It’s helpful for consumers to take a look at complaints that are received by agencies and organization to know what to watch out for in their financial lives. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau monitors consumer complaints to determine risks in consumer financial markets and to prioritize agency action. In 2022, the CFPB found:
Did you get your taxes done on time? I expected to get mine completed at H&R Block on Sunday, but due to a glitch, they weren’t completed until Monday. Read all about my experience at “H&R Block Doing Better About Disclosing Prices, But Price Still High.” I paid $488. At least I was able to get an estimate this year.
Sixty-three percent of Americans identify themselves as Christians, and 43 percent plan to attend church on Easter Sunday, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. Easter is a big donation day for U.S. churches, as it usually has the year’s highest attendance rates. It’s also a significant money-maker for candy companies.
Republicans doing the bidding of Wall Street for years led to the current banking crisis. In 2018, Republicans led an effort, lobbied heavily by the financial industry, that resulted in a law, signed by former President Donald Trump, that gutted Dodd-Frank’s risk assessment safeguards for midsize banks.
I love Ireland. I was so fortunate to travel there with my daughter Lisa in 2016. So, I decided a good way to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day Friday is to post some of the photos from our trip. We were fortunate to meet with some of my grandmother Laura Baylee Slingsby’s relatives. Laura was born in 1877 and died in 1939.
Things are busy, here in my corner of the USA. I’m behind in reporting on what’s happening for National Consumer Protection Week. A lot of my time has been taken up since the first of the year taking part in the Dean Ornish heart health program. It ends Wednesday. I’ll be reporting on its many benefits soon.
How was your holiday? Did you get lots of neat presents? Were you able to celebrate with family and friends? Were you exhausted when it was all over? I was fortunate because I was able to celebrate Christmas twice. My daughter from Spain came for an early celebration and my daughter from Sacramento drove up to Washington state, too.
My best wishes to you and your loved ones for 2023. On New Years eve, I wrote about the top consumer and personal finance stories of 2022. Inflation and higher interest rates topped the list, and I predict that those two issues will continue to confront consumers throughout the new year. My recommendations include:
It’s time for my annual article on the top consumer and personal finance articles of the year. As usual, there aren’t many reporters covering this important topic. However, in addition to the best news, health, political, and science stories of the year, there’s a new category: the top climate change stories.
