I’m now a T-Mobile customer. Darn. I switched because I was upset that Verizon wouldn’t give me a deal on a new iPhone and I wanted to be in a family plan with my grandson from Spain who’s going to college in Massachusetts. T-Mobile announced last week that its customer records have been hacked again. […]

This is a fact of retirement life: older Americans haven’t paid as much into Medicare and Medicaid as government spends on their healthcare and nursing home stays. But it is middle-class retirees who get the most out of the system, according to a new study. Middle-income households receive about $230,000 to $260,000 more in Medicare […]

I’ve written about it before, but it’s worth highlighting again. A Consumer Reports evaluation of peer-to-peer or P2P payment apps found that users could lose money to fraud or scams and face privacy risks because app providers may share their personal information widely and it’s difficult for users to delete their data. More than half of Americans, […]

One thing that financial writers recommend when you’re having money problems is to review your subscriptions. Sometimes subscriptions that you aren’t using anymore keep renewing or you didn’t realize you had signed up for one. “Negative option” programs include subscription services that automatically renew unless the consumer cancels, and trial marketing programs that charge a […]

I spent quite a bit on having two Christmas celebrations with my daughters. Now that I’ve got a little cushion in my bank account again, what could I look for at January sales? I know it’s a great time for white goods, sheets and towels, but what other great deals may now be available. Holiday […]

Photograph by Lewis Hines, West Virginia 1937. The Great Depression, sparked by a devastating collapse in stocks followed by 25 percent unemployment, remains the deepest recession in U.S. history. A new study laying out the long-term negative impacts to Americans born during that time might be consequential for today’s youngest citizens –  teenagers born during […]

Scores on 8th grade standardized math tests dropped during the pandemic, reversing a large part of the gains students had made since the 1990s. U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona called the news last October “appalling.” But declining scores only confirmed for many parents what they had witnessed as their children struggled to engage in […]

Of the many consumer laws I’ve reported on over the years, weak laws on personal care products such as cosmetics are among the most frustrating. The United States has lagged behind the rest of the world in regulating the contaminants and ingredients in personal care products. More than 80 other countries have taken action to protect […]

Inflation hurts, and it causes stress. I was going to buy a frozen package of mac and cheese. However, it cost $14.95. I decided I’d make one of my Annie’s organic mac and cheese packages, which cost about $1 from Costco. Although inflation is beginning to slow down, it increased 7.1 percent in November from […]

Have you been frustrated because you’ve wanted to repair your electronics or appliances or find a less expensive place for repairs to be made other than through the manufacturer? Eighty-four percent of Americans said they agreed with a policy to require manufacturers to make repair information and parts available either to independent repair professionals or […]