game 777 According to , homeownership is still on the minds of young Canadians despite the market’s increasing challenges over the past two decades. In fact, first-time homebuyers under 30 in Canada are doubling down on homeownership as a financial priority over common life milestones — with 40% prioritizing saving for a mortgage over marriage (24%), travel (30%), and buying a car (33%). But there’s one question that many young Canadians ask themselves when it comes to homeownership: how do I even get started? Luckily, there’s , a dedicated resource that works to make Canadian homeownership more accessible. Whether you’re just getting started or building towards buying your next home, Houseful meets you where you are to connect you with agents and support you on your journey — in whatever form that may take. We had the opportunity to sit down with Karen Starns, CEO of Houseful, to talk about the homeownership challenges facing young Canadians, and what steps they can take to prepare for entering the market. While Starns points to price being a major factor in the homeownership challenge, she says it’s less about the price tag of a home, but rather about the trade-offs associated with owning a home. “One of the things Houseful is really good at and that we’ll continue to invest in is helping how do we inform consumers about the possibilities that trade-offs can offer, as it applies to them?” says Starns. “Everyone has an individual journey and different trade-offs they’re willing to make.” Another major challenge is the overarching negative sentiment around the possibility of homeownership, But while the futility of the situation may make for an interesting headline, they’re not letting the negativity affect them. “Young Canadians look at this milestone over other life milestones and know that it’s not going to be easy but still put it high on their priority list.” Overcoming financial challenges, especially in a tougher Canadian market, is definitely a struggle, but Starns stresses that the cost of homeownership isn’t as simple as securing the finances. It isn’t just about the down payment, finding financing for the home, and then paying the mortgage. The cost of homeownership also includes maintenance costs, taxes, and a host of other factors. Again, this is where Houseful can help. With resources like the and a network of industry experts, the platform can connect you with the support and knowledge you need so you can make tangible moves towards owning your next home. “Houseful helps equip young Canadians on the other side rather than just giving them the keys to the front door and thinking the job is done, because it’s a lifelong proposition ... And it’s incumbent upon us to understand it, so they can achieve their objective of starting that process of wealth building.” While speaking with Starns, she recalls a young couple who recently used Houseful to secure their first one-bedroom apartment. “They moved to Vancouver three years ago, and wanted a home in the city as a great investment. Property costs are high in Vancouver, but they set themselves up to start managing their spending well ahead of finding a property that was a good fit for them.” The couple moved into a basement apartment that was under their budget to tackle the challenge of saving while renting. Once they were ready, the couple started using Houseful to understand what they really wanted out of their first home. “There are so many factors that you need to decide upon before investing in a home. Do you want something that’s walkable, do you want to be near the train, or maximize square footage? They started using Houseful and were able to really explore all of their different options.” Houseful helped them connect with a real estate agent who was able to set them up with their current house, which fits with their lifestyle and kicked off their homeownership journey. “Our role is to be in your corner — we offer education and information at every stage of the journey, along with bringing experts to the table.” There are lots of strategies young Canadians can employ if they’re going to start looking into homeownership, but Starns says that understanding your budget is one of the biggest game-changers. You really have to understand where you’re spending so you can see where to cut back to accelerate your goals. Houseful data also reflects this, with their survey highlighting that 74% of first-time homebuyers in Canada under 30 are reducing daily expenses such as dining out and shopping to save for a home. “The budgeting may not be the most fun piece, but as your nest egg continues to grow and you can see the home purchase on the horizon, that’s pretty satisfying, and all within your control.” Another idea Starns stresses is for young Canadians to ditch the idea of a “dream” or “forever” home. It’s not about lowering your expectations, but changing your of what you want in the short- to medium-term, which helps you take advantage of the market’s potential without getting anchored to something you can’t afford. There’s a huge strategic benefit to this — because, once you’re ready to go after that “dream” home, you’ll be in a better position through the equity you’ve built and the experience you’ve already gained being in the housing market. “It’s really fun to look at beautiful homes on the market. I do it all the time, and it’s super enjoyable to look and ask ‘what if.’ But our job, through education, experts, and the tools we offer, is to help drive a level of ability and realism so people can get to their goals faster.” So don’t wait to educate yourself on how you can work towards harnessing the market’s potential. You can check out today to get started.

Image Small Image Mark Kaufman Body It should come as no surprise that we’ve shifted from an “information economy” to an “attention economy.” Computer scientists and psychologists have been studying attention spans for about 20 years, over which time the average time that a person can focus on any one thing has dropped from around 21⁄2 minutes to around 45 seconds – even less if it’s a lecture you’re listening to. When was the last time you had any time at all free from distractions? Our brains are wired to pick up external cues like sights and sounds, all of which can distract us from the task at hand. Add technology to the mix – the time we spend in front of screens – and you begin to wonder how we ever get anything done. All kinds of things can contribute to a diminished attention span: sleep deprivation, stress, a noisy or cluttered environment, and screen time. Making changes to any one of these factors would help; so would full immersion in a book. There’s little doubt that reading is an activity that you have to consciously make time for, when there are so many other things competing for our time and attention. The challenge, of course, is to find just the right book to capture your attention and imagination, and keep you engrossed. Online, you’ll find algorithms designed to make suggestions based on past purchases. Instead, spend time browsing a bookstore and talk with a bookseller (usually a voracious reader), who will recommend something based on your interests and tastes. You’ll find more than 50 categories from which to choose, from science-fiction to romance, nature to current affairs, personal growth to faith. As the holidays approach, books are the perfect gift that can be opened again and again. You’ll never have to worry about viruses, software updates or changing the batteries. Even if you’re shopping for that impossible-to-please relative, you’ll find something among the 10,000 or so books a bookstore carries, or hundreds of thousands more that can be ordered and available within a couple of days. Author Sandi Richmond (“Milepost 75”) celebrated her 80th birthday by hiking rim-to-rim at the Grand Canyon. Physical activity, sensible eating, and time management all contribute to living longer, healthier lives. You can be sure that Richmond has kept her brain just as healthy. Trading screen time for a good book is a great place to start. Mark Kaufman is the co-owner of Story & Song Bookstore Bistro. mark@storyandsongbookstore.com

Tidewater Renewables Ltd. ( OTCMKTS:TDWRF – Get Free Report ) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,100 shares, a growth of 47.6% from the November 30th total of 2,100 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 4,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.7 days. Tidewater Renewables Stock Performance Shares of TDWRF opened at $0.59 on Friday. Tidewater Renewables has a fifty-two week low of $0.59 and a fifty-two week high of $6.30. The company’s fifty day moving average is $0.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $2.76. Tidewater Renewables Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Tidewater Renewables Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Tidewater Renewables and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Rajnath Singh lauds efforts of Indian Army training institutes

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Advisors Asset Management Inc. Has $136,000 Stock Holdings in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS)Washington Commanders release 2023 first-round pick Emmanuel ForbesFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Republican senators pushed back on Sunday against criticism from Democrats that Tulsi Gabbard , Donald Trump’s pick to lead U.S. intelligence services , is “compromised” by her comments supportive of Russia and secret meetings , as a congresswoman, with Syria’s president, a close ally of the Kremlin and Iran. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, a veteran of combat missions in Iraq, said she had concerns about Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s choice to be director of national intelligence . “I think she’s compromised,” Duckworth said on CNN’s “State of the Union,” citing Gabbard’s 2017 trip to Syria, where she held talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad. Gabbard was a Democratic House member from Hawaii at the time. “The U.S. intelligence community has identified her as having troubling relationships with America’s foes. And so my worry is that she couldn’t pass a background check,” Duckworth said. Gabbard, who said last month she is joining the Republican party, has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades. She was deployed to Iraq and Kuwait and, according to the Hawaii National Guard, received a Combat Medical Badge in 2005 for “participation in combat operations under enemy hostile fire in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom III.” Duckworth’s comments drew immediate backlash from Republicans. “For her to say ridiculous and outright dangerous words like that is wrong,” Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Oklahoma, said on CNN, challenging Duckworth to retract her words. “That’s the most dangerous thing she could say — is that a United States lieutenant colonel in the United States Army is compromised and is an asset of Russia.” In recent days, other Democrats have accused Gabbard without evidence of being a “Russian asset.” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, has claimed, without offering details, that Gabbard is in Russian President Vladimir “Putin’s pocket.” Story continues below video Mullin and others say the criticism from Democrats is rooted in the fact that Gabbard left their party and has become a Trump ally. Democrats say they worry that Gabbard’s selection as national intelligence chief endangers ties with allies and gives Russia a win. Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat just elected to the Senate, said he would not describe Gabbard as a Russian asset, but said she had “very questionable judgment.” “The problem is if our foreign allies don’t trust the head of our intelligence agencies, they’ll stop sharing information with us,” Schiff said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Gabbard in 2022 endorsed one of Russia’s justifications for invading Ukraine : the existence of dozens of U.S.-funded biolabs working on some of the world’s nastiest pathogens. The labs are part of an international effort to control outbreaks and stop bioweapons, but Moscow claimed Ukraine was using them to create deadly bioweapons. Gabbard said she just voiced concerns about protecting the labs. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Missouri, said he thought it was “totally ridiculous” that Gabbard was being cast as a Russian asset for having different political views. “It’s insulting. It’s a slur, quite frankly. There’s no evidence that she’s a asset of another country,” he said on NBC. Sen. James Lankford, another Oklahoma Republican, acknowledged having “lots of questions” for Gabbard as the Senate considers her nomination to lead the intelligence services. Lankford said on NBC that he wants to ask Gabbard about her meeting with Assad and some of her past comments about Russia. “We want to know what the purpose was and what the direction for that was. As a member of Congress, we want to get a chance to talk about past comments that she’s made and get them into full context,” Lankford said.