States generally start paying a share of food stamp benefits in October 2027
A provision in the 2025 tax and spending law is about to change who pays for food stamp benefits, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed in June 2026 the shift lands on most states “in most cases, as soon as Oct. 1, 2027.” The obligation comes from Section 10105 of the One Big Beautiful […]
Read MoreStates generally start paying a share of food stamp benefits in October 2027
A provision in the 2025 tax and spending law is about to change who pays for food stamp benefits, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed in June 2026 the shift lands on most states “in most cases, as soon as Oct. 1, 2027.” The obligation comes from Section 10105 of the One Big Beautiful […]
Read MorePersonal Finance
Smart Spending
Amazon’s refund settlement now reaches Prime members who used as many as twenty benefits in a year
A federal court this week approved a revised order in the Federal Trade Commission’s Amazon Prime settlement, widening a refund…
Personal Finance
Smart Spending
Amazon’s refund settlement now reaches Prime members who used as many as twenty benefits in a year
A federal court this week approved a revised order in the Federal Trade Commission’s Amazon Prime settlement, widening a refund…
Markets & Investing
Banking & Credit Cards
Fraud & Scams
Federal refund checks stop being good 90 days after they are issued
Missing the 90-day cash-by window on a Federal Trade Commission settlement check can mean losing the money entirely, according to the deadline printed on the...
Fraud & Scams
The consumer bureau is still sending money on 28 enforcement cases
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau lists 28 enforcement cases as still active on its payments-by-case tracker, spanning a student-loan servicer, several debt-relief and credit-repair operators,...
Fraud & Scams
The FTC has called a September 29 roundtable on scams aimed at older adults
The Federal Trade Commission has called a public roundtable for September 29, 2026, aimed squarely at the scams that spike every fall around Medicare and...
Fraud & Scams
The Federal Trade Commission uses only five companies to send refunds, and none of them asks for a fee
Five companies handle every refund the Federal Trade Commission sends out on behalf of consumers who lost money to a company the agency has sued,...
Fraud & Scams
Amway agreed to the largest multilevel-marketing settlement the Federal Trade Commission has obtained
A $225 million settlement between the Federal Trade Commission and Amway Corp. is now the largest monetary recovery the agency has obtained against a multilevel...
Fraud & Scams
A new Social Security scam asks to verify employment records rather than threatening arrest
The Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General warned on August 31 that a new imposter script is circulating among callers who claim to...
Real Estate
Renting & Leasing
Nearly 18 percent of housing-voucher areas see their rent ceiling fall October 1
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on September 1 released the fiscal year 2027 Fair Market Rents that…
Retirement & Taxes
Medicare says it pays about 16 percent more than private insurers for lab tests and has proposed matching those rates
Medicare’s 2026 drug surcharge for higher incomes runs from $14.50 to $91 a month on top of a plan premium
Medicare will not let a 2027 drug plan charge more than $20 for a generic or $47 for a preferred brand
Social Security can pull a month’s wages straight from a payroll company, but only with written permission
Nothing about 2027 has reached Social Security’s own tables yet, and every published limit still shows 2026
Social Security’s 800 number now answers in about 36 seconds, down from eight minutes a year earlier
Social Security’s retirement fund is projected to run short in late 2032, two years before the combined funds
Social Security will let someone who cannot use a bank ask the Treasury for a waiver from the paper check cutoff
Social Security’s rewritten heart rules take effect October 30 and add listings for cardiomyopathy and aortic valve disease
