DBA Digest for September 22, 2023

2023 Delaware Trust Conference - All-Star Speakers! In-Person! Live-Stream! On-Demand!

Don't miss the all-star line-up of wealth management experts at the 2023 Delaware Trust The 2023 Delaware Trust Conference will be live at The Chase Center on the Riverfront, AND live-streaming, on October 17 & 18, AND on-demand through November! See the agenda via the link below and register today!

Climb Aboard the Kalmar Nyckel for a Special Monday Evening Reception October 16th!

There's still room and still time to register for the 2023 Delaware Trust Conference kick-off reception on Delaware's tall ship, the Kalmar Nyckel. Be there, Monday, October 16, 4 to 6 p.m. Tickets to this exclusive reception event are just $150. Platinum and Diamond Sponsors receive two free registrations to the reception with their sponsorships. Space is limited! Contact Corinne Stayton to reserve your spot today!

Women Connect - November 2nd - 9:00 to 4:30

University & Whist Club, Wilmington

Join us for the next Women Connect event, Thursday, November 2, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the University & Whist Club in Wilmington. Topics include: “The Return to Work” Post-Pandemic Challenges and Silver Linings;  The 6 Pillars of Self Care, Building Self Care into Your Life; and Emotional Intelligence. There will also be plenty of networking opportunities. Only $149 for the full-day pass ($99 for a half-day pass). Register today for this exciting day of Engagement, Empowerment, and Networking!

Business Writing Workshop

November 1, 2023, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Time equals money in the work world, so creating clear documents quickly that can be understood easily is crucial. Join Linda Comerford, Comerford Consulting for this rewarding on-line course via Zoom, Just $199 per person for DBA members! ($249 for non-members)

Workshop Objectives: After attending this course, participants will benefit from an increased ability to:

• Identify varied audiences and purposes for writing;
• Polish rough edges of their writing style in paragraphs, sentences, words, and format;
• Write more effective documents while following a more efficient writing process; and,
• Apply course concepts to their actual writing samples.

Taking the Grr out of Grammar

November 8, 2023, 9:00 am - 12:30 pm

Surveys show that 80% of those in the business world tend to say, “Grr!” a lot when editing a document. Join Linda Comerford, Comerford Consulting for this valuable on-line course. Just $99 per person for DBA members! ($149 for non-members)

Workshop Objectives:  This half-day course helps participants do the following when writing and editing:  

• Analyze why correct documents are so important;
• Identify the errors that tarnish a writer’s image;
• Learn practical, current grammar and punctuation rules;
• Practice correcting grammar glitches and punctuation pitfalls; and,
• Demonstrate understanding of the rules through a pre- and post-quiz.

Bank of America Private Bank Market Minute

Major U.S. indexes traded in a fairly narrow range last week. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite posted minor declines for the week, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average eked out a small gain. The yield on the 2-year U.S. Treasury climbed back above 5%, while the 10-year Treasury yield rose for a second consecutive week, settling around 4.33% by week-end and nearing its highest level of the year. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) advanced 0.6% in the month of August, the largest monthly gain since June 2022. On an annual basis, consumer inflation grew 3.7% driven by gasoline as the major contributor to the index increased. The Producer Price Index (PPI) came in above the consensus estimate, growing 0.7% in August compared to 0.4% in July, also at its highest since June 2022. A retail sales print came in higher-than-expected, up 0.6% in August, and greater than the revised 0.5% increase in July. Last week featured the European Central Bank (ECB) meeting, while this week’s Federal Reserve (Fed) meeting will take place. The ECB lifted interest rates in an effort to tamp down inflation, marking the tenth policy meeting in a row of rate hikes. Rates are currently at the highest levels since 1999. This week, the Fed is widely expected to leave its benchmark interest rate unchanged at its two-day policy meeting. The Fed last hiked in July, by an increase of a quarter-percentage point to a range of 5.25% and 5.50%—the 11th hike since March 2022. The probability of a Fed rate hike this week sits at only 4%, while the chances are far greater for a November hike, at around 40%.

Jenifer Jurden is a Cartoonist from Wilmington who has graciously provided her Planet Jurdy cartoons for the DBA Digest. Jurdy® is her other-worldly "Hero of Happyness" whose cartoons bring levity to humans worldwide.

Santora CPA Group Announces Three Promotions

Raymond E. Willis

Emily M. Mowen

Jerrold M. Troutner

Santora CPA Group, a Newark-based Certified Public Accounting and Consulting firm, is pleased to announce that Raymond E. Willis, CPA, Emily M. Mowen, and Jerrold M. Troutner have been promoted to Senior Accountant. Ray joined SCG in October 2020 after interning during the summer of 2019. He is a 2020 graduate of the University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and a minor in Economics. Ray is a member of the American Institute and the Delaware Society of Certified Public Accountants. 

Emily and Jerry joined SCG in June 2021 after graduating from the University of Delaware: Emily with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and a double minor in Management Information Systems and Trust Management (2020) and a Master of Science Degree in Business Analytics and Information Management (2021), and Jerry with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting. They are both members of the American Institute and the Delaware Society of Certified Public Accountants. 

Podcast: CFPB's Rulemaking Under the FCRA - Part 3

Join us for the third episode in a special three-part series covering the CFPB's intention to propose new rules under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). In this episode, Troutman Pepper Partners Chris Willis, Dave Gettings, Kim Phan, Ethan Ostroff, and Ron Raether discuss the potential implications of regulating data brokers under the FCRA, and how this might affect data brokers as well as other types of entities, including users, consumer reporting agencies, and resellers.

Delaware Department of Labor Announces the Opening of a Call Center

On Monday, Sept. 18, the Delaware Department of Labor opened a call center to further assist employers with questions regarding the Delaware Paid Leave program as well as information regarding eligibility to grandfather in an existing plan. If a private plan is deemed comparable, it can be grandfathered in for the first five years of the program, and the Department of Labor will begin taking applications for review very soon.

For help navigating the new program and criteria to qualify for exemption from immediately joining the state’s plan, employers can call 302-761-8375 to reach a representative. Specialists will be available 24 hours a day to discuss any questions, concerns, and/or observations. They will guide you, a Delaware employer, toward feeling comfortable with the implementation of the program in your workplace.