By Nathalie Voit The average annual cost of maintaining a new vehicle soared past $10,000 in 2022, AAA said in a news release posted on Aug. 11. According to the latest data from the transportation analytics firm, consumers are shelling out an estimated $10,728 a year to own and operate a new car. This translates to a [...]
By Nathalie Voit The U.S. Postal Service is temporarily bumping prices for the 2022 peak holiday season, the agency said in a statement released on Aug. 10. USPS said the planned price changes would be used to offset “extra handling costs” to ensure a smooth peak shipping season. The price increases will also keep USPS competitive with [...]
By Nathalie Voit U.S. workers without access to paid leave lost an estimated $28 billion in wages during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new report released Aug. 10 from the nonprofit Urban Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found. The study found that self-reported absences from work due to illness, childcare needs, [...]
By Nathalie Voit American teenagers are turning to other social media platforms besides Facebook for social connection, a Pew Research Center study found. The results of the study, released on Aug. 8, show that just one in three teenagers aged 13 to 17 use Facebook. In contrast, in a 2014-15 Pew survey, 71% of teenagers reported using [...]
By Nathalie Voit Most Americans aren’t concerned about being personally audited by the International Revenue Service (IRS), a new Morning Consult/Politico survey found. Despite GOP warnings, the National Tracking Poll found that 76% of voters are not concerned about being audited by the IRS. About one in four voters (24%) expressed concern about being personally targeted by the tax-collection [...]
By Nathalie Voit Disney’s beloved streaming service is set to get more expensive. According to an announcement by The Walt Disney Company on Aug. 10, Disney+ will raise the price of its standard subscription plan to $10.99, up from the current monthly price of $7.99. An annual ad-free subscription for Disney+ “Premium” will cost $109.99. Disney+ will [...]
By Nathalie Voit The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is pressing charges against sham healthcare company Benefytt Technologies, according to a press release issued by the agency on Aug. 8. The complaint, Federal Trade Commission v. Benefytt Technologies, Inc, filed in a Florida federal court on Monday, alleges that Benefytt and two of its subsidiaries: Health Plan Intermediaries Holdings, [...]
By Nathalie Voit Higher healthcare costs have prompted some Americans to take drastic steps. According to a recent Gallup poll released on Aug. 4, more than one in four U.S. adults (26%) are delaying or avoiding medical treatment due to rising healthcare costs. This includes skipping medicine or prescription drug purchases. Lower-income adults are much more likely [...]
By Nathalie Voit The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a consumer alert warning the public about clicking on random text messages allegedly stemming from well-known companies like The Home Depot, Costco, or USPS. In a post published on August 8, the federal agency told consumers to ignore unexpected texts asking people to click on a link to [...]
By Nathalie Voit Instant messaging platform WhatsApp announced several new privacy features on August 9, including the ability to leave group chats undetected. The Meta-owned company said on Tuesday that users would be able to leave group chats silently starting this month. Currently, it is not possible to exit a group without alerting other group [...]
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