News

2019

November

15

• Paid parental leave isn't enough. One of the biggest arguments for paid leave for new parents has been an economic one: Research has repeatedly shown that women with paid time off after childbirth are more likely to keep working. But

• What's your secret consumer score. Little-known companies are amassing your data — like food orders and Airbnb messages — and selling the analysis to clients. Here’s how to get a copy of what they have on you.

14

• Privacy, consumer groups seek to block Google-Fitbit deal. Privacy, social justice and consumer groups are calling for the U.S. government to block Google’s $2.1 billion acquisition of fitness-gadget maker Fitbit, citing antitrust and privacy concerns. They say in a letter to

• These companies are revolutionizing how people get paid. Some companies are giving workers early access to their earned wages rather than have them wait for their paycheck every two weeks. One reason for the shift: Venmo, PayPal, Apple Pay and other technologies have

• Google to offer customers checking accounts. Google is taking its deepest dive yet into the financial lives of its users with plans to roll out a checking-account service. Citigroup Inc. and a California credit union are the tech giant’s

• Cities are reimagining their relationship with cars. Several cities have begun by making it expensive to bring older diesel cars and trucks into the city center. Some are aiming to keep out diesel vehicles altogether during rush hour (Bristol, by 2021, for example)

• Realtors association bans “pocket listings”. The National Association of Realtors board of directors voted 729-70 to ban the controversial practice of “pocket listings.” It’s a practice that was surging in competitive markets such as New York,

13

• Expert calls some credit card offers 'bait-and-switch'. Holiday shoppers beware: Signing up for instant credit could quickly turn into a jingle hell. Not all financing — particularly when it comes to deferred interest — works the way you'

• Lawmakers aim to reduce payday loan rates from 400% to 36%. Tens of millions of Americans are turning to high-cost loans that routinely carry interest rates of more than 400% for everyday expenses, such as paying their bills and covering emergency expenses. For many, those rates end

12

• Start saving now for emergency trips. Normally when I book an airline ticket, I start my search months ahead of the trip, using comparison travel sites or signing up for price alerts to try to snag flights at the lowest cost

• Any of these 5,000 professional licenses could get a credit boost. A new credit score will soon factor in consumers’ rent payments and professional licenses to help them get approved for loans. The score, created by credit-reporting firm Experian, is called “Lift” and

• Top public universities aren't affordable for low-income students. America's top public universities, known as flagships, are generally the most well-resourced public universities in their respective states — think the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor or the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

11

• How the algorithms running your life are biased. Software programs don’t just recommend books and movies you might like: they also determine the interest rate you’ll pay on a loan, whether you land a dream job and even the

08

• Zelle fraud emergency kit and FAQ. I’ve been writing about fraud at Zelle — and the mishandling of Zelle fraud claims by big banks — for more than a year now. I’m creating this page to be

• Who owns HIV-prevention drugs? Taxpayers, the U.S. says. After years of prodding by patient advocates, federal officials sued the drug maker Gilead Sciences, charging that it had infringed government patents on the idea of preventing H.I.V. with a daily pill. &ldquo

• A tiny pharmacy is identifying big problems with Zantac, etc.. The escalating global recall of Zantac, the heartburn pill that once ranked as the world’s best-selling drug, has its roots not in government oversight or a high-profile lawsuit, but in a tiny online

• Airbnb CEO pledges to verify all 7 million listings. Airbnb announced several measures to bolster trust and protect the safety of its users better. The news followed the deaths of five people after a shooting at an “Airbnb mansion party” in California

• What if the road to single-payer led through the states?. As presidential hopefuls campaign on a national “Medicare for all” system, a California congressman is pushing for a different path to universal coverage: letting the states go first. Ro Khanna, a Democratic representative,

07

• Medicaid's dark secret. For many participants, the program that provides health care to millions of low-income Americans isn’t free. It’s a loan. And the government expects to be repaid.

• The 100-year family. Research shows that one of the most important differences between those who maintain their wealth and those who don’t is communication.