Man having engine problems with popped hood

He Owes $15,000 on a Car That Just Blew Its Engine, the Shop Wants $12,000 to Fix It, There Are Already Other Problems They Haven’t Diagnosed, and the Buyback Offer Won’t Even Cover What He Still Owes the Lender

ByKristin Stones

His 2017 Subaru WRX STI had developed a knocking sound in the engine bay on his way to work, prompting him to have it towed to a Subaru shop once he arrived. Once there, the shop started the engine, which produced a loud boom before locking up entirely, confirming a rod knock had completely destroyed…

Man looking exhausted at his laptop

7 Money Decisions People Are Regretting After Years of Inflation

ByKristin Stones

When prices first started climbing, many households assumed the pressure would pass fairly quickly. Budgets stretched a little, but most people believed things would settle down before long. Because of that mindset, a lot of financial decisions continued as usual. Now that inflation has lingered for years, some of those earlier choices look different in…

Man looking worried while looking at a letter

His New Dentist Showed Him a Treatment Plan With $0 Out of Pocket, Overbilled His Insurance and Are Sending Him a $393 Bill

ByKristin Stones

He’d gone into a new dental clinic for a routine checkup, x-rays, and cleaning, and before any actual treatment took place, the office printed out an Active Treatment Plan showing his Priority 1 items, the exam, cleaning, x-rays, diagnostic casts, and caries assessment. Every single line item on that printed plan showed $0.00 under the…

Woman looking very upset and in pain holding her head in her hands

She Spent Almost an Hour on the Phone With Someone Impersonating Her Bank and Sent Them a Few Hundred Dollars Before She Realized She’d Been Scammed and Got Locked Out of Her Own Account

ByKristin Stones

She’d received a call appearing to come from her actual bank’s phone number, with the caller claiming fraud had been flagged on her account, specifically that someone had gained access to her online banking and was attempting to send themselves money via Zelle. Over the course of nearly an hour on the phone, the situation…

Young woman sitting at her computer looking very worried

10 Things Americans Are Secretly Cutting Even If They Won’t Admit It

ByKristin Stones

For a lot of households, financial adjustments do not always happen in obvious ways. People rarely announce that they are cutting back or making sacrifices. Instead, the changes show up quietly in everyday decisions. Someone skips an outing, delays a purchase, or finds a cheaper alternative and simply moves on. Over time those small choices…

Woman arguing with her female realtor

She Found the House the Day It Listed, Offered Full Price With No Credits, and Her Agent Earned $10,000 While Spending Most of the Transaction Telling Her Requests Weren’t Worth Pursuing

ByKristin Stones

She’d closed on her first home a month earlier, finding the property the very day it was listed and moving quickly to offer full asking price with no credits or concessions attached. By any reasonable measure, she’d made the transaction about as smooth and easy as a home purchase could go, minimal negotiation, no drawn…