetic wristband like this one. It gives you a hands-free way to hang onto screws, bolts, nails, drill bits, or anything else metallic that you’re working with. Flexible drill bitsInevitably you’ll find yourself pondering how you can drill or screw something around a corner, or in a very tight space where no power tool could possibly fit. The answer is this amazing tool accessory: A flexible bit holder. With one of these, you can drill around corners or inside tight spots where a traditional bit can’t go, thus removing one more obstacle to getting your project finished. Laser saw guideIf you use a miter saw or any kind of circular saw, you know that even when you carefully measure and mark your materials, you can still mess up the cut. Undercut by the slightest margin and you’ll waste time sanding ends down or trying to make impossibly small extra cuts. Overcut, and you just wasted your time, effort, and materials. Adding a laser guide to your blade eliminates this risk. It clearly and accurately shows you exactly where your blade is going to bite, so you’ll know immediately if you’re a fraction of a millimeter off. You’ll be able to adjust before you cut, preventing frustration and waste. View the full article

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In an age where financial management can often feel overwhelming for small business owners, Intuit has stepped up with a powerful all-in-one solution aimed at simplifying finances year-round. The company recently announced a groundbreaking suite of AI-driven tools integrated within its Consumer Platform, powered by both TurboTax and Credit Karma. This innovation promises to help users, including small business owners, make better financial decisions while reducing manual tasks and maximizing financial outcomes. Intuit’s new offering combines advanced artificial intelligence with human expertise to create what they call Agentic AI experiences. The tools are designed to provide customized, proactive assistance across various financial needs—ranging from tax preparation to credit management. Mark Notarainni, Executive Vice President of the Consumer Group at Intuit, emphasized the urgent need for such services, stating, “With over 75% of American households earning less than $100K annually and 57% of active Credit Karma members managing revolving debt, personal finances can feel overwhelming with no single resource for all money needs.” The Consumer Platform boasts three key benefits tailored for small business owners and consumers alike. Firstly, it offers “done-for-you” experiences through a mix of AI and human intelligence. This feature automates many of the repetitive tasks related to financial management, such as credit building and tax preparation, thereby freeing up valuable time. For instance, the Tax Assistant minimizes manual data entry by automatically syncing information from Credit Karma into TurboTax, allowing the filing process to be streamlined significantly. This could be especially beneficial for small business owners who often juggle various responsibilities and may struggle to find the time for tax prep. Secondly, the platform provides unrivaled access to trusted advice. With an expanding network of local tax experts, small business owners can get year-round assistance tailored to their specific industry and financial situations. This personalized guidance can instill added confidence in achieving financial goals, making it easier to tackle complex issues like tax compliance or optimizing cash flow. The third primary benefit is the promise of “more money, faster.” For small business owners, the speed at which they can access funds is crucial for maintaining cash flow. The platform offers features such as Refund Advance, allowing users to access up to $4,000 instantly after IRS acceptance of their tax filings. This could be a game-changer for those needing quick capital for operational expenses or hiring. While the advantages are clear, small business owners should also consider potential challenges associated with adopting these new technologies. The reliance on AI might raise concerns about data security and accuracy. As Intuit integrates more AI-driven features into its processes, ensuring the privacy of sensitive financial information will be paramount. Additionally, small business owners accustomed to traditional methods might face a learning curve when adapting to these new tools. Moreover, the effectiveness of AI-driven recommendations can vary based on the quality of the data inputted. For businesses with complex financial situations, the one-size-fits-all approach may not be sufficient, necessitating a level of oversight and adjustment from the user. Intuit’s Consumer Platform aims not only to assist individuals but also to empower small business owners to manage their finances with greater ease and confidence. By merging technology with human insight, the platform enables users to tackle financial tasks that often feel burdensome, thereby allowing them to focus on growing their enterprises. The integration of AI and human intelligence promises a more efficient path to financial management, providing a solution to the frustrations many small business owners face. With personalized support and innovative tools right at their fingertips, they can better navigate their financial futures. For more details on this exciting development, you can view the original press release from Intuit here. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Intuit Unveils AI-Powered Tools for Effortless Year-Round Financial Control" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

In an age where financial management can often feel overwhelming for small business owners, Intuit has stepped up with a powerful all-in-one solution aimed at simplifying finances year-round. The company recently announced a groundbreaking suite of AI-driven tools integrated within its Consumer Platform, powered by both TurboTax and Credit Karma. This innovation promises to help users, including small business owners, make better financial decisions while reducing manual tasks and maximizing financial outcomes. Intuit’s new offering combines advanced artificial intelligence with human expertise to create what they call Agentic AI experiences. The tools are designed to provide customized, proactive assistance across various financial needs—ranging from tax preparation to credit management. Mark Notarainni, Executive Vice President of the Consumer Group at Intuit, emphasized the urgent need for such services, stating, “With over 75% of American households earning less than $100K annually and 57% of active Credit Karma members managing revolving debt, personal finances can feel overwhelming with no single resource for all money needs.” The Consumer Platform boasts three key benefits tailored for small business owners and consumers alike. Firstly, it offers “done-for-you” experiences through a mix of AI and human intelligence. This feature automates many of the repetitive tasks related to financial management, such as credit building and tax preparation, thereby freeing up valuable time. For instance, the Tax Assistant minimizes manual data entry by automatically syncing information from Credit Karma into TurboTax, allowing the filing process to be streamlined significantly. This could be especially beneficial for small business owners who often juggle various responsibilities and may struggle to find the time for tax prep. Secondly, the platform provides unrivaled access to trusted advice. With an expanding network of local tax experts, small business owners can get year-round assistance tailored to their specific industry and financial situations. This personalized guidance can instill added confidence in achieving financial goals, making it easier to tackle complex issues like tax compliance or optimizing cash flow. The third primary benefit is the promise of “more money, faster.” For small business owners, the speed at which they can access funds is crucial for maintaining cash flow. The platform offers features such as Refund Advance, allowing users to access up to $4,000 instantly after IRS acceptance of their tax filings. This could be a game-changer for those needing quick capital for operational expenses or hiring. While the advantages are clear, small business owners should also consider potential challenges associated with adopting these new technologies. The reliance on AI might raise concerns about data security and accuracy. As Intuit integrates more AI-driven features into its processes, ensuring the privacy of sensitive financial information will be paramount. Additionally, small business owners accustomed to traditional methods might face a learning curve when adapting to these new tools. Moreover, the effectiveness of AI-driven recommendations can vary based on the quality of the data inputted. For businesses with complex financial situations, the one-size-fits-all approach may not be sufficient, necessitating a level of oversight and adjustment from the user. Intuit’s Consumer Platform aims not only to assist individuals but also to empower small business owners to manage their finances with greater ease and confidence. By merging technology with human insight, the platform enables users to tackle financial tasks that often feel burdensome, thereby allowing them to focus on growing their enterprises. The integration of AI and human intelligence promises a more efficient path to financial management, providing a solution to the frustrations many small business owners face. With personalized support and innovative tools right at their fingertips, they can better navigate their financial futures. For more details on this exciting development, you can view the original press release from Intuit here. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Intuit Unveils AI-Powered Tools for Effortless Year-Round Financial Control" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article