Consumer

/

Home & Leisure

/

ArcaMax

Arvin Temkar/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS

Bipartisan legislation aims to address housing crisis in Georgia

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Ashley Rodriguez loves living in Atlanta’s Summerhill neighborhood. Her two children can play in nearby parks, she can walk to her favorite restaurants, and it feels pretty safe.

“The people that live here are great too, and the schools are also good,” she said. “If I had my way, I wouldn’t leave.”

But because she’s renting her ...Read more

Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Trump tariffs on steel and aluminum could squeeze Chicago apartment developers, leading to higher rents

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

New tariffs on steel and aluminum could force Chicago apartment developers, already affected by elevated interest rates and soaring labor costs, to further delay breaking ground on new projects.

The White House began implementing tariffs of 25% on global steel and aluminum imports March 12, saying it wants to stimulate domestic production. But ...Read more

Andrey Popov/Dreamstime/TNS

I'm a financial planner and editor. Here are 5 ways to know if you're getting trustworthy money advice online

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

As a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and someone who edits personal finance content for a living, I’ve seen firsthand how the rise of financial content on social media has transformed how we learn about money. Almost half of Gen Zers who received financial advice in 2023 heard it from social media influencers, according to a Bankrate survey....Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Take the Sure Thing, or Straighten Up and Fly Right

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Dear Mary: We live in Nevada and own a second home in Arizona. My husband wants to sell the Arizona property and then use the proceeds to pay off our credit debt, auto loan and home equity loan on the Nevada property -- about $165,000 total.

I disagree. I think we should rent the Arizona property to generate income and benefit from its future ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

10 best low-risk investments in 2025

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

With the economy slowing and President Donald Trump’s tariffs likely to stoke inflation, investors face various risks. Building a portfolio that has at least some less risky assets in it can be useful to help you ride out volatility in the market.

The trade-off, of course, is that in lowering risk exposure, investors are likely to earn lower ...Read more

Nick Wagner/The Seattle Times/TNS

Seattle used to have affordable housing. What happened to it?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

SEATTLE — In 2014, new owners purchased Panorama House, an 18-story building on First Hill, and to renovate the decades-old apartments, they kicked out 200 tenants, many of them elderly and retired.

Explicitly or not, they were making room for a deluge of younger renters moving to a city unequipped to fit newcomers. Many transplants had an ...Read more

Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group/TNS

Big Bay Area real estate brokerage dealt a rebuff in private listing campaign

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

SAN JOSE, Calif. — In what consumer advocates say is a win for homebuyers and sellers, the National Association of Realtors, the major trade association representing the real estate industry, has largely rebuffed a push by the largest U.S. brokerage to end a policy requiring agents to publicly list properties for sale on local online databases...Read more

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images North America/TNS

6 totally useless pieces of investing advice that you should probably ignore

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Key takeaways

— Day trading and one-off investment picks may not pan out and could derail your investing progress.

— Permanent life insurance and other investments with “guaranteed returns” aren’t clear-cut winners. Contrary to what some finfluencers may claim, no return is 100 percent guaranteed.

— Over-investing in precious ...Read more

RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Recession alarm bells are ringing: 5 smart savings strategies to prepare

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The odds of a recession are rising, according to economists. A tumbling stock market, escalating trade tensions with China, a disappointing jobs report, tariffs and worsening consumer sentiment have made for a turbulent first quarter of 2025.

While President Donald Trump says he doesn’t see a U.S. recession on the horizon, according to ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

3 ways to know if your 401(k) is too aggressive

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

A 401(k) retirement plan is one of the most popular ways to save money for retirement and score some tax breaks for doing so. But often these plans don’t provide a lot of guidance on how to manage them, and participants end up with wildly aggressive portfolios, or, what experts often see, a portfolio so conservative that it barely budges year ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Clever, Genius and Just Plain Brilliant Housecleaning Hacks from the Pros

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Over the years, I've picked up my fair share of housecleaning tricks -- some from sheer trial and error, others from seasoned professionals who make scrubbing and tidying look like an art form. The best cleaning hacks aren't just about getting things spotless; they're about getting there cheaper, better, faster and without pulling a muscle.

So ...Read more

Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/TNS

National Association of Realtors cutting nearly 12% of staff as a part of a 'strategy to reduce costs, streamline operations'

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

CHICAGO — The Chicago-based National Association of Realtors is laying off nearly 12% of its staff and eliminating 20 open positions, according to a news release posted on the organization’s website Friday.

The cuts affect 41 of NAR’s 344 employees and, with the elimination of open roles, hit various departments including public relations...Read more

Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/TNS

National Association of Realtors cutting nearly 12% of staff as a part of a 'strategy to reduce costs, streamline operations'

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The Chicago-based National Association of Realtors is laying off nearly 12% of its staff and eliminating 20 open positions, according to a news release posted on the organization’s website Friday.

The cuts affect 41 of NAR’s 344 employees and, with the elimination of open roles, hit various departments including public relations and ...Read more

Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Expansive offices for Apple are rising in Culver City

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

At a time when many office developers are on the sidelines because of the soft leasing market, Apple Inc. is well underway on construction of a splashy new office complex of its own on the border of Culver City and Los Angeles.

With excavation for an underground garage completed, construction crews have erected cranes and are building upward on...Read more

Real estate Q&A: Can we force developer to put in area to walk dogs?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: We, along with others in our new construction condo, were all told there would be a dog-walk area. There was none when we moved, and there are no plans for one. The dog-walk area was not specified in our purchase agreement, but we were all informed verbally of the same information. Our building states it is dog-friendly in the contract. Do we...Read more

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Modular housing may finally have its day -- as solution to wildfire rebuilding

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

LOS ANGELES — The sense of loss Sue Labella feels after the Pacific Palisades home she’d lived in for almost 50 years burned down in January’s wildfire is only matched by her desire to return.

To come back as fast as possible, the 83-year-old widow has decided on a home radically different from the 1939 Tudor where she and her husband ...Read more

George Avalos/Bay Area News Group/TNS

Silicon Valley office market improves as vacancies shrink, deals grow

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Silicon Valley office market is getting off to a good start in 2025, according to a new report that detailed improvements on multiple fronts in the region.

The vacancy rate fell, rents increased, and overall deal activity expanded in the South Bay during the January-through-March first quarter of 2025, Colliers, a ...Read more

Khadejeh Nikouyeh/The Charlotte Observer/TNS

Despite rising homeownership rates, large racial gaps remain in NC, US, report says

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

After homeownership rates dipped across the board the year before, Black households saw the greatest year-over-year increase among all races in 2023, a new report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) says.

Nationally, Black homeowner rates rose to 44.7% — up .6 percentage points from 2022, according to NAR’s 2025 Snapshot of Race...Read more

Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Wealthy white homeowners vote more on property tax hike proposals in Cook County, study finds

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

CHICAGO -- Some suburban voters are facing key decisions about hiking property taxes in the April 1 election, but if the past is precedent, “the few will decide for the many” again, according to a report from Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas’ office.

Referendums for $45 million in infrastructure spending in Western Springs, $94.9 ...Read more

K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune/TNS

San Diego falls in national home price rankings

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

SAN DIEGO — San Diego home price gains slowed to their lowest level to start 2025 in almost two years.

In January, the San Diego metropolitan area’s home price increased 3.39% annually, said the S&P Case-Shiller Indices report released this week. The highest gains in the 20-city index were in the New York metro area, at 7.75%, and Chicago, ...Read more

 

Related Channels

America's Test Kitchen

America's Test Kitchen

By America's Test Kitchen
ArcaMax Chef

ArcaMax Chef

By ArcaMax Chef
Ask The Builder

Ask The Builder

By Tim Carter
Ask The Vet

Ask The Vet

By Dr. Lee Pickett
Celebrity Travel

Celebrity Travel

By Jae-Ha Kim
Dear Monty

Dear Monty

By Richard Montgomery
Do It Yourself Or Not

Do It Yourself Or Not

By Gene and Katie Hamilton
Eric's Autos

Eric's Autos

By Eric Peters
Everyday Cheapskate

Everyday Cheapskate

By Mary Hunt
Focus on the Family

Focus on the Family

By Jim Daly
Georgia Garvey

Georgia Garvey

By Georgia Garvey
Jeff Rugg

Jeff Rugg

By Jeff Rugg
Lenore Skenazy

Lenore Skenazy

By Lenore Skenazy
Living Space

Living Space

By Kathryn Weber
My Pet World

My Pet World

By Cathy M. Rosenthal
Problem Solved

Problem Solved

By Christopher Elliott
Real Estate Matters

Real Estate Matters

By Ilyce R. Glink and Samuel J. Tamkin
Recipes by Zola

Recipes by Zola

By Zola Gorgon
Rick Steves' Europe

Rick Steves' Europe

By Rick Steves' Europe
Taking The Kids

Taking The Kids

By Eileen Ogintz
Travel & Adventure

Travel & Adventure

By Various authors
Travel Troubleshooter

Travel Troubleshooter

By Christopher Elliott

Comics

9 Chickweed Lane Tim Campbell Bill Bramhall Kevin Siers David Horsey Fowl Language