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Want more housing market stories from Lance Lamberts ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter. U.S. single-family home prices, as measured by the Freddie Mac House Price Index (which uses the repeat-sales methodology), rose 3.9% in the calendar year 2024. During that same timeframe, overall U.S. consumer prices rose 2.9%. Among the 384 metro-area housing markets that the Freddie Mac House Price Index tracks dating back to 1975, these are the 10 metros that saw the biggest year-over-year home price increase in 2024: Kingston, New York: +13.5% Springfield, Ohio: +11.8% Glens Falls, New York: +11.7% Binghamton, New York: +11.5% Cumberland, Marylandd-West Virginia: +11.4% Syracuse, New York: +10.9% Utica-Rome, New York: +10.5% Atlantic City-Hammonton, New Jersey: +10.5% Jacksonville, North Carolina: +10.3% Vineland-Bridgeton, New Jersey: +10.3% Among those same 384 metro-area housing markets, these 10 metros saw the biggest year-over-year home price decline in 2024: Punta Gorda, Florida: -8.6% Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida: -7.6% North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida: -4.7% Homosassa Springs, Florida: -3.3% Sebastian-Vero Beach, Florida: -3.2% Lakeland-Winter Haven, Florida: -2.7% Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, Texas: -2.5% San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas: -2.3% Ocala, Florida: -1.9% Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, Florida: -1.8% !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r
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When he first gathered his newly assembled team to write the 1975 premiere episode of Saturday Night Live (then called, NBC’s Saturday Night), creator Lorne Michaels started with a simple credo: Lets make each other laugh, and if we do, well put it on television and maybe other people will find it funny. So many other people ended up finding it funny that SNL grew into a singular cultural phenomenonone that remains on the air, and relevant, 50 years later. Over the course of making high-wire-act TV each week for a half-century, however, Michaels’s ideas about how to wrangle talent gradually evolved far beyond that initial make-each-other-laugh principle. He has such a unique and honed management philosophy, says Susan Morrison, author of the forthcoming biography, Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live. As I was writing it, some days Id feel like, Wow, this could be published by the Harvard Business School. Susan Morrison (right) [Images: courtesy Random House] Morrisons book, out in stores February 18, paints the richest portrait to date of how Michaels created SNL, how SNL created a mythology around Michaels, and how much of that is accurate. It also takes readers deep inside the trenches of a typical week at SNL, stemming from the authors time embedded with the show in 2018, her many conversations with generations of superstar writers and performers molded by it, and in excess of 50 interviews with Michaels himself. What emerges is an ultimately flattering, though non-hagiographic depiction of a leader who inspires a reverence among his acolytes that can border on pathological. (As the book recounts, former cast member Andy Samberg and former writer John Mulaney both separately tried to find out what kind of deodorant Michaels uses so they could use it too.) Though a lot of what makes Lorne Michaels himself is specific to the niche field of televised live-sketch comedy, some of his tactics for managing creative people have much broader applicability. Mix peanut butter and chocolate The sprawling list of all-time comedy legends that Michaels plucked from obscurity and cast on SNL includes Eddie Murphy, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig, Adam Sandler, and Chris Rock. Beyond his keen eye for talent, though, Michaels also has a nuanced sense for talent-configurations. The book describes how the creator put Harvard Lampoon writer Jim Downey in a shared office with Second City improv maestro Bill Murray in 1977an intentional collision of high-brow and blue collar. The two writers brought contrasting ingredients to the table, like peanut butter and chocolate, and Michaels recognized the potency of blending them together. Its something he still does when bringing in new blood each year, even if he no longer assigns office mates. Although Michaels has been accused over the years of not diversifying the staff enoughcast members Kenan Thompson and Jay Pharoah publicly refused to play any more Black women back in 2013, when SNL hadnt had a Black female in the cast for six yearsthe show these days more closely resembles the diverse makeup of its audience. He’s always thinking about creating a really varied writing staff, Morrison says. Hes definitely on guard against the show being too coastal. He loves it when someone’s from Nebraska or Cincinnati or New Mexico. Give people ownership of their work One of the reasons so many of the shows writers such as Fey and the team of Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider go on to become showrunners after SNL, according to Morrison, is because of the free rein Michaels gives them. Writers dont just conceive and pen sketchesthey also produce and direct them, getting a huge say in everything from set decoration to costumes. All this leeway comes from Michaels’s own experience as a comedy writer on sketch series, such as The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show, in 1968, when he wished he’d had more freedom. Even when Michaels does weigh in on decisions throughout the development of a sketch, as the book describes, he often does so in a way that still keeps the writer in the drivers seat. Being in the room during all those meetings, you could see there’s some jujitsu going on, Morrison says. Hell rarely give a hard note, like, You have to change the ending. Hell just maybe give enough clues so that a writer will make a change but will feel ownership of it. Figure out what people need and be that for them A lot of big personalities and even bigger egos have been part of the SNL team over the years, and theres no one-size-fits-all management strategy Michaels could deploy with them all. Instead, as the book details, Michaels became a student of how creative people respond to various approaches. By supervising hundreds of the kinds of people over the years that former cast member Mark McKinney refers to as broken comedy toys, Michaels learned to act as father figure, CEO, and all points in betweendepending on the person. He manages them sometimes one-on-one, and sort of gives people what he thinks they need, Morrison says. “[Bill] Hader would describe when he came back to host, feeling kind of rigid with anxiety, and Lorne coming in and just barking at him, like, Shut the fuck up, get out there and do it. You know what you’re doing. But then Molly Shannon talked about a completely different approach from Lorne, where hes just kind of warmly reassuring her with his eyes. Its no wonder every year on Fathers Day, Michaels reportedly receives messages from dozens of surrogate sons, including Pete Davidson. The power of “rolling decisions” Any sketch that makes it to air on SNL has survived a comedy gauntlet that claimed countless other victims. The sketch has to get through the initial pitch meeting on Monday; the all-night writing session on Tuesday; the development process Wednesday through Friday, during which many more sketches are fleshed out than could possibly fit into one 60- to 70-minute episode; and finally, it has to make it past dress rehearsal on Saturday night, a few hours before airtime. Lorne (the book) reveals, in exacting depth, just how many decisions are involved within each sketch, beyond the more macro-level decisions of which skeches will actually make it to air and in which order. Michaels keeps every possibility on the bubble for as long as possible, a habit he describes as making rolling decisionsthe opposite of snap decisions. He just likes to keep all his options open, Morrison says. He’s not good at making decisions until he has to, but also I think he feels its really great creative ferment. The competition up to the last minute probably keeps everybody going. I mean, the emotional and creative vibe in that building between Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, it’s like the Hunger Games. Creating a culture of resiliency A good compromise, as the saying goes, is when both sides are unhappy. At SNL, however, just about every writer and cast member is a little unhappy each week. Its something Michaels learned, according to the book, after the very first episode in 1975. Writer Michael ODonoghue was upset that one of his sketches got cut, filmmaker Albert Brooks was annoyed that Michaels chose a different short film of his rather than the one Brooks had intended for the premiere, and future senator Al Franken was disappointed in the corny tone of another sketch. That first episodes equal-opportunity unhappiness set the standard for the decades that followed. But it probably takes a bit of the sting out of each persons disappointment to know that everyone else is also disappointed to some degree. It might also serve as motivation to make next weeks victories outweigh the defeats. And Michaels takes care to celebrate the major victories with his team, so they can be confident that theyre appreciated. I remember Hader telling me that the night he debuted [much-celebrated character] Stefon, one of Lorne’s assistants summoned him over to come and sit next to Lorne at the party after the show, Morrison says. So, you’re in when that happens. The creators status as a legendary gift giver probably also helps demonstrate that appreciation. Working for Lorne Michaels, as described in Morrisons book, seems nearly as agonizing as it does rewarding. If it were easier, though, there would probably be more sketch comedy shows that endure for half a century. Instead, theres only one. Isnt that special?
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Years ago, I asked my born-organized sister how she managed to keep her place looking so nice all the time. She gave me an odd look and replied, I put things away when Im done with them. Im reminded of this infuriating conversation whenever I read most introductory budgeting advice. Money experts will assure their audience that creating a successful budget is simple. Just track your income and spending and make sure the second number is lower than the first, they say, often with a tone that makes it sound like theyre worried about your ability to tie your own shoes. But most people need to know how to do these supposedly simple things. And just as my sister couldnt imagine why put things away was impossible-to-follow advice for me, financial experts dont necessarily recognize that the simple process of budgeting is not easy for everyone. If money management is not second nature to you, here are some tips to help you create and maintain a budget that fits your life. Treat budgeting like laundry About once a year or so, Ill find myself elbow deep in unfolded clothes, wondering aloud if Im nearly finished doing the laundry. After 30 plus years, I must be near the end of the laundry by now! Ill lament to my family. My frustration stems from the fact that washing the clothes is a never-ending task. I can never be done with the laundry. I can only choose from one of four options for dealing with the laundry cycle: do it myself, pay someone else to do it, wear dirty clothes, or go naked. Money management is also a never-ending task. In fact, budgeting often fails because the budgeter doesn’t get past the initial check-in with their money. We want budgeting to be a once-and-done kind of chore and forget that it needs to be done over and over again. If you havent embraced the ongoing nature of budgeting, you probably only budget sporadically. This might involve sitting down with your banking app to check on your spending and may even include a plan for how much you intend to spend in the future. And then the budget is often forgotten about until the next time you’re scrambling to pay your bills. The problem with treating budgeting like a singular event is that youre doing the financial equivalent of washing your skivvies only once a year. Youre going to run out of money/clean undies eventuallyand no one likes their options when that happens. Its far better to go into budgeting with the assumption that youll need to spend a little time on it weekly, just as its better to tackle the laundry regularly instead of only summiting Mount St. Washy when youve had to go commando several days in a row. How to do this Accepting that budgeting is a regular chore is almost half the battle, but that doesnt make it any easier to carve out time for a new weekly task. This is why newbie budgeters may want to literally pair laundry with money management. The time your unmentionables spend spinning in the washer and dryer is down time on laundry day, which could be an excellent time to work on managing your money. This will help you build the habit and connect the importance of budgeting with that of laundry. Avoid judging yourself Once you have embraced the repetitive nature of money management, the next major obstacle is self-judgment. There are a couple of forms this kind of judgment could take. Some budgeters beat themselves up for past financial choices theyre still paying for, concluding that they will never be good with money. Others compare their income or lifestyle to someone else who seems to be doing better. And many budgeters set themselves up to fail by deciding that their future selves are perfectly capable of quitting expensive habits cold turkey. Each of these kinds of self-judgments can derail a budget. When you judge yourself and your finances in any of these ways, youre measuring reality against what should be true. Unfortunately, reality wins every time, and shoulding on yourself just makes you feel bad. This is why budgeting needs to be done in a place free of judgment. Your money situation is neither good nor bad; neither moral nor immoral. It just is, and accepting that allows you to make the most beneficial decisions for your goals. How to do this Telling you not to judge yourself is a bit like my sisters advice to put my stuff awayvery easy to say and much harder to do. Thats why new budgeters should spend their first few budgeting sessions simply gathering information about their money. You dont need to make any decisions about any of the numbers you uncover. Think of yourself like an accounting version of Indiana Jones, excavating the historical record without judgment. This specifically means using your first few weeks of budgeting on uncovering the answers to the following questions: How much income can I expect each month? What are my monthly fixed expenses? These might include: Rent/Mortgage Utilities, including mobile phone and data/Wi-Fi access (if these fluctuate, calculate the monthly average over the last 12 months) Car payment Auto insurance Student loan payment Alimony or child support Day care expenses Monthly memberships (such as gym membership) What is the monthly average cost of my variable expenses? Use at least three months worth of numbers for the following expenses to calculate your average monthly cost: Groceries Medications Medical appointments Renters insurance/Homeowners insurance Car maintenance and repair Home maintenance and repair Credit card payments What is the monthly average cost of my discretionary expenses? These might include: Entertainment Dining out Personal care (haircuts, etc) Clothing Hobbies Gifts The numbers you calculate from this exercise are just information. Gathering this data without making judgments or decisions will allow you to get comfortable with the idea of removing your ego from the process of budgeting. Aim for small wins Back when I asked my sister about her organizational skills, I was thinking about the pile of papers on my kitchen table, the clothing chair in my bedroom, the dishes that had taken up permanent residence on my coffee table, and unfinished projects on multiple flat surfaces in my house. In othe words, I was thinking globally about my untidiness. Her advice assumed that I had a place to put everything away and that it was something I could do quickly. Neither of those things were true. It wasnt until I decided to make my bed every day that I started to move the disorganization needle. It did nothing for the piled papers, clothes, dishes, and unfinished projects elsewhere in the house, but having a neatly made bed was a small, easy thing I could do that helped make my space seem neater. Once that was a habit, it was easier to put things away in my bedroom. New budgeters should aim for similar small wins with money management, since it is much easier to build a habit from small routines than try to become a money maven overnight. How to do this There are a number of small financial wins that can help you build the budgeting habit. Some early skills to focus on might include: Paying all your bills on time Transferring a small amount to an emergency fund with every paycheck Paying more than the minimum amount on credit cards or other debt Taking lunch to work one day a week Picking one of these skills and repeating it until it has become a habit will help you create a foundation for your budgeting practice. Even though these are small actions, repetition and habit will allow them to improve your finances and give you successes to build on. The perfectly imperfect budget Just as my house will never look like something out of a magazine (or even like my sisters house), your budget will never have the picture-perfect symmetry described by money experts. But your budget doesnt need to be pretty or perfectit just needs to make your financial life easier to manage. To create your own successful budget, start by treating money management more like your laundry. Its something you have to do regularly or else it will back up on you. When you get started on a new budgeting habit, commit to simply gathering information without judgment. Youll make better decisions if you remove your judgmental reaction from the numbers you uncover. Finally, aim for small financial wins, rather than trying to completely remake your finances all at once. Letting go of the idea of perfection will help you learn to love your budget, warts and al
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