The financial news that actually matters
A general consumer finance category covering everyday money decisions, budgeting, saving, debt management, credit behavior, and personal financial improvement strategies.
Eligible Veterans’ Group Life Insurance policies will remain covered during a three-month premium holiday starting November 1. The Department of Veterans Affairs says the waiver runs through January 31, 2027. For current policyholders, the main administrative issue is how premiums are being paid before the holiday begins. A policyholder using the program’s automatic collection may…
More than 2.1 million people are scheduled to receive PayPal refunds in the FTC’s Cleo AI case beginning October 27. The Federal Trade Commission says the distribution totals more than $15.8 million. Recipients have 30 days after a payment arrives to accept it, making the receipt date part of the refund process. A Cleo customer’s…
Consumers who bought certain listed generic drugs between May 1, 2009 and December 31, 2019 may be eligible to claim from two of four price-fixing settlements. The claim deadline is November 9, 2026, and purchases in Indiana and Ohio are excluded from the consumer classes described in the notices. The four settlements total $533 million,…
The Federal Trade Commission says it is sending a second round of AdvoCare refund payments to people who accepted an earlier payment. The new round covers 170,571 payments totaling more than $11.4 million. The first round, sent in May 2022, returned more than $137.8 million. This is not a new public claim window. The FTC…
Farmers and other buyers of John Deere large agricultural equipment repair services may be covered by a proposed settlement, but the cash and repair-access benefits follow different rules. A valid claim form is required for money from the settlement fund. The administrator says class members do not need to file anything to receive the settlement’s…
Federal employees and other eligible participants will have from November 9 through December 14 to change coverage for the 2027 plan year. The Office of Personnel Management’s current open-season highlights list the dates but do not give a time of day for the December 14 closing. The window covers the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program,…
Drivers in the Hyundai and Kia immobilizer settlement can seek up to $2,250 for a qualifying partial loss, but that figure is a ceiling rather than a flat payment. The official settlement site also says the money comes from a limited fund that is paid on a rolling basis. That creates two separate questions after…
As of October 12, the Federal Register had no Social Security Administration determination for the 2027 contribution and earnings limits. SSA’s prior-year notice says the agency publishes the non-cost-of-living determinations by November 1, while the separate cost-of-living determination follows a 45-day period after the third quarter ends. Until the 2027 figures are issued, workers and…
Small businesses make up most of the SNAP retailers counted in the federal government’s estimate of stores affected by a new food-stocking rule. The final rule lists 269,217 authorized retailers as of April 30, 2025, including 188,512 small stores and 80,705 large stores. Retailers must meet updated staple-food inventory standards by November 4, 2026. The…
Social Security’s inspector general found $1,927,342 in unresolved overpayments among 349 people in one segment of the agency’s benefit records. That is an actual amount in a specific audit sample, not the estimated amount for every person who receives Social Security. The September 30 audit also projected $242.6 million in overpayments across a much larger…