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.
Virginia food stamp households will lose their old magnetic stripe EBT cards 60 days after a new chip card is mailed, and the cutoff applies even if the new card is never activated. The state is replacing every SNAP card in phases through December 2026, and the new cards are mandatory. A household that sets…
Former Starbucks health plan members who were sent a COBRA notice between July 21, 2016 and January 1, 2023 and did not elect coverage can claim a share of a $325,000 settlement, but only by mailing a claim form postmarked by December 2. About 33,800 people are in the class. The lawsuit says the notice…
Wyoming SNAP households will no longer be able to buy sweetened, carbonated beverages with their benefits starting February 1, 2027. The change comes under a two-year waiver the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved on March 4, 2026. It applies to the entire SNAP caseload in the state, and households cannot opt out. Where the waiver…
Lithonia Lighting will repair about 11,532 recalled mounts on RSX outdoor light fixtures at no cost, on fixtures that sold for between $400 and $2,200. The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall on October 22. The knuckle of the tilt arm can fail and let the fixture fall, creating an impact hazard. What is…
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has dropped its portable fuel container requirements for fuel additives, and the agency says the change will save businesses up to $10.7 billion over 30 years. Bottles of engine cleaner, fuel stabilizer and similar products no longer need the flame mitigation devices built for gasoline cans. CPSC announced the…
The Federal Trade Commission warned October 22 about callers who pose as FTC officials, claim a phone number is tied to scams overseas, threaten to shut it off, pass the victim to a fake police officer and then demand a “security deposit.” The alert comes from the commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection staff. Its message…
Amazon Prime refunds now reach up to $200 per customer, and every payment expires 60 days after it is issued, the FTC says. Automatic payments to a newly eligible group began October 1. Customers who get a PayPal or Venmo payment, or a mailed check, have a fixed window to act before the money lapses….
New York T-Mobile customers on 4G phones whose “price guarantee” plans went up can cancel and get last month’s payment back, plus a $25 card, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced October 20. The deal covers about 252,957 plans and is worth up to just over $38 million, her office says. T-Mobile advertised the…
President Trump’s budget plan would raise basic pay 7% in January for junior enlisted troops in pay grades E-1 through E-5, and the House has passed a defense bill that includes it. The Senate’s version offers a flat 3.6% to everyone. The two chambers have not settled the difference, and neither number is law. What…
Federal prosecutors in western Michigan say a Lansing convenience store owner paid customers about 50 cents in cash for every $1 of food stamp benefits. The Justice Department puts the intended loss from the scheme at $1,089,949. Mohinder Singh was charged with theft of public money and nine counts of SNAP fraud in a case…