Headline News Archive

2013

June

16

• Debit card overdrafts can cost you big bucks. The overdraft program on your debit card lets you, for example, buy a $3 latte at the local java joint even when your account is…

15

• Hostels getting swankier for cost-conscious travelers. The summer travel season is here, and like many people, you may be planning a getaway. According to a survey released in May by Orbitz,…

14

• Millennials big fans of prepaid cards, payday loans. Millennials shell out for convenience. That's what a new survey to be released Friday and given exclusively to USA TODAY suggests when it comes to…

13

• Wal-Mart hiring more temporary workers. Wal-Mart Stores Inc has in recent months been only hiring temporary workers, which it calls "flexible associates," at many of its U.S. stores. May be…

12

• Older Americans are falling short financially. The golden years aren’t turning out to be that golden for many current seniors and retirees, according to two reports that shed light on which…

• College degrees with the best bang for your buck. Getting a graduate degree isn't always the best path to riches. With today's grads leaving school with an ever-increasing amount of debt, some four-year degrees…

• Which state is most expensive for auto repair?. New Jersey is the most expensive state when it comes to car repair, and Vermont is the cheapest, a car-repair cost survey website reports. With…

11

• Banks seen as aid in fraud against older consumers. Bruno Koch, 83, told the telemarketer on the line that, yes, of course he would like to update his health insurance card. Then Mr. Koch,…

• CFPB: Rules to curb overdraft has mixed results. Americans are encountering a wide variation of overdraft charges on debit card purchases and ATM withdrawals because of a patchwork of policies at the nation’s…

10

• Budgeting apps and endless bills. Q: What is the best way to make sure income keeps up with the bills. When I graduated from college, I didn't have a cellphone…

• For retirees, a million-dollar illusion. A million dollars isn't what it used to be. In 1953, when “How to Marry a Millionaire” was in movie theaters, $1 million bought the…

09

• Figuring out best plan to save for college. Does it make sense to use a Roth IRA instead of a 529 plan as an investment vehicle for college?

• Some companies let employees buy extra time off. Want more time off work to hang out at the beach? Need a little cash and have vacation days to spare? Some companies allow their…

• Are you the 61 percent? Most Americans remain ill-informed about personal finances. A new report by the Investor Education Foundation of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) found that a majority of American adults (61 percent) couldn’t…

07

• You stole what? 7 bizarre items thieves love. The FBI estimates that retail crime costs the U.S. $30 billion a year, and some household items that people steal may surprise you.

• Senior citizens vulnerable to lottery scams. A survey finds that those ages 55 to 74 have the greatest chance of falling victim to fraudulent prize promotions. senior scams. An 84-year-old may…

06

• N.Y. attorney general sues HSBC over foreclosures. New York Atty. Gen. Eric Schneiderman has sued Europe's largest bank, HSBC Holdings, accusing it of breaking state foreclosure law and putting homeowners at greater…

• Entitlement changes to put seniors at financial risk. Nearly half of the nation’s elderly population is “economically vulnerable” and would be particularly hard hit by even modest changes in the Social Security and…

05

• Smoking employees cost $6,000 a year more, study finds. Smokers cost their employers nearly $6,000 a year more than staff who don’t smoke, researchers said on Monday in what they say is the first…

• Americans more secure in poll as 60% see no need for better job. Americans are feeling more secure about their own finances with stock and home values rising, even as a growing number say the country is headed…

04

• The shocking truth about Obamacare’s rate shock. Imagine you went to Best Buy and found a great deal on a plasma television set. I want to be clear here: You didn’t find…

• Dodd-Frank act: After 3 years, a long to-do list. On Feb. 8, 2012, five days before the deadline for public comment on a proposal that threatened to slice profits for Wall Street's biggest banks,…

03

• Courting thrifty shoppers with value and quality. Almost five years after the financial crisis, the economy has improved significantly, but remains uncertain enough that millions of worried Americans continue to watch how…

May

31

• How your checking account stacks up. When it comes to checking accounts, not all banks are created equal. Ally Bank, Charles Schwab Bank, First Republic Bank, Citibank, and Bank of America…

• Universities show uneven efforts in enrolling poor. Opponents of race-based affirmative action in college admissions urge that colleges use a different tool to encourage diversity: giving a leg up to poor students.…