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As unemployment claims pass 40 million and the anxious people who file them grow more desperate, an altruistic instinct has emerged among those who are more financially secure. But the sheer breadth of the pain is almost overwhelming, and the appeals are everywhere. And the impulse is to help — now — when confronted with a personal plea. So what is the very best way for people with more money than they need to quickly hand it over to those in need, so they can use it for food, shelter and other necessities? It isn’t easy to find a satisfying answer. Sites and services like GoFundMe can connect donors with real people, but they may lack vetting of recipients, their back stories or their plans. They also may not make it possible to be identified or anonymous, depending on your preference as a giver or a beneficiary. Donors with large amounts to give may want to use tax deductions to increase what they can afford to donate, but may not be able to get them through one-off cash transfers. T...

George Kittle and the San Francisco 49ers haven't made much progress on a new contract, with his agent saying he is looking for more than a deal that makes Kittle the highest-paid tight end in the NFL. "I don't care about the tight end market," Kittle's agent, Jack Bechta, told NFL Network. "I'm being paid to do a George Kittle deal." Kittle, 26, is set to make $735,000 in 2020 on the final year of his rookie contract. This offseason, Austin Hooper signed the largest contract -- four years, $42 million with the Cleveland Browns -- for a tight end, while the Los Angeles Chargers' Hunter Henry is set to make the most money this year, $10,607,000 on the franchise tag. But Kittle appears to be aiming higher. The top-paid wide receivers, like the Atlanta Falcons' Julio Jones and Dallas Cowboys' Amari Cooper, are making $20 million per season or more, while the top 10 non-quarterback skill position players average at least $16 million. NFL Netw...

It’s the rare San Franciscan who looks around our troubled city and thinks, “Gosh, our leaders sure do spend my tax money well.” Grime covers our sidewalks. Potholes dot many streets. Buses arrive late. Construction projects continuously get delayed. And, of course, our homeless crisis just gets worse. All that was true when San Francisco was rolling in cash, the economic envy of cities around the world with its $12.3 billion annual budget making it richer than many states. You know, back in early March, all those many eons ago. Now that the COVID-19 public health calamity and the resulting economic crisis have struck like twin disasters, the city budget outlook has grown dire — even more so than the city’s top money man had previously projected. And we can expect our already iffy city services to take a beating. Controller Ben Rosenfield acknowledged in a frank interview that his previously announced worst-case scenario of a $1.7 billion budget hole over the next 26 months isn’t the w...

The 2020 sports calendar has been turned upside down to say the least. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Triple Crown, which would have normally been through the first two legs by now, has been completely changed this year. The Kentucky Derby has been moved to September 5th while the Preakness has been announced for October 3rd. For the first time ever, the Belmont Stakes, normally the final race of the Triple Crown, will now actually be the first to take place. Originally, they had considered running it in late October but the challenge is that the Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships runs in early November, and the owners and trainers didn’t want to be forced to make a choice. Instead, the Belmont Stakes will now be run on June 20th. Usually, the Belmont Stakes is known as the “Test of the Champion” because it’s the longest of the three Triple Crown races. The Kentucky Derby is typically one and one-quarter miles long. The Preakness is the shortest of the three at one and t...

On a Monday in May, when bettors typically would be targeting the NBA playoffs or an MLB matinee, the wagering world is instead fixated on an internet stream of a table tennis match between two Russians in an undisclosed location in Eastern Europe. The camera angle is tight, almost as though it's shot from an iPhone perched in a corner of the bare-bones room that has blue tarps for walls. There are no announcers; the only sounds are the occasional reactions from the players or the scorekeeper, and the pitter-patter of paddles hitting the ball. There are hundreds of matches like this one being streamed daily, in tournaments called Setka Cup, Win Cup and Moscow Liga Pro. The action is fast-paced, and competitors range in age from early 20s to mid-60s. Some are athletic and highly skilled. Others are out of shape and overmatched. Money is pouring into U.S. sportsbooks on these matches -- hundreds of thousands of dollars in betting handle daily -- yet the matches are shrouded in such s...

MMA fans can catch some UFC action on Saturday, May 30th with an exciting card that will take place from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. While Sports Illustrated’s gambling analyst Casey Olson correctly predicted the under-dog coming out on top in the last three card’s main event, Olson is instead going with the favorite Tyron Woodley over Gilbert Burns. Woodley is currently a heavy favorite with -182 odds on DraftKings sportsbook. Olson and SI’s Frank Taddeo discuss the odds and make predictions for the best fights of the night in the above video. Read the full transcript from their conversation below: Bill Enright: UFC fight night for May 30th is just a few hours away, and we have the gambling and DFS preview. Let's bring on our MMA and combat expert Casey Olson and our gambling analyst Frank Taddeo. Oh, Frank. I'll start with you. This, from what I understand, you have some sharp action analysis that you're going to share with everybody. Frank Taddeo:  Yeah, Bill, there's...

Investors tend to dump insurance stocks at the height of a catastrophe, fearing how large losses will get. History suggests they should be buying instead. Sure enough, shares of property and casualty, or P&C, insurers followed the familiar pattern as the coronavirus pandemic spread: The S&P 500’s insurance components plummeted 45% from a 52-week high set in February, and remain down about 20% year to date. The decline reflects investors’ fears that insurers might be forced to cover pandemic-related losses not included originally in policies. These fears are reasonable but seem overblown, as any losses are likely to be far less than the $150 billion of market value wiped out at the depths of the recent selloff. The Society of Lloyd’s, better known Lloyd’s of London, estimates pandemic-related losses will total about $100 billion, while Willis Towers Watson, an industry broker and data provider, puts the industry’s maximum estimated loss at $80 billion. Therein lies opportunity f...

May 29, 2020, 12:45 PM ATHENS, Greece -- Greece on Friday listed 29 countries from where it will accept visitors as of June 15 as the Greek government looks to mitigate some of the financial damage from the coronavirus pandemic. The Greek Tourism Ministry said travelers from the permitted countries will be able to enter Greece on direct flights to Athens and to the northern city of Thessaloniki. The list will be expanded on July 1 to include other countries, the ministry said. “Our aim is to be able to welcome every tourist who has overcome their fear and has the ability to travel to our country,” Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis said on Antenna television. The 29 announced Friday are: Albania, Australia, Austria, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Estonia, Japan, Israel, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lebanon, New Zealand, Lithuania, Malta, Montenegro, Norway, South Korea, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic and Finland. Visitors arrivi...

From Good Housekeeping Every summer, it seems like no matter how hard you try, your yard (or worse, house) becomes infested with pesky flies. These winged creatures are called pests for a reason: they feast on leftovers, crawl on outdoor furniture, and buzz all. day. long. While repelling flies is the recommended first course of action, sometimes it's too little, too late. When all else fails, attract and kill them with a fly trap. While there are store-bought options that'll get the job done, sometimes it's easiest to take the more natural approach by making a homemade fly trap with common household items. As soon as you see or better yet, hear, them, DIY a few of these fly traps and distribute them throughout your house and yard. That way, you'll up your chances of getting rid of as many flies as possible. Photo credit: The Country Chic Cottage Luring flies to a trap is the hardest part. Luckily, they're attracted to anything sweet — simple syrup, honey, and fruit...

This update corrects the monthly decline in core PCE in April. The federal government mailed checks in April and May aimed at helping households keep paying their bills. Associated Press The numbers: American’s personal income surged 10.5 % in April boosted by government coronavirus relief payments to households but consumer spending lagged, the Commerce Department said Friday. Consumer spending fell 13.6% in April after a 6.9% drop in March. Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected a 13% decrease. Meanwhile, personal income rose 10.5% in April, helped by government payments. Economists had expected a decrease of 2.1%. What happened: The gain in income was driven solely by an 89.6% gain in government transfer payments in April. Wages and salaries fell 8% in April after a 3.5% decline in the prior month. The rise in incomes and the drop in spending pushed the savings rate up to 33% in April from 12.7 in the prior month. The high rate of savings suggests consumers can spend more onc...

Even as emergency government aid gave incomes a boost in April, coronavirus lockdowns caused Americans to shut their wallets, prompting the biggest monthly drop in consumer spending on record. Personal income rose 10.5 percent, lifted by nearly $3 trillion in government transfer payments, mostly in the form of $1,200 checks that millions of households received from the federal government. But with stores closed and most Americans under stay-at-home orders, there wasn’t much opportunity to put that money to work, causing consumption to fall by 13.6 percent. That combination of a cash infusion and nowhere to spend it caused the savings rate to soar to 33 percent, up 12.7 percent from March and the highest level since the government began tracking the information in 1959. The data, reported Friday by the Commerce Department, is further evidence of an economy at a virtual standstill last month. There are preliminary signs that conditions have moderated since then, but the pain continues fo...

May 29 (UPI) -- Roger Federer became the first tennis player in the history to land the top spot in Forbes' annual rankings of the world's highest-paid athletes after he earned $106.3 million from June 1, 2019 to June 1, 2020. The 20-time Grand Slam champion earned about $100 million from endorsements and appearance fees from 13 partners. The Swiss tennis star made $6.3 million on the tennis court. Federer, 38, jumped into the top spot as many other athletes had their salaries slashed due to season suspensions from the coronavirus pandemic. Rival soccer stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are usually at the top of the list. Messi was No. 1 with $127 million in income in 2019. Ronaldo was No. 2 in 2019 with $109 million in income. Federer ranked No. 5 on last year's list. Boxer Floyd Mayweather topped the list in 2018 with $285 million in income. Mayweather also topped the list in 2015 ($300M), 2014 ($105M) and 2012 ($85M). Forbes included all prize money, bonuses, sala...