The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Happy Labor Day

It’s estimated that 25 percent of Americans plan to get out of town for the Labor Day weekend, and that 86 percent of them plan to travel by car. If you’re one of these, be sure to drive carefully. Another estimate is that about 400 people will die in traffic accidents during the holiday weekend, and 45,300 will sustain serious injuries.

The top travel destinations are New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orlando, and Chicago.

I wish I’d be at a cookout like the 40.6 percent of Americans who plan to barbecue over Labor Day.

A lot of people will probably be working on the holiday weekend because the largest category in the workforce is retail with 4,450,000 salespeople and second is food preparation and service workers with 3,680,000. Third is cashiers with 3,640,000 workers.

What to look for in Labor Day 2019 sales

With summer coming to an end and the back-to-school shopping keeping people busy, it’s helpful to have information about Labor Day sales so you can get the best deals possible. During the Labor Day sales, you'll find lots of bargains. Look for reduced prices on clothing, appliances, computers, phones, electronics, and furniture.

WalletHub, a personal-finance website, has analyzed the Labor Day sales this year and offers information on the top deals:

Best labor day deals and sales

Dishwashers are the best items to buy in September, compared to the rest of the year.
 

2019’s 10 best Labor Day deals

1. Invicta Women's Watch – 50 percent off	6. Sealy Queen Mattress – 63.09 percent off
2. Kenmore Washer – 46.15 percent off	7. HP OfficeJet Printer – 33.34 percent off
3. Abbyson Giorgio Sofa Set – 50 percent off	8. Samsung Refrigerator – 33.34 percent off
4. Nikon D3500 DSLR Camera - 41.22 percent off	9. NordicTrack Elite Elliptical – 59.38 percent off
5. Women's Laguna Bike – 33.33 percent off	10. Samsung 65" Smart TV – 31.25 percent off

See WalletHub's report the “Best Labor Day Deals & Sales” for more information. The report has a listing of the amount of discounts dozens of stores are offering on clothing, appliances, computers and phones, electronics, packaged goods, furniture, toys, and other categories.

Copyright 2019, Rita R. Robison, Consumer and Personal Finance Journalist

What to do about your virtual valuables as you get older

As consumers spend more time online and on their devices, they accumulate digital assets. Digital asset are something of value or significance created online or on a mobile phone, laptop, or tablet. 

As consumers age, they may want to consider transferring their digital assets to someone else. They might also want to include something related to their financial life that they may need to refer to later. Examples of digital assets could include the funds in a PayPal account or the downloadable PDF for a yearly tax filing from online tax preparation software.  

Here are tips from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s blog to help you create a plan for your digital assets:

Recall of Apple computer shows the problem with the recall system in the U.S.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the recall of the 15-inch Apple MacBook Pro. For some reason, I didn’t think about it being my laptop, probably because I thought mine had a larger screen. However, I finally looked online, and sure enough, it was my computer.

Apple has received 26 reports of the 15-inch MacBook Pro’s battery overheating, including five reports of minor burns and one report of smoke inhalation, as well as 17 reports of minor damage to nearby personal property.

The advice from Apple and U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission was to immediately stop using the recalled laptop computers. Consumers were advised to contact Apple to schedule a free repair, according to the recall announcement.

Equifax to pay up to $700 million for 2017 data breach

Equifax has agreed to pay $575 million, and possibly up to $700 million, as part of a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and 50 states and territories. The settlement alleges that the credit reporting company’s failure to take steps to secure its network led to a data breach in 2017 that affected about 147 million people.

In its lawsuit, the FTC alleges that the Equifax data breach exposed millions of names and dates of birth, Social Security numbers, physical addresses, and other personal information that could lead to identity theft and fraud.

As part of the proposed settlement, Equifax will pay $300 million to a fund that will provide affected consumers with credit monitoring services. The fund will also compensate consumers who bought credit or identity monitoring services from Equifax and paid other money as a result of the 2017 data breach. Equifax will add up to $125 million to the fund if the $300 million isn’t enough to compensate consumers for their losses.

Baby boomers contemplate things big and small

Summer is in full gear and baby boomers are writing about topics ranging from retirement to tick bites.

Topics include:

• The best places in the United States for boomers to retire.
• How to remove ticks and prevent getting bitten.
• The difficulty in operating small switches and buttons and reading the directions about them.
• Why using cell phones and computer screens all day long interrupts our lives.
• How to use hypnotherapy to reduce pain rather than pain medication. 
• How a toddler sitting naked in a puddle reminded a boomer of an event that happened more than a century ago.

Meryl Baer of Six Decades and Counting reports on these articles in the Best of Boomer Blogs #605. Click here to get the links to the articles. And, be sure to give us your opinions on these topics. Boomer bloggers love to hear from readers.

Copyright 2019, Rita R. Robison, Consumer and Personal Finance Journalist

15-inch MacBook Pro laptops being recalled by Apple due to fire hazard

Apple is recalling about 432,000 15-inch MacBook Pro laptop computers in the United States and about 26,000 in Canada.

The batteries in the recalled laptop computers can overheat, posing a fire hazard.

Apple has received 26 reports of the laptop’s battery overheating, including five reports of minor burns and one report of smoke inhalation, as well as 17 reports of minor damage to nearby personal property.

Three-prong adapters sold as part of World Travel Adapter Kit being recalled by Apple due to electric shock risk

 

Apple is recalling about 814,000 three-prong wall adapters included in Apple AC World Travel Adapter Kits in the United States and about 81,000 in Canada.

Apple has received six reports from other countries of wall plug adapters breaking and consumers receiving shocks, including two reports of consumers who were medically evaluated and released without need for further medical treatment. No reports of incidents or injuries were reported by U.S. consumers.   

The three-prong AC wall plug adapters can break and expose the metal portion of the adapter, posing an electric shock risk.

Do you pay hidden fees?

Every month as part of my Comcast TV package, I pay Comcast $10 for sports programs that I never watch. That’s $120 a year. It’s so irritating.

Most of the 3,480 Americans who wrote to Consumer Reports over the past 13 months, as part of the organization’s “What the Fee?!” campaign, are angry about the growing number of fees showing up on their bills.

More stories keep coming every day, said Anna Laitin, director of financial policy at Consumer Reports. “The stories show just how many fees people face, and how frustrating people find them.”

At least 85 percent of Americans have encountered an unexpected or hidden fee over the past two years for a service they’d used, according to a Consumer Reports survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults. And two-thirds of them say they’re paying more now in surprise charges than they did five years ago. Almost everyone – 96 percent – finds them annoying.

USB charging cables are being recalled by Target due to shock and fire hazards

Target is recalling about 90,000 heyday 3-foot lightning USB charging cables.

The metal around the cord can become electrically charged if it contacts the USB wall charger plug prongs while charging, posing shock and fire hazards.

Target has received 14 reports of the cables smoking, sparking, or igniting, including two reports of consumer finger burns.