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Christy Rowe/Dreamstime.com/TNS

Real estate Q&A: What can we do about neighbor's smelly and possibly dangerous pets?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: Our neighbor in the adjoining townhouse keeps multiple pets and does not take very good care of them. We can clearly smell the bad odor which ruins our backyard experience. Still, we kept quiet because she was otherwise a good neighbor, and we got along. Recently, she took in what we believe is a bobcat, and we are concerned it may be ...Read more

Las Vegas Review-Journal/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

Investors have bought 131K homes in Las Vegas Valley since 2000

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Investors have purchased approximately 131,710 homes in the Las Vegas Valley since the start of 2000, according to data obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The valley posted the biggest increase of investor home purchases in the nation in the third quarter compared to the same quarter last year, at 27.6 percent, Redfin’s economic ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: The High Cost of Sitting Down

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Wellness. Health care. Both are on everyone's mind these days, and for good reason. Between the soaring cost of health insurance premiums, increasing copays and skyrocketing deductibles, plus the outrageous cost of some medications, it's enough to give you a heart attack.

But lest you think there's nothing you can do to keep your family's ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Honey, I Shrunk Your Sweater

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Dear Cheapskate: Thank you for your many helpful articles. In a past column you wrote about how to unshrink a wool sweater. All I can remember is that it involved baby shampoo. Could you print the instructions again? Thanks! -- Linda

Dear Linda: Sure, here it is: Mix a solution of 1 gallon lukewarm water and 2 tablespoons baby shampoo. Soak the...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

FDIC survey: Unbanked households hit record low

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

A record low number of households in the U.S. are unbanked, according to the 2023 Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households released Nov. 12, 2024. A household in which no members have a bank account, is how unbanked is defined by the FDIC.

This number has steadily decreased — from its ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: 9 Best Money Books for Kids and Teens

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

If I had a dollar for every person who has ever asked me, "Why didn't anyone ever tell me how to manage money and stay out of debt when I was a kid?!" I'd be a wealthy woman. If you have kids in your life as young as 3 and up to young-adult age, consider these excellent books to get those conversations started that can open the doors to ...Read more

Dark1elf/Dreamstime/TNS

5 ways to tell if you're on track for retirement -- and 5 things to do if you need to catch up, according to experts

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Just because retirement planning involves some guesswork doesn’t mean it has to be a total mystery.

Whether you’ve been saving since your first job or you’re getting a late start, you can leverage expert-recommended strategies to gauge your progress on the road to retirement. And if you’re not quite on track, don’t sweat it — the ...Read more

Yuri Gripas/Getty Images North America/TNS

10 Warren Buffett dividend stocks for passive income investors

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Dividend stocks can be a great way to generate passive income as an investor, and what better way to find dividend stock ideas than by sifting through the holdings of arguably the world’s greatest investor, Warren Buffett?

Berkshire Hathaway’s portfolio is filled with dividend stocks, which should come as no surprise to Buffett followers. ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Is Your Grocery Bill Gobbling Up Your Budget?

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Is your monthly grocery spending eating up a big portion of your income? You're not alone. Figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture show that as of March 2024, on average, a family of four spends $1,341 per month on groceries to be eaten at home. Here, let me do the math: That's $16,092 annually! And that doesn't take into consideration ...Read more

CHRIS DELMAS/Getty Images North America/TNS

Rocket Mortgage sues feds over discrimination allegations

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Rocket Mortgage is suing the federal government, seeking dismissal of a law suit that claims the Detroit lender discriminated against a Black homeowner who received an allegedly low appraisal when seeking to refinance her property loan.

Rocket Mortgage said Thursday that its federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban ...Read more

Vincent D. Johnson/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Chicago biohub backed by Mark Zuckerberg publishes its first research, discovering way to continuously monitor inflammation

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

A Chicago biomedical research hub backed by Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, has produced its first published research — on discovering a way to monitor inflammation in real time using sensors implanted under the skin.

The study, co-led by Northwestern University researchers at the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub ...Read more

Joe Raedle/Getty Images North America/TNS

What's next for the 2025 real estate market? We may see better prices and more inventory

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Whether you’re a renter, homeowner or potential buyer in South Florida, the new year may present you with some favorable changes in the housing market, according to real estate experts.

This could include better prices in 2025, as well as more options to choose from when deciding where to live, whether that’s renting an apartment or buying ...Read more

Tom Gralish/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

What the 2025 housing market might look like

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The 2024 housing market was unpredictable.

Economists at the multiple listing service Bright MLS expected a busy market and for home prices to soften this year. But that hasn’t been the case across the Mid-Atlantic.

Sales have been slower than expected — nearly flat compared to last year. And home prices grew rapidly. In the Philadelphia ...Read more

Real estate Q&A: Can we sell our Florida condo remotely?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: We want to sell our condo in Florida, but traveling is getting more difficult because of our age. Is it possible to do this without being there in person? — Anne

A: Yes, many people sell property remotely. Selling from afar requires a bit more planning and some additional caution.

The easiest option would be to use a trusted relative or ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: How to Win the Balance Transfer Game

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

There's nothing enjoyable about credit card debt. An outstanding balance of $5,000 at 29.99% interest means you're paying about $1,500 a year just in interest. Imagine if that $1,500 could instead go toward repaying the balance. You'd pay it off much faster instead of stretching it out over years. And years.

If you're carrying credit card debt,...Read more

Leila Navidi/The Minnesota Star Tribune/TNS

Inside the procedure at the heart of a multibillion-dollar race to a safer AFib treatment

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Under a canopy of eight heart-monitoring screens in a cardiac catheterization lab on a recent Monday, Mayo Clinic doctors briefly paused a procedure treating atrial fibrillation to inspect a new tool: a long tube with what looked like flower petals made out of wire at its end.

That wiry flower is the focus of a multibillion-dollar innovation ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Last-Minute Holiday Gifts

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Whether "last minute" for you means any time after Thanksgiving or 11:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve, it's nice to have a repertoire of standby gifts that don't require expensive overnight shipping. My standbys are edible gifts -- decadent treats that offer my love and best wishes for the season.

By their very nature, edible gifts are often best when...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Will I Be Taxed on My Son's Generosity?

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Dear Cheapskate: I am retired and my son wants to give me money to buy a house as a gift. Will I be taxed on the money? If so, are there ways to avoid or reduce the amount I will be taxed? -- Lucy

Dear Lucy: Gifts between individuals are tax-free for the recipient. That means you, as the fortunate recipient of your son's generosity, don't have ...Read more

Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

$1B in homes: Las Vegas leads nation in investor purchases of homes

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The Las Vegas Valley posted the biggest increase in the nation in investor purchases for the third quarter of this year, according to a new study from Redfin.

The valley posted a 27.9 percent increase from the second quarter, the biggest jump of any metro in the country, according to the study. This was higher than Seattle (21.8 percent) and ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

7 ways to invest like you're rich, even if you're not yet

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The average American says they need an annual income of $520,000 to feel rich, according to Bankrate’s latest Financial Freedom Survey. While earning a lot of money may make you feel rich, there’s no amount that you can’t outspend. So, if you’re not transforming your high earnings into actual wealth, then you’re not a member of the ...Read more

 

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