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 monthly check that arrives reliably for years can look, to a company on the other end of a sales pitch, like a discount waiting to be locked in. Retirees and disabled workers who receive a pension, a structured settlement, or another stream of guaranteed payments are a recurring target for firms that offer a…
A credit freeze remains one of the strongest tools available against identity theft, and it costs nothing to use. Federal law requires the three national credit bureaus to freeze and unfreeze a credit file free of charge, yet many retirees still assume the protection carries a fee or a hassle large enough to skip it…
A retiree who loses track of an old life insurance policy, or a surviving family member who never knew one existed, is not alone: insurance regulators estimate billions of dollars in life insurance and annuity benefits sit unclaimed nationwide because no one ever filed for them. A free tool run by state insurance regulators can…
Two unrelated data-breach settlements are both paying cash to affected consumers this fall, and neither requires a receipt to collect the baseline payment. A $35 million settlement tied to a years-old breach at a Labcorp billing vendor closes to new claims on September 3, while a separate settlement over a December 2024 breach at the…
Comcast has agreed to pay $117.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over a 2023 data breach that hit its Xfinity internet, cable and phone customers, and the claims window is still open. Eligible customers can request an estimated $50 with no documentation required, or file for reimbursement of up to $10,000 in documented losses…
A collections call about a decade-old credit card bill can feel harmless to settle with a small goodwill payment just to make it stop. In many states, that single dollar can undo years of legal protection. Once a debt passes its statute of limitations, a collector generally cannot successfully sue over it — but making…
Many older Americans add a son or daughter to a checking or savings account so bills get paid on time and money stays reachable if health declines. The bank teller rarely mentions what that signature actually does: it turns the account into shared property, with the child holding the same legal claim to every dollar…
A $2.95 million settlement resolving a 2024 data breach at STIIIZY, the California cannabis retail and delivery brand, is now accepting claims from customers whose personal information was exposed in the incident. Eligible members of the settlement class can choose a documented-loss payment of up to $7,500 or a no-proof cash payment, and everyone who…
Somewhere in a state government account, tens of billions of dollars sit waiting for the rightful owners to ask for it back. Forgotten savings accounts, uncashed refund and paycheck checks, insurance payouts, utility deposits, and the contents of old safe-deposit boxes all pile up when a company loses track of a customer. State treasurers and…
Consumer data-breach settlements have become a quiet source of small, real cash payments, and several are open for claims at this moment. Two of them stand out because they ask for almost nothing from the person filing: a simple form, a name, and a submission before a deadline. Neither requires a receipt or proof of…