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US tax refunds declined 3.3% this year in run-up to deadline
Fewer U.S. taxpayers have received a refund this year in the run-up to tax day compared to 2023, signaling some consumer spending may be disrupted.
Data from the Internal Revenue Service showed that 66.8 million taxpayers were reimbursed through April 5 compared to 69.1 million through April 7 last year. That means that 3.3%, or roughly 2.3 ...Read more
GM says it will move headquarters from RenCen to Hudson's site in 2025
DETROIT — General Motors Co. on Monday said it will move its global headquarters to the Hudson’s Detroit development next year as it works with billionaire mortgage mogul Dan Gilbert's real estate firm to redevelop the Renaissance Center, its current home a mile away.
GM CEO Mary Barra alongside Gilbert, Mayor Mike Duggan and Wayne County ...Read more
How to save money at the pharmacy counter
Steve Wexler has experienced the trouble of finding affordable prescription drugs.
A few years ago, the 70-year-old Plymouth, Minnesota, resident opted to cut short his prescription for Eliquis, a popular blood thinner, rather than pay nearly $1,000 out-of-pocket for his final month on the medication.
Smart shopping can't always tame high ...Read more
Cheap mortgages deter workers from relocating for $250,000 jobs
Manager recruits in the industrial Midwest are shunning offers to move to the American South — in part because they’re locked into super-low 30-year mortgages.
A tight labor market that’s allowing workers to stay closer to home, rising housing costs and a post-pandemic shift toward remote or hybrid-work arrangements are making it a ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: 6 Easy Ways to Upgrade Your Wardrobe Without Spending a Dime
Could your wardrobe use a long overdue boost? Maybe you're eyeing a career move, aiming to project a more polished image at work or simply looking to raise the bar when it comes to school drop-offs and PTA meetings.
Perhaps you're diving back into the dating scene or could just use a little pick-me-up. Sure, some might shrug off the ideas that ...Read more
Hudson Yards Vessel to reopen three years after spate of deaths
The Vessel at Hudson Yards will reopen later this year, it was announced on Friday, three years after it was shuttered following a spate of suicides.
The honeycombed installation opened in March 2019 as the centerpiece of the new Hudson Yards neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan. But it quickly gained notoriety after several visitors took their ...Read more
Real estate Q&A: How can we get rid of our rowdy renters?
Q: Lately, some of the renters in our townhome community have been disruptive. There have been noise disturbances, domestic violence, unleashed pets, and even open drug use. When some homeowners raised their concerns, the association said their ability to address the problem was limited, and changing rental bylaws was almost impossible. What can...Read more
Zombie malls and other retail centers getting extreme makeovers to keep up with the times
Denise Richardson took her kids to Spring Hill Mall in West Dundee, Illinois, so often that at Christmas time, the Santa Claus there recognized them by name. She remembers when department stores moved out of Elgin, then a city of 64,000 people in the exurbs of Chicago, to the mall when it opened in 1980, and it was the place to be.
But the mall...Read more
Downtown Chicago's condo development boom has ended. Here's why
For the first time in years, there are no new large condo projects under construction in downtown Chicago.
Roughly 2,500 condos have been developed downtown since 2015 as multiple towers were constructed, and about 600 of those units are still available, said Gail Lissner, managing director for Integra Realty Resources.
But the high cost of ...Read more
Sorry, home sellers: The 6% commission isn't going anywhere
Negotiation is an essential part of buying or selling a home. But for nearly a century, there’s been one part of the process where haggling doesn’t fly: the 5% to 6% standard commission charged by U.S. realtors. Now, in a dramatic turn of events, the National Association of Realtors has settled a class-action lawsuit that targeted the ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: Take it Slow and Easy!
That slow cooker you keep on reserve for the cold months of winter is a perfect solution for summer, too -- especially during these days when you just cannot look another takeout meal in the face. Think about it: A slow cooker creates very little heat and costs only pennies a day to operate. And with energy costs skyrocketing, slow cooking is ...Read more
Upscale Westside LA neighborhoods hit hard by State Farm home insurance cancellations
Thousands of Californians who won't see their home insurance renewed by State Farm this summer are homeowners in Los Angeles County, with some upscale Westside neighborhoods hit hard, according to the insurer's recent filings with the Department of Insurance.
A majority of the insurer's customers in neighborhoods in West Los Angeles as well as ...Read more
15 best native plants to grow in your yard if you also want fragrant bouquets
LOS ANGELES -- Attention, anyone who thinks native blooms are brilliant in the wild — or our yards — but don't work in bouquets.
Boy, are we wrong.
This isn't an invitation to trample wildflower fields to pick bouquets — our precious wildflowers need to stay unpicked so their seeds will produce blooms in the future — but it is notice ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: Bonus vs. Salary Bump, Family Squabbles, and More Reader Quandaries
Dear Cheapskate: I just had my annual review at work. My boss told me I'm doing a good job then gave me the option of taking my raise as a lump sum or a salary increase. But I'm not sure if it's better to get the money all at once or spread out over the entire year. What is the right decision? -- Geoffrey, Ala.
Dear Geoffrey: If you take the ...Read more
If US inflation reflected rising home insurance costs, it'd be even higher
If the rising price of homeowners insurance were factored into the U.S. Consumer Price Index — a key metric of inflation — it could have added 80 basis points, or about 0.8%, to last year’s CPI increase of 3.4%, according to an analysis from Bloomberg Intelligence.
By not including home insurance, the CPI “ignores climate costs,” ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: Top 5 Brilliant Hacks to Kickstart Your Vegetable Garden
As you might imagine, I grew up with more than a few adults greeting me with, "Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?" followed by a big smile or, more often, laughter. It was embarrassing, but probably not for the reason you assume. I didn't know how to answer that question! I didn't know what "contrary" meant, I didn't have a ...Read more
Home insurance cost hikes slowed at the end of 2023. Some say the crisis may be nearing its end
Home insurance rates in Florida far outpaced inflation over the 18 months that ended on Dec. 31, but the rate of increase slowed in the fourth quarter of 2023 to its lowest point of the period.
And many insurance insiders are optimistic that rates will continue to stabilize this year and next, barring a big costly you-know-what.
According to ...Read more
Could AI start replacing real estate agents?
LAS VEGAS — Bruce Hiatt is hoping the integration of artificial intelligence will help take his real estate company to the next level, and in turn, could require fewer in-person agents in the process.
Hiatt, a Las Vegas-based broker who is also the owner of Luxury Realty Group, is currently beta testing an AI conversational avatar that speaks...Read more
Which debts can be consolidated? Here are 4 types to consider combining
Debt consolidation can make repayment easier by consolidating multiple accounts into a single one. Consolidating debt also can save you money on interest and help you get out of debt faster, depending on your situation. Here are four ways to do it:
________
You can consolidate credit card debt
Paying down your monthly credit card balance on ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: How to Wash White Laundry to Keep It Looking Brilliant
In the same way there are rules in life for things like how to drive a car, how to cook a meal or how to manage your money, there are a few simple rules for how to wash white clothes to keep them looking brilliant and clean. And if they happen to get a bit dull, gray or yellowed, there are rules for how to restore the brightness of washable ...Read more
Inside Consumer
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