Consumers save an average of $295 or 16 percent each year when they buy their car and homeowner’s insurance from the same company. A report from insuranceQuotes.com on bundling insurance said states with the highest average annual savings are Louisiana, $548; Oklahoma, $489; Texas, $429; Mississippi, $405; and Kansas, $403.... Read more →

It’s possible that home buyers could spend hundreds or even thousands of extra dollars at closing because of referrals agreements made by real estate brokers, mortgage lenders, and title companies. These agreements are called “marketing services agreements,” and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has issued a warning it plans to... Read more →

Baby boomers have higher rates of addiction than other age groups. The number of adults 50 and older with substance abuse problems is expected to skyrocket by 2020. So the announcement Wednesday that the Obama administration is launching a program to address prescription drug abuse and the heroin epidemic is... Read more →

I’ve never been a big fan of annual mammograms as a tool for breast cancer screening. And, I’ve thought that 40 is too young to start. My concern is the small amount of radiation that breasts are exposed to during the mammogram. Tuesday, the American Cancer Society released new guidelines... Read more →

Millions of new credit and debt chip cards designed to reduce fraud, including counterfeiting, are being issued. Consumers need to be aware there are scammers who are trying to take advantage of consumers who haven't received a chip card yet. Scammers are emailing people, posing as their card issuer, said... Read more →

Meryl Baer of Six Decades and Counting is the host of this week’s Best of Boomer Blogs #422. Baer introduces Sally Wessely, new member of our group, who writes a blog called Retired English Teacher. Wessely, in her first offering, reports on her thoughts on blogging in retirement. Other boomer... Read more →

Whole Foods Market is recalling Papillon Organic Roquefort cheese sold in its stores nationwide because it may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. A routine sampling conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found the bacterium in a whole, uncut wheel of the cheese. The Roquefort cheese was cut and... Read more →

Shoppers should avoid store-branded credit cards if they plan to carry a balance. That’s because the average retailer’s credit card charges a 23.43 percent interest rate, according to a report by CreditCards.com, a credit card comparison website. That’s much higher than the national average for all credit cards, 15 percent.... Read more →

Excessive alcohol use continues to be a drain on the American economy, according to a study released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Excessive drinking cost the United States $249 billion in 2010, or $2.05 per drink, an increase from $223.5 billion, or $1.90 per drink, in... Read more →

The Food and Drug Administration’s questionable oversight of a widely-used blood thinner raises serious concerns about whether the agency is failing in its role to keep consumers safe, according to a report published by the Project On Government Oversight. POGO’s report describes a series of questionable calls the FDA has... Read more →