Q:  We have $30,000 in credit card debt and it seems it will take forever to get it paid off.  Should I use money from my 401(k) to pay off that debt?  I am 35 years old. A:  I realize when you see that money sitting in your 401(k), that there is a temptation to tap into it so you can make that credit card debt disappear.  I also realize that it seems to take forever to make progress on your credit cards, especially if all you are paying is the minimum payment.  But using your 401k money to pay...

The Bible is full of advice on how to handle money. Every business owner can (and should) build their business on these essential principles straight from the Word of God. As you read through these Bible verses and associated principles, ask yourself where you see room for improvement in your own business dealings. 1. CONDUCT YOUR BUSINESS WITH HUMILITY. Be realistic about your human nature. Everyone makes mistakes, and I’d venture to guess you’ve made a few. Humility causes us to listen to our...

If you’re feeling panicked about money in these uncertain times, I want you to hear me on this:  You are not alone. You will be okay. People all across the country are wanting to know how the COVID-19 virus will affect their finances. Here are some of the top questions I’m getting about how to handle money during this trying time. What should I do to protect myself and my family right now? Conserve your financial resources. This means cutting unnecessary spending, like cable television, eating...

Dear Dave, I have $11,000 in a mutual fund account that is not a retirement account. My wife has a retirement account through her job as a teacher, but I do not have one at all. We’re in Baby Step 2, so should we cash out the $11,000 in the investment account to help pay off debt? Chris Dear Chris, If this money is designated as non-retirement funds, I’d say go ahead and cash it out. Use the money to pay down debt, and continue to stay focused working the Baby Steps. Get that debt paid off,...

It's easy to take seeds for granted, to assume that there will always be more corn or wheat or rice to plant. But as monocropping and agribusiness continue to dominate modern farming, are we losing genetic diversity, cultural history, and the nutritional value of our food? We speak to farmers, botanists and indigenous people about how they are reclaiming our seeds.

Original Air Date: September 14, 2019

Guests:

Bob Quinn — Robin Wall Kimmerer — Seth Jovaag — Cary Fowler

Interviews In This Hour:

Where Did We Go Wrong With Wheat? — The Wisdom of the Corn Mother — The Seeds Of Tomorrow: Defending Indigenous Mexican Corn That Could Be Our Future — Saving Seeds For Future Generations — Ancient Grains, Native Corn, And The Doomsday Seed Vault: How Growing Food Might Survive Disaster

When things don't go the way they're supposed to — viruses, star systems, presidents, even fish — we're often desperate to explain the chaos. In this episode, we search for order in the universe.

Original Air Date: August 08, 2020

Guests: 

Patrik Svensson — Lulu Miller — Alexander Boxer — Margaret Wertheim — S. James Gates Jr.

Interviews In This Hour: 

The Weird World Of Eels — We Call Them Fish. Evolution Says They're Something Else. — The Original Algorithm Was Written In The Stars — Seeing The World With A Mathematician's Eyes

Further Reading:

Nautilus: Eels Don’t Have Sex Until the Last Year of Their Life—NYAS: The Mystery of Our Mathematical Universe

Once upon a time, science and magic were two sides of the same coin. Today, we learn science in school and save magic for children’s books. What if it were different? What would it be like to see the world as an alchemist?

Original Air Date: September 19, 2020

Guests:

Sarah Durn — Pamela Smith — William Newman — Charles Monroe-Kane — Jason Pine

Interviews In This Hour:

Transmutation Of The Spirit — The Historical Lessons Embedded in Alchemical Recipes — Was Sir Isaac Newton 'The Last of the Magicians'? — The Buried Secrets of Czech Alchemy — Drug Store Alchemy in the Ozarks

Further Reading:

Maier: Atalanta Fugiens

Using a complex network of chemical signals, trees talk to each other and form alliances with fellow trees, even other species. In fact, whole forests exist as a kind of superorganism. And some trees are incredibly old. Did you know a single bristlecone pine can live up to 6,000 years? And the root mass of aspens might live 100,000 years? We explore the science and history of trees and talk with Richard Powers about his epic novel "The Overstory."

Original Air Date: April 28, 2018

Guests: 

Mark Hirsch — Richard Powers — Suzanne Simard — Amos Clifford — Daegan Miller

Interviews In This Hour: 

A Year In The Life Of A Tree — Listening to the Mother Trees — Richard Powers on Writing the Inner Life of Trees — Bathing in the Beauty of the Trees — General Sherman, Karl Marx, and Other Aliases of Earth's Largest Tree

Ever want to quit your job, leave the rat race behind, and head back to the land? Buy an old farmhouse or build a solar-powered home and live self-sufficiently on a few acres of your very own? Generations before you have shared that dream. The reality is more complicated. Even owning your own land is an ethical minefield. 

Original Air Date: December 18, 2021

Guests:

Makenna Goodman — Simon Winchester — Hayden King

Interviews In This Hour:

Can you live off the land and still live ethically? — What does 'owning' land actually mean? — How the Land Back movement is reclaiming land stolen from Indigenous people

Never want to miss an episode? Subscribe to the podcast.

Want to hear more from us, including extended interviews and favorites from the archive? Subscribe to our newsletter.

When things don't go the way they're supposed to — viruses, star systems, presidents, even fish — we're often desperate to explain the chaos. In this episode, we search for order in the universe.

Original Air Date: August 08, 2020

Guests:

Patrik Svensson — Lulu Miller — Alexander Boxer — Margaret Wertheim — S. James Gates Jr.

Interviews In This Hour:

The Weird World Of Eels — We Call Them Fish. Evolution Says They're Something Else. — The Original Algorithm Was Written In The Stars — Seeing The World With A Mathematician's Eyes

Further Reading:

Nautilus: Eels Don’t Have Sex Until the Last Year of Their Life—NYAS: The Mystery of Our Mathematical Universe

Never want to miss an episode? Subscribe to the podcast.

Want to hear more from us, including extended interviews and favorites from the archive? Subscribe to our newsletter.

“I had 911 on the phone, and fully expected to find a-a dead body there in the parking lot. Her body was broken and bruised and-and just not laying in a normal way, I thought there is no way that anyone would ever be able to get up and walk from something like this ever again. It was just the most traumatic thing I've ever seen in my life.”  On September 13, 2011, Eddie Wilson was returning to work after a walk on his lunch break, as he approached the building something caught his attention...

“I have autoimmune diabetes, and my blood sugar was high and I couldn't get it down,” says Shanequa. On Sunday November 22, 2020, Shanequa Deas began having problems with comprehension. “I was sending texts to my medical director that I worked with and also a coworker that worked in Dallas asking, 'Why did I have to work on Sunday? And what presentation was I supposed to give?' And both of them were like, 'You don't work on Sunday and there's no presentation,'" said Shanequa. Mary, Shanequa’s...

CBN News gained exclusive access to private meetings between Republican presidential contender Marco Rubio and about 100 pastors in Iowa. Rubio sees this effort as just the beginning of his relationship with evangelicals.

Season changes are always an exciting time for me. I enjoy seeing the transformation of tree colors in the fall, the blooming of flowers in the spring, the summer sunshine, and the winter snow and icicles. The seasonal changes remind me to make the best of every season because things will change again shortly. The beautiful snow and icicles covering the tree branches will melt, the colorful blooming flowers will wither, the scorching summer sun will set, and the multicolored autumn leaves will...

God keeps His promises. You’ve probably heard that before, but have you experienced God’s promise-keeping abilities in your own life?  Whenever I think about God’s promises, I think of Abraham. God made some big promises to Abraham, including some that were hard to trust. He would be the father of many nations and God would take care of him. God also promises that He will take care of us (see Matthew 6:25-34). After job loss left me without a home, I struggled with feeling disappointed with how...

Defense is a familiar concept for sports fans. Many of the most popular sports require defensive strategies to be successful. Teams even have defensive coordinators dedicated to developing their defensive game plan. However, there are still rules and guidelines that a team’s defense must adhere to. If they don’t, there will be consequences for the team! If a defensive football player makes a dangerous hit on an offensive player, an official throws a flag and penalizes the defensive team. In...

Today, I felt compelled to reach out to you all with a message of unity and hope, inspired by Daniel 7:27 (NKJV)— Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. In a world often divided by political differences, I believe we can find common ground in our shared humanity and our collective aspiration for a better world. Regardless of our individual faiths or beliefs, we all seek peace,...

Hospeco Brands Group, a United States-based, full-line manufacturer of cleaning and protection products to serve the janitorial, industrial supply, food service, health care and hospitality markets, has purchased Innocore of Ontario, Canada, maker of Touch Point and Certainty Brands premoistened, non-woven, surface and personal wipes and other hand care products.

The storm that ended the EIFS housing boom.

At one time, 30 percent of the EIFS business was in the residential market.

The Coronavirus has caused many material shipments to be delayed or cancelled. As a result, the cost of ordering and supplying materials for many items has increased. 

The Fair Labor Standards Act was passed more than 80 years ago, and since then, the United States Department of Labor has struggled to define the term “independent contractor.” 

Are credit cards the right path for subcontractors to buy materials for a project? Here’s a breakdown.

Take heed that cyber security is critical for your company—and cash flow.

Batteries are increasingly being used in a vast array of applications, from consumer products and micromobility devices, known as e-bikes and e-scooters, to electric vehicles and utility-grade energy storage systems. As use of these devices has grown, so too has the number of fire incidents associated with them.

Specified Technologies announced that its SpecSeal LC Endothermic Firestop Sealant is now being offered in three colors: deep red, gray and white. Customers have been asking for both the white and gray for gypsum wallboard and concrete block spaces.

RectorSeal continues to press forward on the acquisition trail. On Feb. 6, RectorSeal announced the acquisition of Dust Free indoor air quality products.

The year was 1977 and yours' truly was trying desperately to hold the end of a 12-foot sheet up while trying to finger a nail into the edge of the board and hit the nail instead of my fingers with a roofing hatchet. If memory serves, back then we were using blue ring shank nails. The heads were barely larger than the circumference of the rings, so it was virtually impossible to drive one without ripping the face paper under ideal conditions, and these were not ideal conditions.

Ten sound business practices in preparing your company for a sale.

Over the past 20-plus years, I have met with hundreds of business owners around the country consulting on a variety of topics including tax, business valuation, exit planning, and risk management.

Selling a construction company is very different from selling many other businesses; owners need to consider many variables when contemplating a sale.

The Rainscreen Association in North America announced that Laverne Dalgleish, COO of RAiNA and executive director of the ABAA, will be presenting on water-resistive barriers, the last line of defense, at the RAiNA Conference in Chicago on Nov. 7.

The Rainscreen Association in North America announced that Graham Finch of RDH will be presenting on how and why rainscreen walls work or when they don’t at the RAiNA Conference in Chicago on Nov. 7.

The Rainscreen Association in North America announced that Brian Nelson of Knight Wall Systems will be presenting on rocket science and understanding the modern cladding support system at the RAiNA Conference in Chicago on Nov. 7.

After receiving negative reports from contractors, the GA committee revised previous text that used incorrect language when describing studs.

Improvements are constantly made to gypsum board and innovation still is at the forefront of the industry’s mind.

Gypsum panel product manufactures started receiving complaints that drywall screw heads did not seat properly when attaching AR/IR panels to 20-EQ studs.

Passive fire protection is an essential aspect of gypsum construction. Gypsum firewalls of various types (shaft walls, simple partitions, etc.) prevent fire from spreading without relying on mechanical means of control, such as sprinkling.

The American Concrete Institute has released its 2024 collection of concrete codes, specifications and practices.

The ACI Foundation’s Concrete Research Council selected eight research projects to receive grants this year.

The American Concrete Institute announced the formation of a new committee whose mission is to develop and report information on concrete made with brackish, saline, brine water and sea aggregates.

The Portland Cement Association, representing America’s cement manufacturers, announced the winners of its Energy and Environment, Chairman’s Safety and Safety Innovation Awards at its 2024 Cement Fly-In in Washington, D.C.

The Center for the Polyurethanes Industry announced Oct. 2 that The 2023 End-Use Market Survey on the Polyurethanes Industry in the United States, Canada and Mexico is now available for purchase from the ACC store.

Offsite construction methods like prefabrication, modularization, preassembly and offsite multi-trade fabrication have been around for decades.

Fiber cement siding is less susceptible to common environmental threats (such as fire, heat or moisture) than traditional wood cladding.

Chaney Enterprises, a ready-mix concrete, aggregates, custom blends, and related construction supplies provider, announced its customer, Eastern Bay Management Corporation completed the first multi-story, multi-use commercial insulated concrete form (ICF) building on the Eastern Shore in Maryland.

Novo Building Products is pleased to announce the opening of a new Empire Moulding and Millwork distribution facility in Amherst, New Hampshire. Strategically located 60 miles north of Boston, the new 217,000-square-foot facility services 750 independent lumberyards, specialty millwork shops, stair manufacturers, door fabricators, ProDealers and home centers across New England.

Plastic Components announced the death of its longtime president, Tom Stark, on March 6.