The University of Michigan Survey of Consumers found spending confidence by American consumers increased slightly in February. The coronavirus was mentioned by 8% of all consumers in February when describing the reasons for their economic expectations. However, on the last days of the February survey, 20% mentioned the coronavirus due to the steep drop in…
Coronavirus claims for travel disruption takes off, as thousands of Americans fall victim to love fraud, beating robocallers at their game, and the economy looks good for now, but wit till the debt collectors start calling in 2021 and beyond. Travel insurance typically costs between 5% and 10% of the total cost of a trip,…
While a gargantuan number of Americans handle their finances reasonably well, there are 10 dollar destroyers floating around, wherein some consumers fall victim to their own personal financial mismanagement or find themselves in circumstances possibly out of their control. The secret to successfully navigating around these ten hazards to the health of your wealth is…
While most Americans recognize well-deserved annual vacations are needed to clear out the cobwebs, realign priorities and strengthen a relationship with their better half, a significant number opt out to save a few bucks. According to the new Vacation Confidence Index from Allianz Global Assistance, Americans suffering from a “vacation deficit” are nearly two times as…
Dealing with debt, savings, insurance, budgeting is causing employees to miss work, not get enough sleep and more likely to be frequently anxious or stressed out. According to new survey, past-due medical bills were the leading indicator of workplace absenteeism, with one in eight workers reporting struggling with unpaid medical bills. In addition, 84% of…
New research reveals total consumer out-of-pocket spending reached $486 billion last year, having risen by 8% per year since 2011. Indeed, the market for consumers’ out-of-pocket medical costs, which for individuals has risen from $250 per year in 1980 to over $1,400 in 2016. According to NYC-based Kalorama Information, Americans utilize a variety of methods…
Forget about counting sheep, two-thirds of U.S consumers are losing sleep because of money worries. Understandably the uncertainty with health care and insurance bills driven by Republican plans to destroy health care as we have come to know it, is the most common worry. According to a report by credit card agent CreditCards.com 37% lie awake…
Medical debt accounts for more than half of all collection items that appear on consumer credit reports. Recognizing medical debt is both often mistaken and not a good indicator of future creditworthiness, leading credit score companies have begun to remove it from credit scores, but it still appears in credit reports. The U.S. PIRG Education…
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) nailed two medical debt collection law firms and their president for falsely representing that letters and calls were from attorneys attempting to collect on a debt when no attorney had yet reviewed the account. The law firms also did not ensure the accuracy of the consumer information they furnished…
Existing federal laws still prohibit the use and sale of marijuana and major banks will not yet touch the industry. Solving the banking problem is the top issue to ensure a profitable, compliant operation will keep its doors open to customers. Since major banks will not yet touch the industry, Qwick, the only closed-loop payment…
