Gotchas / Consumer
Scenes from the inauguration: Practice
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Gotchas / Consumer
Gotchas / Consumer
Two people claiming to be director of a federal agency? Here’s the courtroom drama to watch in Trump’s first days
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]
Gotchas / Consumer
Will a Trump presidency mean the return of Gotcha Capitalism?
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]
Gotchas / Consumer
BREAKING: CFPB sues Navient, formerly Sallie Mae, largest student loan servicer, says it ‘cheated’ borrowers
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]
Gotchas / Consumer
‘Nothing to do but pay until we die’ – student loan debts soar among the over-60 crowd
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]
Features
Grocery shopping is so 20th Century; eaters are looking for ‘experiences’ now (or what is old is new again)
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]
Gotchas / Consumer
Americans aren’t going West for opportunity anymore. Or East. Or anywhere… Why?
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]
Gotchas / Consumer
Top 20 surprising hot U.S. housing markets that could be primed for a fall in 2017
America’s housing market continued its staggering post-recession rise in 2016, as many regions surpassed their pre-recession-bubble highs. With interest rates finally rising, might some of those places be primed for a fall…or at least a pause? The list of U.S. areas that could be hurt most by rising mortgage costs [Keep reading]
Cybercrime / Privacy
‘They were able to steal $600 from me in seconds’ — Another holiday, another flurry Starbucks mobile app ‘hack’ complaints (and a special prepaid cards warning)
Angry Starbucks customers keep writing me to say their bank accounts are being drained via the coffee giant’s popular mobile app, more than a year after I first reported the disturbing problem. Such a heist ruined Jenna Veeve Farag’s Christmas morning. “They were able to wipe out my checking account,” she [Keep reading]
Gotchas / Consumer
Equifax, Trans Union will pay fines, refunds to settle charges they deceptively marketed free credit scores and credit reports
Equifax and Trans Union were smacked by federal regulators on the first business day of the year, as the credit bureau giants will pay millions to settle allegations they deceptively sold and advertised free credit reports and credit score products. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says the two giant credit bureaus [Keep reading]