In the wake of Google's announcement this week that it will spend $1 billion tackling the Bay Area's housing crisis, one California lawmaker wants more information from the tech giant.

Longtime Sen. Dianne Feinstein sent a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Wednesday saying "any information you are able to provide about this investment is ...Read more

Q: Several years ago, I signed a contract to buy a new construction condo unit. I have made all the required deposits, and we are six months from closing. I found out I have to relocate for my job. What can I do? -- Don

A: Many things can happen between signing a contract for new construction in a development and closing time, often several ...Read more

Make the great outdoors even greater with cool gadgets to make life easier so you can further enjoy all of summer's awesomeness.

Yes, we know that you may get outside to get away from technology, but items like a Wi-Fi barbecue thermometer means you can check on dinner without having to step away from your guests. A robot lawnmower will quietly...Read more

Want some highlights of how Americans save for retirement? We read Vanguard's latest "How America Saves" 2019 report issued on Tuesday for trends and other takeaways.

Here are some key highlights from Vanguard's report on the popular workplace "defined contribution" (DC) retirement plans, those filled by matching contributions from the employee...Read more

Alex Pardoe, 25, is what some might dub the anti-millennial. Except, he's not really.

Much like others in their 20s or 30s, he's savvy about building a brand, marketing his talents and recognizing how to use Instagram and YouTube to turn a head and grab a headline.

He's just making a whole lot more money than you'd imagine for someone in a ...Read more

Americans' debt load has risen nearly 23% since 2013 -- despite record stock gains and low unemployment -- and that can't bode well for their future.

Household debt totaled almost $13.7 trillion in the first quarter, with credit cards, auto loans and home equity loans accounting for 18% of that figure, according to the New York Federal Reserve'...Read more

Cities with fewer than 200,000 residents grew faster than larger metropolises between 2017 and 2018 as high housing prices chased many people away from big cities and their closest suburbs.

The biggest cities grew by a collective 326,000 people, less than half the number earlier in the decade, and less than the number for smaller cities -- 421,...Read more

Whoever stole Leslie Robison's credit card number could have bought a new computer, a flat-screen TV, or an expensive trip overseas.

Instead, the thief tried to scam her just two bucks at a time.

In January, Robison discovered more than a dozen charges at a $1.99 each from Google for hundreds of gigabytes of cloud storage she never ordered. ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- Supermodel, television host and home flipper Tyra Banks has bought a Pacific Palisades home for a little more than $3 million.

The 1949 traditional house, which has been owned by the same family for 70 years, is in the Bluffs area and in need of a makeover.

Banks, who in recent years has bought and sold a number of homes in the ...Read more

The usual reasons to refinance are to reduce the monthly payment or to raise cash. A third reason -- which is underappreciated -- is to shorten the period of indebtedness.

The third motive is seldom acted upon. Indeed, borrowers who refinance into a new mortgage that has the same term as the original mortgage -- a new 30-year supplanting an old...Read more

The usual reasons to refinance are to reduce the monthly payment or to raise cash. A third reason -- which is underappreciated -- is to shorten the period of indebtedness.

The third motive is seldom acted upon. Indeed, borrowers who refinance into a new mortgage that has the same term as the original mortgage -- a new 30-year supplanting an old...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- Nationally, consumer prices are barely moving, with inflation clocking in at just 1.8% for May. But if you live in a major urban area of California, you've noticed a much bigger hit.

Among the chief culprits? Housing costs.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday that a handful of California metropolitan areas saw...Read more

Q: Our condo is designated pet-free in our community documents. I am about to rent and want to keep the apartment in good shape. If I include a no-pets clause in the lease, am I still forced to accept emotional support or service animals? -- Jane

A: Yes. Service and emotional support animals are not pets, so restrictions that apply to pets do ...Read more

SEATTLE -- A year after business leaders in Seattle helped kill a tax that would have raised an estimated $47 million a year for homelessness and housing, Amazon, Microsoft, Connie and Steve Ballmer and others announced that they were giving more than that amount to build hundreds of homes for homeless people in the Seattle area.

The gifts ...Read more

School's out for summer. That means many kids are scrambling to have as much fun as possible and may parents are hustling to move into a new home before school is back in session.

Buying a home is tricky for anybody, especially if it's your first one, but parents have a far more stressful time than those without kids, according to Zillow ...Read more

While Silicon Valley's tech sector is thriving, cranking out IPOs and flooding the region with high-paying jobs, its retail industry is struggling to keep its boutiques and tiny mom and pop shops open.

The number of retail businesses -- particularly small retail businesses -- has dropped significantly in the Bay Area between 2007 and 2017, ...Read more