Saving
If your AC is making strange noises or your furnace isn’t keeping your home as warm as it once did, it can be tempting to ignore the issue and hope it goes away. But small HVAC problems rarely fix themselves. In many cases, putting off repairs can lead to bigger…
Your lunch hour is likely the most undervalued asset in your day. While it is tempting to spend that time zoning out over a sandwich or catching up on headlines, you are effectively leaving money on the table. You don’t need a second job to improve your monthly cash flow;…
You are probably bleeding money right now, and you might not even know it. Years ago, you wrote a check for the rent and maybe the cable bill. Today, automatic subscriptions have quietly colonized almost every corner of our financial lives. From streaming services and gym memberships to cloud storage,…
Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on The Penny Hoarder. What’s in a name? A lot, actually. Especially when it comes to store brand vs. name brand grocery items. We often default to certain brands when shopping simply because of the name on the package — and the reputation that comes along…
The landscape of American retirement is shifting. Today, more than 22 million people over age 65 are navigating their later years without a spouse or adult children. While solo aging offers a high degree of independence, it also removes the traditional, informal safety net of family caregiving. If you are…
Shoppers in Washington state who received certain promotional emails from Costco over the past five years may be eligible for a cash payment under a proposed $14 million class action settlement. The settlement resolves a lawsuit alleging Costco sent commercial emails with false or misleading subject lines that advertised limited-time…
There is a specific kind of silence that only exists at 5:30 a.m. The coffee is brewing, the emails haven’t started, and the rest of the house is still asleep. For most people, this is just a moment to wake up. For a savvy few, it is the most profitable…
You take your car in for what feels like a routine fix, and the dealer hands you a bill that looks less like a repair order and more like a ransom note. Sound familiar? Americans spend real money keeping their cars running. AAA’s latest Your Driving Costs study pegs maintenance,…
Negotiating your recurring expenses is one of the fastest ways to improve your cash flow without changing your lifestyle. Most service providers — from internet giants to local hospitals — have hidden loyalty or hardship tiers that they only reveal when prompted. The key to success is not aggression; it…
Consumer expert Clark Howard recommends re-shopping car insurance about every three years. That is a useful baseline, but many drivers, homeowners and renters may benefit from checking more often, especially after a steep increase at renewal. You do not necessarily need to switch insurers every year. You do need enough…
