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Musk plans to gift SpaceX shares to kids through Trump Accounts

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Elon Musk vowed to distribute a share of SpaceX to each child in the U.S., a multibillion-dollar pledge that adds to a string of sizable donations from the tech industry for the benefit of the American public.

“Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America,” the company’s chief executive officer wrote Monday on X,...Read more

David Guralnick/The Detroit News/TNS

Dan Gilbert pledges $1 billion for RenCen revamp, nonprofit to own complex

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

DETROIT — Mortgage mogul Dan Gilbert has pledged $1 billion to establish a new nonprofit that will redevelop, own and operate the Renaissance Center and surrounding 35-acre east riverfront district, officials said Oct. 19.

The contribution comes as the $2 billion project with RenCen owner General Motors Co. moves forward with plans to ...Read more

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Donating to charity? Your generosity could pay off at tax time this year

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

For years, people have faithfully dropped money into church collection plates, supported their favorite charities or helped fund local nonprofits — only to discover their donations didn’t save them a dime in federal income taxes.

Now, a new tax law is changing that.

Starting with the 2026 tax year, taxpayers who take the standard deduction...Read more

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US homebuilder sentiment drops to 14-year low on weak sales

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Confidence among U.S. homebuilders this month slumped to a 14-year low as mortgage rates above 7%, labor shortages and elevated supply costs batter the housing market.

The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo gauge of housing market conditions fell 3 points to 29, the lowest since June 2012. The median estimate in a Bloomberg ...Read more

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images North America/TNS

CoreWeave stock wipeout exposes divide between AI fear and greed

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

CoreWeave Inc. has become caught in a tug of war between investors who see rising bond yields as a potential rally killer for the AI trade and those who think demand for computing power will make those concerns seem passe before long.

The cloud-computing services provider’s shares plunged 20% in the first three sessions of the week, including...Read more

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Malibu's million-dollar mansions, burned by fire, face a new threat from El Niño

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Duke’s Malibu has endured one disaster after another. The famed restaurant perched over the Pacific narrowly survived last year’s Palisades Fire, though smoke left it badly damaged. Five weeks later, a mudslide forced it to close for 13 months.

Last weekend, waves came crashing through its windows.

Workers scrambled to board up the ...Read more

David Guralnick/The Detroit News/TNS

Detroit's Renaissance Center embroiled in dispute over what constitutes affordable housing

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

DETROIT — Developers of the proposed $2.2 billion Renaissance Center project are resisting calls for deeper affordable housing commitments, as Detroit residents press for lower rents and millions of dollars in housing assistance in exchange for public subsidies toward a reimagining of the iconic riverfront complex.

Nearly 200 apartments in ...Read more

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images North America/TNS

NYC's iconic Plaza Hotel to close down for 4-year facade renovation

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

New York City’s iconic Plaza Hotel is closing for a four-year renovation of its historic facade.

The closure, which is set to begin in Jan. 2027, will accommodate repairs to the hotel’s landmarked exterior, ensuring guest safety and adhering to preservation requirements, Plaza management said in a statement Wednesday.

The hotel operators ...Read more

Ronaldo BolaÒos/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Inside a California shopping center's struggle to reinvent mall food

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

LOS ANGELES — Westfield Topanga is one of Southern California's most popular malls, but it has grappled with what to do with the empty space left when it lost its Sears.

Joining a national wave of malls trying to become fancy food destinations, it launched its food hall — Topanga Social — in 2023, with high-end menus and an upgraded ...Read more

Real estate Q&A: What should we check before we buy a house near the water?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: We found a beautiful home a few blocks from the water and are ready to make an offer. Friends keep warning us about flood zones and insurance, and one even mentioned something called an elevation certificate. We don’t want to talk ourselves out of a house we love, but we also don’t want a nasty surprise. What should we check before we buy...Read more

Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

US mortgage rates reach 7.5%; home-buying slump hits sixth week

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

U.S. mortgage rates continue to rise, pushing down home purchasing activity for a sixth straight week.

The contract rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage ticked up 1 basis point to 7.50% in the week ended Oct. 9, still the highest level since November 2023, according to Mortgage Bankers Association data released Wednesday. Rates are up nearly 1 ...Read more

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images North America/TNS

US retirees to get another $75 a month for 2027 Social Security

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Monthly checks for nearly 72 million Americans receiving Social Security benefits will increase by 3.6% in 2027, the most in four years.

The cost-of-living adjustment, known as COLA, will apply to Social Security benefits starting in January and increase the average benefit for retired workers by $75 per month to $2,170, the Social Security ...Read more

E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/TNS

JPMorgan Chase reports 10-year return on $200 million in Chicago philanthropic investments

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

JPMorgan Chase issued a report this week seeking to determine the return on $214 million in philanthropic investments it made over the past decade into developing underserved Chicago communities.

While perhaps a little harder to measure than more traditional financial investments, the answer is: a lot, or more precisely, hundreds of them.

...Read more

Real estate Q&A: Is seller financing a good idea?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: Our house has been sitting on the market for months, and a buyer finally offered full price if we would finance the sale ourselves instead of making him get a bank loan. We own the home free and clear and like the idea of the monthly income. Is seller financing a good idea, or are we asking for trouble? — Walter

A: Seller financing can be ...Read more

Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times/TNS

The Bloc is back on the market as downtown LA's office market shows signs of bottoming out

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The Bloc, a massive mixed-use complex in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, is on the block for sale as the commercial property market shows signs it is bottoming out with buildings changing hands at big discounts.

The complex fills a city block in the financial district with an office skyscraper, the high-rise Sheraton Grand hotel and a ...Read more

Phillip Molnar/Los Angeles Times/TNS

US apartment sizes are growing. Not in San Diego

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Average U.S. apartment sizes have risen but not in San Diego where space is at a premium.

San Diego’s average new apartment size was 827 square feet in 2025, said a new study from rental website RentCafe, less than the national average of 910 square feet. San Diego’s apartment size was unchanged from the previous year, whereas the national ...Read more

Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times/TNS

New Gehry concert hall takes shape in downtown Los Angeles

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

A pet project of architect Frank Gehry, a smaller concert hall to complement his legendary Walt Disney Concert Hall, is taking shape in downtown Los Angeles for an opening next September.

Elements Gehry devised to set it apart are already visible, as construction on the $337 million addition to the Colburn School of Performing Arts reveals ...Read more

Dreamstime/DREAMSTIME/TNS

Gold surged to a record, then fell hard. What happened?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Gold has been on a wild ride this year.

The precious metal soared to a record of nearly $5,600 an ounce before tumbling to roughly $4,000. It has since clawed its way back to about $4,200, leaving investors wondering whether gold’s spectacular run has more room to go — or whether the metal’s best days are behind it.

Daniel Eye, senior ...Read more

Christina House/Los Angeles Times/TNS

How an indie folk couple turned a Topanga A-frame into a sanctuary for music and recovery

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

LOS ANGELES -- The sky was blue, and the winding street in Topanga Canyon was quiet. Only birds and the voices of Deena Robertson and Austin Bisnow could be heard, their sweet harmonies floating from their A-frame cabin into the canyon.

"If I were a painter, I'd be your eyes and spend eternity looking inside.

If I were a dancer, I'd spin you...Read more

Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune/TNS

State Farm raising Illinois homeowners insurance rates by 8%

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

It may not cause the sticker shock of last year’s whopping increase, but State Farm is set to raise homeowners insurance rates in Illinois by another nearly 8% this fall, according to a recent filing with the state.

The increase went into effect for new policies on October 1, while current customers will see the higher rates beginning in ...Read more