August marks the beginning of the end of summer, as well as a new school year for many people. Because of that, it may not seem like a good time for shopping anything other than pencils, notebooks, and backpacks. However, August has much more than back to school deals and... Read more →

When I attended Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, during the 1960s, I took a class in consumer economics. It changed my life. I had gotten the idea from my dad about the importance of spending wisely, now here was a field of study and maybe a career in helping people make smart money choices. Read more →

Today, I hope you’re having a great celebration with your mom or are remembering her if she is no longer with us. My mom, Ruth L. Slingsby, photo at left, was a hard-working, supportive mom. I miss her every day. She passed away in 2005 at the age of 89. Here are some facts and figures for Mother’s Day 2024: Read more →

Check out carefully any student loan servicer you’re considering using. There are some bad actors in the student loan business. For example, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Monday took action against the National Collegiate Student Loan Trusts and Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency for multi-year servicing failures. Read more →

The Biden administration is offering a temporary initiative for student loan borrowers hoping to get loan forgiveness. The deadline is April 30. Here are details from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: To get the most credit toward loan cancelation, borrowers with the federally managed loans listed below will need to consolidate them: Read more →

After a pause for more than three years due to the covid-19 emergency, student loan borrowers are resuming payments. However, they’re things aren’t going smoothly. They're experiencing long hold times, significant delays in application processing times for income-driven repayment plans, and inaccurate billing statements and disclosures, 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 →

On Friday, I had a busy day and missed the announcement that it was One Health Day. It’s a global campaign that brings attention to the need for a coordinated approach to address shared health threats at the human-animal-environment interface. I’d never heard of One Health Day before, but it addresses health concerns I’ve written about over the years: Read more →

It’s heartbreaking. I’ve seen young people sign up for for-profit colleges and they use their laptops to complete the courses. They expect great things from the programs they choose. However, the results are usually poor, despite what the advertising says. Most colleges will give you a valuable education that can help you achieve your career goals. Read more →

Paying off student loans is bad enough without being ripped off by a dishonest company. Some companies pretend to be affiliated with the Department of Education, charge illegal junk fees, and lure students with repayment programs and loan forgiveness that don’t exist. The FTC is banning two student loan debt relief companies for these illegal activities Read more →