By JESSICA DAMIANO

If you grow houseplants, you probably know that sinking feeling you get when you notice the almost imperceivable movement of a dot, fine webbing between a leaf and its stem, or a leaf that just looks off.

You thought (hoped!) the moment would never come, but the pests have moved in, and here we are.

Check out the plant before buying it

The old adage about an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure also applies to houseplant infestations, and this all could have been avoided if you had taken precautions, starting at the nursery.

Before bringing home a plant, inspect it closely. Look at the soil, stem, leaves and, importantly, under the leaves, where some pests like to make their homes. Use your phone’s camera to zoom in on questionable specks. If all looks good, go ahead and buy the plant, but repot it once it crosses your threshold.

A string of dolphins plant is displayed in Old Westbury, N.Y. on Jan. 2, 2026. (Jessica Damiano via AP)

What to do when you bring the plant home

Remove the plant from its container and gently shake, then wipe as much of the soil from the roots as possible. This is important because even in the absence of visible pests, there could be eggs waiting to hatch in the soil.

Repot the plant using fresh, sterile potting mix in a clean container with a drainage hole at the bottom. If reusing the original pot, first wash it and disinfect it with a 90/10 water-to-bleach solution.

Plant the roots exactly as deep as they were in the original pot, and tamp the soil down firmly to eliminate air pockets. Then give the plant a moderate drink of water.

When the soil surface dries, sprinkle it with about ¼ inch of food-grade diatomaceous earth (DE). To ensure even distribution, consider using a powder duster, sometimes called a puffer.

Wear a mask; the dust isn’t toxic to people or pets, but it will irritate your lungs if inhaled. Insects that crawl across the dry powder, which is composed of tiny shard-like particles, become dehydrated and die.

Diatomaceous earth must be kept dry to maintain its effectiveness, so bottom-water plants by placing pots in a shallow container of water. Allow the soil and roots to soak up what they need for about 15 minutes, then discard any remaining water. Bottom watering also helps prevent fungal diseases and root rot, so it’s a good practice regardless of pest concerns.

DE should be reapplied occasionally because soil moisture will degrade it over time, even when watering from below.

Protect your other plants

If you have other houseplants, quarantine your newcomer in a separate room for three to four weeks. Inspect it every few days as you did at the nursery, as some pests may not show their faces for a while.

When you’re confident all is clear, go ahead and introduce your plants to the rest of the family.

Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You can sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice.

For more AP gardening stories, go to https://apnews.com/hub/gardening.

Amy Lindgren

For anyone just starting their working life, the immediate future is filled with firsts: The first performance review, the first promotion, and, sadly, perhaps the first layoff. Although the basics don’t differ much over the years, the context for each generation does.

Take, for example, Gen Z. That’s the cohort born between 1997 and 2012. Sometimes called Zoomers, Gen Z is the first group to join the workforce with an intimate knowledge of digital processes, including remote meetings and even artificial intelligence tools. Gen Z is also encountering one of the toughest job markets for new workers in recent memory.

Although this cohort is still young — 14 years old on the low end — enough fall into the working ages of 18-24 to merit career advice. Read on for tips on how Gen Z workers might handle a few of the more common career firsts.

• First job review. Reviews can be stressful at any time, but when the job market is tight and the worker is young, the stakes seem higher. Luckily, this “first” is predictable, making it easier to prepare for. The first step is to confirm with your boss or the human resources department when a review is likely to happen — after three months, for example, or a year?

Even if the review is months away, now is a good time to start tracking examples of things you’ve learned, things you’d like to improve and things you’re proud of achieving. Gather this information along with your goals for the position and you’ll be ready.

• First promotion to management. Management isn’t for everyone and Gen Z folks who spent the pandemic in remote learning settings may be less prepared than previous generations for this transition. Go ahead and accept the promotion and give it your best; that’s the only way you’ll find out if you’re happier as a leader or as an individual contributor.

In either case, you’ll benefit from finding a mentor, either internally or outside the company, to help you navigate the early stages of this promotion.

• First call from a recruiter. In a strong job market, leaving one position for another (higher-paying) role is almost a no-brainer. But when jobs are more scarce, it’s important to factor in the “what if” questions. What if the new job doesn’t work out, for example, or the new company makes cuts and the last ones hired (you) are the first to go?

If a recruiter tries to “head hunt” you away to another job, ask to talk or meet briefly offline. Your goal is to cement the acquaintance first, as recruiters are important people to know. As for the opportunity, only move forward if the job truly interests you; otherwise, provide the recruiter with referrals if you can and ask to be considered for other jobs if they’re a fit.

• First resignation from a job. You’re young. It’s a tight market. Are you sure you want to leave this job? Assuming you have good reasons to leave and something better lined up, here’s the process. First, write a brief note or email to your manager but don’t follow the temptation to vent or otherwise complain. In fact, even if the job has been awful, you need to thank your boss for the opportunity, because that’s the professional thing to do. Finish by stating the date when you’ll be leaving and then ask for a meeting to wrap up last details.

• First layoff from a job. If you’re laid off, you’ll want to ask questions and gather as much information as possible. Talking with someone outside the organization can give you perspective on what to ask, but the short list includes details on whether there’ll be severance, when you can have a letter of recommendation, what assistance the company provides for finding new work, etc.

It’s common to be asked to sign something, so plan on requesting a copy to review at home (and share with an adviser) before you complete this step.

• First career transition. At some point, you’ll likely question whether you’re working in the right field. Rather than pushing the issue aside, your best bet is to start a conversation with your mentor or career coach. Career transitions that happen gradually as your thoughts emerge are generally less stressful than those that erupt with the snap of the final straw in your job.

As a bonus, organizing your career change process while things are still good might transform this transition from being a desperate escape into a move from one enjoyable thing to the next. That’s a “first” that you’ll want to repeat often in your career.

• Possible first union experience. If your first career job is covered by a collective bargaining agreement, some of the above, such as performance reviews and layoffs, will be spelled out there. You’ll want to familiarize yourself with those, and also ask yourself if you’d like to get involved in union activities during your off-work hours; doing so might be rewarding or stressful and might either help or hurt your professional future, so weigh the pros and cons carefully.

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Amy Lindgren owns a career consulting firm in St. Paul. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecareerservice.com.

The investing information provided on this page is for educational purposes only. NerdWallet, Inc. does not offer advisory or brokerage services, nor does it recommend or advise investors to buy or sell particular stocks, securities or other investments.

We are in the midst of the Great Wealth Transfer, experts say — a predicted titanic pass-down of assets from older generations to Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z. According to financial research firm Cerulli Associates, $124 trillion will change generational hands through 2048.

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That said, not everyone is going to get a staggering amount of money — or any inheritance at all, frankly. (Much of this wealth is concentrated in a small pocket of the population.)

But if you’re inheriting wealth, you’ll have choices to make. Planning ahead can help you avoid costly mistakes.

“This is something that’s really powerful, that could really propel your financial security,” says Fahmin Fardous, a certified financial planner with Zenith Wealth Partners in Morristown, New Jersey. “Let’s look at where you are, and let’s look at what your goals are in life.”

Prepare before the inheritance

Receiving large sums of money and losing a loved one are both things that can throw you for a loop, emotionally and practically.

“Grief can lead to rushed decisions,” says Scott Bishop, a CFP and co-founder of Presidio Wealth Partners in Houston.

Establishing goals, understanding inheritance terms and researching tax implications can put you in a better place to make smart choices, he says.

In other words, laying the groundwork now prepares you for the hard work later.

“Emotionally, I often see people swing to extremes — either refusing to spend any money because it feels like ‘blood money,’ or spending too quickly because they don’t feel deserving of it,” says Mitchell Kraus, a CFP with Capital Intelligence Associates in Santa Monica, California.

No matter what emotion you feel at the time, it’s probably normal, whether it’s happiness, sadness or general overwhelm.

“I’ve seen stress, I’ve seen excitement,” Fardous says. Many clients have never had this kind of money before, she says, and they don’t know what to do with it.

Avoid common inheritance mistakes

All those feelings can make it hard to act thoughtfully on your newfound wealth, particularly if it’s a life-changing amount. One thing you shouldn’t do, Fardous says, is start mentally spending the cash.

“Whenever I see someone who’s received a windfall, they think of this wish list they’ve had,” Fardous says. “And this money is getting spent in their head before it’s even hitting their bank account.”

That can derail long-term security before the inheritance has even fully settled.

“Don’t bank on an inheritance until you have it,” Kraus says.

Other people seek professional advice (good!) but end up with financial pros who try to sell them lots of high-commission products (not ideal!).

If you consult with a professional, consider looking for a fiduciary, which means they’re legally bound to do what’s best for the client, Fardous says. Be sure you understand the difference between a fee-based financial planner, who receives commissions for recommending products, and a fee-only planner, who is paid only by clients.

People sometimes respond to pressure from friends and family by taking hasty action before they’ve had time to really think about it.

Kraus recommends telling people you’re taking a “90-day decision-free zone” — a period where you don’t make any irreversible financial moves.

“It gives you a chance to reset, to think about what’s going on and how it’s happening, and that takes a lot of the pressure off,” Kraus says.

Have the hard conversations early

It’s helpful to know what’s coming your way so you can prepare for taxation and distribution. If you’re inheriting an IRA, there are rules about when and how you must take distributions from the account. There may be taxes due on what you’re receiving.

If you have the kind of relationship with your loved one where you could discuss what you might be inheriting, do it, Kraus says.

“I can’t tell you how many families I see where the parents are going to leave a lot of money for their kids, but their kids are so worried about the parents not being able to get by, they’re saving money in case their parents need help,” Kraus says. “So having those conversations ahead of time can help.”

Consider asking what you might be inheriting — money, property, investments — and whether there are any restrictions on the assets, Kraus says.

Make a plan for inherited wealth

After taking some time to absorb the situation and your emotions, experts say, there are a few priorities to consider.

Consulting a professional about your tax liabilities should be one of your first steps, Bishop says. After that, think about emergency savings and debt.

“We don’t want to allocate anything toward anything else without you having an emergency fund — three to six months in high-yield savings — then making sure you don’t have any high-interest debt,” Fardous says.

Then consider your goals. Do you want to put money toward your children’s college education, buy a house, bump up your retirement nest egg?

“The first thing you don’t want to do is go out and buy three Ferraris,” Bishop says.

Think about what’s important to you, what this money means for you, he says. Where do you want to go? Does this inheritance mean you can retire early? Would you want to retire early?

“Think of it as an opportunity to reset your life,” Bishop says. “Big checks invite big mistakes. It’s important to slow down, have a plan and then execute.”

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Kate Ashford, WMS writes for NerdWallet. Email: kashford@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @kateashford.

The article How to Prepare for the ‘Great Wealth Transfer’ originally appeared on NerdWallet.

Some of your New Year’s resolutions already may be broken, but if you vowed to travel more in 2026, there is still plenty of time and the oodles of options to explore the world. Update your passport or fill up the gas tank because here are six suggestions in chronological order where big events are happening. Feel free to visit these locales any time of the year, however, for some remarkable memories.

Milan, Italy for the Winter Olympics

The 2026 Winter Olympic Games in the Italian city of Milan and nearby Cortina in the Alps will run Feb. 6-22 while the Winter Paralympic Games run March 6-15. Tickets to see the athletes compete are available on the Olympics official website, with prices ranging from about $60 for a curling competition to more than $550 for a figure skating session. The opening ceremony at Milan’s San Siro Olympic Stadium will include singers Mariah Carey and Andrea Bocelli but will set you back about $300 for the cheapest seat.

That’s about three times more than what my husband and I paid for a Delta flash sale flight to Milan in mid-January to visit the area ahead of the games. We’ve been to Italy several times, but a weeklong Milan to Parma to Bologna itinerary for a foodie tour was new to us. In Milan, we took a hosted tour of the gigantic Milan Cathedral and the world-famous La Scala Opera House with The Tour Guy and saw Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” mural in the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie church another day. We made sure to reserve tickets to the timed viewing on the church’s somewhat confusing (for non-Italian speakers anyway) website – they sell out quickly – but The Tour Guy and other tour operators also offer them as part of a package.

In Bologna, which is sometimes nicknamed “La Grassa” (The Fat) for its cuisine scene, we took a private walking foodie tour with Italy Charme that promises to reveal the secret to why tortellini are shaped like belly buttons, and stopped at Osteria del Sole, which has been serving wine since 1465. We carbo-loaded like the athletes themselves and ate all the pastas and cheeses. The area is known for mortadella, balsamic vinegar and gelato as well.

Bhutan for a colorful festival

I recently returned from a majestic weeklong tour of the tiny Asian country of Bhutan — hiking in the Himalayas, helping prepare meals at a homestay and pampering myself in the name of wellness travel as a hosted guest of Bhutan Spirit Sanctuary, Himalayan Echoes and Bhutan’s official department of tourism. Getting there takes some planning and determination: The remote country bordered by China to the north and India to the south opened its borders to visitors in 1974 and guards against overtourism by requiring a visa and charging a $100-per-day, per-person sustainable development fee that needs to be arranged in advance. Another factor is Bhutan currently supports only one international airport in the city of Paro, about an hour’s drive from the capital of Thimphu. My husband and I flew from our home in Minnesota to Delhi through London on back-to-back overnight flights (not recommended). After less than 24 hours in Delhi, we flew one of two official Bhutanese airlines, Drukair, into one of the world’s scariest – but prettiest – airports tucked into a valley between mountain peaks to start our adventure.

Some must-dos during a visit include the difficult-but-rewarding Tiger’s Nest Monastery hike near Paro, a visit to the 15th century fertility temple of Chimmi Lhakhang and a tour of the centuries-old Punakha Dzong (we did them all). But Bhutan is also famous for its colorful festivals held throughout the year based on location on the 10th day of the month of the lunar Tibetan calendar. The most popular, the Paro Tshechu, is scheduled March 29-April 2 this year.

At these community events, monks and others wear intricate costumes and masks to act out the lore of historical legends. The Paro festival is centered on honoring Guru Rinpoche, who is credited with bringing Buddhism to Bhutan in the eighth century, and crowds gather to see the unscrolling of the thangkha, a 350-year-old Buddhist document. Tourists are invited to attend these multi-sensory celebrations as a way to learn more about the culture and traditions in Bhutan.

Seattle for a FIFA World Cup match

I wrote about my road trip to Bellingham, Washington last summer that included a two-night stay in Seattle. I’d like to return to the area again this summer when Seattle is one of the 16 American, Canadian and Mexican cities hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches of 48 teams from June 11 to July 19. Australia squares off against the United States at Lumen Field in Seattle on June 19, but even the cheapest tickets are reselling for more than $1,000 each and top-tier seats are listed at $33,000 (yikes!).

Not a soccer fan or too rich for your blood? See what else Seattle has to offer, including the iconic Space Needle landmark in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood that was built for the 1962 World’s Fair, as well as the adjacent Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit of works by artist Dale Chihuly and the popular Pike Place Market, where the fish mongers famously toss large fish to each other for the perfect Instagram post. Don’t miss Seattle’s impressive aquarium, and schedule a sunset cruise of Elliot Bay for a view of the city from a different perspective. Yes, Seattle is the world headquarters to Starbucks coffee chain, but there are hundreds of independent coffee houses and local roasters if you prefer different java.

Medora, South Dakota for America’s 250th celebration and the opening of a new presidential library

The United States’ semiquincentennial – or 250th anniversary – is this year, and destinations all across the country are celebrating, particularly on the Fourth of July weekend. The website America250.org has a robust listing of hundreds of events and commemorations, searchable by location. We are considering a return visit to Medora, North Dakota for the grand opening celebration of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library on July 4. I was surprised to learn the 26th president didn’t have his own library until now, and the Independence Day opening is sure to be patriotic. We saw a scale model of the impressive building last summer, and I loved how the architecture perfectly fits the area and is focused on environmental sustainability concepts such as zero waste and zero emissions. Native plants will surround the structure, and the building is one of only 34 worldwide projects earning the Living Building Challenge certification.

Why North Dakota? The library’s CEO, Ed O’Keefe, explains that Roosevelt came to Dakota to hunt buffalo in 1883 and invested $14,000 in cattle and a ranch while here. On Valentine’s Day in 1884, both Roosevelt’s wife and mother died – his wife of a kidney disease and his mother of typhoid fever. He returned to the Badlands to mourn and cherished his time in the sprawling open part of the country. In fact, Medora is the entry point for the south part of the 70,446-acre Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the only national park named after a single person. This year is a big one for presidential libraries: The 19.3-acre Barack Obama Presidential Center is expected to open in June in Chicago as well.

Northern Spain for the total solar eclipse

A total solar eclipse on April 9, 2024 in Ellsinore, Mont. (Courtesy of Amy Nelson)

After driving to Lusk, Wyoming in 2017 and Ellsinore, Missouri in 2024 to witness the total solar eclipses, I am hooked on eclipse travel. Seeing the sky darken in the middle of the day and hearing the crickets start to chirp and feeling the temperature drop several degrees as the moon crosses in front of the sun is such a unique experience. It also involves a lot of pre-planning, some flexibility and a bit of luck. I’m hoping to be in the path of totality on Aug. 12 when a total solar eclipse is expected to cross Iceland and parts of Portugal and northern Spain, including Burgos, Leon and Bilboa.

I’m not alone. Several travel companies, including Audley Travel, report that demand for hotels and lodging in places located within the path of totality are already sold out in some locations. I’m hoping to use the same tactics my family and I used in 2017 and again in 2024 and book a spot about an hour or two outside the path of totality. I will arrive a few days before the eclipse and study weather patterns and the predicted cloud cover along the route and then hope to drive to an area within the path of totality to settle in for a spectacular show. I realize there is a lot of risk in not actually witnessing a full eclipse – the traffic could be terrible, the skies could be cloudy or overcast, the cost could be prohibitive. But the payoff is worth it if I luck out. The next total solar eclipse over the United States isn’t until 2044, which is too long of a wait for people like me who crave totality.

India for a tour of the Golden Triangle region

The Taj Mahal in Agra, India. (Courtesy of Amy Nelson)

Visiting the Taj Mahal in India has always been on my list – and I finally was able to check that box a few months ago during a tour of the Golden Triangle region hosted by Audley Travel. For those unfamiliar, India’s Golden Triangle (not to be confused with the drug-producing area in Southeast Asia that includes Myanmar and Thailand) is the approximately 450-mile round-trip route from the Delhi region, south to the city Agra where the Taj Mahal is located and west from there to the desert city of Jaipur. The first leg is about a three-hour drive, while the other two are five to six hours based on Indian traffic. We completed the route over five days, but Audley recommends a 10-day itinerary. While traveling through India any time of the year has its positives and negatives, I included this last because I’d suggest a visit in the winter but before the holidays, when the crowds have thinned out and the temperatures are cooler.

For me, the Taj Mahal was the highlight of the visit – photos of the large reflecting pools showing the enormous white marble mausoleum structure don’t do it justice. You just have to see the 42-acre complex in person, but arrive early. We were in line by 6:30 a.m., and the gates open 30 minutes before sunrise. Having a guide was essential: He explained how the Taj Mahal was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to commemorate his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who had died the previous year while giving birth to their 14th child. For the rest of our journey across India, it was difficult to not compare the Taj Mahal with the other sites, but many were equally beautiful or culturally significant. It was golden, indeed.

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