The recent increase in inflation could mean retirees already receiving their Social Security benefit might see 2022 it rise by about 5%, which would be the biggest annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in more than a decade.

But the even bigger payoff from a large Social Security COLA will be for anyone at least 62 who has yet to start ...Read more

Unlike many diseases that afflict aging humans, there are already cures for the most common, serious and expensive threat to thousands of aging buildings along Florida’s coast, a malady that structural engineers have dubbed “concrete cancer.”

The symptoms show up first as rust-stained columns or cracked balconies — tell-tale signs the ...Read more

A wet summer that brought several tropical storms and a barrage of torrential rain to Connecticut has hit farms hard, ruining fall crops and dealing a blow to the state’s $4 billion-a-year agriculture sector.

Ida and Henri flooded about 25 acres of Rodger Phillips’ 300-acre Sub Edge Farm, leaving some places submerged 7 feet, killing ...Read more

Florida has been the first home for each of Royal Caribbean’s Oasis-class vessels since Oasis of the Seas debuted in 2008, but was set to lose out to China for the fifth ship in the class, Wonder of the Seas. But the cruise line announced some changes that will bring the ship to the Sunshine State early next year.

What will inherit the title ...Read more

Our favorite housing economist — yes, we have one of those — is Jenny Schuetz, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, who publishes a steady stream of insightful and practical articles on topics like why getting a multi-year lease is a good idea and whom you should blame for high housing costs (spoiler alert: greedy people). We caught...Read more

Lumber prices, a key cost in home construction and an influence on inflation, have plunged from their peaks this spring but remain well above pre-pandemic levels.

The development is welcome news to people who want to build a new home because, aside from land acquisition and labor, lumber is typically the highest component cost.

Prices on ...Read more

South Florida could become the worst place in the country for renters by the end of the year, partly because wages don’t keep up with exorbitant rent increases. a new forecast shows.

Renters here are likely to devote 40% of their income to rent by the end of the year, according to a forecast by Zillow, an online real estate marketplace that ...Read more

Businesses and governments that require customers to show proof of a coronavirus vaccine will start to face hefty fines on Thursday, but some details about how the new law will work remain unclear.

The Florida Department of Health will be responsible for enforcing the $5,000 per violation charge under a law blocking so-called “vaccine ...Read more

The federal government has imposed sanctions on three Medicare Advantage health plans run by UnitedHealthcare because the Minnetonka-based health insurer spent too small a share of premium revenue on medical benefits for seniors.

As a result, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced earlier this month that the ...Read more

The third round of monthly advance payments for the child tax credit was scheduled to hit bank accounts Wednesday, given that it's Sept. 15.

So what better time for the scammers to text our phones with promises of big cash?

On the night of Sept. 14, I received this text: "Apply for government pandemic extra stimulus bonus of $1,400."

Of ...Read more

Hundreds of deals by U.S. technology giants flew under the radar of merger watchdogs, fueling the companies’ unchecked growth in the digital economy, according to a Federal Trade Commission study.

The data on acquisitions by Apple Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Alphabet Inc.’s Google, and Microsoft Corp. show that antitrust enforcers must be more ...Read more

The folks at Dodge must know what their customers like.

The Stellantis brand that makes its living off heavy horsepower Hemis led all mass market brands and tied with Porsche overall in the J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout Study being released Wednesday. The annual APEAL study is essentially a measure of brand ...Read more

Nikola Corp. offered the public a look at the production line the company is counting on to start delivering trucks to customers in the wake of its founder being charged with securities fraud.

The U.S. manufacturer hosted an event Wednesday in Ulm, Germany, where its partner Iveco — the commercial-vehicle unit of CNH Industrial NV — is ...Read more

Rivian Automotive Inc. beat the Detroit Three to market with its all-electric pickup truck the R1T, which started rolling off the assembly line Tuesday, according to CEO RJ Scaringe's Twitter feed.

"After months of building pre-production vehicles, this morning our first customer vehicle drove off our production line in Normal," Scaringe ...Read more

Vanguard, which has pioneered low-cost funds that passively track the stock market, plans to launch three new actively managed funds later this year, but they will be available only to customers of the company's adviser service, which charges a 0.30% annual fee.

The funds — Advice Select Dividend Growth, Advice Select International Growth and...Read more

Theranos whistleblower Erika Cheung’s first inkling that the company’s technology fell short of founder Elizabeth Holmes’ claims arose because the startup used its workers’ blood to check how well tests performed, the former laboratory assistant testified Tuesday.

“Employees would essentially donate their blood to Theranos for cash,�...Read more

The shrinking paychecks and job losses of 2020 could prove a bit helpful now, as college students and families make a pitch for financial aid for the 2022-23 school year.

Smaller incomes, after all, could mean a better shot at more financial aid. But if you saw big gains picking stocks and day trading online last year, well, you'll have to take...Read more

DETROIT — Greg Patton says he's not like other mechanics with more than 40 years of greasy auto repair experience because he gets the coming electric vehicle future.

In the last four decades, he's watched manufacturers work to adapt their technology for better fuel economy to the point where vehicles now shut off when stopped. There's not ...Read more

You don't have to leave your gate or get in line to order food at the airport anymore, thanks to "Gita," the robot that delivers.

Airline passengers can now order from McDonald's and other restaurants at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport by using the online food delivery service Order SEA. For a $2.99 fee, Gita, the robot on wheels, escorted...Read more

Members of a 3M committee at headquarters in Maplewood, Minn., had two big questions to answer in spring of 1978.

Did studies showing PFAS chemicals were more toxic to animals than 3M thought pose risks to public health and the environment? Or did research that PFAS were collecting in the bodies of 3M workers pose risks to public health and the...Read more