Just how do victims of a massive data breach prove they were harmed — and how is that harm calculated so the victims might be compensated through a lawsuit? That’s been one of the central legal questions facing the millions of consumers who have their privacy violated every year through [Keep reading]
Free money is good. Getting free money as retribution from a misbehaving company — like a robocaller — is even better, says David Bookbinder. He was bragging to friends the other day about a $77 check he received because he’d registered as a “victim” in a class action lawsuit…months ago. [Keep reading]
It’s the end of January, which probably means you’ve already forgotten about your New Year’s resolutions. That’s ok. I’m here to help with today’s annoying overly simple trick for getting past a psychological hurdle you are facing. Want to achieve that goal you’ve given up on? Move the finish line [Keep reading]
Many political …err Facebook….arguments today boil down to warring anecdotes. Like this: “I don’t feel sorry for government workers who aren’t getting paid. Why don’t they have any savings? I know a Fed worker with a really expensive car. Maybe he shouldn’t have spent so much on that car!” A [Keep reading]
How could a lifetime of investing lead to Wall Street keeping 80% of the returns, while the consumer/investor keeps only 20%? Quite easily, as investing and fee-fighting pioneer John Bogle taught us. I explain it in Chapter 5 of Gotcha Capitalism. Here’s the relevant excerpt. I present it again today [Keep reading]
Missing even one paycheck matters. A lot. To about 60% of all Americans, according to a just-released survey by BankRate.com. So yes, forcing government workers to show up without pay is wrong, unfair, and in some cases cruel. I flew out of Reagan airport in DC this morning, and I [Keep reading]
January is a good time to start looking around for simple ways to save money. Here’s a good one – stop paying for TV channels that you can watch for free. At least check your cable bill this month. January is also a “good” time for pay TV companies to impose [Keep reading]
January credit card bills are often very sobering — like a splash of cold water the morning after a bit too much partying. Maybe you’ve just seen the consequences of your generous December…or maybe you are too afraid to look. Either way, January is often a good time to take [Keep reading]
There’s been a lot of news this year. And it hasn’t all been about politics. It’s very hard as a reporter to break through all the noise coming out of Washington D.C. Still, I managed to do that a couple of times, as my list of 10 most popular stories [Keep reading]
Worst Christmas Eve EVER. Worst December since the Depression. Worst year since the Great Recession. Bear market. Do I have your attention now? The stock market is angry, and you are a victim now. If you’ve been brave enough to look at your portfolio in the past few days, you [Keep reading]
Bob Sullivan