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Everyday Cheapskate: A Letter From 13-Year-Old Abby

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Dear Mrs. Mary Hunt: My name is Abby. I am 13 years old. So, my mom got your book, "Raising Financially Confident Kids." She is on Chapter 9, and she wants to do that -- give your kids money and make them buy their clothes, shoes, etc., each month.

Well, I didn't really like the idea. I actually thought it was stupid. But I didn't say anything....Read more

Allison Dinner/Getty Images North America/TNS

Conor Sen: The housing market is moving in favor of Gen Z

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The American dream of owning a home has never seemed further out of reach for young people. You can hardly blame Gen Z and younger millennials for adopting an economic nihilism that prioritizes the here and now — whether that’s $400 Lola blankets or risky crypto trading — over stashing money away for a down payment.

But there’s an ...Read more

Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Neiman Marcus parent sells its Beverly Hills site

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

LOS ANGELES — The land below the Beverly Hills flagship store of luxury retailer Neiman Marcus has been sold to a New York investor as the owners of the department store chain sell property to pay debts.

Neiman Marcus, which has occupied the 9700 Wilshire Boulevard store since it opened in 1979, will continue to serve customers there as a ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Help! I Have Issues With Your Tub and Shower Soap Scum Cleaner

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

If I were keeping track of the number of responses from my readers that are filled with praise and gratitude, there would be thousands of hash marks next to Tub and Shower Soap Scum Cleaner. And the word used most often to describe it? "Magical"!

But now and then, a response will report problems having to do with allergies and, well, that smell...Read more

Bizuayehu Tesfaye @bizutesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

Mortgage rates could drop below 6% in 2026, report says

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Mortgage rates could briefly drop below 6 percent in 2026 which could unlock parts of the Las Vegas Valley housing market, according to a new forecast.

Lending Tree’s 2026 Housing and Economic Predictions report expects mortgage rates to drop into the 5 percent range sometime next year, something that has not happened since 2022. Freddie Mac ...Read more

Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Every Wall Street analyst now predicts a stock rally in 2026

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

At the big banks and the boutique investment shops, an optimistic consensus has taken hold: the U.S. stock market will rally in 2026 for a fourth straight year, marking the longest winning streak in nearly two decades.

There’s plenty of angst about the risks to the bull run that’s pushed the S&P 500 Index up some 90% since its October 2022 ...Read more

DREAMSTIME/TNS

What is a robo-advisor? How it works, how much it costs, and pros and cons

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Robo-advisors automate the investing process for you, making it simple to invest in a diversified portfolio of assets — and they cost much less than a typical financial advisor. It’s little wonder that many investors have turned to them, and robo-advisors now manage hundreds of billions of dollars.

What a robo-advisor does

A robo-advisor ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Why I Keep Binder Clips in Every Room

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

There are a few things I like to keep handy at all times -- nail file, a good pair of sunglasses, and binder clips. Yes, binder clips. The small, black ones with shiny silver handles that come in myriad sizes. The kind you can find in bulk at office supply stores for about the price of a fancy coffee.

I keep binder clips in nearly every room of...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Drowning in Scraps of Fabric

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Longtime readers of this column may remember the reader who wanted to know where she could donate her fabric scraps. I offered details on a small organization in Texas that turns new fabric scraps into quilts for shelters, churches and other charities.

Apparently, reader G.W. was not the only reader with fabric scraps too good to throw away. "...Read more

Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Downtown LA's struggle is overstated and fixable, says the mogul who built the Grand

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Downtown L.A. is doing better than you think it is, but the government needs to do more to energize the city, said one of the region's longest and most successful real estate leaders.

Bill Witte is retiring after running Related California, a large-scale developer of both luxury and low-income apartments, for more than three decades.

Among the...Read more

Courts rejects bid to beef up policies issued by California's home insurer of last resort

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Retired nurse Nancy Reed has been through the ringer trying to get insurance for her home next to a San Diego County nature preserve.

First, she was dropped by her longtime carrier and forced onto the state's insurer of last resort, the California FAIR Plan, which offers basic fire policies — something thousands of residents have experienced ...Read more

Katy Kildee/The Detroit News/TNS

Downtown Detroit sees wave of new retail

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

DETROIT — Downtown bustled this week with shoppers like Bill Atwood, 55, who stopped by GW Home to buy his wife a lamp for Christmas. The Detroiter has lived in Brush Park for 26 years and remembers the scarce retail offerings back then.

“I always dreamed of being able to Christmas shop here,” he said. “Back in 1999 there was almost ...Read more

Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times/TNS

They lost their homes in the LA wildfires. Now they can't get the mortgage relief the state promised

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

After business consultant Len Kendall lost his Pacific Palisades home in the January firestorms, he sought to put a temporary stop on his mortgage payments but set aside the effort after realizing the paperwork involved.

So he was pleased to learn in September about a new state law that required mortgage servicers to offer up to 12 months of ...Read more

MONICA HERNDON/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

What a professional home appraiser wants you to know

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

If you’re buying a home, refinancing your mortgage, or just want to know how much your home is worth, you’re probably going to need a property appraisal.

At its most basic, “an appraisal is an opinion of value for a home,” said Matthew Sestito, a Philadelphia-based appraiser who works throughout the five-county area for the national ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: 12 Ways to Simplify Your Life

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Would you be willing to accept a reduction in pay if you could work fewer hours to spend more time with your family? It is a lovely thought, but how realistic is it? Working less usually means earning less -- hardly an option for most people.

But that doesn't mean we cannot take small steps to simplify our complicated lives. A little bit here ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: What To Do If You Don't Have Enough Money to Pay All of Your Bills

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

It might be the rising cost of groceries, or perhaps you've lost your job or have already been living paycheck-to-paycheck with no cushy emergency fund to fall back on. For whatever reason, suddenly this month you can't pay all your bills.

You're scared, angry, worried and overwhelmed. What are you supposed to do right now? Which bills should ...Read more

Designer491/Dreamstime/TNS

The best places to keep your emergency fund

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Unexpected events, such as an emergency room visit or a broken-down car, can result in major financial problems when you don’t have an emergency fund in place.

It’s not just about having some cash — ideally enough to cover at least six months of your expenses — set aside for those worst-case scenarios, though. Where you keep that money...Read more

Many renters say they'll never buy a home, according to a national survey

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

This year, renters were burdened by housing costs, pessimistic about the economy, and less likely to say homeownership is part of the American dream, according to a survey by the national rental listing platform Zumper.

Zumper surveyed more than 6,000 renters across the country as part of its annual report about the state of renting. The report...Read more

Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Insuring your pet? You should know about these changes to Florida law

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

As vet bills skyrocket, more and more pet owners are turning to insurance programs to prevent their pets’ surprise illness from becoming a financial hardship.

But the devil is in the details, and complaints have surfaced that procedures and care that consumers thought were covered by the policies they purchased actually weren’t covered.

A ...Read more

FOMO vs. bubble angst signals more stock volatility in 2026

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The U.S. stock market is poised to be kept on edge next year as investors are caught between fear of missing out on the artificial-intelligence rally and concern that it’s a bubble just waiting to burst.

Big selloffs and quick reversals have been a feature of stock markets for the past 18 months. That trend is likely to continue heading into...Read more

 

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