The Daily Money: 5 consumer New Year's Resolutions to stay fraud-free this year
Happy Friday! This is Betty Lin-Fisher and welcome to today’s edition of The Daily Money.
On Fridays, I’ll be bringing you a consumer-focused edition of this newsletter. It’ll still give you links to many of the top Money stories from my Paste BN colleagues, but we'll focus on stories from a consumer perspective.
First, a bit about me.
I joined Paste BN in October after 28 years as a journalist at the Akron Beacon Journal, a Gannett/Paste BN network newspaper in Ohio. I’m a Chicago-area native and a graduate of the University of Iowa. While in Akron, I covered a variety of beats as a metro, business and medical reporter. I also was a consumer reporter and columnist for 23 years.
When I joined Paste BN, I jumped into the thick of holiday shopping coverage, but here are other stories I’ve written that may interest you as 2024 kicks off:
Did you make any New Year’s Resolutions, like losing weight? Here are 5 more to help you avoid getting scammed this year. Scammers are always betting that you’re going to let your guard down while you are multi-tasking or passively scrolling on your phone. These resolutions are a good reminder to help protect yourself and your loved ones.
A fun new feature that I started before the holidays is called Uncomfortable Conversations about Money. In the new series, I’ll tackle topics or situations about money that make you uneasy. My first one was about grandparents who wanted to spoil the grandkids during the holidays.
If you have a topic you’d like to suggest or if you’d be willing to be featured in a future story about your Uncomfortable Conversation, email me at blinfisher@USATODAY.com with "Uncomfortable Conversations" in the subject line.
Want to learn how to thrift? Tips from thrifting experts
I’ve always loved thrifting and garage sales. During COVID, my husband started selling excess things in our basement on eBay and found a new hobby/side gig. Soon, he started asking me to go to thrift stores and garage sales, and we now also frequent estate sales. He looks for things to resell. I just look for fun treasures while remembering that I don’t want to become a packrat, so I’m often just browsing.
When news that a woman in Virginia bought a vase for $3.99 at a thrift store and sold it for more than $100,000 hit right before the holidays, I checked with thrifting professionals to write a primer on how to thrift treasures for themselves and maybe land a hidden gem.
📰 Consumer stories you shouldn't miss 📰
Still writing checks? Thieves love people who are still writing paper checks, the NYT reports.
Buying a car? FTC reveals new CARS Rule to protect consumers from illegal dealership scams
Holiday bills: Only half of Americans believe they can pay off their December credit card bill
In the market for a house? Housing market predictions: Six experts weigh in on the real estate outlook in 2024
Have a college student? New FAFSA form, still difficult to get to, opens for longer hours. Here are the details.
🍔 Today's Menu 🍔
Those iconic Sweethearts conversation heart candies are getting with the modern era of dating. The candy maker is releasing "Situationships Boxes" ahead of Valentine's Day. "The specially designed boxes contain blurry, misprinted candies that are as hard to read as Gen-Z relationships," the company, Spangler, said.
About The Daily Money
Each weekday, The Daily Money delivers the best consumer news from Paste BN. We break down financial news and provide the TLDR version: how decisions by the Federal Reserve, government and companies impact you.