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Everyday Cheapskate: No-Cost Ways to Drift Off to Sleep That Don't Involve Sheep

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Ah, sleep -- that elusive friend we all need but sometimes can't seem to find. I don't know about you, but I've spent plenty of nights staring at the ceiling, wondering why my brain insists on replaying every awkward thing I've ever done instead of letting me snooze. The good news? You don't need fancy gadgets, pricey pillows or lavender-scented...Read more

Roman Tiraspolsky/Dreamstime/TNS

E*Trade plans zero-cost funds that only platform clients can buy

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Morgan Stanley’s E*Trade is planning a suite of free funds, with a catch — only customers of the brokerage platform would be able to buy them.

The firm submitted plans on Monday for five mutual funds spanning stocks and bonds, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. While all five funds would be zero-cost, buying ...Read more

RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post/TNS

One Colorado county's property values just plummeted. Here's why officials aren't panicking amid oil booms and busts.

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The subject line of a press release this month from Weld County, Colorado, was stark and foreboding: “County’s assessed value sees 20% decrease.”

The cratering of taxable property value in the large county that hugs metro Denver’s northeast corner — from nearly $25 billion in 2023 to just under $20 billion this year — would probably...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: 10 Essential Resources for Caregivers

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Planning for an uncertain future can feel downright overwhelming -- like trying to pack for a trip without knowing the destination. Whether you're making arrangements for elderly parents or figuring out your own plan, I am confident that the following books, websites and organizations will give you the kind of help, support and information you ...Read more

Yuri Arcurs/Dreamstime/TNS

The average American household budget, at a glance

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Many Americans spend a sizable amount of their income to keep a roof over their heads, food on the table and a means of transportation. Other items commonly found in household budgets include education, child care, health care, retirement savings and entertainment.

Inflation has cooled significantly from its 40-year-high in 2022, yet prices ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Warren Buffett's top 5 tips for surviving a bear market

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Warren Buffett is among the greatest investors of all time. His company, Berkshire Hathaway, has returned around 20% annually since Buffett took over in the 1960s, trouncing the S&P 500’s annual return over that time period.

In 2024, Buffett has sold shares in some longtime holdings, such as Apple and Bank of America. The sales helped push ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: 13 Practical Tips to Cut Pet Food Costs Without Sacrificing Quality

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

When money is tight, the grocery bill isn't the only thing that makes us sweat. For pet owners, the cost of keeping furry family members fed and happy can feel like an added burden. But cutting costs doesn't mean you have to skimp on quality or compromise your pet's health. With a little creativity, you can keep tails wagging without breaking ...Read more

Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times/TNS

After Los Angeles County bought a skyscraper, a fight over whether to tear down its historic headquarters

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

With the ink dry on the County of Los Angeles' $200-million purchase of the Gas Company Tower office building downtown, a fight is brewing over what to do with the 1960s-vintage headquarters it plans to leave behind.

Supervisor Janice Hahn and preservationists are pushing back against a plan to move workers into the newly purchased skyscraper ...Read more

Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Farmers Insurance expands home coverage in California, saying market has improved

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Farmers Insurance plans to increase the number of homeowners insurance policies it will write and begin offering coverage again for new customers in other types of dwellings, citing improvements in California's home insurance market.

The Los Angeles-based company, the state's second-largest home insurer, said it will boost the number of ...Read more

Christy Rowe/Dreamstime.com/TNS

Real estate Q&A: What can we do about neighbor's smelly and possibly dangerous pets?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: Our neighbor in the adjoining townhouse keeps multiple pets and does not take very good care of them. We can clearly smell the bad odor which ruins our backyard experience. Still, we kept quiet because she was otherwise a good neighbor, and we got along. Recently, she took in what we believe is a bobcat, and we are concerned it may be ...Read more

Las Vegas Review-Journal/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

Investors have bought 131K homes in Las Vegas Valley since 2000

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Investors have purchased approximately 131,710 homes in the Las Vegas Valley since the start of 2000, according to data obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The valley posted the biggest increase of investor home purchases in the nation in the third quarter compared to the same quarter last year, at 27.6 percent, Redfin’s economic ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: The High Cost of Sitting Down

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Wellness. Health care. Both are on everyone's mind these days, and for good reason. Between the soaring cost of health insurance premiums, increasing copays and skyrocketing deductibles, plus the outrageous cost of some medications, it's enough to give you a heart attack.

But lest you think there's nothing you can do to keep your family's ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Honey, I Shrunk Your Sweater

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Dear Cheapskate: Thank you for your many helpful articles. In a past column you wrote about how to unshrink a wool sweater. All I can remember is that it involved baby shampoo. Could you print the instructions again? Thanks! -- Linda

Dear Linda: Sure, here it is: Mix a solution of 1 gallon lukewarm water and 2 tablespoons baby shampoo. Soak the...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

FDIC survey: Unbanked households hit record low

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

A record low number of households in the U.S. are unbanked, according to the 2023 Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households released Nov. 12, 2024. A household in which no members have a bank account, is how unbanked is defined by the FDIC.

This number has steadily decreased — from its ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: 9 Best Money Books for Kids and Teens

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

If I had a dollar for every person who has ever asked me, "Why didn't anyone ever tell me how to manage money and stay out of debt when I was a kid?!" I'd be a wealthy woman. If you have kids in your life as young as 3 and up to young-adult age, consider these excellent books to get those conversations started that can open the doors to ...Read more

Dark1elf/Dreamstime/TNS

5 ways to tell if you're on track for retirement -- and 5 things to do if you need to catch up, according to experts

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Just because retirement planning involves some guesswork doesn’t mean it has to be a total mystery.

Whether you’ve been saving since your first job or you’re getting a late start, you can leverage expert-recommended strategies to gauge your progress on the road to retirement. And if you’re not quite on track, don’t sweat it — the ...Read more

Yuri Gripas/Getty Images North America/TNS

10 Warren Buffett dividend stocks for passive income investors

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Dividend stocks can be a great way to generate passive income as an investor, and what better way to find dividend stock ideas than by sifting through the holdings of arguably the world’s greatest investor, Warren Buffett?

Berkshire Hathaway’s portfolio is filled with dividend stocks, which should come as no surprise to Buffett followers. ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Is Your Grocery Bill Gobbling Up Your Budget?

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Is your monthly grocery spending eating up a big portion of your income? You're not alone. Figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture show that as of March 2024, on average, a family of four spends $1,341 per month on groceries to be eaten at home. Here, let me do the math: That's $16,092 annually! And that doesn't take into consideration ...Read more

CHRIS DELMAS/Getty Images North America/TNS

Rocket Mortgage sues feds over discrimination allegations

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Rocket Mortgage is suing the federal government, seeking dismissal of a law suit that claims the Detroit lender discriminated against a Black homeowner who received an allegedly low appraisal when seeking to refinance her property loan.

Rocket Mortgage said Thursday that its federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban ...Read more

Vincent D. Johnson/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Chicago biohub backed by Mark Zuckerberg publishes its first research, discovering way to continuously monitor inflammation

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

A Chicago biomedical research hub backed by Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, has produced its first published research — on discovering a way to monitor inflammation in real time using sensors implanted under the skin.

The study, co-led by Northwestern University researchers at the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub ...Read more

 

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