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.
A career can leave a trail of old jobs, and sometimes an old pension gets left behind with them. A company closes, merges, or ends its pension plan; an employee moves, changes their name, or simply forgets a benefit earned decades earlier. The money does not vanish. In many cases it sits waiting under a…
For a household on a fixed income, the winter heating bill and the summer cooling bill are the two months that break the budget. A retiree who can comfortably cover an electric or gas bill in April can be staring at a figure two or three times as large in January. Budget billing, offered by…
At farmers markets across the country, the tables of ripe tomatoes, peaches, and fresh greens can feel out of reach for an older shopper counting every dollar of a fixed income. A little-known federal benefit was built for exactly that gap. The Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program hands eligible low-income seniors coupons or checks they…
A federal recall of roughly 1.5 million rechargeable hand warmers has landed a popular cold-weather gadget on the government’s danger list, and the notice carries an unusually grim detail: one owner has died. The devices, sold under the OCOOPA brand, can overheat and catch fire because of the lithium-ion batteries packed inside them. For older…
Most of the people eligible for a new $5.5 million data-breach settlement have probably never heard of the company paying it. Doxim, Inc. is a behind-the-scenes vendor that prepares account statements and tax forms for credit unions, which means it holds sensitive financial details for members who never dealt with it directly. A December 2023…
A privacy lawsuit over one of the most sensitive kinds of personal data — reproductive health information logged inside a phone app — has produced a $59.5 million settlement that is now open for claims. The case targeted Flo Health, maker of the widely used Flo period- and pregnancy-tracking app, along with Google and the…
Comcast has agreed to a $117.5 million settlement over a 2023 data breach that exposed personal information belonging to roughly 35.8 million Xfinity customers, and the window to file a claim is still open. Eligible customers can request a flat $50 payment without submitting any documentation, and the deadline to do so has been extended…
Most people assume a will is a private document, and in a sense it is right up until it is needed. The moment a will takes effect, it usually enters the probate court, and probate is a public process. That means the contents of an estate, the names of heirs and the value of what…
A will written years ago can quietly turn into a set of instructions no one actually wants followed. Life changes such as a divorce or the death of a spouse, child or named heir can leave an estate plan pointing at people who are no longer in the picture, and the document does not correct…
A hospital bill rarely arrives with a note explaining that the number printed on it is often negotiable, yet for many patients it is. Hospitals and physician groups frequently carry a quieter price for people who pay quickly in cash, and that discount is usually available only to those who think to ask before handing…