Business

Residents across Northwest Florida know just how devastating a hurricane can be on a community. Unfortunately, worried homeowners trying to pick up the pieces can be easy prey for opportunistic scammers after a big storm. These storm-chaser roofing companies often follow bad weather events across the country. These con-artists...

By Maurice Stouse, Financial Advisor and Branch Manager The 2020 presidential election is nearing, and many investors, workers, savers and retirees are being bombarded with messaging and have a lot of things they are considering by Nov. 3. Many are wondering, asking and offering their opinions (deservedly so) as to...

By Matthew Vanderford, Claimology Hurricane Sally is one of those storms that took a lot of folks by surprise. Partly because it was due to hit further west than it did and partly because it just sat and sat, and sat out in the Gulf dumping massive amounts of water...

By Maurice Stouse, Branch Manager and Financial Advisor Annuities are not for everyone. If however you are considering one or perhaps already own one, this article will address a few key takeaways for you. This is intended to speak to deferred annuities (letting it grow over time vs taking out...

By Victoria Ostrosky She still couldn’t believe it was happening. Her husband was too young. Their children were too little. They had too many plans for their life together. His battle with COVID-19 had lasted several weeks. It started out as just a cough. And now this. And she couldn’t...

By Matthew Vanderford Have you ever watched the kids cartoon movie Madagascar? If you have, then you might know the scenes I’m about to describe. In the first movie, Alex the Lion is on the loose in Grand Central Station. While everyone else is coming un-glued and losing it, this...

By Chris Balzer, ECES But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. ~ William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet No one would dispute having the beauty of soft natural light shining through our windows puts a smile on our faces and warms our hearts. We...

Hurricane season is officially upon us. While we all hope for an uneventful season, it is important to prepare for the worst. According to weatherchannel.com, “ The NOAA outlook calls for 13 to 19 named storms, six to 10 hurricanes and three to six major hurricanes – one that...

By Mark Stanley and Tracy Steely Tim Haney is a true Walton County native. He was born in Ft. Walton Beach because there was no hospital in the Santa Rosa Beach area, which is where his family lived. The only elementary school in his time was Bay Elementary, which went...

The Economic Development Council of Okaloosa County (EDC) has created a new, on-line resource tailored to assist aspiring entrepreneurs, startups and small business owners. Dubbed Startup Okaloosa, the virtual incubator can now be found at www.startupokaloosa.com. Structured as an information portal, the site links to traditional and non-traditional funding partners,...