Main Street Dollars

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A missing Form 1099 does not make app earnings, cash jobs or other gig income tax-free. The IRS requires workers to report taxable gig income regardless of the payment method or whether an information form arrives. At the same time, eligible independent workers can continue using the qualified business income deduction because current federal law…

Earning $684 a week alone does not make a salaried worker overtime-exempt

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in Workplace Rights

A salary of $684 a week clears one federal threshold used for several white-collar overtime exemptions, but it does not settle the question. Most executive, administrative and professional exemptions require the employer to satisfy a salary-level test, a salary-basis test and a duties test. A job title or a fixed paycheck cannot replace the missing…

Joyin’s dive-stick recall now covers 404,000 sets, and replacements require a trash photo

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in Recalls

A pool toy that looks harmless can be dangerous when it stays upright and rigid in shallow water. Joyin’s expanded recall now includes about 404,000 Sloosh dive-stick sets, up from the 254,000 units named in June. Owners are being told to throw away the covered sticks, photograph them in the trash and email the image…

Hillcrest breach victims with potentially exposed Social Security numbers can claim an expected $50 by August 26

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in Settlements & Claims

People notified that their Social Security number was potentially involved in Hillcrest Convalescent Center’s June 2024 data incident have a live settlement choice. Eligible Group 1 class members may request an expected $50 cash payment, but the claim must be filed online or postmarked by August 26, 2026. The word “expected” matters because settlement participation…

A free repair covers 116,908 recalled Boon toddler towers that can tip over

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in Recalls

A toddler tower that shifts or leans can send a child toward a counter edge or the floor. TOMY’s current recall covers 116,908 Boon PIVOT collapsible towers in the United States and provides a free stabilizing part with installation instructions. The remedy is a repair rather than a refund, and the stool should remain out…

Amazon, Walmart, Target and Best Buy sold 5,952 recalled child stools eligible for refunds

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in Recalls

A wooden tower meant to help a child reach the kitchen counter can create the very fall danger it was supposed to prevent. A current recall covers 5,952 SDADI step stools sold through Amazon, Walmart, Target and Best Buy, with a full refund available from the importer. Eight instability or tip-over reports, including four minor…

Ring customers who missed an earlier FTC refund are getting Zelle payments

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in Settlements & Claims

An uncashed refund check can leave legitimate settlement money stranded long after the original enforcement case. The Federal Trade Commission is now using Zelle to reach eligible Ring customers who did not cash a previous check or accept an earlier PayPal payment. The transfer is automatic for the identified group, not a new application opportunity…

Public-housing renters may get just 14 days’ notice before termination for unpaid rent

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in Housing & Rent

A missed rent payment in public housing can now move toward lease termination on a much shorter federal timetable than many renters expect. HUD’s current rule restored a minimum notice of 14 days for public-housing nonpayment cases after revoking the broader 30-day federal requirement. State law, local procedure and the lease can add protections, but…

Two months of direct-deposited Social Security or VA benefits stay protected from most debt collectors

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in Social Security

A court order against a bank account does not automatically make every Social Security or veterans-benefit dollar available to a private collector. When covered federal payments arrive by direct deposit, the bank must review the account and leave two months of those deposits accessible in most private-debt garnishments. The shield is powerful but limited: extra…

Online-only GI Bill students may get up to $1,261 a month for housing

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