Magazine Archive
Magazine Archive
Doubly Blessed
Celebrate Janel Jorda's 20 years of business and marriage. Discover her journey from scrappy beginnings to leading Web-tactics, her love story, and her passion for giving back.
Set Yourself Up for Financial Success in the New Year
Start the year strong with tips for budgeting, tackling debt, saving for retirement, and partnering with local financial institutions. Achieve financial success in 2025 with expert advice from UMassFive.
Good Tidings
Reflecting on 2024 and embracing 2025: Community members share gratitude and hopes for growth, family, and creativity. Featuring Alex Cook, Mike Gill, Fungai Tichawangana, and Brook Wolcott’s inspiring journeys
Let It Snow: Dave Rothstein’s Ode to Winter
Thirty years ago, Dave Rothstein's life took an unexpected turn during a winter festival in Anchorage, Alaska. Passing on more traditional events, Rothstein found himself captivated by snow sculpting.
Is Your Website Ready for 2025?
Most businesses do not have a digital marketing strategy. Only 1 out of the 45 businesses analyzed during online presence audits this year had one.
For the Long-Term Success of My Clients, My Network is an Open Book
As a local real estate agent, Ruthie Oland's commitment to her clients extends beyond helping them buy or sell a home. She believes it's crucial to connect homeowners with reliable professionals who can help them maintain, improve, and safeguard their investment.
POWER LUNCH: Veterans Build Bridges and Confront Loneliness
The founder of Building Bridges, an initiative to foster veterans’ healing through shared monthly lunches, remembers the first not-so-successful gathering in Northampton at the old World War II club. “One veteran came,” he says. “You could hear a pin drop.” But a seed was planted, and three had lunch the next week.
The “Fs” of Thanksgiving: Family, Food, Football and Fiduciaries
Between food and football, estate planning might not be at the forefront of your mind this Thanksgiving, but it is the perfect time to revisit your estate plan. The family and friends you gather with this time of year are the most likely individuals to serve as your fiduciaries – the key players in your estate plan.
What the Federal Reserve Rate Cut Means for Mortgage Rates
What do people 50 and older fear most about aging?
Their biggest concerns, according to recent research by AARP, is that their physical health and cognitive ability might deteriorate. They might lose their independence or have to rely on others.
Facing Your Financial Fears Can Be Empowering
What do people 50 and older fear most about aging?
Their biggest concerns, according to recent research by AARP, is that their physical health and cognitive ability might deteriorate. They might lose their independence or have to rely on others.
Understanding Medicare Part D Changes in 2025
We are officially in a new economic cycle. The long-anticipated September Federal Reserve meeting brought news many economists had predicted: the Federal Reserve lowered its Federal Funds Rate by 0.5%. This marks the first cut since March 2020. The Fed Funds Rate is the rate at which banks lend to each other overnight. Lowering this rate stimulates the economy by reducing credit card rates, promoting hiring, and keeping unemployment low. However, it may also lead to lower yields on savings accounts and certificates of deposit.
LOCAL HAUNTINGS? Jeff Belanger Has a Story For You
JEFF BELANGER IS OBSESSED WITH HAUNTINGS. Best known for his work on the “Ghost Adventures” series and “New England Legends” podcast, the Southbridge-born ghosthunter is coming to the East Longmeadow Public Library on October 1 with a slate of scary stories. “I’m into anything weird,” he says. “Mostly ghosts, but anything on the fringe. I feel like that’s where we learn the most about who we are.”
Debt Reduction Strategies and Tools
Reducing debt is a vital step toward achieving financial wellness, and at UMassFive, we’re committed to guiding our members and local community on this journey. Understanding that debt can be overwhelming, we’ve compiled some practical strategies to help you gain full control of your finances – to reduce your debt effectively, improve your credit score, and secure a more stable financial future.
Division Q Returns to the Court for Second Season
Hannah Bevis was brought on to keep score. The veteran sports reporter had friends in Division Q, a semi-competitive recreation league for members of the queer community, and she was happy to volunteer on their behalf. Running the clock led to pick-up games and organizing the three-on-three (3v3) league. “The community aspect of it is what I think I would have liked to have as a kid,” says Bevis. “It’s a nice rebound as an adult.”
The Haunting Behind the Screen
It was a crisp October evening in Longmeadow, the kind of night when the moon hung low and pumpkins grinned wickedly from every doorstep. The streets buzzed with excited children darting from house to house, clutching bags of candy as they eagerly sought their next sweet treasure. But while the town's residents were busy celebrating Halloween, something far more sinister lurked in the shadows — not outside their homes, but inside their computers.
Lost and Found: Jake Marmer’s Love of Language is a Steady Compass
“There was an underlying sense of, ‘This is my home, but I belong somewhere else,’” says Jake Marmer of his childhood in Soviet Ukraine. The accomplished poet and Head of School at Lander-Grinspoon Academy in Northampton was raised in a Jewish family, where he was acutely aware of systemic repression and its lengthy history. But as a young student who loved the humanities, he learned that poetry was sacred. His grandmother was a teacher of literature and language, and learning poems by heart was a duty and a joy.
Help Paying for Medicare in Massachusetts
Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs) are federally funded programs administered by individual states. In Massachusetts, MassHealth is the administrator of these programs.
Who is the DNA's Executive Director? Meet Jillian Duclos
Q&A with Jillian Duclos, the Downtown Northampton Association Executive Director
Nearly 150 Years Ago, Smith College was Pioneered by a Self-Educated Woman
Smith College was chartered in 1871 and opened in 1875. The college is named after Sophia Smith, a precocious and passionate woman who bequeathed her inheritance to the groundbreaking institution.
The Sky’s the Limit for Brook Wolcott
Brook Wolcott was in the eighth grade when she decided to take to the skies. There were no pilots in her family. There were no ready role models. She would forge her own flight path.
“I want to let others know that this is attainable, because I didn’t think I’d be able to do it,” says the now 17-year-old licensed private pilot. “Because it was such a crazy – it’s just such a wild thing to do, to be a pilot. You don’t see a lot of eighth graders who want to fly airplanes.”