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Create Your Marketing Powerhouse for 2025

Real Estate Marketing for 2025 Boom The election of Donald Trump as US president is expected to generate a booming US economy, and the housing market will definitely benefit. You can feel the enthusiasm already, and I’m looking forward to working in the real estate sector again. As a real estate agent or broker, you’re…

Americans staying in the U.S. this Thanksgiving have their sights set on major domestic cities, while others are trading in cozy blankets and fall foliage for international palm trees and warm beaches, according to the 2024 Allianz Partners USA’s Top 10 Thanksgiving Destination Index.

New York City continues to lure travelers back to its busy streets and celebratory parades as it once again claims the number one spot on the domestic destinations roster. Following in its footsteps, Seattle continues its foothold as the second most popular Thanksgiving destination for the fourth year in a row. Meanwhile, Dallas makes its debut as a top three destination (previously sixth), signaling an influx of travelers heading to the Lone Star State for Turkey Day festivities. Not shying away from the country’s warm-weather states, Americans are also flying to Phoenix (#4), known for its year-round sun.

Fan favorite Orlando (#5) continues to reign as a top choice for Americans, though slipping slightly down two spots after holding third place for two years in a row. Notably, Miami (#10) made its first-ever debut in the top 10 list, highlighting a major uptick in travel to Florida. Other major cities filling out the top 10 include Atlanta (#6), Los Angeles (#7), Boston (#8) and Chicago (#9).

Americans traveling internationally are trading traditional turkey stuffing and pumpkin pie for warm weather and fruit cocktails as they head to their favorite beach destinations for this year’s Thanksgiving celebrations. With a four-year streak in place, Mexico’s ever-so-popular Cancun, San Jose Del Cabo, and Puerto Vallarta were once again named the top three most popular international destinations. Meanwhile, Americans also are catching longer flights as they head across the pond to London (#4) and Paris (#6).

Moving on up the top 10 list, Nassau, Bahamas, locks in fifth place (rising two spots from last year). Falling three spots but not forgotten, Montego Bay, Jamaica, holds eighth place while Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (#7) and Oranjestad, Aruba’s (#9) crystal clear waters continue to lure travelers who need a city escape. Rounding out the list, after being on a 5-year hiatus, Mexico City is back in the game, landing tenth on the international roster.

“Holiday travel is back, and airports are gearing up for their busiest time of the year with Thanksgiving kicking it off,” said Daniel Durazo, director of external communications at Allianz Partners. “Don’t let the excitement of the season stop you from being prepared for potential travel disruptions. A travel protection plan can reimburse pre-paid, non-refundable costs associated with a number of covered, unexpected events such as trip cancellations or interruptions, lengthy travel delays, lost baggage and even medical emergencies.”  

Allianz Partners offers travel protection plans through most major U.S. airlines, leading travel agents, online travel agencies, hotel companies, cruise lines and directly to consumers. For more information on Allianz Partners and available travel policies, please visit http://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/.

Southern Linc, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), has announced that Alan McIntyre has been named the Vice President of Engineering and Operations by the Southern Linc Board of Directors. He will lead a team that is known for providing highly reliable, highly resilient wireless voice and data services for Southern Company systems and users and for local and state government customers.

With 30 years of experience in wireless telecommunications, McIntyre brings significant expertise and proven success to his new role. Formerly, as Engineering Director at Southern Linc, he led the company’s LTE technology transformation, including development of the plan and construction of two fully geographically redundant core data centers, 1,300 LTE cell sites, and the installation of VoLTE and mission-critical push-to-talk (MCPTT) sub-systems that resulted in thousands of conversions of voice and data devices to LTE. He also participated in the international 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards organization that adopted new specifications to facilitate Southern Linc’s move to LTE technology.

“We are thrilled to announce Alan’s promotion at Southern Linc,” said Bentina Terry, president and CEO of Southern Linc and Southern Telecom. “Alan’s vast experience, his significant contributions to our company and the telecom sector, along with his humility and dedication to Southern Company values, make him an excellent addition to our executive team.”

McIntyre has an extensive understanding of wireless spectrum. He worked on the FCC’s 800 MHz rebanding proceedings in the early 2000s which provided Southern Linc with contiguous spectrum as well as the FCC proceeding during 2011-2012 that enabled broadband operations in Southern Linc’s spectrum band. More recently, he was a member of auction teams within Southern Company that successfully won licenses in multiple FCC-conducted spectrum auctions.

McIntyre holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Business Administration degree in Management Information Systems from Auburn University. In 2017, he began serving on the Auburn board that provides strategic advice for the university’s Wireless Engineering Research and Education Center.

Farmer sentiment saw an unexpected surge in October ahead of the upcoming U.S. election, according to the latest Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer. The index rose to 115, marking a 27-point increase from September. This boost in sentiment was primarily driven by a rise in producers’ confidence in the future, with the Future Expectations Index jumping 30 points to 124. While the Current Conditions Index also improved, reaching 95, it still reflected farmers’ concerns that economic conditions this year are worse than last year and weaker than the barometer’s base period of 2015-16 during the early days of a multiyear downturn in the U.S. farm economy. Despite current challenges, the October survey indicated some optimism among producers that economic conditions may strengthen, avoiding an extended downturn in the farm economy. This month’s survey was conducted from Oct. 14-18, 2024.

“Examining responses to the barometer’s individual questions helps us understand the producers’ shift toward a less pessimistic view of the U.S. agricultural economy,” said James Mintert, the barometer’s principal investigator and director of Purdue University’s Center for Commercial Agriculture.

In October, only 53% of producers anticipated challenging times for the U.S. agricultural economy in the year ahead, a decrease from 73% in September. Similarly, concerns about the next five years eased, with just 33% of producers expecting tough times ahead, down from 48% the previous month. Additionally, fewer producers expect worsening financial conditions on their farms over the next 12 months, dropping to 23% in October from 38% in September.

“While producer sentiment improved in October, many respondents indicated they are still feeling financial strain due to the deterioration of their financial situation throughout 2024,” said Mintert. “Over half of the producers we surveyed reported that their farm’s financial condition was worse than a year ago, which underscores the ongoing challenges producers face despite their more optimistic outlook for the year ahead.”

Each month’s survey ends with an open-ended question, allowing respondents to share their thoughts and concerns. For October, politics emerged as a frequent topic of discussion, likely influenced by the upcoming elections. Many producers expressed worries about potential policy changes impacting their farms and the agricultural economy, with regulation, environment and taxes featured prominently alongside price concerns. When specifically asked about their worries for the upcoming year, respondents continued to point to higher input costs and lower output prices as their primary concerns. The trend of producers’ decreasing concern over interest rates continued this month, with only 15% citing it as a top worry in October, down from 26% in late 2023.

One of the most surprising findings from this month’s survey was the increase in the Farm Financial Performance Index. This index measures producers’ expectations regarding their farm’s financial performance over the next 12 months compared to the past year. In October, the index surged to 90, reflecting a 22-point jump from September and falling just 2 points shy of last year’s level. Though not solely accountable for the rise in the index, contributing factors likely include high fall crop yields and a stress-free harvest season in the Corn Belt and Plains states. The index’s improvement also suggests a growing optimism among farmers about their financial outlook, with expectations for better performance in 2025 compared to 2024. Producers seem to view 2024’s weak income prospects as transitory, as there was also a modest improvement in the Farm Capital Investment Index, which reached 42 — a 7-point increase from September.

Both Farmland Value Expectation indices rose this month, indicating that producers are maintaining a level of optimism about the agricultural economy’s future strength, which could, in turn, support farmland values. The Short-Term Farmland Value Expectations Index, which often correlates with financial performance expectations and the Current Conditions Index, climbed to 120, 25 points higher than the September reading. The long-term index improved to 159, up from 147 the previous month.

Michael Wahlstrom with UnitedHealthcare talks about the Surest Health Plan and the importance of making health insurance easier to understand .

Attorney General Chris Carr, along with a bipartisan coalition of 50 other attorneys general, issued the following joint statement condemning political violence in response to today’s election:

“Regardless of the outcome of Tuesday’s election, we expect that Americans will respond peacefully and we condemn any acts of violence related to the results. A peaceful transfer of power is the highest testament to the rule of law, a tradition that stands at the heart of our nation’s stability. As Attorneys General, we affirm our commitment to protect our communities and uphold the democratic principles we serve. 

“We call upon every American to vote, participate in civil discourse and, above all, respect the integrity of the democratic process. Let us come together after this election not divided by outcomes but united in our shared commitment to the rule of law and safety of all Americans. Violence has no place in the democratic process; we will exercise our authority to enforce the law against any illegal acts that threaten it.”

Participating States and Territories 

Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming

President Trump Wins!

Republicans Sweep the US Elections While Democrat polling companies predicted Kamala Harris was the favorite and would win last night’s Presidential election, Americans turned up in force to reject her and her party. Donald K Trump won the US Presidential Election in what could be termed a landslide, as the Republicans swept the House and…