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Kekyalyaynen / Shutterstock.com As prices, staff and car availability returns to normal, customers are increasingly happy with their car rentals, a recent study says. Consumer opinion data company J.D. Power released its latest annual North America Rental Car Satisfaction Study, which gathered insights from more than 8,600 travelers who rented cars at airports between August […]

Prostock-studio / Shutterstock.com The Boy Scout motto “Be Prepared” doesn’t just apply to young men. We should all be ready for whatever life throws at us — whether that is another worldwide pandemic or a local power outage after a storm. Sure, you can often make a store trip on short notice, but don’t count

Freeman / Money Talks News Every weekend, I recap “news you can use” from the week — a handful of quotes from major (and often expensive) news sources — so you can stay up to date on the news that affects your money without spending a dime and in less than a minute. Here’s an

Semmick Photo / Shutterstock.com If you love a lush, green lawn, it’s important to fertilize your grass. Fertilizer can help your lawn cope with pests and protects it from sweltering heat and bitter cold. But when and how often should you lay down fertilizer? Frank Rossi, associate professor of horticulture at Cornell University’s School of

Yongkiet Jitwattanatam / Shutterstock.com Many places, even within the U.S., charge higher tax rates to nonresidents on some goods and services. These taxes are often most apparent in the travel industry, where they are regularly added to the cost of lodging. In theory, these taxes on tourists are used for maintenance like roadwork and street

Andy.LIU / Shutterstock.com Advertising Disclosure: When you buy something by clicking links on our site, we may earn a small commission, but it never affects the products or services we recommend. For well over a year, there has been speculation that Costco might hike its annual membership fee. Costco itself acknowledges that an increase is

James Andrews1 / Shutterstock.com Millions of home shoppers have gotten sticker shock when seeing the price of today’s houses. Across the nation, the total value of the housing market is 49% higher today than it was at the start of the pandemic, according to new research from Zillow. In just the past year alone, the

Desizned / Shutterstock.com It now costs an average of $12,182 per year to own and operate a new vehicle — an increase of more than $1,500 since 2022 — according to AAA’s 2023 driving costs study. If that amount sounds steep, it’s because it reflects every cost associated with owning and driving a new car

Gabriele Maltinti / Shutterstock.com home sale prices shot up by 5% year over year during the four-week period ending Aug. 27. That is the biggest increase in 10 months, according to an analysis of the 50 most populous metropolitan areas by real estate brokerage firm Redfin. The median home sale price was about $380,000 as

Anatoliy Cherkas / Shutterstock.com One of the biggest surprises for some new Medicare recipients is having to pay far more in premium costs than they ever imagined. Higher-earning recipients often have to pay surcharges on their Medicare premiums, which are known as income-related monthly adjustment amounts, or IRMAAs. These charges apply to both Part B

Kabindra shrestha / Shutterstock.com The phrase “summer vacation” brings with it a whole set of cliches, many involving warm-weather destinations. But with climate change making each summer seemingly warmer than the next, perhaps it’s time to rethink vacation planning. There are plenty of vacation destinations that appeal to those looking to beat the heat –

Lucigerma / Shutterstock.com Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on NewRetirement. Sometimes it feels like the world is designed for couples. People throw dinner parties for couples. Most forms ask about your spouse. And, let’s face it, retirement and aging — a time when you’ll sometimes need a helping hand — can feel kind of

Chris Rawlins / Shutterstock.com Advertising Disclosure: When you buy something by clicking links on our site, we may earn a small commission, but it never affects the products or services we recommend. Finding financial freedom may seem out of reach when your debt is mounting, credit score is dropping, and expenses are outpacing savings. The

Sergio Photone / Shutterstock.com Advertising Disclosure: When you buy something by clicking links on our site, we may earn a small commission, but it never affects the products or services we recommend. There is some good news about health care costs in retirement, although it might not look so terrific at first blush. The average

Freeman / Money Talks News Every Friday I recap “news you can use” from the week: a handful of quotes from major (and often expensive) news sources, so you can stay up to date on the news that affects your money without spending a dime and in less than a minute. Here’s an overview of

eldar nurkovic / Shutterstock.com Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on The Penny Hoarder. Here’s one simple way to cut your grocery bill: Stop throwing away so much food. That may seem obvious, but you could actually be tossing perfectly good food without realizing it. If you’ve been following sell-by dates on labels in the

SeventyFour / Shutterstock.com Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on The Penny Hoarder. Vintage thrifting is more than a hobby for me. My home is almost exclusively adorned with eclectic vintage items I found at thrift shops. Some of my favorites include a silver blimp cocktail shaker I picked up for $6, a set of