"Developments provide a bit of reality served with your dessert " by: John Sample

   So much for setting all-time record highs as this week started off with a big selloff attributed to the Chinese AI product DeepSeek.      It has become the highest demanded app on Apple over OpenAi and ChapGPT.  The jury is still out on whether we have all the facts.

PSA: You can put more into your 401(k) this year

   Once you retire, you’ll likely need to draw on a variety of financial sources - and one of the most important ones may be your 401(k).    In 2025, you can put even more money into your plan than ever.    The contribution limit has increased by $500, to $23,500.

"Reel Reviews: ‘One of Them Days’ definitely a ‘girl’s night’ flick full of laughs" by: Jessica Shepard

   Almost everyone you ask can remember their first “official” R-rated movie and the fortunate ones can remember their first R-rated comedy flick.

‘Celebrating each other’

   Organizing a premiere event takes a village.     There’s so many components involved when weaving all aspects from securing a venue, luncheon menu, speaker, marketing, photography, ticketing, sponsorships, room arrangement, tabletop décor, raffle items, etc., not to mention weather forecasts.

"I’d like my snow without an Arctic winter storm please" by: Jessica Shepard

   You know, when I wrote that column in December languishing about not seeing substantial snow in Matagorda County since 2004 - I wasn’t daring Mother Nature.  In fact, I’d written off all chance of snow once we transitioned into the New Year.

"Interesting time for the market: Unsure what future will bring" by: John Sample

   The S&P 500 climbed almost 3% last week, which was the largest weekly gain since the election.    Analysts pointed to the inflation reports from suppliers and consumers remaining steady, instead of increasing, indicating that future rate cuts were not out of the equation.

PSA: When is a good time for a Roth conversion?

   If you’ve thought about contributing to a Roth IRA, but you made too much money during your working years, you can have a second chance - through a Roth conversion.

"Reel Reviews: ‘Den of Thieves 2’ offers beautiful French Riviera as a backdrop for theft" by: Jessica Shepard

   I’m not going to lie to you – I didn’t think there was a need for a sequel to 2018’s “Den of Thieves” movie.  I just lumped it into one of those momentarily fun action flicks that wasn’t overly memorable.  Unfortunately, there are a lot of movies like that in my book.

‘Suit of Armor’

   Considering the world we live in today, I wish our school system offered a course in self-preservation.

"Simon DeSoto truly was a man of many talents" by: Mike Reddell

   I lost a good friend last week, in the passing of Simon DeSoto.  The longtime lockmaster at Matagorda and radio personality left a lasting memory for those of us who knew him well.