Q: We bought a house with a major problem, a covered-over sinkhole, that was not disclosed to us. No one wants to help us with it -- our agent, the seller, everyone has turned his or her back. The house is so torn up to fix the problem that we have been staying in a hotel. Is there anything we can do? -- Edythe

A: Most people have heard the ...Read more

While rising interest rates have sharply reduced the number of mortgage borrowers who can refinance into a lower rate, rising home prices create opportunities for some borrowers to refinance into mortgages that are less costly in other respects. Previous articles looked at refinancing a mortgage that is burdened by mortgage insurance, or by a ...Read more

It is finally summer and time for some vacation away from the office. It feels good, doesn't it?

For many of us, this time includes a goal to disconnect from our digital devices. It's a big goal in our highly digitalized lives where we have all forms of entertainment at our fingertips.

And it's not easy. In fact, Pew Research Center observed ...Read more

President Trump has picked a nominee for director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and, true to form, he's made a bad choice.

Trump this week will nominate Kathy Kraninger, a little-known White House budget official, to serve as the nation's top consumer watchdog.

She has no experience in consumer advocacy, no experience as a ...Read more

South Florida real estate agent Sara Dorfman hit the jackpot this month when she arranged the sale of a multi-unit complex in Fort Lauderdale's Victoria Park for $1.65 million. The chief selling point: The property was set up for vacation home rentals. And the buyer is eager to continue that business.

"We see more investors who are looking to ...Read more

DETROIT -- As Ford Motor Co. celebrated its return to Detroit with dignitaries and grand plans for the new economy and the future of transportation at Michigan Central Station in Corktown, Alondra Alvarez worried.

She slipped into the train station during a media huddle Tuesday and approached Bill Ford, the great-grandson of Henry Ford, ...Read more

A petition drive to force the exclusive Terranea Resort and nearby Trump National Golf Club to provide employees with panic buttons and wage increases is now the subject of a lawsuit alleging that the city of Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., is refusing to put the measure on the ballot.

The Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters certified last week...Read more

NEW YORK -- Walt Disney Co. and 21st Century Fox struck a new deal Wednesday: Disney agreed to pay $71.3 billion for Fox entertainment assets, surpassing the $65-billion offer from Comcast Corp.

Disney said it amended its original Dec. 21 agreement with Fox in which Disney offered $52.8 billion.

Fox said the amended deal is "superior" to the ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- For months, as the Trump administration ratcheted up trade threats -- announcing tariffs on allies and adversaries alike -- business at the nation's largest port complex in San Pedro Bay has hummed along, seemingly oblivious.

Smartphones, clothes and toys flowed in from China. Ceramics and beverages arrived from the European ...Read more

Aside from a flickering monitor, there is nothing quite as irksome as a balky mouse. The term "ergonomic" is used freely for mice these days, but decidedly many are not. And those that are truly ergonomic will help protect your hand and wrist from injuries without having to pay an arm and a leg.

I tested three different mice that call ...Read more

NEW YORK -- The threat from tariffs just got more serious for U.S. retailers and consumer brands, and they're preparing a coordinated and public campaign to confront it.

Companies such as Walmart Inc. and Nike Inc. have so far been spared during President Donald Trump's trade dispute with China. But that's expected to change after the White ...Read more

Civil war has broken out at 21st Century Fox.

The Murdoch family-controlled media conglomerate that has long thrived as a big tent that includes subversive entertainment shows such as "Family Guy" and conservative viewpoints of news commentators such as Sean Hannity is being pulled apart by partisan politics in the age of President Trump.

"...Read more

Walt Disney Co. has named two acclaimed animation filmmakers to lead its key Walt Disney and Pixar animation studios after the departure of top creative executive John Lasseter.

Jennifer Lee, who co-directed the blockbuster "Frozen" for Disney Animation, and Pete Docter, the writer-director behind Pixar's "Inside Out" and "Up," will become ...Read more

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Five years ago, Christine Hoffman struggled to get a reliable supply of locally grown and chemical-free flowers to sell at her St. Paul store, Foxglove Market and Studio.

At the time, just two flower farmers in Minnesota and Wisconsin were using the kind of earth-friendly practices she promoted exclusively. But whenever the ...Read more

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. economy is booming this quarter as tax cuts power consumers and businesses. Yet risks are mounting that the high will be short-lived.

The housing market is struggling to build on its progress thanks to supply constraints and soaring property values, with data Tuesday showing an unexpectedly large drop in construction ...Read more

From eggs to Honey Smacks and pre-cut melon, the food products recalled during the past few weeks could make shoppers queasy with worry about whether what they've just picked up from the grocery store is riddled with potentially harmful pathogens.

This year, salmonella has been the headliner, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ...Read more

Q: I read that I could get better protection against hackers by switching to an independent internet connection service, such as Google Public DNS, Cloudflare or Quad9. What do you think?

-- Bob Lommel, Minnetonka, Minn.

A: There are some security benefits, but they fall short of what's needed.

The hacking you refer to (called DNS hijacking) ...Read more