How much do you plan to spend on gifts this holiday season? If you’re like the average American, a little less than last year. That certainly doesn’t make you a Scrooge — you are probably spending a lot more than you did at the height of the recession — but it [Keep reading]
If you shopped at Target during the past three weeks, there’s something really important you should do: Don’t overreact. The massive Target credit card hack is going to create a mess for a lot of people, and there’s a good chance you might be one of them. But it’s important [Keep reading]
There’s been years of media reports ringing the alarm bell about binge drinking; where’s the horror at the new epidemic of binge working? When friends brag they are pulling all-nighters at work, please don’t laugh. Please tell them to get help. If you haven’t noticed this disturbing trend, I’ll lay [Keep reading]
When I published my book Stop Getting Ripped Off, I wanted to include some ideas that go way beyond the tired, old financial advice that can fit on an index card. My “two-card” credit card strategy for occasional overspenders is one of those ideas. have a “clean card” and a “line of [Keep reading]
“I cannot imagine a more ‘indiscriminate’ and ‘arbitrary invasion’ than this systematic and high-tech collection and retention of personal data on virtually every single citizen for purposes of querying it and analyzing it without judicial approval.” So said U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon on Monday, describing the National Security [Keep reading]
Borrow $10,000 from a website, pay back $62,000 over seven years: Who would have a problem with that? Federal and state regulators said they did on Monday, and announced a lawsuit against online loan servicer CashCall, saying the firm essentially used Indian reservation-based Western Sky Financial as a front to [Keep reading]
Online shopping growth continues to defy gravity, with an estimated $1.7 billion spent on Cyber Monday last week — an 18% jump from 2012. And why not? Digital shoppers beat the crowds, never fight for parking, usually get the best prices, and often escape sales tax. But if you’re going to be [Keep reading]
Let’s make one thing completely clear: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under 2 live as much of a “screen-free” life as possible. Not only does the academy discourage giving kids gadgets to stare at, it also discourages screens as background noise, a bit akin to second-hand smoke. [Keep reading]
Consumers are more outraged than ever, according to a new survey. And cable or satellite TV is the worst offender! I love surveys about consumer rage. Rage is a special kind of reaction, the bastard child of anger and helplessness. When you have a frustrating situation and there’s nothing you [Keep reading]
This is the latest, “It’s spooky, but is it wrong?” privacy story. Stores listen for customers’ cell phones as they probe for WiFi hot-spots, then use that information to observe foot traffic in the store. Perhaps the data is anonymized, but consumers, I’m sure, won’t be comfortable with it. Earlier [Keep reading]
Bob Sullivan