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10 apps that will help you save money on food

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Food costs represent a significant portion of household budgets, and rising grocery prices make strategic shopping essential. While cutting back isn’t the only solution, smartphone apps can provide substantial grocery savings through cash-back rewards, digital coupons, discounts and loyalty programs.

Here’s a comprehensive guide to 10 ...Read more

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'Middle class' feels more confusing than ever. Here's how you can avoid being caught in the middle

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Marcos Cabello, a writer at Bankrate, makes around $170,000 a year when combining finances with his fiancee. Unfortunately, that doesn’t go as far as he’d like in pricey Boston.

Cabello and his fiancee consider themselves middle class, but in a city where homes are typically over $1 million, traditional middle-class benchmarks, like ...Read more

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12 simple ways to make $100 fast

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Whether you’re looking to pay down debt, cover an unexpected expense or just add a little cushion to your bank account, there are numerous ways to make $100 fast. From leveraging your skills to utilizing apps and services, these methods can help you achieve that goal without a major time commitment.

Here are 12 practical ways to earn that ...Read more

Real estate Q&A: Why do I need two types of title insurance?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: We are buying our first home and are stretching our savings to pay for the down payment and closing costs, not to mention the moving expenses. Our lender sent us our closing cost estimate, which showed that “owner's title insurance” was optional, even though we were required to purchase “lender's title insurance.” What is the ...Read more

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A complete guide to 401(k) retirement plans: What is a 401(k)?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

If you’re working and already saving for retirement or plan to start socking away money soon, investing in a 401(k) plan can help you build a sizable nest egg.

If you’re thinking about signing up for a 401(k), or simply want to know more about how to take full advantage of this type of retirement savings vehicle, here’s everything you ...Read more

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If you lost your home or business in the wildfires, here's what to do next

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

With more than 1,100 structures already destroyed by three wildfires that continue to rage out of control around Los Angeles, homeowners and business owners face a long road ahead to recoup their losses.

Filing an insurance claim is one of the many tasks to take care of after the loss of a home or business. It is lengthy process that has become...Read more

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Keep yourself and your money safe from these four scams

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The holiday season often includes gift-giving to loved ones and charitable causes, but authorities say the threat of scammers seeking to trick victims into giving them large sums of money and personal information persists year-round.

Here are some common scams and how to protect yourself from them:

'Pig butchering'

“Pig butchering” refers...Read more

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Before and after: A California garage is now a serene Kyoto-style ADU

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Elizabeth Altounian’s South Pasadena accessory dwelling unit is more than just a living space. It’s a manifestation of beauty, wonder and spirituality, all intertwined. This 400-square-foot former garage, adorned with traditional Japanese shoji screens, a platform bed with a tatami mat and a covered engawa porch running along the entrance of...Read more

Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel/TNS

Home insurance costs in Florida spiked in third quarter. Are more increases on the way?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Those stabilized home insurance costs that industry leaders and state insurance regulators touted over most of 2024?

It looks like premiums might be heading up again.

That’s what a South Florida Sun Sentinel analysis of insurance market share data from the third quarter of 2024 shows.

The statewide average premium paid for an all-perils ...Read more

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6 best investments for beginners

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The idea of investing can be intimidating if you’re just starting out, but it’s an important part of saving for various financial goals and building wealth. You’ll encounter many different market environments throughout your investing life, so don’t get too caught up in whether now is the perfect time to get started.

But before making ...Read more

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Should you actively trade in a Roth IRA?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

A Roth IRA is considered by many financial experts to be the best retirement plan out there. Workers can invest money on an after-tax basis and then withdraw their funds in retirement (after age 59 1/2) tax-free. They can enjoy decades of compounding growth and never owe the taxman a cent as long as they follow the plan’s rules. No wonder it�...Read more

Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Liberty Mutual canceled this Southern California homeowner's policy. Now she's suing

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

A Southern California homeowner is suing Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. for canceling her longstanding insurance policy, accusing the company of dropping her for bogus reasons.

In the proposed class-action lawsuit, Maria Badin said she had been a Liberty Mutual customer since 1993, when she bought her home in Poway. She alleged that in late ...Read more

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Bill Cosby defaults on $17.5 million mortgage, faces foreclosure for a second NYC townhouse

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Bill Cosby, the disgraced comedian who has been accused of sexual assault by dozens of women, now has two Manhattan townhouses facing foreclosure.

Cosby, 87, allegedly defaulted on a mortgage for his 12,000-square-foot Upper East Side house after not making payments since June, according to court records. The complaint, filed in New York County...Read more

Real estate Q&A: Guidelines to dealing with problems

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

As 2025 begins, it looks like it will be another interesting year in real estate.

While it is difficult to predict the ebbs and flows of the market, I can say with certainty that some of you will have a problem concerning your home. Every problem is unique, but after decades of legal practice, I have developed some general guidelines to help ...Read more

K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune/TNS

First-time home buyers 'struggle to find opportunities.' San Diego home price gains rank No. 7 in US

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

SAN DIEGO — San Diego home price gains have slowed compared to remarkable highs over the past few years.

In October, the San Diego metropolitan area’s home price increased 4.5% annually, said the S&P Case-Shiller Indices report released Tuesday. The highest gains in the 20-city index were in the New York metro area, at 7.27%, and Chicago, ...Read more

Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group/TNS

Developers making millions from 'affordable housing' program lobbied California lawmakers to shut down regulation

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Developers who have reaped millions of dollars from an affordable housing program for middle-income renters with sometimes little-to-no discounts from market rents have spent hundreds of thousands on lobbying and campaign donations in recent years in a bid to keep lawmakers from imposing regulations.

The expenditures represent a fraction of the...Read more

Chase Stevens @csstevensphoto/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

Las Vegas catching up on room losses with Tropicana, Mirage closures

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Southern Nevada lost more than 4,500 hotel rooms in 2024 when the Tropicana and Mirage closed their doors and the region won’t fully bounce back from those losses until the Hard Rock Las Vegas opens its doors in 2027, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said.

The Tropicana closed in April with its two towers imploded in October to...Read more

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Discrimination based on source of income still widespread despite new Illinois law, housing advocates say; recent lawsuits may change that

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

After eight years on the waitlist, Mikia Knighten was excited to learn in October 2022 that she had received a housing voucher from the Chicago Housing Authority.

The rental subsidy would allow her to move to a better neighborhood with better opportunities for her and her now 4-year-old daughter, she said.

It was going to “take a little bit ...Read more

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Being a 'bedroom community' comes at a cost for those south of Silicon Valley

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

For Trey Dremel, much of life is dictated by his commute. Every weekday morning, he leaves Morgan Hill, California, before dawn, driving at 4 a.m. to try and skip the traffic flowing north so he can make it to work on the San Francisco Peninsula on time. Most nights, he is in bed by 7:30 p.m. so he can wake up again for the early drive.

While ...Read more

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2025 crypto forecast: Bitcoin price predictions

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Traders love to hear projections about their investments, whether it’s stocks, cryptocurrency or something else entirely. But crypto traders follow forecasts even more closely than the average investor because crypto prices thrive on optimism. Without increasing levels of optimism, cryptocurrency would be worthless — and literally thousands ...Read more