TARCOG to host Fraud & Scam Summit 2024 to combat recent spike is cyber fraud

The Top of Alabama Regional Council of Governments (TARCOG) has announced that the organization will be holding a Fraud & Scam Summit in the coming weeks to address the rise in internet-based crime. The summit focuses on a recent statistic from the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, which recently reported a 14% surge in elder […]

Rethinking education: The rise of vocational training in the face of soaring college costs

Cover image: Provided by Calhoun Community College In the 1990’s and early 2000’s, there was a major push for more post-secondary education, particularly college and university degree programs. With the creation of government direct loans and the expansion of federal student financial aid, graduate and undergraduate programs became accessible to more Americans than ever before.  […]

Your guide to shopping small businesses this Back-to-School Sales Tax Weekend

It’s that time of year again, when parents breathe a sigh of relief and kids bemoan the all-to-rapid passing of Summer break.  In case you missed it, school is starting back. Students in Huntsville City Schools, Madison City Schools, and Madison County Schools are expected back in class on August 1st.  Many parents are waiting […]

Real Estate Update: To Buy or Not to Buy?

The national real estate market has entered a period of cooling, as the combination of restricted inventory and high interest rates have driven down sales.  According to Redfin, which compiled a four-month report which concluded on June 30th, pending sales have declined an average of five percent over the four months.  Despite this decline in […]

Will AI take our jobs, even in Huntsville?

Cover image: Provided by www.shrm.org. First of all, AI is currently only taking very niche, very specific jobs. Mainstream news and clickbait will tell you that the hundreds of thousands of cut jobs in the last year are due to AI. Actual reporting and research is not confirming this as of yet. A poll from […]

From car wash confessions to legislative lessons: The case for regulating wholesaling in alabama

Recently, I took my car to get cleaned at a local car wash company in town.  The logo on my car sparked a conversation with a young kid checking me in. He wanted to tell me that he was a real estate investor and wholesaler and told me about his recent “deal.” He said unfortunately […]

Huntsville market defies post-pandemic regional bust cycle

The June Mortgage Monitor Report released by the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) shows that many of the Southern real estate markets, which saw a boom during the Covid-19 Pandemic, have begun to bust as the pace of buying has slowed and surplus inventory reaches or even exceeds pre-pandemic levels.  Austin, Texas, for example, saw a 0.25% […]

Association of Realtors economic report shows fourth month of consecutive growth

The Alabama Association of Realtors released its Alabama Economic and Real Estate Report for the month of May 2024.  The report shows that home sales across the state have increased for the fourth month in a row, with 5,209 home sales for the month of May. However, this is still down 19.3% from May of […]

Navigating CMMC compliance: Key budgeting insights for local DoD contractors

Cover image: Provided by the Huntsville CVB/Marty Sellers of SellersPhoto Aerial Photography Daniel Akridge and Sam Stiles of Summit 7 conducted a free 50-minute webinar on Wednesday, June 12 entitled “How to Budget for CMMC.”  CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification) is a series of regulations, passed by the federal government, that will apply to defense […]

Federal Reserve Declines to Cut Interest Rates

The Federal Reserve has opted to keep the Federal funds rate within the current range of 5.25 to 5.5%.  Inflation has stubbornly remained above the 2% annual rate that the Federal Reserve set as its target level. Interest rates were at 3.3% for the month of May, remaining virtually unchanged from April, when it stood […]