FGCU softball reflects on season and team’s legacyThe Weather Authority: Scattered storms in the forecast for your Sunday
GAINESVILLE FGCU softball reflects on season and team’s legacy FGCU softball reflects on the historic season following their elimination doubleheader Saturday as well as what made this team special.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA The Weather Authority: Scattered storms in the forecast for your Sunday Expect sun and clouds throughout the day, along with scattered rain. Some of the storms have the potential to become severe.
CAPE CORAL Do we need a federal gun database for mental illness? One family says yes One family is on a mission to create a new national gun database. It would require medical professionals to enter mental health information.
ALVA Three dead in triple drowning near the Franklin Lock in Olga The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is responding to a scene of a water rescue where three people were recovered.
PUNTA GORDA The Weather Authority helps you prepare for the hurricane season at the 2024 Charlotte County Hurricane Expo With hurricane season less than two weeks away, it’s important to start preparing.
GAINESVILLE FGCU softball senior balances EMT training and Regional play Ahead of NCAA Regional play, FGCU senior outfielder Riley Oakes started EMT training as she works toward being a trauma surgeon.
PUNTA GORDA Homes For Our Troops grants veteran new home Through all the cheers and a community-wide escort, it’s a ‘welcome to your forever home for army sergeant veteran Brandon Rethmel and his family.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Beat the Heat: Stay safe during extreme weather The Weather Authority has issued a heat advisory for portions of South, Southeast, and Southwest Florida from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday.
FORT MYERS Leaders discuss possibility of shutting down Caloosahatchee Bridge Should residents endure two years of partial lane closures, or fully shut the Caloosahatchee bridge down for 10 weeks?
GAINESVILLE FGCU softball parents cherish NCAA Tournament experience The parents of the FGCU softball team are relishing seeing their daughters play in the NCAA Tournament.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA The Weather Authority: Hot, hot, hot Heat advisory in place for Saturday until 8 p.m.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers teen finds dead body in bed of his truck A 16-year-old in Fort Myers drove to school, drove home, drove to the barbershop and back home again. Then, he noticed a swarm of flies in the back of his truck.
Scottie Scheffler facing felony charges; local attorney reacts The attorney we spoke with told us that, at a minimum, we’d spend the night in jail before having our first appearance and getting bail.
GAINESVILLE FGCU softball falls to No. 4 Florida in NCAA Tournament The FGCU softball team couldn’t keep up with the No. 4 Florida Gators as the Eagles drop their first Regional game 6-0 to the Gators.
Summer Safety: Swim safety tips to know before the summer The pool is warming up to be the hot spot for kids and families this summer. It’s now also the number one leading cause of drowning deaths for children ages 1-4 in the state.
GAINESVILLE FGCU softball reflects on season and team’s legacy FGCU softball reflects on the historic season following their elimination doubleheader Saturday as well as what made this team special.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA The Weather Authority: Scattered storms in the forecast for your Sunday Expect sun and clouds throughout the day, along with scattered rain. Some of the storms have the potential to become severe.
CAPE CORAL Do we need a federal gun database for mental illness? One family says yes One family is on a mission to create a new national gun database. It would require medical professionals to enter mental health information.
ALVA Three dead in triple drowning near the Franklin Lock in Olga The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is responding to a scene of a water rescue where three people were recovered.
PUNTA GORDA The Weather Authority helps you prepare for the hurricane season at the 2024 Charlotte County Hurricane Expo With hurricane season less than two weeks away, it’s important to start preparing.
GAINESVILLE FGCU softball senior balances EMT training and Regional play Ahead of NCAA Regional play, FGCU senior outfielder Riley Oakes started EMT training as she works toward being a trauma surgeon.
PUNTA GORDA Homes For Our Troops grants veteran new home Through all the cheers and a community-wide escort, it’s a ‘welcome to your forever home for army sergeant veteran Brandon Rethmel and his family.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Beat the Heat: Stay safe during extreme weather The Weather Authority has issued a heat advisory for portions of South, Southeast, and Southwest Florida from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday.
FORT MYERS Leaders discuss possibility of shutting down Caloosahatchee Bridge Should residents endure two years of partial lane closures, or fully shut the Caloosahatchee bridge down for 10 weeks?
GAINESVILLE FGCU softball parents cherish NCAA Tournament experience The parents of the FGCU softball team are relishing seeing their daughters play in the NCAA Tournament.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA The Weather Authority: Hot, hot, hot Heat advisory in place for Saturday until 8 p.m.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers teen finds dead body in bed of his truck A 16-year-old in Fort Myers drove to school, drove home, drove to the barbershop and back home again. Then, he noticed a swarm of flies in the back of his truck.
Scottie Scheffler facing felony charges; local attorney reacts The attorney we spoke with told us that, at a minimum, we’d spend the night in jail before having our first appearance and getting bail.
GAINESVILLE FGCU softball falls to No. 4 Florida in NCAA Tournament The FGCU softball team couldn’t keep up with the No. 4 Florida Gators as the Eagles drop their first Regional game 6-0 to the Gators.
Summer Safety: Swim safety tips to know before the summer The pool is warming up to be the hot spot for kids and families this summer. It’s now also the number one leading cause of drowning deaths for children ages 1-4 in the state.
(CNN MONEY) Handing over your credit card to your teenager might not seem like a good idea. But it might actually be a smart financial move. Not only can it help kids learn money management skills, it can also help their credit score. Adding a child as an authorized user on a parent’s credit card can give the child a boost when it comes to establishing a strong credit profile. That is, as long as the parents are in good credit standing. “Only do it if parents have good to excellent credit in the first place,” said Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, author of Perfect Credit. “There is no point in piggy-backing off someone with bad credit.” Good credit habits like on-time payments, not taking on too much debt and having a long credit history, are likely to have a positive impact on an authorized user’s credit score, according to FICO, the leading provider of credit scores. “The precise impact of authorized user information on the score will vary, depending on both the information contained in the authorized user account, as well as the make-up of the consumer’s credit file as a whole,” said Ethan Dornhelm, vice president of scores and analytics at FICO. A good credit score can bring many advantages to a child once they enter the real world. It can eventually help them score the best interest rates on loans, qualify for an apartment, get better insurance rates and open their own cell phone plan. But parents should be warned: They take on all the risk when adding an authorized user. The child will have the same spending power as the account holder, but none of the payment liability. “The kid will bear no responsibility legally for paying off those balances, it all falls onto the parent,” said Matt Schulz, senior industry analyst at CreditCards.com. That’s why experts stressed the importance of immediately establishing ground rules and expectations with children if they’re given spending power. “Have a very upfront and very honest conversation before you hand over the card, so everyone knows what the expectations are and what the responsibilities involved are,” advised Shultz. Parents should be very specific with when, how much and under what circumstances a card can be used and who will pick up the tab for the kid’s charges, added Khalfani-Cox. Some parents hold the child accountable for their charges while others give a monthly spending limit. Keep in mind that parents don’t have to hand over the card at all. While credit card companies will send the authorized user a separate card in their name, some parents might choose not to give it to their child. Khalfani-Cox added her 19-year-old daughter as an authorized user on one of her main credit card accounts last year, but when the card came in the mail, she tucked it away in a drawer. The move worked. Her daughter, who is still in college, has a credit score in the high 700s. “I was able to give her a great start in the credit world and teach her about the prudent use of credit in a way that set her up for something larger.” She plans to eventually add her teenage son as an authorized user as well. Credit cards vary on their eligibility requirements of authorized users. Some cards require an authorized user to be at least 15 years old, while others don’t have any age limit. When it comes to credit history rubbing off, the date the parent opened the card will be reflected in the child’s score, explained Dornhelm. Along with spending rules, parents should also talk to their kids about the proper use of credit and its long-term impact. Parents that don’t want to take the risk of adding a child as an authorized user can instead opt to open a secured credit card in their child’s name. Secured cards tend to require a deposit that then becomes the spending limit of the card. These cards can help build credit, but there’s less risk of overspending. “That person is building their own credit history as opposed to piggybacking onto someone else’s,” said Schulz. “Mom or dad can put down $200 or $250 to establish the credit limit and that would basically be all the risk they would have. It is a way helping your kid build their own credit history without making things any riskier than they need to be.”