There’s a courtroom drama playing out that’s likely to spark a Constitutional crisis during the first few days of the Trump Administration — and could lead to two people simultaneously claiming to be the director of a major federal agency. You’ll need a scorecard to follow along, so that’s what [Keep reading]
Free markets mean corporations and consumers are engaged in a constant arm-wrestling match over prices and rules governing marketplaces. When President-elect Donald Trump takes office, will the rules of this engagement change substantially? Already, Republicans are fighting hard to dismantle, or at least dis-empower, the nation’s newest federal consumer protection [Keep reading]
If this is the last act of Richard Cordray’s Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, it’s a doozy. The bureau announced Wednesday it was suing Navient, formerly Sallie Mae, for allegedly deceiving student loan borrowers about their rights during repaying. The state of Illinois also announced it had sued Navient on Wednesday, [Keep reading]
Those fraud-fighting, chip-enabled credit cards seem to be everywhere now and — credit card fraud activity is up dramatically. That might actually be a good thing, however. Retail fraud attempts rose 31 percent during the holiday shopping season, compared to last year, according to fraud-fighting firm ACI Worldwide. The firm [Keep reading]
It’s an old joke that’s quickly becoming reality for many student loan borrowers: “I’ll be paying off my student loans until I die.” During the past decade, there’s been a stunning rise in student loan debt owed by older Americans. The number of Americans aged 60 or older with one [Keep reading]
“Keep your shoes on,” hawks the advertisements, with the image an elegant very-high-heeled sandal there to catch the eye. The ads urge weary travels on airport security lines to sign up for expedited screening, which is said to come with this major side benefit — no walking through security on [Keep reading]
Every time you check yourself out at a grocery store, even if you find it terribly convenient, there’s probably a little voice inside you that thinks, “Uh-oh.” As in, “Uh-oh, there’s a machine doing the job a person used to do.” Well, here’s the bad news. There’s plenty more where [Keep reading]
Next time you run to the grocery store for bread and milk, you might find yourself staying for a champagne tasting. Or seduced by Comice Pears. Or perhaps you’ll just stay home and cook the elicoidali pasta and mascarpone cheese from your Blue Apron box. The digital age has changed [Keep reading]
January is a good time to take stock of your career, and with the economy perking up, perhaps you should to consider making a dramatic change. After all, what’s more American than relocating for opportunity? But even as careers get shorter — the average millennial will have seven jobs by [Keep reading]
I’ve long said that identity theft is a just marketing program for banks and retailers. Corporations make it easy for criminals to steal so they can sell convenience to consumers, and if a few customers get hurt along the way, well, that’s a shame. That can always be fixed later. [Keep reading]
Bob Sullivan