Labor Day these days is all about beaches, barbecues, games such as baseball, football, and volleyball, and shopping. It’s also a great weekend for travel. This year, 57 percent of Americans plan to travel for Labor Day weekend, more than 150 million will enjoy a barbecue or picnic, and thousands will attend a college football game. While Labor Day is seen as a fun holiday, it’s also important to remember and celebrate the origins of the special day. The holiday’s roots can be traced back to the streets of 1880s New York City, where rival union leaders joined forces to protest the unfair... Continue Reading
Posts Tagged With ‘ Economy ’
To help consumers, the Biden administration is cracking down on junk fees, price-fixing and price gouging on food, and mergers. President Joe Biden announced the actions Wednesday the day before the fifth meeting of White House Competition Council, which he appointed in 2021. The council is made up of 10 cabinet members and the heads of seven independent agencies. “It’s about basic fairness,” Biden said when he addressed cabinet members and other council members. “Folks are tired of being played for suckers.” The U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission will be publishing... Continue Reading
Memorial Day is a day to honor Americans who have died in service to their country. Many people attend a memorial day event, visit a cemetery where a loved one is buried, or spend time remembering a service member. In addition, for others, it’s the unofficial beginning of summer. So, it brings barbecues, picnics, swimming, and other outdoor activities. Then, millions will be heading to stores or looking online to check out what the best sales prices may be. For details on Memorial Day 2023, see the following from WalletHub, a personal finance website: Originally Published on https://boomersurvive-thriveguide.typepad.com/the_survive_and_thrive_bo/ Continue Reading
Memorial Day is a day to honor Americans who have died in service to their country. Many people attend a memorial day event, visit a cemetery where a loved one is buried, or spend time remembering a service member. In addition, for others, it’s the unofficial beginning of summer. So, it brings barbecues, picnics, swimming, and other outdoor activities. Then, millions will be heading to stores or looking online to check out what the best sales prices may be. For details on Memorial Day 2023, see the following from WalletHub, a personal finance website: Originally Published on https://boomersurvive-thriveguide.typepad.com/the_survive_and_thrive_bo/ Continue Reading
On Saturday, I received a strange email. It said it was from Gastro Health and a new lab result had been entered into my patient portal from my Gastro Health provider. To access my lab results, I was to go to my patient portal. I thought it was a scam. I haven’t had a test done recently related to my digestive system, and my doctor belongs to a practice called Gastroenterology Associates. The next day, I thought I’d write an article warning people about a possible scam. However, when I started doing research, I found that Gastro Health is a private equity firm that purchases the offices of... Continue Reading
This huge recall is getting a lot of media attention and it surely is adding to Peloton’s financial problems as people head back to the gym after staying home during the covid-19 pandemic. The company is recalling about 2.2 million exercise bikes, Model No. PL01, because the bike’s seat post assembly can break during use, posing fall and injury hazards. Peloton has received 35 reports of the seat post breaking and detaching from the bike during use, including 13 reports of injuries including a fractured wrist, lacerations, and bruises due to falls from the bike. The exercise bikes were sold... Continue Reading
Graduations are coming up and many parents and students are thinking about student debt, which totals $1.63 trillion in the United States. Student loan debt is about $37,600 per borrower. “In the short term, students are not overly optimistic about their financial situation, as 88 percent are concerned about the economy and 80 percent are worried about inflation,” said Jill Gonzalez, an analyst for WalletHub, a personal finance website. “Inflation has taken a heavy financial toll on the country, and has made higher education less affordable.” However, students do think that going to college... Continue Reading
It’s helpful for consumers to take a look at complaints that are received by agencies and organization to know what to watch out for in their financial lives. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau monitors consumer complaints to determine risks in consumer financial markets and to prioritize agency action. In 2022, the CFPB found: During 2022, the CFPB received about 1,287,000 consumer complaints and sent more than 820,000 complaints to about 3,200 companies for review and response. Complaints about credit or consumer reporting increased, accounting for more than 75 percent of all consumer... Continue Reading
Did you get your taxes done on time? I expected to get mine completed at H&R Block on Sunday, but due to a glitch, they weren’t completed until Monday. Read all about my experience at “H&R Block Doing Better About Disclosing Prices, But Price Still High.” I paid $488. At least I was able to get an estimate this year. In 2016, the last time I went to H&R Block, I paid $472, but I wasn’t able to get an estimate. Since I’m not a government hater, I don’t mind paying taxes. Taxes pay for roads, bridges, schools, and important services. I just wish there was more of... Continue Reading
Sixty-three percent of Americans identify themselves as Christians, and 43 percent plan to attend church on Easter Sunday, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. Easter is a big donation day for U.S. churches, as it usually has the year’s highest attendance rates. It’s also a significant money-maker for candy companies. Projected Easter spending on candy is $3.3 billion, according to WalletHub, a personal finance website. Total Easter-related spending expected in 2023 is $24 billion, with $192 per person celebrating. More than half of parents will make Easter baskets for their kids and... Continue Reading