Guest article provided by: Yanai Nassar from Brickellmania LLC
2020 has been a difficult year for everybody but it is about to be over. It will be unforgettable and not in a happy way. However, the human race has a tremendous capacity of recovery and this too, shall pass.
Not everything has been bad though, here are some good things that had happened in 2020:
1- The lowest interest rates in the history of the United States
According to Bankrate.com, as of December 31, 2020, someone with a 700 credit score, could get a loan at 2.650% interest rate, a difference of more than 1% from December 2019 when the interest rates was 3.75%
2- The rise of work from home
Even though many people hate it at first, the need for social distance and efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 ended up bringing other benefits too.
We have learned to better manage a work-life balance. Think about the flexibility that provides working from home. Time previously used to drive or ride to work is now used to workout, watch a movie, read and reduce stress.
Work from home benefits working mothers in particular but men are also taking on more child care and household chores during the pandemic.
The New York Times asked their readers to share their 2020 good stories, here are some of the answers:
3- Home improvement projects were completed.
Photo by Anastasia Shuraeva from Pexels
Staying home made a change in people’s relationship with their homes. Homes are not just a place to go to sleep after work anymore but rather a place to enjoy, even for people living alone.
The research firm Consumer Specialists conducted a study and found that 57% of homeowners completed improvements in their homes from March to May.
“We were surprised just how many ways COVID-19 has impacted home improvement”, said Fred Miller, President of Consumer Specialists, on a press release
Home Depot reported almost 1 billion increase in net earnings in the second quarter of fiscal 2020:
“Net earnings for the second quarter of fiscal 2020 were $4.3 billion, or $4.02 per diluted share, compared with net earnings of $3.5 billion, or $3.17 per diluted share, in the same period of fiscal 2019.”
4- Cleaner air
The skies became clearer in 2020. Especially in urban areas such as Miami, air pollution has been visibly reduced and for the first time in a decade, Florida meets federal standards for air pollutants. “Florida’s air has never been cleaner” the state environmental agency says.
According to NASA, Florida’s air quality has improved drastically during the pandemic as many of the 21 million state’s population have been staying at home.
Similar data have been reported around the world by other scientists.
