Author: Tribune News Service
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Amazon’s updated Kindle Paperwhite is lighter, waterproof
Amazon last week introduced an updated version of its Kindle Paperwhite, the lightweight version of the retail giant’s e-reader, for the first time in three years. The new model is about 10 percent lighter and thinner than the previous edition, which was released in 2015. It comes with more tools to customize and save page…
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3 ways to protect your kids’ college savings if the market falls
The record run for stocks — along with trade and election jitters — has some parents on edge about college nest eggs. After all, you might be able to delay retirement if the market tumbles and your 401(k) takes a hit. Not so much if your 529 plan implodes. For savers, we’re not talking about…
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Unclear if new legislation will boost retirement savings
Political efforts to boost Americans’ savings are gaining steam. At the end of September, the House passed a bill that eliminates required distributions for retirement accounts totaling less than $50,000, encourages employers to band together to form retirement plans and creates tax-advantaged savings accounts that can be tapped immediately rather than waiting for retirement. The…
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Minister enjoys retirement on modest pension, Uber gig
As he prepared to celebrate his 80th birthday recently, Michael Halleen reflected on several career reinventions, including one he’s making now. Most days, the longtime minister wakes early and hits the streets of Minneapolis before 5 a.m. as an Uber driver, mostly for airport runs. He drives the early morning rush and then heads home…
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Grocers invest heavily in digital to keep up with shopping habits
More grocery shoppers than ever before are using mobile devices to supplement — or in some cases take over — their shopping, with one Deloitte study finding more than half of all grocery sales today are digitally influenced. As such, grocers of all sizes are investing large amounts of time and money in their digital…
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Making up for a deficient company retirement plan
As average 401(k) balances reach record highs, how does yours measure up? For those working in small businesses, chances are the news isn’t great. Big companies typically are the ones with the most investment choices, the lowest fees and the richest match. A congressional bill and a recent White House directive aim to give a…
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Credit freeze: a misunderstood freebie that you actually want
Just one year ago, consumers woke up and discovered that hackers had one heck of a field day with their Social Security numbers and other information in a massive data breach at Equifax. Equifax’s screw-up would forever leave millions just that much more vulnerable to ID theft. Face it, it’s not like you can change…
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Retirement clock running down? Time to act
Some of us are earning more and saving more for retirement than we were five years ago, but is it too little, too late? More than a quarter (28 percent) of working Americans surveyed by Bankrate.com said they are saving more for retirement in 2018 than they did last year, while 13 percent reported saving…
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Aretha Franklin didn’t have a will, but you should
Aretha Franklin’s legacy could include teaching consumers yet another word: W-I-L-L. Get one. Franklin — like Prince, Pablo Picasso and others before her — reportedly died without a will or a trust. And there could be legal battles ahead in probate court for family members and others because of it. It’s shocking, especially when you…
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Millennials are leaders in getting streaming TV free
It’s no secret that people would rather get something for free than pay for it. And faced with the possibility of paying $10.99 a month for Netflix or getting it for nothing, it should come as no surprise that someone might want to use another person’s password to log in and binge on the latest…