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Everyday Cheapskate: The Joys of Raising Financially Confident Teens
Dear Cheapskate: As a teen, my daughter wanted name-brand jeans, clothing, shoes -- whatever she thought all the "cool" kids had. She wouldn't step into a thrift shop or discount store. It was a constant battle until I decided she would have a clothing/necessity allowance.
I gave her a set amount of money each month to cover those expenses. If ...Read more
She couldn't afford a bigger house in LA. So she built a stylish ADU for $230,000
LOS ANGELES -- When Kille Knobel and her then-husband bought a Midcentury ranch house in Glendale for their family of five, the thought of updating the home, which was in a good school district but had been flipped on the cheap by an investor, didn’t even cross their minds.
Knobel, an Emmy-nominated lighting designer who has worked with acts ...Read more
Minnesota homeowners say they were hit with huge hidden fees when going solar
It was an interest rate so low that John Ahnemann felt he couldn’t turn it down.
So Ahnemann, a real estate agent living in St. Paul’s Midway neighborhood, signed the paperwork last year for a $46,500 loan at 3.49% interest to put 17 solar panels on his house and garage.
“I have no idea how they’re able to do this,” he said, ...Read more
J.D. Power: More than one quarter of bank customers experienced fraud
Having fraudulent transactions on your bank account can be a scary and frustrating experience, even traumatic. But if you have a bank and financial institution — be it a bank or credit union — that cares about the security of your money, resolving the issue well could give you a lasting peace of mind.
That’s likely why 92% of bank ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: Fresh Produce 101
Psssst! Could you use an extra $300? You might want to take a look in your garbage.
Recent studies indicate that food waste remains a significant issue in American households. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that 31% of the food supply at retail and consumer levels is lost or wasted, amounting to approximately 133 billion pounds ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: 'Plan' is Not a Four-Letter Word
A friend -- I'll call her Sally -- in her early 30s moved from Arizona to Florida in search of a better job and a new life. Not that many months later she decided a change of scenery wasn't the solution she thought it would be and moved back.
She decided that what she really wanted was to settle down and buy a house.
She'd had surgery the year...Read more
The world's 10 richest people: The wealthiest have $100 billion or more
The world’s wealthiest people have several things in common, but one of the most prominent is that the 10 richest have more than $100 billion to their name. The very top have more than $200 billion. These amounts don’t consist of cash sitting in a bank but are mainly investments, often of some of the largest publicly traded companies, which ...Read more
Top 9 benefits of 529 education savings plans
A 529 plan gives consumers a tax-advantaged way to pay for education, and that’s a boon for parents and other family members who want to save for a child’s schooling. A 529 plan offers several other benefits, including the ability to invest with potentially high-return assets such as stock funds, instead of being limited to low-return bank ...Read more
Trump built his brand on real estate. How does the industry view his win?
Many in the real estate industry look back fondly on Donald Trump’s first administration, including big corporate tax cuts and a developer-friendly tax incentive to induce investment in low-income areas.
Trump’s second presidency could see a renewal of his signature tax cuts. He’s pledged to reduce regulations, and the billionaire real ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: Boomerang Kids: Leaving the Nest on a Round-Trip Ticket
Ah, the blissful day when your young adult finally moves out. You revel in the newfound quiet, reclaim a closet or two and might even consider turning that old bedroom into a hobby space. But just as you're settling into this next phase, in walks your fully grown child, suitcase in hand, declaring that they're home again. Welcome to the world of...Read more
'A Real Pain' review: Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg are cousins in a disarming 2024 film highlight
Everyone’s entitled to their opinions unless of course they’re dumb ones. Speaking of which, I never understood the dismissiveness when it came to Jesse Eisenberg.
The actor he grew into, with his Oscar-nominated turn in “The Social Network,” has so little regard for artifice that it’s an affront to many viewers’ needs in the ...Read more
'A Real Pain' review: Jesse Eisenberg's gently beautiful odd-couple comedy
David and Benji Kaplan, the 40-ish cousins who make up the central duo of “A Real Pain,” are the sort of odd-couple opposites in which movies specialize. David (Jesse Eisenberg), tense and fast-talking, is the settled one; he has a wife, a toddler, a nice Brooklyn apartment and a steady tech job, yet he struggles with anxiety. Benji (a ...Read more
Seattle-area homebuyers, trying to go agent-free, face hurdles
Ballard, Washington, renters Anurag Kamasamudram and Mayuri Gupta started their home search casually this fall. They hoped to get a feel for the market, “window shopping” before they hired an agent and started searching more seriously in the spring.
But the couple quickly ran into problems. Agents representing home sellers seemed hesitant ...Read more
'It's a tremendous opportunity.' Closure of Phillips 66 refinery in LA County has developers salivating
The South Bay region of Los Angeles County is in for a large-scale transformation near the Port of Los Angeles as Phillips 66 shuts down its sprawling refineries and makes way for developers to reimagine the prime real estate.
Potential replacements for the century-old refinery complex covering 650 acres include housing and last-mile ...Read more
One-third of Philadelphia-area rentals offered free rent or other perks in October
Folks who are looking to rent a home now have more negotiating power, especially heading into the end of the year.
The rental market is typically slower in the fall, but it has slowed beyond what’s expected. An influx of new apartments in Philadelphia and across the country has controlled rent increases and forced landlords to work harder to ...Read more
Real estate Q&A: Do I need my ex's signature to sell house I kept in divorce?
Q: When I divorced my first husband more than a decade ago, we agreed that I would keep the house. Now, I want to sell it, and I am being told that he must also sign the deed. The problem is that I have not spoken with him in years and have no idea how to get in touch. What can I do? — Janet
A: There is a distinction between agreeing to do ...Read more
More people embracing leaves: 'What falls in my yard stays in my yard'
CHICAGO -- Fall leaves get a warm welcome from Christie Hunt.
The River Forest, Illinois, resident rakes them into her flower beds, where they decay, providing fertilizer and valuable winter habitat for bees, moths, butterflies and fireflies.
She also piles leaves around her fig tree, where they provide protection against the cold.
And when ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: Sandwiched Between Aging Parents and Adult Children
A lovely new assisted living complex is under construction close to where I live. As beautiful as this place is, it has become a daily reminder to me of how difficult it can be to talk to aging parents about their health and future needs.
If you're 40 or older, you're part of the Sandwich Generation, which refers to middle-aged individuals who ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: A Nappy Solution for a Common Problem
I love to discover a second use for something most of us have around the house or can easily find. Today's first tip may give you a big surprise but for sure a big laugh. By the way, this really works!
Plant Potty Liner: Line the bottom of baskets and pots with a disposable diaper (yes, clean and unused!) before you put in the potting soil and ...Read more
Bitcoin nears $90,000 as crypto market exceeds pandemic-era peak
Bitcoin’s record-breaking rally took the digital asset close to $90,000 for the first time and lifted the overall value of the crypto market above its pandemic-era peak as traders bet on a boom under President-elect Donald Trump.
The largest token has jumped about 32% since the U.S. election on Nov. 5, hitting an all-time high of $89,599 on ...Read more
Inside Consumer
Popular Stories
- Minnesota homeowners say they were hit with huge hidden fees when going solar
- Lower taxes, higher tariffs: What Trump's tax plans mean for you
- J.D. Power: More than one quarter of bank customers experienced fraud
- The world's 10 richest people: The wealthiest have $100 billion or more
- Inherited IRA rules: 7 things all beneficiaries must know