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Gotchas / Consumer

Cognitive bias

Get things done with concrete planning

April 16, 2019 Bob Sullivan 1

An English teacher may have taught you that the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. Your science teacher probably should have taught you that the English teacher was wrong — or at least using a bit too much poetic license. In truth, research shows that making concrete plans [Keep reading]

Cognitive bias

Why confirmation bias creeps into nearly every aspect of life

April 16, 2019 Bob Sullivan 1

There’s a close play at the plate.  Under a cloud of dust, the runner’s hand appears to sneak in just before the catcher applies the tag, but in real-time, it’s hard to say.  The umpire signals safe.  There’s an instant replay challenge. Video is shown on the board at Chicago’s [Keep reading]

Gotchas / Consumer

What does March Madness have to do with money? Aside from the $5 bet…

March 21, 2019 Bob Sullivan 0

I’ll admit it; I love March Madness. Even if I have a million problems with the way the NCAA runs its business (and, it is a business).  As long as we are all losing precious work hours checking in on our brackets, we might as well learn something.  CNBC / [Keep reading]

Cognitive bias

Why the default option is so enticing, and how it’s used against you

March 15, 2019 Bob Sullivan 1

Laziness is one of humanity’s most powerful driving forces.  It’s also perhaps the greatest insight from the field of behavioral science — or the one that’s been put to the most practical use, anyway. It goes by the fancy name “default bias,” and societies around the world are now using [Keep reading]

Gotchas / Consumer

Best Buy to start selling $1,000 TVs for $2,169 — through new lease-to-own option

February 28, 2019 Bob Sullivan 3

Where can you buy a $1,000 TV for $2,169? Soon, at a Best Buy electronics store near you. The retail giant is poised to roll out a new “lease to own” program that will sound a lot like the Rent-A-Center or payday lending model to observers. It works similar to [Keep reading]

Cybercrime / Privacy

Credit bureau CEOs face four-hour ‘grilling’ in D.C.

February 26, 2019 Bob Sullivan 2

It took more than four hours of questions aimed at credit bureau CEOs, but finally, after a marathon House Financial Services Committee hearing on Tuesday morning / afternoon … the National Consumer Law Center’s Chi Chi Wu said what had to be said. “I’ve testified before Congress … six times,” [Keep reading]

Gotchas / Consumer

Finally, data proves that worker financial anxiety is bad for employers, too

February 26, 2019 Bob Sullivan 1

When you’re suffering from constant financial stress — an anxiety-riddled state of being researchers now call “precarity” – you can’t be your best. Your family suffers, your health suffers, and your work suffers. And if your workers are worried about money, they’re going to make more mistakes on the job.  [Keep reading]

Gotchas / Consumer

What is dollar-cost averaging and how can it save you from market anxiety?

February 22, 2019 Bob Sullivan 1

You know you should invest for the future, but you are afraid of today’s market.  Bad news seems to be lurking behind every corner, and uncertainty is …. the only thing that seems guaranteed. Should you buy now, or buy later? One good solution: Do both. CNBC and Grow recently asked [Keep reading]

Gotchas / Consumer

Top 10 ways to pay off credit card debt at SuccessibleLife.com

February 22, 2019 Bob Sullivan 0

I’m writing some stories for a site called Successiblelife.com that focuses on health issues.  I’ve long believed there are a lot of parallels between healthy eating and “healthy” money habits. Both require you to make decisions involving trade offs between today and tomorrow.  Do I eat this cookie now and complain about [Keep reading]

Gotchas / Consumer

Online lovers have lost $1 billion to scammers; don’t be fooled! (And hello again, old friend, CNBC!)

February 14, 2019 Bob Sullivan 0

Valentine’s Day hopefully gives you a chance to appreciate your loved ones.  But if this holiday – also known as “Singles Awareness Day, or SAD” — is nudging you or someone you care about to look for love online, there’s something you should know: Reports of sweetheart scams are soaring, [Keep reading]

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About me

BOB SULLIVAN is a veteran journalist and the author of four books, including the 2008 New York Times Best-Seller, Gotcha Capitalism, and the 2010 New York Times Best Seller, Stop Getting Ripped Off! His latest, The Plateau Effect, was published in 2013, and as a paperback, called Getting Unstuck in 2014. He has won the Society of Professional Journalists prestigious Public Service award, a Peabody award, and The Consumer Federation of America Betty Furness award, and been given Consumer Action’s Consumer Excellence Award.

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