Helena Oliviero | The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (TNS)

About 40% of new cancer cases among U.S. adults — and nearly half of all cancer deaths — are linked to lifestyle risk factors including smoking, obesity and alcohol consumption, according to a new study by American Cancer Society.

The study points to the possibility that the daily choices people make can give them some control over their cancer risk. The exact cause of most cancers are unknown and many are outside an individual’s control.

A list of lifestyle risk factors were identified in the study that put people at a greater risk of a cancer diagnosis in their lifetimes. Cigarette smoking was by far the leading risk factor, contributing to nearly 1 in 5 cancer cases and about a third of of all cancer deaths. Excess body weight was next, contributing to nearly 8% of cancer cases, followed by alcohol consumption and excessive sun exposure, each linked to about 5% of cases. Physical inactivity was associated with 3% of cancer cases.

Researchers analyzed a total of 18 risk factors across 30 types of cancers. Other risk factors that contributed to cancer cases at a lesser degree include eating red and processed meat; low consumption of fruits and vegetables; and infections with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and human papillomavirus (HPV), according to researchers. The findings were published Thursday in the journal CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.

In 2019, these lifestyle factors were linked to nearly 715,000 cancer cases and about 262,000 deaths.

The findings are not exactly new, but they add to mounting research that shows many cancer cases — and as many as half the deaths — can be prevented with lifestyle changes.

“Despite considerable declines in smoking prevalence during the past few decades, the number of lung cancer deaths attributable to cigarette smoking in the United States is alarming. This finding underscores the importance of implementing comprehensive tobacco control policies in each state to promote smoking cessation, as well as heightened efforts to increase screening for early detection of lung cancer, when treatment could be more effective,” said Dr. Farhad Islami, senior scientific director of cancer disparity research at the American Cancer Society and lead author of the report.

Writing in a press release, Islami said interventions to help maintain a healthy body weight could lower the number of cases and deaths, and is particularly important among young people with early-onset cancers. Cancer cases in people under 50 have seen a sharp rise in recent years.

Despite the findings that people have more control than they think over their cancer risk, there are still many questions about who gets cancer and why.

About 10% of cancers are caused by factors that were inherited or genetic.

Colon cancer, which was once a more distant cause of cancer death in both men and women, is now a leading cause of cancer death for men and women under 50. Experts say some risk factors including obesity and a lack of physical activity could be playing a role but they still don’t know what’s causing the jump in cases among younger adults.

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In Georgia, the American Cancer Society estimated 63,170 people will be diagnosed with cancer this year. This includes 9,840 women will get breast cancer, 9,620 men will get prostate cancer, and 7,350 of both sexes will get lung cancer. An estimated 4,940 Georgians will also be diagnosed with colon cancer.

Last year, there were an estimated 61,170 new cancer cases in Georgia, according to ACS.

In this new ACS study, researchers used nationally representative data on cancer incidence and mortality and risk factor prevalence to estimate the proportion and number of cancer cases and deaths attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors overall for 30 cancer types. The study doesn’t include non-melanoma skin cancers.

Some cancers have more of a direct link to risk factors than others, according to the study. For example, about 90% of melanoma cases are linked to ultraviolet radiation, and virtually every case of cervical cancer is linked to HPV infection, which can be prevented with an HPV vaccine, according to the study.

Lung cancer tops the list with the most number of cases associated with a modifiable risk factor — with the vast majority of cases linked to smoking, including current and former smoking habits as well as secondhand smoke.

Excess body was associated with 11% of breast cancer cases, 14% of stomach cancer cases and about half of endometrial cancer cases.

“These findings show there is a continued need to increase equitable access to preventive health care and awareness about preventive measures,” added Dr. Ahmedin Jemal, senior vice president, surveillance and health equity science at the American Cancer Society and senior author of the study.

©2024 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Visit at ajc.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Kimberly Palmer | NerdWallet

When you have money questions, sometimes a friendly chat with others in similar situations can spark helpful answers. If you’re a mom, those conversations can take place within moms groups. There are local groups like Utah Money Moms, private Facebook groups for single moms and entrepreneurial moms, and many websites geared toward moms interested in sharing smart saving, spending and earning tips.

These groups exist because there is a demand for them, says Amanda Christensen, founder of Utah Money Moms as well as an accredited financial counselor and extension professor at Utah State University. On the Utah Money Moms site, women can pick up tips on topics such as how to save money, how to discuss finances with a partner and how to trim expenses.

“I created the site in an attempt to make personal finance more approachable for women,” she says, citing the gender wage gap and research that shows fewer women feel confident about finances compared with men.

Groups and resources targeted at moms can be especially helpful, says Maria Bailey, author of “Marketing to Millennial Moms,” because moms benefit from learning from one another, especially when they are facing similar challenges such as juggling child care and other costs of young children.

“We’re seeing a rise of these groups, especially among younger and Gen Z moms, out of a sense of empowerment,” Bailey says, adding that “young moms in particular have a strong sense of self.”

If you’re looking to get helpful information out of a money-oriented moms group, experts offer the following tips.

(Kimberly Palmer shares how she talks about money with other moms.)

Find people with similar challenges

Pamela Horack, a certified financial planner who calls herself “Your Financial Mom,” recommends finding moms who are at similar life stages to you, whether that’s buying diapers or sending kids off to college.

“We’re experiencing the same life events at the same time, and money is a part of that, so it’s really important for women to be able to bounce ideas off of each other,” Horack says. A group of like-minded moms offers a support system of sorts as you navigate day care costs, plan family vacations or manage allowances, she adds.

Moms are also often interested in finding ways to support their families, whether by exploring options to earn extra income or looking for strategic ways to save, Bailey says. “Moms are motivated by finding solutions and nurturing, and talking about money is part of that,” she says.

Emma Johnson, creator of the private Facebook group Millionaire Single Moms and author of “The 50/50 Solution,” says women in her group have shared valuable advice on issues related to divorce and money management for single moms. “I get messages from women all the time that the Facebook group has changed them,” she says.

Share tips on day-to-day life and long-term planning

Moms can have a lot on their financial plates, from the weekly grocery budget to longer-term saving for college and retirement. Horack says the most helpful moms groups cover that entire spectrum of issues.

“Everybody is really worried about budgeting, because if you can’t budget now, then you’re not going to have money for your retirement later,” Horack says, adding that sharing ideas about tracking expenses and trimming costs can be extremely helpful. “Getting your fixed expenses under control is a good strategy; then you can have money available when non-monthly expenses come up,” she says.

Horack also suggests discussing how to teach kids about money, which is another popular parenting topic. Even a discussion about the words you use with kids when discussing money and the subtle messages you may be sending can be a useful conversation, and other moms might have perspectives you hadn’t previously considered.

Watch out for scams or inaccurate information

The proliferation of online moms groups has attracted scam artists, which means anyone seeking camaraderie online needs to be on guard. Johnson warns against interacting with anyone online who asks for your personal information or money.

She says she often has to kick people out of her private Facebook group when they start trying to sell goods or services to members. To keep online groups free from potential scams, Johnson says, you have to actively manage them.

It’s also a good idea to remain skeptical of any advice you see online until you verify it with your own research.

Be inclusive

Sometimes, expanding your group beyond moms can make sense, Christensen notes. She says she’s currently rebranding her “Utah Money Moms” site so it will no longer have “mom” in the name in an effort “to be more inclusive of all women, regardless of their role.”

Many of the most popular topics, including setting financial goals and tracking spending, apply to parents and non-parents alike, which means we can all learn from one another.

Kimberly Palmer writes for NerdWallet. Email: kpalmer@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @kimberlypalmer.

The article What We Can Learn From ‘Money Moms’ originally appeared on NerdWallet.

By LARRY NEUMEISTER

NEW YORK (AP) — Guo Wengui, a self-exiled Chinese business tycoon whose criticism of the Communist Party won him legions of online followers and powerful friends in the American conservative movement, was convicted by a U.S. jury Tuesday of engaging in a massive multiyear fraud that ripped off some of his most devoted fans.

Once believed to be among the richest people in China, Guo was arrested in New York in March of 2023 and accused of operating a racketeering enterprise that stretched from 2018 through 2023.

Over a seven-week trial, he was accused of deceiving thousands of people who put money into bogus investments, with the aim of preserving a luxurious lifestyle. He was convicted of nine of 12 criminal counts, including racketeering conspiracy.

Guo’s lawyers said prosecutors hadn’t proven he’d cheated anyone.

Guo, who is also known by the name Miles Kwok, left China in 2014 during an anticorruption crackdown that ensnared people close to him, including a top intelligence official.

Chinese authorities accused Guo of rape, kidnapping, bribery and other crimes, but Guo said those allegations were false and designed to punish him for publicly revealing corruption as he criticized leading figures in the Communist Party.

He applied for political asylum in the U.S., moved to a luxury apartment overlooking Central Park and joined former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago golf club in Florida.

While living in New York, Guo developed a close relationship with former Trump’s onetime political strategist, Steve Bannon. In 2020, Guo and Bannon announced a joint initiative to overthrow the Chinese government.

Prosecutors say hundreds of thousands of investors were convinced to invest more than $1 billion in entities Guo controlled. Among those businesses and organizations was Guo’s media company, GTV Media Group Inc., and his so-called Himalaya Farm Alliance and the Himalaya Exchange.

In a closing argument, Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finkel said Guo “spouted devious lies to trick his followers into giving him money.”

He said Guo made hundreds of broadcasts and videos in which he promised followers that they would not lose money if they invested with him.

“I’m rich. I’ll take care of you,” the prosecutor said Guo told them.

Then, he said, Guo spent millions from investors on a lavish lifestyle for himself and his family that included a $1.1 million tortoise-shell jewelry box and some candlesticks, a million dollar chandelier, $36,000 mattresses, a $40,000 coffee table and a $250,000 antique rug, items kept at a family home in Mahwah, New Jersey.

Defense lawyer Sidhardha Kamaraju told the jury prosecutors had presented a case that was “long on rhetoric but short on specifics, long on talk, but short on evidence.”

Kamaraju said Guo was the “founder and face” of a pro-Chinese democracy movement that attracted thousands of political dissidents. Kamaraju urged jurors to think about whether Guo would intentionally cheat his fellow movement members for money. He said prosecutors had failed to prove that “Mr. Guo took a penny with the intent to undermine the political movement he invested so much in.”

The lawyer did not deny that his client lived lavishly, with a luxury apartment that took up an entire floor in Manhattan; a home in Greenwich, Connecticut; a yacht and a jet. But he said prosecutors wanted jurors to take “leaps in logic” to find Guo guilty.

“It’s not a crime to be wealthy,” Kamaraju said. “It is not a crime to live in luxury or to spend money on nice things. It’s not a crime to have a yacht or a jet or to wear nice suits. It may not be our lifestyle. It may be odd. It may even be off-putting to some, but it’s not a crime.”

The prosecutor, Finkel, said everyone agreed that Guo was targeted by China’s Communist Party, but that did not give Guo “a license to rob from these people.”

Finkel said Guo also created a “blacklist” of his enemies and posted their personal information online. When the Securities and Exchange Commission investigated him, Guo organized protests against the agency and claimed that it had been infiltrated by China’s Communist Party. When a bankruptcy trustee was appointed by a judge to represent Guo’s creditors, Finkel said Guo’s followers protested outside the home of the trustee’s children and outside an elementary school where one of them was a teacher.

Lacey Pfalz | (TNS) TravelPulse

Planning a trip can be a daunting task, but it can feel impossible when you’re trying to stay within a reasonable budget. Yet Travel Insured International offers a few important tips to remember to help make your travel planning process go smoothly and ensure you’ll stay within your budget, no matter how far you’ll be traveling from home.

Be realistic about your budget

The first step to any travel planning is to be honest about how much you can reasonably spend on your trip. Consider everything from transportation and accommodation (the two biggest expenses), to things like food and even souvenirs. If you already have a destination in mind, search for those flights and accommodations, and write down what you expect them to cost based on your research.

Travel Insured International also recommends to include a small buffer for unexpected expenses, and to allocate some money towards purchasing a travel insurance plan, which can help you save money if you need to cancel or change your trip, or for certain unexpected events like losing your luggage.

Choosing your destination

Let’s be real: Some destinations are just pricier than others. We recommend using online resources to find second-city destinations or, if you’re traveling internationally, to pick destinations where the U.S. dollar has a higher value than the local currency, ensuring you’ll likely get more for your hard-earned dollars.

Remember to be flexible with travel dates and even your destinations when planning on a budget.

If you can’t choose your destination, or you know you want to visit a more popular, pricier locale, then the next tips are definitely for you.

Travel off-season

This is one of the best ways to travel cheaper, and there are also some great benefits, such as fewer crowds in popular destinations. Flights, accommodations and even some attractions will all be cheaper in many destinations when travel demand is low — that’s why we recommend traveling to many summer-popular destinations (like Rome or Paris) in the winter. Sure, you’ll have to pack that jacket, but you’ll also be able to save hundreds of dollars and enjoy less crowded everything!

To save on airfare any time, consider traveling midweek instead of during the weekend, when many travelers consider it convenient to do so. This might save you a few hundred dollars, too.

Additionally, it’s important not to book your flights at the last minute. You should book your flights at least three months in advance to get the best deals, and price shoppers can use a variety of websites to compare airlines and dates to get their preferred deals.

Affordable accommodations

Besides getting to your destination, paying for accommodations is likely the second biggest expense of any trip. That’s why it’s important to choose the one that works for your budget: budget hotels, vacation rentals or hostels might be the best options for those looking to tighten their belts. If you’re looking to save money, consider lowering your expectations.

Use public transportation

Many cities around the world offer cheap public transportation not just for the residents, but for travelers, too. Buses, trains and metro systems are all great options for travelers to save money, instead of using costly taxis or rideshares.

Make sure to research your destination’s public transportation options prior to arrival, and consider a travel pass that allows for unlimited travel for a fixed period to get the most out of your trip.

Meal planning

Heavy tourist areas can offer pricey meals for convenience, so it’s important to plan some of your meals to be more affordable. Check out local markets and street food options, or smaller hole-in-the-wall haunts away from touristy areas.

If you’ll be staying in a destination longer term, consider staying in an accommodation with a kitchen or kitchenette that offers the ability to cook your own food. Doing this instead of eating out at every meal can save you money, too.

Search for free activities and experiences

While it’s important to budget the price of entry to incredible attractions like the Louvre or the Colosseum (and often to purchase tickets in advance prior to traveling), there are also many events and experiences you can enjoy on a budget, or without any cash at all!

The Internet is a great resource for these: visit blogs written by locals in your destination, or visit the destination’s tourism website to get a calendar of the major events. Parks and some museums in certain destinations could also be free, or fairly inexpensive to visit.

Some destinations also offer a multi-use pass that can provide entry into several different museums or attractions at a reduced cost, which might come in handy if you’re interested in visiting the attractions listed.

Use those rewards points

Are you a frequent traveler? If so, it can save you money to be part of a hotel or airline loyalty reward program. Many credit cards also offer travel rewards points that you can redeem for flights, hotels, upgrades and even experiences, which can save you money in the long run.

The bottom line

Traveling on a budget is possible, but it takes flexibility, open-mindedness and the desire to research everything thoroughly. If you think you have what it takes, then take these tips and use them to plan your next dream vacation on a budget.

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©2024 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. Visit at travelpulse.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.