Posts Tagged With ‘ finances ’

I missed writing about Medicare Advantage plans during open enrollment from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7 when you can join, switch, or drop a plan. I always know when it occurs: my mail box and email are flooded with ads and TV and social media, too. I also get phone calls about the plans. The TV ads this year featured two African American women getting really excited about zero premiums. This is a deception, as I’ll get to later. There also was a guy sitting at a table at my local Safeway. Apparently, he had a deal with the Safeway corporate office to sell Medicare Advantage plans inside the store. I... Continue Reading

Unfortunately, I got caught up in the Southwest Airlines holiday flight cancellation debacle around Christmas. Scheduled to return home at 10:45 Monday Dec. 26, I was shocked when my daughter came in my room just as I finished dressing and began packing to go to the airport and said my flight had been canceled. Southwest’s inability to handle winter storms with its outdated computer system and unusual operating method is making headlines across the nation. Southwest uses a “point-to-point” route model that often lets passengers fly directly from smaller cities and regions without having... Continue Reading

Christmas is a great time of year. There’s so much joy to share for the yearly celebration with family and friends. Americans plan to spend $832.84 per person on gifts and other holiday items this year, according to a survey conducted for the National Retail Federation. That’s a 6 to 8 percent increase over last year. I hope the holiday season isn’t stressful for you and your family this year. Cut down your list of things to do and ask for help if your anxiety level is going up. Be sure also to follow the recommendations of health officials. Wear a mask in crowded places and inside. Stay... Continue Reading

Christmas is one of the most popular holidays in the United States, and it can be one of the most expensive. Decorations, food, cards, gifts, travel, and more can add up fast. Americans are expected to spend a record amount for the holidays in 2022, between $943 billion and $960 billion, according to a survey conducted for the National Retail Federation. If you happen to live in a city where the costs of celebrating Christmas are relatively low or you can travel to one, it may help. Overspending is a frequent error during the holidays shopping season, and 57 percent of consumers think buying... Continue Reading

It’s the holiday season and Christmas Day will be here soon.  For more than a year now, I’ve been writing a newsletter offering readers 10 money tips every week.  The response has been very positive. I scour a variety of websites to look for the latest information to help consumers make wise financial decisions.   I thought I’d post a copy of this week’s newsletter because it has several tips for the holidays that could be helpful to my blog readers. You can subscribe to my newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/makeyourmoneywork. There’s no charge. Happy holidays. Rita R. Robison Newsletter  Many... Continue Reading

On a recent trip, I learned a valuable lesson. Most airlines won’t reimburse you for electronics if they’re in a checked bag that gets lost. How did I find that out? When I arrived at the Southwest ticket counter at SeaTac Airport, I had three items – my purse, a bag of Christmas presents, and a small carry-on bag with my computer in it – plus a bag I was going to check. Since I hadn’t traveled for a while, I was fuzzy on the procedures. I also was out of breath after wearing my N95 mask and dragging my heavy suitcase and other items across the sky bridge from the parking garage. The... Continue Reading

Wells Fargo is at it again. It shows why consumers should be skeptical about trusting big banks. The repeat offender has agreed to a settlement that requires it to return more than $2 billion to consumers and pay a $1.7 billion civil penalty for legal violations across several of its largest product lines, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or CFPB said Tuesday. Consumers were illegally assessed fees and interest charges on auto and mortgage loans, had their cars wrongly repossessed, and had payments to auto and mortgage loans misapplied by the bank, the CFPB said in a statement. Wells... Continue Reading

Just because you’re shopping late for the holidays doesn’t mean you should make a lot of costly mistakes. Take a deep breath, make a list, and proceed with confidence. My top tips include: Ask for a gift receipt. In addition, keep your receipts also in case the gift receipt gets lost. Ask what the deadline is for returning items. Give a subscription. That way you can say the gift is in the mail. Buy stocking stuffers at the Dollar Store. Give an experience – a concert, special dinner out, or coupon for a picnic in the park in the spring. Re-gift an item that’s like new, but... Continue Reading

On Tuesday, my new Apple desktop computer was delivered. I signed up for Best Buy’s Totaltech program, paying $200, because a tech would come to my house and install the computer. My iMac desktop is heavy and I didn’t want to lug it to Best Buy and also have to get a new heavy computer back home, too. It was supposed to be a great day. The tech arrived wearing fragrance, which bothers my allergies. He said he didn’t get the message that I asked for a fragrance-free person to do the installation. The technician began transferring data from my old computer to the new one. It ran for about... Continue Reading

As a minimalist, I don’t do much shopping. Before the pandemic, I bought most of my clothes from the sales racks at Macy’s. Its clothes seem to be O.K. for older women. I did go shopping several times with my daughter Lisa, who lives in Madrid, and we shopped at H&M, Zara, and other stores. So, I got an idea of what fast fashion is. Lisa just came for an early Christmas celebration. We started our vacation with a four-day stay in Seattle so she could visit her friends there. I requested a trip to the Nordstrom Rack, a store that carries my unusual shoe size and sometimes has great bargains. Lisa... Continue Reading