Schneider Electric is recalling about 1.4 million Square D QO Plug-on-Neutral load centers, also known as breaker boxes and electrical panels, in the United States and 289,000 in Canada. The electric panels can overheat, posing thermal burn and fire risks. The firm has received one report of an incident of a loose wire. Read more →

College debts are one of the largest financial burdens for Americans. They make up the second highest type of household debt after mortgages, totaling $1.61 trillion. That’s about $37,000 per borrower. High balances with payoff times that lasts into middle age force graduates to delay other financial goals. Read more →

An analysis of real estate buyer agent commission rates on 17,805 home sales in several dozen cities throughout the U.S. found a high degree of uniformity among these rates. A new report – “Real Estate Commission Rates in 35 Cities: Uniformity and Variation” – released by the Consumer Federation of America offers details. Read more →

Generac Power Systems is recalling about 53,000 electric start pressure washers in the United States and 1,750 in Canada. The electronic start/stop button on the pressure washer can malfunction and self-start, posing a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning if the unit is in a confined space.  Read more →

Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, the three major credit bureaus, are changing how they’ll treat the reporting of medical debt. Nearly 70 percent of it in collections will be removed from credit reports. Paid medical debt will be erased and any new medical debt won’t be included in credit reports for a year. Read more →

It’s a question that comes up frequently these days. Where’s a cheaper place to live? Using safety, affordability, quality of life, health-related factors, and more than 40 other categories, WalletHub, a personal finance website, compared the 50 states to help retirees find the best way to retire. Read more →

Martin Luther King Jr. was such a transformational leader. Over the years, I’ve written more than a dozen articles for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. They included his most famous quotes, how a day to celebrate King was finally approved, and how it’s a day of service, not a day off. Read more →

Hundreds of thousands of consumers are having problems getting credit bureaus to correct their credit reports, an analysis by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau shows. Consumers submitted more than 700,000 complaints to the CFPB about Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion from January 2020 through September 2021. Read more →

Goodman Manufacturing Co. is recalling about 298,300 evaporator coil drain pans installed with residential condensing gas furnaces in the United States and about 44,000 in Canada. The molded plastic drain pan can overheat, melt, and deform, posing a fire hazard. Read more →

Up to five million older Americans are abused every year, and the annual loss by victims of financial abuse is at least $36.5 billion. A guide to help family members and friends of people living in nursing homes and assisted living learn how to prevent and report elder financial abuse is available from the CFPB. Read more →