Author: Elizabeth Blessing
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Dozens of states offer senior property-tax freezes or rebates worth up to about $1,500 — check your state’s deadline
More than 30 states run programs that can freeze or cut property taxes for older and lower-income homeowners — and in several, the relief is worth $1,000 to $1,500 or more a year. They go by different names: property-tax freezes, homestead credits, and “circuit breaker” rebates. Each has its own income limits and, crucially, its…
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State Farm is returning about $5 billion to auto customers, roughly $100 a vehicle, and former customers still qualify
State Farm is returning about $5 billion to its auto insurance customers, averaging roughly $100 per insured vehicle, in what the company calls the largest dividend in its more than century-long history. The payments are being sent automatically — most customers do not have to file anything — and, notably, former customers from the covered…
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More than 4 million people have already lost food aid as SNAP’s new work rules take hold
More than 4 million people have already dropped off SNAP, the country’s largest food-assistance program, as tougher work rules from the 2025 federal law take hold. Average monthly enrollment has fallen by roughly 5 million from a year earlier, and analysts expect the number to keep climbing as states finish rolling out the requirements. Behind…
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Chrysler recalls 1.27 million Ram 1500 trucks for free seat-belt repairs
Chrysler is recalling about 1.27 million Ram 1500 pickups over seat-belt anchors that may have been improperly installed, and the inspection and any needed repair are free to every owner. The defect involves the second-row seat-belt buckle anchors, which could reduce the belt’s ability to protect passengers in a crash. Federal recall law means the…
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Government-impersonation scams jumped 40 percent, driven by fake toll-road texts — never pay from a text link
Scam texts claiming you owe money for an unpaid toll have exploded, helping drive government-impersonation scams up about 40 percent over the past year. The messages look official, threaten late fees or license consequences, and include a link to “pay now.” They are fake, and the rule that defeats them is absolute: no real toll…
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LIHEAP can help lower-income households pay heating and cooling bills
There is a federal program that helps lower-income households pay their heating and cooling bills, and in many states it can also step in during an energy emergency like a looming shutoff. It is called LIHEAP, and despite helping millions of families every year, plenty of people who qualify have never heard of it or…
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Rent and housing costs keep climbing near 3.2 percent a year
Housing remains the most stubborn piece of the inflation picture, with shelter costs climbing near 3.2 percent a year — faster than overall inflation and by far the largest line in most household budgets. For renters and homeowners alike, that steady rise is why the cost of living still feels tight even as prices for…
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Buy-now-pay-later loans now hit your credit report when you miss a payment
The “pay in four” installment plans that have become a checkout staple are no longer invisible to the credit system. Buy-now-pay-later loans are now being folded into credit reports and scores, which means paying them on time can help build credit for people with thin files — and missing a payment can now ding a…
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Collections on defaulted federal student loans have restarted, putting paychecks and tax refunds at risk of seizure
Collections on defaulted federal student loans have restarted after a long pause, and the consequences reach straight into a household’s cash flow. The government can seize tax refunds, garnish wages, and even take a slice of a Social Security check to recover a defaulted loan. For borrowers who fell behind during the years of paused…
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Amazon is cutting about 16,000 corporate jobs, one of its biggest layoffs ever
Amazon is cutting about 16,000 corporate jobs, one of the largest white-collar layoff rounds in its history and part of a broader reduction that could reach close to 30,000 corporate roles across 2026. For the workers affected, the immediate questions are practical and financial: what severance is owed, when the final paycheck must arrive, what…
