💲Social Security up; Gen Z down; Friday the 13th fears

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📣NEWS OF THE DAY:

The Center for Human Identification at the UNT Health Science Center is the first public crime lab in the U.S. to offer Forensic Genetic Genealogy, which makes it possible to solve decades-old crimes. Using advanced DNA technology and genealogical mapping, the center will assist law enforcement and medicolegal agencies in solving criminal and missing persons cases.

Tarrant County College has been designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) for its validated program(s) through the 2028 academic year. The designation is awarded to academic institutions that offer cybersecurity degrees and/or certificates and was started in 2019 by the National Security Agency for two-year colleges.

Gen Z workers say they face the most obstacles to saving for a comfortable retirement, yet their timeline to ‘logging off’ for good is the most ambitious, according to Charles Schwab’s annual nationwide survey of its 401(k) plan participants. Gen Z workers (21–26 years old) want to retire at age 61, but 99% say they are facing obstacles to saving for a comfortable retirement. Gen Z is also the most likely to say financial stress has impacted their ability to do their job (26%).

Exxon Mobil Corp. has agreed to buy Pioneer Natural Resources for $59.5B in an all-stock deal, making it the largest oil-and-gas merger in more than 20 years since Exxon bought Mobil in 1999. The deal allows Exxon Mobil to expand its footprint in the Permian Basin, the highest-producing oil field in the U.S. Pioneer joins a list of Exxon Mobil acquisitions which include Denbury Resources, MPM Lubricants, InterOil Corporation, Jurong Aromatics Corporate Pte Ltd., Celtic Exploration Ltd., and XTO Energy.

Luxury on the down low: Luxury powerhouse LVMH, which owns brands like Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Hennessy, saw annual revenue growth slow to 9%, down from 17% the quarter before. It appears that demand for luxury goods, which soared during the pandemic, is softening.

According to Texas policy group 2036, D-FW residents (19%) have more medical debt than people in other major metro areas (13%). Four in 10 Texas voters said they skip or postpone medical treatments because of cost uncertainty. A new state law requires hospitals to provide an itemized bill before collecting debt. The bill must include a "plain-language description" of the services so patients can determine whether they have been overcharged.

Sabre reported no current or on-going security concerns after its month-long investigation into claims a ransom group had stolen highly sensitive data from its travel tech and software systems. “To our knowledge ... no customer/traveler PCI [payment card industry] data has been compromised,” the company said in an emailed response to PhocusWire.

Your next investment strategy? Actor and comedian Pete Davidson says he's bought up all the sealed VHS tapes in existence. He might be onto something — some vintage, mint-condition VHS tapes are selling for tens of thousands in auction.

ProMach has acquired Lofton Label & Packaging, a leading producer of labels and printed flexible packaging materials. The purchase of Lofton will allow ProMach to expand its labeling and coding capabilities.

Fort Worth’s Higginbotham has joined forces with Atlanta’s Total Employee Benefits, expanding Higginbotham’s employee benefits offerings. TEB provides negotiated group benefits for a range of services, including medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, life, disability, supplemental and worksite.

Layaway spending to hit a record this holiday as financial strains persist. Consumers are paying more for food and gas, limiting budgets. As a result, discounts will be deeper than last year according to Adobe Analytics.

The Californization of the Texas housing market is for real. Migration from more expensive states has pushed home prices out of reach for many locals; ‘a very hard market for first-time buyers’. (WSJ gift article)

✂️SNIPPETS:

• Why Friday the 13^th is considered unlucky. How triskaidekaphobia or fear of the date crept into popular culture.

• Why a wave of huge ranches is hitting the market. As landowners age, many are looking to offload their enormous properties.

• How did the sheep cross the road? In a weirdly mesmerizing way. Watch this drone footage of a sheep herd that went viral.

On this day in 1845: The voters of the Republic of Texas approved an ordinance to accept annexation. They also adopted the proposed state constitution. The annexation of Texas to the United States had been a topic of political and diplomatic discussions since the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Most Texans had been in favor of annexation and had voted for it as early as 1836.

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