Anyone expecting to someday see Harriet Tubman’s image grace the front of the $20 bill may be in for a long wait. In a new interview, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin hinted that the Trump administration may back off the planned change that would have had Tubman take Andrew Jackson’s place on the bill. [More]
money
45% Of Americans Carry At Least $25,000 In Debt
By 4.27.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
If you owe creditors less than $5,000 (not including a mortgage) you’re in a rather small group of Americans with minimal debt. According to a new survey, nearly half the country owes at least $25,000 — and spends as much as half of their monthly income paying down their debt. [More]
Don’t Be Scammed Into Paying For A Refund From West Union Fraud Settlement
By 4.4.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
Earlier this year, Western Union agreed to pay $585 million to settle federal allegations that it didn’t do enough to prevent fraudulent transactions. Some of this money is to be paid out to victims of this fraud, but the government is warning people not to let themselves get scammed a second time.. [More]
Man Pleasantly Surprised When Suspected Scam Is Actually Legitimate $763K Windfall
By 3.31.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Every time I get an email from a Nigerian official bearing the news that deceased royalty has inexplicably left me a huge sum of money, I can’t help but wish it really were true. So when a man in South Carolina got a phone call informing him he was due $763,000 in unclaimed cash, it’s not surprising he thought the whole thing was a scam. Except this time, it wasn’t. [More]
Man’s Honesty Pays Off When He Gets To Keep $15K He Found In The Street A Year Ago
By 3.30.17 — Updated: 4.3.17
As the old saying goes, crime doesn’t pay. But in some cases, being honest — and patient — can certainly reap financial rewards, as one man now gets to keep $15,200 he turned in after finding it on the street. [More]
Move Over Mattresses: $100,000 Found Stashed Inside Old TV
By 2.16.17
You wouldn’t expect to fit more than a few dollars in the back of today’s flat-screen televisions, but TVs of yesteryear with their bulky backs full of tubes and cords were apparently another option for consumers who have a tendency to stash away money. You know, if their box springs were already full: More than $100,000 was recently found hidden inside an old TV at a recycling plant. [More]
Sick Of Being Robbed, Coffee Shop Goes Cash-Free
By 2.3.17 — Updated: 5.8.17
There are plenty of restaurants and businesses that refuse to accept anything other than cash, but one Baltimore coffee shop is swinging the other direction after getting robbed one too many times. [More]
After Worker Backlash, Instacart Decides To Not Get Rid Of Tips
By 10.14.16
A day after we told you about workers’ unhappy response to Instacart’s plan to do away with tips and replace them with a “service amount,” the online grocery delivery service has decided to keep the tip option open. [More]
Instacart Shoppers Say Getting Rid Of Tips Will Ultimately Hurt Customers
By 10.13.16
Last month, thousands of Instacart shoppers and drivers — the people who get paid to collect and then drop off grocery orders for customers of the online service — were notified that they would soon be seeing a difference in their paychecks as the company overhauled its tipping and scheduling policies. This announcement hasn’t exactly gone over swimmingly, and now several Instacart workers are telling Consumerist why they have misgivings about the change. [More]
Ticked-Off NFL Player Pays $3,900 Car Shop Bill Entirely In Coins
By 9.29.16
Carolina Panthers fullback Mike Tolbert was apparently so displeased with the service he received from a car shop that he paid the business almost $4,000 using nothing but change. [More]
Treasury Department Calls For More Oversight, Regulations Of The Online Lending Industry
By 5.10.16
Sure, the idea of sitting on your couch in your boxers and picking a loan from a list of preselected lenders seems like an easy and fairly straight-forward process. But federal officials say the relatively new online lending industry is rife with potential risks and should be subjected to additional oversight. [More]
All Those Quarters You Lose In Your Car Go To China… And Then Get Sold Back To The U.S.
By 4.29.16
When Americans travel, our money goes with — and not just in a metaphorical sense. Where people go, coins get left behind. Meanwhile, the pennies we drop at home get swept into trash heaps and scrap yards, falling out of sight and out of mind. But that doesn’t mean they don’t exist — and even if they’re beat up, it doesn’t mean they lose their value. [More]
Bag Of Money Falls Out Of Armored Truck, Scatters Across Highway
By 3.17.16
What would you do if you saw cash fluttering from an armored vehicle while driving down the highway? What you are not supposed to do is scoop up handfuls of money and then drive off. Yet that’s what usually happens, because people are terrible and greedy. It’s what happened in New Jersey this morning. [More]
United CEO May Have Made Millions By Returning Early From Heart Transplant
By 3.11.16
United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz returns to work on Monday only two months after a heart transplant. Was the airline exec’s speedy recovery spurred by a desire to get back to business, or did Munoz return earlier than planned because it was the only way to earn his full bonus?
[More]
5 Ways To Improve Your Finances With Minimal Effort
By 12.30.15
Improving your finances doesn’t always require a big investment. Sometimes a single phone call or a small tweak are all you need to improve your financial future or present. Looking for some ideas as you change to your new “366 Kitten Photos” desk calendar? Here are some ideas from our financial friends down the hall at Consumer Reports to get you started. [More]
Man Will Pay Dentist Bill With 45 Years’ Worth Of Pennies
By 10.29.15
A 73-year-old man in Louisiana did not originally start saving all of his pennies as a fun personal finance hack. He says that he began the habit 45 years ago as a reminder to pray every day. His collection grew with the help of a friend who had a similar collection of nickels and by simply holding on to every penny that passed through his hands. [More]
Local Official Thinks It’s Uncool To Pay $25 Parking Ticket In Pennies, But Affirms Man’s Right To Do So
By 8.13.15
A Pennsylvania man who was rebuffed when he tried to pay a $25 parking ticket he owed to his borough entirely in pennies should’ve been able to use those coins, a local official said, but really, it was kind of rude for him to do so. [More]
Poll: Americans Want Eleanor Roosevelt’s Face On New $10 Bill
By 8.5.15
Although we won’t find out which historic woman the U.S. Treasury Department will choose for a new $10 bill until later this year, a new poll says Americans already know who they want sharing face time with Alexander Hamilton: The nation’s longest-serving first lady, as well as an activist, diplomat and politician, Eleanor Roosevelt. [More]
