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Jeff Gritchen/The Orange County Register/TNS

California Gov. Gavin Newsom extends rental price gouging protections until early March

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

California Gov. Gavin Newsom extended price gouging protections on rental housing Thursday amid calls for authorities to prosecute landlords jacking up rent in the wake of Los Angeles County's devastating fires.

Under California law, price gouging protections kick in during a state of emergency and generally bar landlords, hotel and motels from...Read more

Real estate Q&A: Who should replace aging fence?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: I live in a zero-lot-line community. The side of our house, a patio wall, and a wood fence extension on the end of our patio wall form the property line with our neighbor. The builder installed the wood fence extension to meet city code and enclose the neighbor’s yard since it has an open, non-enclosed pool. We do not have a pool. The fence...Read more

Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Sun/TNS

Maryland's emissions reduction requirements for large buildings challenged in federal court

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Trade organizations representing builders, developers and building owners joined Washington Gas & Light in filing a lawsuit Monday challenging Maryland’s emissions reduction requirements for large buildings.

The suit alleges that Maryland’s regulation requiring buildings of at least 35,000 square feet to reduce their globe-warming emissions...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: How to Get $1,000 Into Your Emergency Fund Painlessly

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

The most important thing you can do to make your personal economy strong is to have an umbrella, an emergency fund with enough money in it to pay all your bills for six months. And it needs to be safe and secure in a bank account.

You read that right: half a year's income! Wait. You can't even imagine being able to save $50? No worries. The ...Read more

Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times/TNS

California and Bay Area hotel development flops as market nosedives

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

SAN JOSE, Calif — Hotel development nosedived in California and the Bay Area in 2024, fresh evidence the statewide lodging market still suffers from an array of post-coronavirus economic maladies, a new report shows.

Atlas Hospitality Group disclosed in a new report that the decline affected three types of hotel projects: hotels that were ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: 4 Rules to Get Out of Debt

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

If you're in debt, you have to get out. The best way to do that is to put together a plan -- but remember a plan is only as good as your ability to stick with it. Just like diets, all of them work; the true test is sticking with one. No matter how effective the plan is in theory, if the regimen is outlandish and impractical, you will not stick ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Readers Share Their Favorite Time- and Money-Saving Tips

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Just when I think I've heard every possible way to save time and money, here comes the mail to teach me something new. "Everyday Cheapskate" readers just have to be the smartest and most clever on the planet -- good-looking, too. Enjoy!

If you have more apples than you can reasonably use in the short-term, they'll last up to six months if you ...Read more

Sarayut Thaneerat/Dreamstime/TNS

The reluctant investor's guide to smart, low-effort investing

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

A calf taught Laura Kuntz the power of investing.

Growing up on a Wisconsin dairy farm, she and her eight siblings each received a heifer when they reached sixth grade. They’d work to reimburse their parents for the price of the animal and to cover costs like lodging and feed, then build up savings from the milk revenue.

“The idea was that...Read more

Mr.phonlawat Chaicheevinlikit/Dreamstime/TNS

What are the different types of index funds?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Index funds are one of the most popular types of investments because of their simplicity, low cost and diversification benefits. In general, index funds seek to replicate the performance of an underlying index comprised of stocks or bonds, which means they aren’t managed by costly portfolio managers with teams of analysts.

There are various ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

12 ways to save money every day

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Key takeaways

— One of the easiest ways to save money daily is to cut unnecessary expenses, such as unused subscriptions.

— Save money by joining loyalty programs at stores you visit often and using cashback credit cards to earn rewards on your spending.

— Set up automatic bill payments to avoid late fees and switch to a fee-free bank ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

10 apps that will help you save money on food

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Food costs represent a significant portion of household budgets, and rising grocery prices make strategic shopping essential. While cutting back isn’t the only solution, smartphone apps can provide substantial grocery savings through cash-back rewards, digital coupons, discounts and loyalty programs.

Here’s a comprehensive guide to 10 ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

'Middle class' feels more confusing than ever. Here's how you can avoid being caught in the middle

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Marcos Cabello, a writer at Bankrate, makes around $170,000 a year when combining finances with his fiancee. Unfortunately, that doesn’t go as far as he’d like in pricey Boston.

Cabello and his fiancee consider themselves middle class, but in a city where homes are typically over $1 million, traditional middle-class benchmarks, like ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

12 simple ways to make $100 fast

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Whether you’re looking to pay down debt, cover an unexpected expense or just add a little cushion to your bank account, there are numerous ways to make $100 fast. From leveraging your skills to utilizing apps and services, these methods can help you achieve that goal without a major time commitment.

Here are 12 practical ways to earn that ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Do Not Delay in Spending Those Gift Cards

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

As we head into a new year, you may be settling in for a well-deserved rest from all the busyness of the holiday season. But not so fast. Before you haul all the boxes and torn-apart wrappings to the trash, take a quick inventory of the gift cards you and your family just received. The sad truth is that of the $308 billion Americans spent in ...Read more

Real estate Q&A: Why do I need two types of title insurance?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: We are buying our first home and are stretching our savings to pay for the down payment and closing costs, not to mention the moving expenses. Our lender sent us our closing cost estimate, which showed that “owner's title insurance” was optional, even though we were required to purchase “lender's title insurance.” What is the ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

A complete guide to 401(k) retirement plans: What is a 401(k)?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

If you’re working and already saving for retirement or plan to start socking away money soon, investing in a 401(k) plan can help you build a sizable nest egg.

If you’re thinking about signing up for a 401(k), or simply want to know more about how to take full advantage of this type of retirement savings vehicle, here’s everything you ...Read more

Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times/TNS

If you lost your home or business in the wildfires, here's what to do next

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

With more than 1,100 structures already destroyed by three wildfires that continue to rage out of control around Los Angeles, homeowners and business owners face a long road ahead to recoup their losses.

Filing an insurance claim is one of the many tasks to take care of after the loss of a home or business. It is lengthy process that has become...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: How to Remove Rust Stains from Just About Anything

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

If there's one subject that shows up in my inbox more often than any other, it has to be rust. Ugly, orange-ish stains on tubs, showers, toilets, washing machines, sinks and even stainless steel.

One reader (who shall remain nameless, as I have hopelessly misplaced your message) wrote that tiny rust marks have appeared on his new stainless ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Keep yourself and your money safe from these four scams

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The holiday season often includes gift-giving to loved ones and charitable causes, but authorities say the threat of scammers seeking to trick victims into giving them large sums of money and personal information persists year-round.

Here are some common scams and how to protect yourself from them:

'Pig butchering'

“Pig butchering” refers...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Yes! You Can Put Silver in the Dishwasher

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Contrary to popular belief, you can put silver in the dishwasher without causing harm, provided you are careful to follow a simple set of rules.

I grew up being fearful of the oddest things. I wasn't bold enough to question why, so I just did as I was told. Here's one: Never, ever put silver in the dishwasher. Ever!

I didn't know what would ...Read more

 

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