On Monday, I went with my daughter to arrange my funeral. Now, I’m a senior who’s spry, as my daughter says, so this is just advance planning not the need for a funeral soon. Should you arrange a funeral in advance? Not unless you have some safeguards in case the funeral home goes out of business or won’t help you if you move away. Read more →
How’s your Presidents’ Day going? I got lucky and my daughter is visiting from Madrid. We’ve been checking out the sights in Seattle and getting together with her friends. If you need some ideas for activities for the holiday, consider the following: (1) Read biographies of Washington and Lincoln. (2) Ask five friends who their favorite president is and why. Read more →
It’s important to know about and reduce your exposure to pesticides. Growing up on a farm, I saw the effects pesticide exposure can have on health. A little-known pesticide, chlormequat, was found in four out of five people tested, in a new study by the Environmental Working Group. Its research tested 96 people for chlormequat, finding it in 77 of them. Read more →
Compare interest rates and terms when you’re going to sign up for a new credit card. There’s no need to pay 28 to 30 percent interest or an annual fee of $150. Large banks are offering worse credit card terms and interest rates than small banks and credit unions, regardless of credit risk, according to a report by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Read more →
It breaks my heart every time I see a story on television about a romance scam. The people, often older women, have been taken in by fast-talking scammers who have honed their skills in carrying out big romance lies. Right now, as I’m writing this, I’m listening to story on TV about a woman who lost $100,000 to a romance scam. Read more →
The latest consumer-price index report from the U.S. Labor Department shows while inflation continued to go down in January, more progress was held back by stubbornly high food prices burdening everyday families. Price hikes on food have been a greed-motivated choice by the food industry for wealthy investors. Read more →
The Super Bowl ads this year followed a similar pattern of previous years: just a few good ones, many bad ones, a lot of silly ones, and my biggest complaint – violence being used to sell products and services. Years ago, I didn’t like Betty White being tacked onto the ground to sell Snickers bars and seniors being victimized in ads. Read more →
I know, I know. As a consumer and personal finance journalist, I should have had my will prepared a long time ago. I’ve had a handwritten will for years that was witnessed by two friends. It’s not sufficient, but it was something. People need to have a will because if they don’t, their assets, if any, will be distributed according to state law. Read more →
Recently, when I looked at my Comcast bill, it said my monthly bill would be going up $22.60 a month. I was upset. My bill already is high. I pay about $200 for TV, internet, and landline. For years, I had argue with Comcast every couple of years when my contract expired. I had the bundle: $33 for TV, $33 for internet, and $33 for the landline. Read more →
Bissell is recalling 142,000 vacuum cleaners in the United States and 14,600 in Canada. The battery pack of the Multi Reach Hand and Floor vacuum cleaners can overheat and smoke, posing a fire hazard. Bissell has received 17 reports of the recalled vacuum cleaners smoking and emitting a burning odor. Read more →