Four in 10 Americans who were in the market for a vehicle in the past year were only considering used vehicles, compared to three in 10 who were only considering new and 24 percent who were considering both, according to a survey by Consumer Reports, a consumer testing and advocacy... Read more →

Car repairs are a dreaded expense for most families. When you see a TV ad – with a celebrity saying “you’ll never pay for expensive car repairs again,” it may seem like just the thing for you. When you call, a “specialist” confirms what the ads promised and offers to... Read more →

Buying a used car instead of a new one will probably save you money. However, finding, researching, and negotiating to buy a used car online can be difficult. Online sellers advertise they can make car purchases cheaper and easier, but some of them use tactics that could end up costing you time and money. Read more →

When I was at Trader Joe’s Monday, someone put a piece of paper on my windshield shaped like a poop emoji. I couldn’t believe it. On the back it said I was shitty at parking. When I drove up to park, there were two large SUVs. The one on the left was parked on the line. I intentionally parked at a distance from the improperly parked SUV. Read more →

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer. A big safety issue for parents is the use of off-highway vehicles or OHVs by kids. During 2023, the CFA documented 498 OHV fatalities. Children 15 years and younger accounted for 19 percent of all deaths. Children six years and under continue to make up a sizable portion of the OHV fatalities. Read more →

When trying to get a product fixed, you might have had a big problem. The Federal Trade Commission wants to hear what happened if you recently tried to get a product repaired. The FTC has set up a link for warranty or repair stories. It’s interested in learning about experiences across a range of products – from cars, kitchen appliances, and cell phones to grills and generators. 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 →

It’s that time of year again already. Thanksgiving, the American day of giving thanks, is this week. Ninety-seven percent of Americans are planning to celebrate Thanksgiving. The average person’s spending over the five-day Thanksgiving period is estimated to be $325. The average cost of a 10-person Thanksgiving dinner will be about $64.05. Read more →

Junk fees – those hidden and bogus charges that have found their way into a wide variety of transactions – are on consumers’ minds. After receiving more than 12,000 comments about how these fees impact consumers and businesses, the FTC announced on Oct. 11, a proposed rule on deceptive fees. It's now looking for further feedback. Read more →

Junk fees are everywhere. The fees, which cost American families tens of billions of dollars each year, can strain any family budget. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which looks for junk fees when it examines financial institutions, found the following during its reviews between February and August 2023: Read more →