Posts Tagged With ‘ Consumers ’

Before you spend money on that “Shark-approved” miracle invention, weight loss product, or keto diet pill, make sure it’s really been featured on the “Shark Tank” program. Scammers are using fake “Shark Tank” celebrity testimonials and endorsements – along with fake photos and videos – to generate publicity and profits. Before you click and make a purchase, follow this advice from the Federal Trade Commission and check it out. Here’s what to do if you’re wondering whether something is Shark-approved: Approach celebrity testimonials with caution. Look for product reviews... Continue Reading

Until this week, I hadn’t heard about a potential safety problem with electric bicycles or “e-bikes.” An article in The Washington Post, “A Child’s Death Prompts Questions About Brake Safety on E-bikes,” caught my attention. A lawsuit filed against Rad Power Bikes by the parents of a 12-year-old girl who was killed in 2021 in an e-bike accident claims the company’s bikes are “inappropriately” marketed to children and contain “multiple design defects,” according to The Post article. Molly Steinapir was riding behind her friend when the two girls were going down a steep hill... Continue Reading

Best wishes to you and your loved ones on this day to celebrate relationships. I hope if your budget is tight that you have figured out inexpensive ways to celebrate. Although it’s estimated that Valentine’s Day spending for 2023 is estimated to be $192.80 per person celebrating, about a third of people plan to give an experience this year. Maybe that’s why the estimated spending is so high – tickets to concerts and sporting events continue to climb. If your single, take time to celebrate love for yourself and your friends and family. You don’t need to be in a relationship to be happy. To... Continue Reading

Textron Specialized Vehicles is recalling about 143,000 E-Z-GO PTVs or personal transportation vehicles in the United States, 8,100 in Canada, and 1,000 in Mexico. Some of the PTVs were recalled earlier in September 2021, January 2022, and September 2022. PTVs are golf carts or golf cars. The electronic board that powers the USB port can overheat and ignite adjacent components, posing a fire hazard in the recalled PTVs. Textron has received 30 reports of the electronic board overheating, including two resulting in a fire with property damage. No injuries have been reported. This recall involves... Continue Reading

American consumers spend more than $25.9 billion on Valentine’s Day each year. It makes the holiday the third-priciest on the calendar for U.S. consumers. Valentine’s Day spending for 2023 is estimated to be $192.80 per person celebrating, according to a Valentine’s Day survey by WalletHub, a personal finance website. There is nothing wrong with getting into the Valentine’s Day spirit and surprising that special person in your life with a sweet note or small token gift, said Andrew Burnstine, Ph.D., associate professor of the College of Business and Management at Lynn University. But,... Continue Reading

It’s fun to write my weekly newsletter, Helpful Money Tips for You. It’s free and when you sign up, you’ll get lot of tips to help you with saving money, budgeting, and learning about the latest financial news. Below is the latest copy of my newsletter. As you can see, it has ideas for saving money for Valentine’s Day, on streaming services, and by using appliances more wisely. It was great recently to get a compliment on my newsletter from J. Money of the website Budgets Are Sexy. He said “I just signed up to her newsletter myself – something I rarely do! But how great are these?!... Continue Reading

A friend of mine recently received a $300 gift card under Comcast’s reward program. She thought she got it because she’s been a long-time customer. Since I’m a long-time Comcast customer, too, I thought it would be great to get $300 to spend, too. I went to the Comcast website and signed up for its rewards program. I saw a few program rewards that didn’t interest me, so I tried to communicate with the bot through the chat function. It didn’t work. I didn’t get any information about money rewards. So, then I did what I dread: I called Comcast. As I’ve written about many times, Comcast... Continue Reading

Recently, I wrote about where to donate clothes you no longer want to wear, including those that are worn out. I listed the usual locations – Goodwill and the Salvation Army – and donating to retailers such as H&M. I also reported on what environmentalists have to say about the huge amount of clothing that ends up in landfills here and overseas. Readers had additional suggestions on clothing donations: Lisa Whitley, AFC, CRPC, financial coach offers the following ideas: Thanks for sharing this. I am somewhat obsessed with recycling textiles (although I am not a big clothing shopper to... Continue Reading

How do you pick out a bank? It’s more difficult than it seems. Many people choose a branch near them. But, banks can have practices that are detrimental to consumers who want to spend money wisely. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or FDIC has downgraded Transportation Alliance Bank or TAB Bank to “needs to improve,” a low rating that few banks get. The FDIC found that the bank committed unfair or deceptive practices that “impacted a large number of consumers over an extended period of time.” Through a “rent-a-bank” partnership with EasyPay Finance, the bank helped EasyPay... Continue Reading

Usually, I take clothes I no longer want to wear to the Goodwill because donation is easy. However, in the past few years, it has put out public service announcements that it only wants clothing that it can resell. Since I wear a lot of my clothes until they’re worn out, I needed another solution. So, I started doing research on what to do. Online, I found that H&M takes old clothes in any condition. It’s website says: Bring any unwanted clothes or textiles, by any brand and in any condition, to one of our stores. Hand in your bag of old clothes at the register and receive a thank-you... Continue Reading