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.
Residential electricity customers served by PPL Electric Utilities will see higher monthly bills after Pennsylvania regulators approved a settlement that resolves the company’s distribution rate review. The increase affects roughly 1.5 million accounts across eastern and central Pennsylvania, pushing a typical household bill to about $184 per month. PPL had originally sought approximately $356 million…
Consumers across the United States can collect cash from at least a dozen active refund programs this summer, and several of those programs do not require any proof of purchase to file a claim. The Federal Trade Commission maintains a running index of these distributions, tied to enforcement actions against companies accused of illegal robocalls,…
Dave Ramsey has built a career telling ordinary families to avoid debt, live on less than they earn, and invest steadily. Yet when he talks about how wealthy people buy boats, luxury cars, or vacation homes, his advice sounds surprisingly permissive, with one key condition: the purchase cannot disturb their financial foundation. His recent comments…
Cardholders carrying a typical revolving balance are now paying roughly $1,462 a year in interest alone, a figure driven by average credit-card APRs near 22 percent. That cost reflects not just Federal Reserve rate policy but also widening profit margins that card issuers have built on top of the prime rate. With the Consumer Financial…
More than one million people who used the Brigit cash-advance app are set to receive a second round of refund checks from the Federal Trade Commission. The agency is distributing more than $6.8 million in payments to 1,052,038 consumers, according to the FTC, following an initial round sent in November 2024 that totaled more than…
Wartime veterans who need daily assistance and the surviving spouses they leave behind can receive monthly VA pension payments reaching $2,873 when they qualify for the Aid and Attendance add-on. That figure reflects the highest Maximum Annual Pension Rate tier for the current cycle, effective December 1, 2025, after a 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment. Many eligible…
Ohio households served by FirstEnergy and AEP face a punishing summer billing season, with residential electric costs climbing sharply as transmission and distribution charges rise faster than general inflation. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio has approved new distribution rates for FirstEnergy’s Ohio utilities while separately ordering adjustments to soften the immediate hit, a signal…
People who bought Nutricost magnesium supplements may be able to file a claim without providing a receipt before a settlement deadline closes. The case centers on whether the product’s Supplement Facts panel accurately disclosed the amount of elemental magnesium, a distinction that matters because federal labeling rules require specific quantitative declarations for minerals. Consumers who…
Subscribers who paid for YouTube TV or DirecTV Stream during a period covered by a class action lawsuit against The Walt Disney Company now have until September 8 to file claims in a $50 million settlement. The deal, reached at mediation on October 3, 2025, resolves allegations that Disney imposed pricing and packaging terms in…
Every American now has the right to pull a free credit report from each of the three nationwide bureaus every single week, not just once a year. The Federal Trade Commission confirmed this change through a consumer alert, making permanent a policy that first took effect as a temporary pandemic-era measure. The shift matters because…