Category: Everyday Costs
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June CPI: The Latest Read on Grocery and Pump Prices
June CPI: overall prices fell 0.4 percent, the largest monthly drop since April 2020, as gasoline sank 9.7 percent. Grocery prices still edged higher.
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Filing a Home Insurance Claim: Steps and Deadlines
Report fast, document everything, and know your state’s claim deadlines. The steps that get a home insurance claim paid, and the clocks insurers face.
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Reverse Mortgages: The Counseling HUD Makes You Get
Before any HECM reverse mortgage closes, federal rules require a session with a HUD-approved counselor. What the meeting covers and how to use it well.
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Life Insurance Through Work Rarely Follows You Out
Employer life insurance usually ends when the job does, and COBRA won’t save it. How group coverage works, the conversion window, and the tax rule at $50,000.
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Prime, Choice, Select: What Meat Labels Really Tell You
USDA beef grades are a quality language, not a safety stamp. What Prime, Choice and Select actually measure, and how to match the grade to the meal.
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Solar Panel Offers: Lease, Loan or Buy Outright
Buying, borrowing and leasing put rooftop solar in very different financial territory. How the three deals compare in 2026, now that the federal credit is gone.
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PMI Adds Up: When You Can Cancel It for Good
Private mortgage insurance does not have to last the life of your loan. Federal law sets three exit points, at 80 percent, 78 percent and the loan midpoint.
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Actual Cash Value vs Replacement Cost: Read the Policy
Two home policies can cover the same roof and pay wildly different claims. How actual cash value depreciation works, and where to check which one you have.
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The Inflation Gauge the Fed Watches Just Updated
The PCE price index rose 0.4 percent in May and is up 4.1 percent over the year. What the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge means for your budget.
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July 4 Road Trips: What Gas Should Cost This Year
Gas averaged $3.91 heading into July 4 week, down from spring but about 70 cents above last year. What drivers should expect on the road.
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Decoding Your Electric Bill: Every Charge Explained
Supply, delivery, customer charges, riders and taxes: what every line on your electric bill actually pays for, and where you have room to push back.
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First-Time Buyer Help: The Programs That Are Real
FHA, VA, and USDA loans, state housing agencies, and free HUD counseling: the first-time homebuyer help that actually exists and how to reach it.