Get consumer advice on product purchases, financial planning, recalls, scams, fraud and more. Take a look at our articles, blog posts, Q&As, videos and radio shows for consumer advice on a wide variety of topics.
How Do You Make a Consumer Complaint?
How do you make a consumer complaint? How to file a complaint against a company and the top 10 most common consumer complaints. Who do you complain to when the used car you bought breaks down as soon as you drive it off the lot? Or when the handyman you hired to work on your [...]
How Can I Build My Credit If I Have No Credit?
How can I build my credit if I have no credit? This reader wants to know how to go about buying a car and a home with no credit history. Q: I'm in the process of buying my first car (researching, calculating finances) and I wanted to ask what your advice would be as I [...]
COVID-19: Unemployment and the Mounting Financial Crisis
COVID-19: unemployment and the mounting financial crisis. Understanding how people live paycheck-to-paycheck and the implications of extended unemployment. Q: In your recent column in the Washington Post, it was stated that “nearly 80 percent of Americans were living paycheck to paycheck before the pandemic…” I want to know how do you define living paycheck-to-paycheck when [...]
COVID-19: 5 Easy Home Improvement Projects
5 easy home improvement projects you can do during the COVID-19 pandemic. Simple DIY home improvement projects that homeowners can start on now. The past four months have felt like four years. Most of us have spent more time at home than ever before, and are quite sick of our four walls, floor and ceiling. [...]
COVID-19 Scams: What to Look for in a COVID-19 Scam
COVID-19 scams: what to look for. How scammers are targeting Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic and what to do if you’re a victim of a COVID-19 scam. Update: The types of COVID-19 scams were updated to include a new national unemployment mailing scam on July 30th, 2020. Scammers have been working overtime this year, preying [...]
Top 5 Home Remodeling Trends in 2020
Top 5 home remodeling trends 2020. Take a closer look at remodeling activity and the projects and features homeowners are trending towards. What are the top home remodeling trends? The annual Houzz & Home Study, the largest survey of residential remodeling, building and decorating activity, answers that question, and more. Not surprisingly, given the strength [...]
COVID-19 Pandemic Update: Home Improvement Projects Impacted by Coronavirus
COVID-19 pandemic update: home improvement projects impacted by coronavirus. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted home improvement projects. New insights from Houzz reveal how coronavirus is changing home renovation. The COVID-19 pandemic put much of our daily lives at a standstill. Everything from buying, selling and home improvement projects has stalled. We stopped going out for [...]
Is Summer Canceled Because of the COVID-19 Pandemic?
Is summer canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic? Not exactly, but some summer events and activities can’t happen while social distancing is in effect. This summer, things are going to be a bit different. The coronavirus pandemic and the social distancing efforts to limit its spread mean that summertime events that draw big crowds are [...]
Moving During the Coronavirus Pandemic: What You Need to Know
Moving during the coronavirus pandemic: what you need to know. Steps for safely planning your move to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19. Moving during the coronavirus pandemic when most neighborhoods are practicing social distancing is tricky, but it can be done if you take proper precautions to reduce the risk of exposing yourself [...]
Coronavirus 2020: Stay Home Orders Extended For Some States
Coronavirus 2020: Stay home orders extended for some states. What to know about the extensions and our advice on how to stay positive throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. As of April 30, 2020, stay home orders were extended into May in several large states, including Illinois, California, Hawaii, New Jersey, Nevada and Michigan. But other states [...]