Current Events in June 2017

With summer travel season in full swing, more people are stepping up to the rental car counter and paying for their ride with a credit card.

But the credit card they choose to rent a vehicle with can make a big difference.

Personal finance site WalletHub recently studied the most popular credit cards, looking for any advantages they might offer on car rentals. For example, most cards provide some kind of damage insurance coverage, but some coverage is better than others.

In many cases, using the right credit card will allow you to decline the rental car company's damage waiver, which can be expensive -- especially since you pay by the day. A credit card's insurance covers much the same thing as the damage waiver -- damage to the rental car. Neither provide liability coverage, which should fall under your auto insurance policy.

Citibank comes out on top

You get the most insurance coverage, according to the WalletHub report, with the cards issued by Citibank. You don't have to sign up, but you do have to decline the rental car company's damage waiver.

The Citibank cards cover costs that stem from damage to or theft of rental vehicles up to $100,000. Citi is followed in the rankings by credit cards from Chase, Barclaycard, USAA, and Capital One.

It's important to read the fine print on your credit card agreement, however. Some cards that offer good rental car coverage don't offer it on all types of vehicles. If you are renting a truck, any type of open-bed vehicle, an exotic or antique car, a large van, or even a full-size SUV, there will likely be exclusions to coverage. In that case you may need to accept the rental company's damage waiver policy.

Most coverage is for a limited time

When it comes to vehicle exclusions, WalletHub says Citibank cards are the best while American Express excludes the most types of vehicles. The report finds 39% of cards only provide coverage for vehicles rented in the U.S. for up to 15 days. If your rental is for a longer period, you'll need to make other arrangements.

While coverage outside the U.S. is rare, WalletHub says all Citi, Chase, and Discover cards provide global coverage.

To make sure you are covered under your credit card's rental car protection, make sure you decline the rental car company's damage waiver and be the primary renter of the car. That usually means you are the only authorized to operate it.

Also, pay for the car in full with the credit card providing the protection. As a failsafe measure, it might be a good idea to contact your credit card company and ask it to send you its rental car policy, so that you fully understand what's covered and what's not.

Letting your kids burn off energy by bouncing on a trampoline may seem like a good idea, but doctors say otherwise. Even backyard trampolines with netting around the outside pose a serious safety risk to children, experts caution.

"Trampolines are a prime culprit in thousands of emergency department visits each year," says Dr. Monica Kogan, Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush pediatric orthopedic surgeon. "They should not be regarded as a toy.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) concurs with Kogan. In an effort to avoid all preventable injuries, the organization strongly recommends against the use of home trampolines and against the use of trampolines by kids.

Long-time concern

Concern over the safety of recreational home trampolines isn’t new. Doctors have long been concerned about trampolines, as well as indoor trampoline parks, as studies show trampolines have caused a staggering number of injuries -- mostly to children under sixteen.

Researchers at Indiana University found that between 2002-2011, trampoline-related accidents sent more than 288,000 people to hospital emergency rooms with injuries, leading to a total treatment cost of more than $1 billion.

In response to the study, the International Association of Trampoline Parks (IATP) issued a statement pointing out that the researchers measured numbers rather than percentages. The increase in the number of injuries over the course of four years aligned with the growth of the industry in general, the trade group said.

Adult supervision crucial

The IATP contends that trampoline jumping is safe when participants know what they're doing, are closely supervised, and are using safe equipment in a padded environment.

By contrast, Dr. Kogan says she doesn’t allow her own children to play on trampolines, even with netting, and agrees with the AAP that trampolines should only be used in gymnastics training or diving.

While some believe the AAP advice is too conservative, parents should, at the very least, supervise children when they are jumping on a trampoline. Additionally, it’s best to only allow one child on the trampoline at a time, since most trampoline injuries occur when two or more people are jumping at the same time.

There’s a chance your car may suddenly stop on the highway if its sensors mistake the road barrier for another car, but there’s nothing wrong with the vehicle. That’s the message that the owner of a Prius essentially got from Toyota, revealing a potential flaw with the automatic emergency braking (AEB) system that Toyota plans to make standard in all of its cars by 2018. 

Safety advocates have been pushing for automatic braking in all cars as a way to reduce rear-end collisions, which made up about one-third of all collisions reported to police in recent years. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says its research finds that "a number of AEB systems currently available in the marketplace are capable of avoiding or reducing the severity of rear-end crashes in certain situations."

In a deal its backers called "unprecedented," automakers agreed last year to make the technology standard on all cars by 2022. 

But if it doesn't work properly, automatic braking can cause as well as prevent accidents. That's why Toyota recalled 31,000 Avalon and Lexus cars in 2015 to fix a defect in the anti-collision braking system that caused problems similar to those the Prius driver reported.

Toyota explained at the time that the anti-collision system in the recalled cars could be triggered even in normal driving conditions, by something innocous like a metal plate in the roadway, making the car suddenly brake without warning. 

But Prius vehicles, some of which are also equipped with Toyota’s anti-collision technology, weren’t included in that recall.  

"It was amazing that nobody hit me"

Joyce Laux estimates that she was traveling somewhere between 45 to 50 miles per hour as she drove her 2010 Toyota Prius across the Alaskan Viaduct, a major highway that brings commuters through Seattle. Suddenly, something went haywire.

“It just stopped,” Laux tells ConsumerAffairs. At the same time her car stopped, "the seatbelt grabbed me, pulled me into the back of my seat, and took every bit of air out of my lungs." 

She looked in her rearview mirror and saw cars passing in every direction. Directly behind her, the driver had taken a nosedive to the right to avoid a rear-end collision with Laux. Behind that car, another had veered to the left. "It was amazing that nobody hit me,” she recalls. Nobody had hit anything. Then the car returned to normal. 

"Almost as soon as it happened, the car just started rolling slowly forward. I was just so panicked, I put my foot on the gas and drove it over the viaduct," Laux says. First she brought her car to her mechanic, who told her she needed to bring the Prius straight to Toyota.

On June 2, a Toyota dealership in Seattle delivered what should have been comforting information. “At this time vehicle is working as designed,” the dealership told Laux in an email. But also included in their message are notes from a field services technician that Toyota had sent to inspect Laux’s Prius. The technician re-created the conditions in which her car suddenly stopped, a process that included driving the Prius on the Alaskan Way Viaduct again. 

Large metal object blamed

Toyota's technician said that the car did not malfunction during his test drive, adding that “no failures, deficiencies or abnormalities found in braking system or pre-collision at this time.” Yet in the same email, the technician seems to acknowledge that “large metal objects,” namely large metal objects that do not actually pose a threat, can still activate the pre-collision system.

 “...after inspecting road conditions, found metal accident barrier may have caused car to stop suddenly (large metal objects can simulate another vehicle in path),” the technician’s notes say. 

Even though the pre-collision braking didn’t activate again during the technician’s drive, his acknowledgement that a highway barrier may have caused the earlier episode has made Laux decide to alter her driving route. 

"I just decided that I wouldn't go on that viaduct anymore,” she tells ConsumerAffairs.

Self-braking cars a stepping stone to self-driving

Toyota announced several years ago that it plans to introduce self-driving cars by 2020, and its inexpensive anti-collision program, called Toyota Safety Sense, is an important initial step in that technology. The carmaker officially unveiled its Safety Sense program in 2015, explaining that the car uses a laser and a camera to look for obstacles. The system allows the car to slow or stop on its own to avoid a potential collision. All Toyota cars will be equipped with Safety Sense by 2018, the company said.

But the anti-collision system has actually been in use as early as 2010, in models including the 2010 Prius, Toyota spokesman Aaron Fowles confirms to ConsumerAffairs. 

Laux is not the only Prius owner who has complained about an apparent Safety Sense over-reaction.

Two consumers writing publicly in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration complaint database have similar stories about their Priuses. “I WAS COASTING WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY BRAKE, INTERNAL WARNING LIGHT FLASHING, ALARM BEEPING AND SEAT BELT LOCKED UP. I WAS ALONE IN THE CAR (THANK GOD) WITH NO CARS BEHIND ME OR IN FRONT OF ME,” wrote the owner of a 2013 Prius to the NHTSA. 

And the driver of a 2010 Prius said that the same incident occurred in their car -- twice. “BOTH TIMES AFTER WHAT SEEMED LIKE 3-5 SECONDS THE CAR RETURNED TO NORMAL DRIVING. BOTH TIMES I WAS DRIVING AT NIGHT AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 35 AND 55 MPH. BOTH TIMES DUE TO THE RAPID SEAT BELT/SHOULDER BELT RETRACTION MY LEFT ARM AND CHEST WAS HURT.”

When asked if it could be possible that Toyota’s Prius vehicles have the same defect in their pre-collision systems that had caused problems in the recalled Avalon and Lexus cars, Toyota’s spokesman only replied with a link to a video about Toyota Safety Sense. 

In follow-up messages, the press team said they were having Toyota’s customer relations department reach out directly to Laux and would not comment until after they had talked with her.

Congress urged to go slowly

The problems with the AEB systems may be a precursor of shortcomings yet to be discovered as self-driving cars become more common, safety advocates are warning at a Congressional hearing today.

The Washington-based Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety urged a panel of the House Energy and Commerce committee to require that automakers certify the safety of self-driving cars before they can be tested on public roads, Automotive News reported.

"We think that before automated vehicles are put on the roads, they should be required to go through a functional safety evaluation," Cathy Chase, vice president of governmental affairs for the group said in prepared remarks. "We think that's a very basic precursor."

Setting up an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) is a great way to start investing and earmarking funds for when your working life is over. However, there are additional steps you can take to add to your retirement reserves.

The experts at Bankrate.com say that opening a health savings account (HSA) can be one of them. This kind of account is designed to help qualifying consumers pay off medical costs not covered by their high-deductible health insurance plan, but it also allows account holders to carry over money put into the account as a tax deduction.

Since the savings are an above-the-line tax deduction, consumers do not have to itemize them, and the money is subtracted from their earnings before calculating for an adjusted gross income (AGI). There are no phase-outs involved with an HSA, so no matter how much money you put into the account, you can still deduct a sizable amount – the limit was $3,400 for individuals and $6,750 for families in 2017.

Maximizing your benefits

The folks at Bankrate.com say there are four ways you can manage your HSAs and IRAs to maximize the benefits and stretch your retirement savings.

Rolling money over

Account holders are allowed once in their lifetime to roll money from their IRA into their HSA. The amount is capped by what the IRS says is the maximum allowable contribution for any given year.   

This can be extremely helpful to consumers who have an unexpected health emergency and end up exhausting the amount they had in their HSA. There are no penalties for rolling money over from an IRA into an HSA, as long as that money is eventually used on healthcare and no money has been contributed during the current year.

The best part? You won’t have to pay any taxes on the money you roll over, so basically the process allows you to withdraw money from your IRA, even if you are younger than 55.

No RMDs

The IRS requires consumers to start taking out required minimum distributions (RMDs) from a traditional IRA when they reach age 70 ½. However, these requirements don’t extend to HSAs, so any money in this kind of account is allowed to grow tax-free until it’s needed.

Additionally, if you die you can designate your surviving spouse as the beneficiary of your HSA, so the money can continue to grow and there are still no RMDs. Beware though – if you do not have a spouse or designate someone else as your beneficiary, then the money in your HSA will become taxable for that person upon your death.

No time limits

When it comes to withdrawing money on qualified medical expenses, HSA account holders have a lot of flexibility. As long as you save your medical receipts, you can claim the money from your account whenever it’s needed – even if it’s years later. In the meantime, the money can stay in your account and continue to grow.

It’s important for those who try to pull off this strategy to be good at keeping records and receipts. The IRS requires consumers to have information that shows that the “distributions were exclusively to pay or reimburse qualified medical expenses, that the qualified medical expenses have not been previously paid or reimbursed from another source and that the medical expenses have not been taken as an itemized deduction in any prior taxable year.”

As long as you meet those standards, you’re golden.

HSAs and Medicare

The IRS and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have decreed that any person who has signed up for Medicare cannot continue to save in an HSA because Medicare is not a high-deductible plan. However, there are ways that consumers can make their HSA work with Medicare.

If a consumer already has an HSA when they turn 65, they can use the money in their account to pay deductibles, premiums, and copays for Medicare parts A, B, C, and D. Out-of-pocket expenses like dental and vision can also be paid for in this way, but Medigap plan premiums cannot.

This is a huge advantage over a traditional IRA since any money put into an HSA can be put into the account tax-free, grow tax-free, and taken out tax-free as long as it pays for healthcare costs.

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Editor’s note: As always, consumers are urged to discuss any potential financial decisions with a trusted financial advisor before implementing them.

After Congress allowed the Internal Revenue Service to hire private debt collectors to handle severely delinquent taxpayer accounts, a number of critics – including the IRS Taxpayer Advocate – warned that it probably wouldn't end well.

Now, four Democratic members of the U.S. Senate have fired off a letter, obtained by The New York Times, to Pioneer Credit Recovery, one of the firms hired by the IRS, suggesting the company has stepped over legal boundaries in its effort to collect the government's debts.

The four lawmakers – Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.), Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) – said they obtained call scripts used by Pioneer's debt collectors in their interactions with taxpayers.

Risky financial transactions

According to the letter, the senators are concerned that Pioneer violated the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act and the IRS Code. Specifically, the lawmakers said the call scripts appeared to pressure taxpayers into risky financial transactions in an effort to come up with the money. The senators also said the debt collectors' behavior was too similar to that employed by scammers, who often impersonate IRS personnel.

The lawmakers particularly objected to debt collectors' suggestions about how debtors should go about obtaining the money. They say delinquent taxpayers are being advised to take out a second mortgage on their home or cash in their retirement accounts if necessary.

“Pioneer is unique among IRS contractors in pressuring taxpayers to use financial products that could dramatically increase expenses, or cause them to lose their homes or give up retirement security,” the letter states.

Process started in April

As we reported back in April, when the law authorizing private debt collection went into effect, the IRS described the accounts as old and the subject of repeated and unsuccessful collection attempts.

“The IRS is taking steps throughout this effort to ensure that the private collection firms work responsibly and respect taxpayer rights,” IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said at the time.

Pioneer Credit Recovery is a subsidiary of Navient, a federal student loan servicer sued in January by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which alleged it had failed borrowers at every step of the repayment process.

Pioneer Credit Recovery is a large debt collection agency, and has contracts with several state governments as well as the IRS. Consumers posting reviews of the company on ConsumerAffairs have made accusations that, in many respects, closely remember those leveled by the four United States senators.

"This company gave out my personal and confidential information unlawfully. They contacted people who are not my friends, not my family and disclosed my confidential information to them," said Shannon of Vancouver, Wash. "Not only that, they were harassing and threatening to me and the people they contacted in an attempt to get ahold of me."

California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has announced it will list glyphosate, an herbicide found in Monsanto's best-selling Roundup weedkiller, as a known carcinogen.

The effective date is July 7, 2017. The announcement had been delayed while Monsanto challenged the state's intended action in court. A court dismissed the case Monday and OEHHA said it did not impose a stay while the chemical company filed an appeal.

If the court's decision stands, products using or exposed to glyphosate would be required to carry a warning label when sold in California.

Monsanto issued a statement in response to the court's ruling, calling it "unwarranted on the basis of science and the law."

'Probably carcinogenic'

Glyphosate has been a target of environmentalists and some health officials since the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a finding in 2015, saying the substance is “probably carcinogenic.”

Monsanto sued California 18 months ago to block it from adding Roundup to the Proposition 65 list of chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects, and other reproductive damage. Prop. 65 requires the state to label all substances identified as carcinogenic or dangerous to the reproductive process.

Monsanto filed the suit in Fresno County, Calif., maintaining glyphosate is not harmful. The use of the chemical has increased in recent years, as agricultural operations have used it on a variety of crops. Consumers are likely most familiar with it as the active ingredient in the weedkiller Roundup, used to control unwanted vegetation in suburban lawns and driveways.

The company said California's OEHHA tested glyphosate in 1997 and 2007 and found it did not present a cancer risk to humans.

As summer break kicks off, many parents may be dreading the first utterance of the words, “I’m bored.” Keeping kids occupied and productively engaged isn’t easy, and some circumstances can make things a bit more challenging.

Children with behavioral, social, or learning difficulties may be more prone to summertime tantrums, outbursts, or full-on meltdowns, say the education advocates at Brain Balance Achievement Centers -- and the root of some of these tantrums may be a right or left brain weakness. 

When one side of the brain is weaker, certain struggles might make themselves apparent. For example, children who are left brain weak tend to be very visual, spontaneous, emotional, and intuitive, but may have difficulty focusing for any length of time. Kids who are right brain weak may be socially immature and have little interest in sports or outdoor activities.

Summer activity ideas

To help with left- or right-brain weakness, the experts at Brain Balance suggest the following tips for keeping kids engaged.

• Get your child moving. Activities that involve physical motion can help boost kids’ reading comprehension and information retention. Try going on an outdoor gallery walk or heading to a hands-on museum.
• Come up with a routine. Daily schedules help to keep kids grounded, and are especially necessary during breaks, when the regular school schedule goes out the window, the experts at Brain Balance contend. Let your child have a say in planning their schedule to help them feel empowered.
• Get cooking. To reinforce your child’s reading and math skills, spend time in the kitchen doing simple activities like measuring ingredients and reading recipes.
• Have your child start journaling. Give your child a meaningful outlet by having them write about their feelings or thoughts. Journaling can also help improve kids’ writing skills.
• Let them get their hands dirty. Stimulate your child’s tactile and visual senses by letting them play with toys like sidewalk chalk and finger paints. These activities are sensory and help your child build fine motor skills.

Concerns over what experts call an opioid epidemic are continuing to grow in the U.S. Regulators and policymakers are taking a hard look at prescribing practices to mitigate the damage, but a new study shows that special attention should be paid to one vulnerable subsection of consumers.

Researchers from the University of Michigan and the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth have found that out of the 115 million prescriptions written for opiates each year in the U.S., 60 million go to adults with some sort of mental illness or mood disorder, such depression or anxiety.

"Despite representing only 16 percent of the adult population, adults with mental health disorders receive more than half of all opioid prescriptions distributed each year in the United States," said lead author Matthew Davis, an assistant professor at the U-M School of Nursing.

Vulnerable patients

Further findings of the study show that a sizable chunk of the Americans who have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder are prescribed opioid drugs every year.

Out of 38.6 million Americans with such a diagnosis, more than 7 million receive a prescription (18%). That’s more than triple the number of adults without a mental disorder who are likely to get an opioid prescription (5%).

Study co-author Brian Sites says that these prescribing practices are extremely dangerous because people with mental illnesses are more likely to become dependent on opioid drugs. He recommends that officials re-assess current practices to better align with the best available therapies.

"Because of the vulnerable nature of patients with mental illness, such as their susceptibility for opioid dependency and abuse, this finding warrants urgent attention to determine if the risks associated with such prescribing are balanced with therapeutic benefits," he said.

The full study has been published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.

Americans are driving less, relying more on public transportation, car-pooling, ride-sharing, and telecommuting.

Since 1983, the percentage of people with a driver's license has steadily decreased among consumers 16 to 44 years old, according to a University of Michigan study. That provides a cost savings since consumers aren't buying as much gasoline. In some cases, a family might get by with one car instead of two.

But there's another way it could be saving even more money, if more consumers knew about it. In the insurance industry, there's something called “usage-based insurance” (UBI), and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) says more consumers should look into it.

Transformations in mobility

"Exciting transformations in mobility, including ride-sharing, increased use of public transportation and self-driving vehicles mean consumer driving habits are and will continue to change," said NAIC President and Wisconsin Insurance Commissioner Ted Nickel. "New insurance products may be an option for some drivers whose habits have shifted.”

UBI examines driving habits, including miles driven, speed, time of day and other factors. Insurance costs are based on the result. Yet fewer than half of Americans are aware of UBI as an option and even fewer – just 6% – are using the product. When offered UBI as an option, a report from LexisNexis notes half of American drivers make the switch.

DiveCheck

NAIC has created a tool called DriveCheck to help consumers figure out if UBI would save them money. The tool allows insurance companies to track motorists' driving behavior to develop discounts for individual drivers. Safer drivers will pay less in premiums.

While that's good news for safer drivers, it's not so good for drivers who don't fit into that category. Also, if you drive your car a lot, it's possible your rates will go up more over time, to compensate for those drivers whose rates are going down.

There could also be some privacy concerns. An electronic device installed in the vehicle records its movements, including speed and distance.

Earlier this year researchers demonstrated that it is possible to compromise a driver's private information stored in the cloud for based on only part of the data collected.  

Consumers have fully embraced the new wave of wearable technologies, using them for everything from counting steps to recording up-to-the-minute health information.

However, researchers from the University of Central Florida say that it’s important for makers of these devices to consider how they can be optimized for older consumers. Doctoral student Joanna Lewis points out that aging consumers should not miss out on the health benefits that wearable devices can impart.

"The proportion of the population over the age of 65 is growing and will continue to do so. Technological developments are exponentially growing and inundating our lives, and we don't want a demographic that is scaling up in size not to have access to devices that are becoming prolific in everyday society,” she said.

Design problems

Lewis and study co-author Mark Neider say that many devices currently on the market suffer from poor design problems that make them difficult for aging consumers to use. For example, the researchers say that many devices often require multiple steps to complete one action, which can lead to a lot of confusion. Other problems include buttons, icons, and text that are too small to read for those with diminishing sight.

These design problems can often lead to feelings of frustration for older consumers who are learning how to use new devices, leading to feelings of mistrust that ultimately lead them to abandon using wearables altogether. This is a dangerous road, Lewis says, because older consumers end up losing out on important health benefits they could otherwise be taking advantage of.

"A device's usability should consider all ages," she said. "Potential issues with wearable devices for older adults can be avoided by acknowledging limitations, and development teams can create effective and safe platforms that appeal to a variety of end users."

The full study has been published in Ergonomics in Design.

Banks have changed a lot over the last couple of decades, and not all of those changes are winning approval from consumers who use them.

An analysis of financial services complaints, lodged with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), shows the number of complaints in certain areas of banking services surged last year.

Consumerprotect.com focused on complaints about six banking services – bank accounts, consumer loans, credit cards, credit reporting, mortgages, and student loans. It found that for five out of the six, the number of complaints filed last year represented the majority of complaints since CFPB started collecting them.

A spike in frustration

In other words, consumer frustration with banking services appeared to spike in 2016. Nearly 36% of all complaints about student loans and credit reporting were filed last year.

The rate of complaints about mortgage services actually went down in 2016. Despite that, mortgages still account for the largest percentage of overall complaints about banking services – 30%. Complaints about student loans, which surged last year, only make up 3.9% of the total complaints about banking services.

At ConsumerAffairs, frustrated consumers also post accounts of their unhappy experiences with banks, especially in the area of student loans. Linda, of Hyde Park, N.Y., writes that she and her husband paid off their son's college loan with Wells Fargo, only to be presented with a bill for $2,000 in interest charges they say accrued after the loan was paid.

Paying twice

Jon, of Pittsburgh, writes that he was making a student loan payment to Citibank over the phone when the call dropped. He said he called back and explained to another rep what had happened and asked for assurance that his payment would not be entered twice.

“Of course it did come out twice and now I'm all screwed up with other payments that are going to clear my bank account,” Jon wrote. “I called and another rep who said they can't reverse the charges for 20 days because within 20 days my bank has the authority to dispute the charge. That costs me $30.”

What's behind the recent surge in complaints about banking services? The report's authors suggest it could be the changing nature of banks.

“In a quest for higher profits, many have looked to acquire other banks and reduce or limit services to meet their investors’ needs,” the authors write.  

Summer is prime time for tiki torch-illuminated cookouts and outdoor gatherings at which your deck takes center stage. It’s also an ideal time to inspect and repair your home’s hardworking deck.

Warm, dry weather presents a perfect opportunity to make sure your deck is in tip-top shape. However, determining which elements of your deck could use sprucing up isn’t always easy. While problems such as loose nails may beg to be fixed, other issues may be more subtle.

Here are a few areas and issues to pay close attention to if you’re endeavoring to fix up your deck, according to the experts at House Logic.

Problems to look for

After sweeping away any leaves, twigs, and dirt, scrutinize your deck for the following signs of damage:

• Signs of rot. Grab a flat-blade screwdriver and check around stairs and perimeter posts for rot. If you can push the screwdriver a quarter-inch or more, you probably have rot. Small areas of rot can be removed with a chisel, and the hole can be treated with wood preservative. Consider consulting a professional for larger areas of rot.
• A damaged ledger. A damaged ledger is the cause of 90% of all deck collapses, according to House Logic. To help prevent future issues, make sure the ledger underneath your deck is securely attached with lag screws, not just nails.
• Rusted or rotted posts, joists, or beams. Check hardware for signs of rot or rust. Remove, replace, or reinforce the hardware as necessary.
• Cracks or rotten decking boards. Cracks in your decking boards might not be an immediate problem, but they can be a ticking time bomb. If you find damage, it may be in your best interest to replace the piece.
• Loose or damaged railing. Make sure your posts aren’t loose or damaged by giving it a shake. If it’s loose, drill pilot holes and add galvanized lag screws. Seal cracks around nails or screws with an exterior-grade adhesive, then drill a new pilot hole and add a new galvanized deck screw.

Reviving the wood

To cap off your deck care and maintenance routine, consider cleaning the surface of the wood. You can use one of several products on the market or simply use bleach, cutting half and half with warm water and a scrub brush.

A pressure washer can be used for larger decks. Before dousing your deck with the concentrated spray, be sure to put on long pants, goggles, and sturdy footwear.  

Is your attic jam-packed with items you simply can’t bear to part with? Snapping a picture of each treasured item might make paring down your collection easier, new research suggests.

The study found that people were more willing to give away unneeded goods that still had sentimental value if they were encouraged to take a photo of the items first, or find another way to preserve the memories.

“What people really don’t want to give up is the memories associated with the item,” said Rebecca Reczek, Associate Professor at the Ohio State University. “We found that people are more willing to give up these possessions if we offer them a way to keep the memory and the identity associated with that memory,” Reczek added.

Study details

For the study, the researchers conducted a field study involving 797 students at Penn State, where they conducted two different advertising campaigns for a donation drive.

The team discovered that participants who were prompted to take a picture donated between 15 and 35 percent more than those who weren't encouraged to take a picture -- 613 items were donated in the residence halls that hosted the “memory preservation” campaign, versus only 533 in the control campaign.

Reczek said the study’s results show it may be relatively easy to break the habit of clinging on to some of our possessions with sentimental value. But, she added, “it is not a natural behavior. It is something we have to train ourselves to do.”

Identity connected to memory

In follow-up experiments, the researchers found that it wasn’t just the memories associated with these possessions that were keeping people from donating -- it was the identities attached to those memories.

“These memories connected to possessions are a carrier for identity. It is this reluctance to give up a piece of our identity that is driving our reluctance to donate,” Reczek said.

Infant clothes, for example, might carry an association with one’s identity as a new mother or father, which could make it difficult to say goodbye to those tiny onesies.

The bottom line is that everyone benefits by using this memory preservation strategy to declutter a home, the researchers said.

The full study is published online in the Journal of Marketing.

After dipping slightly a month earlier, consumers' confidence in the economy is on the rise again.

The Conference Board reports its Consumer Confidence Index now stands at 118.9 following its decline to 117.6 in May. While the Present Situation Index jumped to 146.3 from 140.6, the Expectations Index dipped from 102.3 last month to 100.6.

“Consumers’ assessment of current conditions improved to a nearly 16-year high (July 2001, 151.3),” said Conference Board Director of Economic Indicators Lynn Franco. Overall, she added, “consumers anticipate the economy will continue expanding in the months ahead, but they do not foresee the pace of growth accelerating.”

The breakdown

Consumers’ appraisal of current conditions improved in June. Those who say business conditions are “good” rose from 29.8% to 30.8%, while those think conditions are “bad” declined from 13.9% to 12.7%.

Their assessment of the labor market was also more positive. Those who see jobs as “plentiful” went from 30.0% to 32.8%; however, those who believe jobs are “hard to get” sipped to 18.0% from 18.3%.

There was less optimism about the short-term outlook, though. The percentage of consumers expecting business conditions to improve over the next six months dropped from 21.5% to 20.4%. On the other hand, those expecting conditions to worsen went down marginally to 8.9% from 10.3%.

The labor market remains mixed. The proportion of consumers who think there will be more jobs in the months ahead rose to 19.3% from 18.6%; but those anticipating fewer jobs also increased -- going from 12.1% to 14.6%.

The percentage of consumers expecting an improvement in their income rose from 19.1% to 22.2%, as the proportion expecting a decline was also higher -- going to 9.2% from 8.7.

The monthly Consumer Confidence Survey is conducted for The Conference Board by information and analytics provider Nielsen. The cutoff date for the preliminary results was June 15.

As the Senate inches towards a vote on its version of healthcare reform legislation, the influential American Medical Association (AMA) has declared itself against the measure.

“On behalf of the physician and medical student members of the American Medical Association (AMA), I am writing to express our opposition to the discussion draft of the ‘Better Care Reconciliation Act’ released on June 22, 2017,” said James L. Madara, M.D., CEO of the largest group representing physicians in the United States. 

Throughout the health system reform debate, the AMA has urged that reforms not result in individuals with health insurance losing access to affordable, quality coverage; that Medicaid, CHIP and other safety net programs be adequately funded; and that key market reforms, such as pre-existing conditions, be maintained. The Senate draft, however, violates many of those principles, Madara said.

Medicaid concerns

In the letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-Ill.), Madara said the AMA is "particularly concerned with proposals to convert the Medicaid program into a system that limits the federal obligation to care for needy patients to a predetermined formula based on per-capita-caps."

"Per-capita-caps fail to take into account unanticipated costs of new medical innovations or the fiscal impact of public health epidemics, such as the crisis of opioid abuse currently ravaging our nation," the letter said.

Many Republicans have been dismayed at the widespread opposition to the measure, but reports from Capitol Hill say that McConnell is confident he can achieve passage of the bill over the next five days before Congress adjourns for the July 4 recess. An unlimited amendment process is in place, giving senators a chance to hammer out a compromise. 

Voters worried about healthcare

Whether it’s work-related, a desire to be closer to family, or the need to establish a home of your own, picking up and moving to a new state can be a daunting prospect. For many, it might be hard to even know where to begin.

Luckily, this isn’t exactly a new problem. Numerous experts have offered their opinions on how to properly execute a long-distance move, and below you’ll find four of the most important things you should keep in mind.

Doing your research

The first thing that any consumer should do before planning a move is research all the housing and logistical factors associated with living in the new area. For example, knowing the cost of living, housing costs, and any nearby career opportunities will play a huge factor in whether the move is viable. Depending on your financial situation, you may also need to know whether renting or owning a home is a better option.

If possible, consumers should always visit the new town, city, or neighborhood they’re looking to move into. Small details that you may have overlooked may become abundantly clear once you’re in the actual home setting.

For those who aren’t moving for work, it’s also extremely important to secure a job before moving. This will ensure that you have a source of income and won’t find yourself trapped in new accommodations that you can no longer afford.

Selecting a moving company

Unless you plan on hauling every single one of your possessions to your new home yourself, you’ll probably need to work with a moving company. However, not all companies are created equal.

It’s always a good idea to contact multiple moving companies to get estimates for how much your move will ultimately cost. Additionally, you will want to request all move related paperwork and check out independent reviews of the companies to make sure their business practices are up to par. Be sure to never sign any unfinished paperwork to avoid falling victim to blatant overcharges or dubious dealings.  

It’s also a great idea to make a detailed home inventory list of all your belongings so that you know exactly what should come off the truck when you get to your new home.

You can check out ConsumerAffairs’ buyer’s guide for user reviews and information on the top moving companies currently on the market.

Setting a moving budget

There are many hidden costs to moving that consumers might not realize when they first arrive at the idea, so creating a moving budget is essential to staying on top of expenses. Here are some costs you should keep in mind so you don't run out of money mid-move:

• The cost of relocating – When you finally decide on which movers you’ll be working with, you’ll need to know how much they’re charging for their services. The smart thing to do is to ask for a written in-house estimation. If possible, opt for a binding estimate instead of a non-binding one to ensure that extra charges won’t appear later.
• How much and how far you’re moving – The total amount of money you’ll end up having to shell out is largely based on how far away you need to move and how heavy the load will be. Bigger loads that need to be moved farther away will cost more. Be careful to check all estimates of how far the move will be with a second source to safeguard against being overcharged.
• Insurance costs – When you finally agree and sign the moving company's terms and conditions, you will usually be given some sort of insurance option that partly covers the value of your belongings in the event of an accident. If you want to sign up for additional coverage, then be sure to include it in your moving budget.
• Services, charges, and fees – Always strive to get as detailed information as possible from your moving company about any extra fees you may incur on your move. Some of these could include charges for carrying items up flights of stairs, carry fees if the truck must park far from its final destination, or fees for handling bulky or large items.

For those who choose not to use a moving company, there are still plenty of costs to keep in mind for your moving budget. These include truck rentals, moving equipment, money for tolls and bridges, packing materials, and any costs for food or lodging that you make on your trip. Even lost time from work should be factored into the final tally, as well as items you'll need to shop for when you arrive like groceries or home essentials.

Settling in and post-move tasks

So, you finally arrived and unpacked that mountain of boxes. You should be all set now, right? Not quite. Transporting your belongings is really only part of the process when it comes to moving across state lines. Now that you’re settling in, you’ll have to start filling out necessary paperwork and getting your life in order.

Some post-move tasks that you can look forward to include:

• Getting a job (if you haven’t done so already);
• Looking for new health care providers for you and your family;
• Registering your car with the new-state DMV;
• Changing your postal address; and
• Registering your child at their new school.

For homeowners, buy the right home alarm system and ensure your home warranty is up to date. And on top of all that, you’ll also want to meet your new neighbors and start acclimating yourself and your family to the new surroundings. Fortunately, these steps can be taken at your own pace.

Tax filing season is still a long way off, but scammers seem to use the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in their schemes all year round.

The IRS says it's received reports from across the country of a new scam using old weapons – threats and intimidation. Specifically, a caller claims to be from the tax agency and says the IRS has already sent you two certified letters, demanding payment of an unpaid tax bill.

If you don't pay immediately using a prepaid debit card, you are told, you will be arrested. Luckily for you, the caller can take the money electronically, sparing you the embarrassment of going to the slammer.

New twist to old scam

“This is a new twist to an old scam,” said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. “Just because tax season is over, scams and schemes do not take the summer off. People should stay vigilant against IRS impersonation scams. People should remember that the first contact they receive from IRS will not be through a random, threatening phone call.”

The scam makes use of the IRS' Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS). EFTPS is an automated system allowing you to pay taxes online or by phone using the EFTPS Voice Response System. It's a free service and does not require the purchase of a prepaid debit card.

EFTPS is an automated system so taxpayers would not get a call from the IRS. Also, as a taxpayer you have a number of options to pay a legitimate tax bill and are not required to use a specific one.

Here are the giveaways

There are several things that the scammers do that the IRS never does. For example, the agency will never call and demand immediate payment using a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer. What do all these methods of payment have in common? Once you make the payment, there's no way to trace the money or get it back.

All real tax payments should be made to the U.S. Treasury, never to a third party. The IRS also does not threaten people with immediate arrest.

Finally – and this is a key point – the IRS never demands an immediate payment. In legitimate cases, it may inform you that it has determined you owe additional tax. However, in these cases you always have the right to appeal.

So anyone who claims to be from the IRS and demands immediate payment or else is just trying to scam you.

Normally, the public develops a desire for a product or service and businesses jump in to meet that desire.

When it comes to autonomous vehicles, however, the opposite appears to be true. There appears to be little appetite among consumers for cars that drive themselves, yet the industry appears to be heading in that direction at high speed.

Elements of the government are fully on board with the transition from vehicles piloted by humans to those driven by computers. Earlier this month Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) joined with Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) to back legislation to step up research and development of advanced vehicle technologies.

Policymakers believe autonomous vehicles will make the roads safer. They might, but they will also transform the way Americans get around, which will have enormous implications for consumers as well as industry.

“As the heart of the American auto industry, Michigan’s automakers, suppliers and engineers will solidify our nation’s position as the global leader in transportation innovation,” Peters said.

Safety groups not so sure

But highways safety advocates do not appear nearly as enthusiastic, at least not yet. Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety issued a statement urging lawmakers to slow down.

“As the proverbial way is paved for AV (autonomous vehicles), it is critical to ensure public safety and that industry not be given free rein on our roads and highways without a system of basic safeguards and oversight in place,” the group said in a statement. Also, states should not be pre-empted from taking action to protect their motorists in the absence of federal oversight and regulation.”

Consumers may be feeling the same way. A survey conducted for Allianz Travel Insurance found only 22% of consumers are “very interested” and only 32% are “somewhat interested” in self-driving cars.

In fact, self-driving cars rate lowest for travelers "very interested" and highest for "safety concerns" among those not interested when compared to all other future travel methods in the survey, including so-called flying cars.

"While transportation technology is poised to change the way Americans travel, safety has emerged as a top concern," said Daniel Durazo, director of communications at Allianz Global Assistance USA (an Authorized Partner).

Tech companies are very enthusiastic

So if consumers aren't clamoring for self-driving cars, who is? Maybe it's the high-tech companies in Silicon Valley that are designing and developing the artificial intelligence (AI) systems that will control these vehicles. These companies stand to reap billions of dollars because these vehicles will likely be much more expensive than today's cars and trucks.

Just how expensive? Technology publisher Quartz Media reports very few experts are willing to discuss the cost of this technology publicly, but it found one who ballparked the cost of a fully autonomous vehicle at $250,000.

At that kind of sticker price, only the very wealthy would own a self-driving car. That might explain why some futurists predict individual automobile ownership will soon give way to the so-called “sharing economy.” We'll share cars because few of us will be able to afford to own one.

An annual survey of consumers shows more people are getting access to their credit scores each year, but understanding of why that score is so important is declining.

The survey, by the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and VantageScore Solutions, shows access to credit scores rose from 49% in 2014 to 56% this year. That part is encouraging.

But when asked who besides a lender makes use of that score, there has been a steady decline in knowledge of other users. For example, fewer consumers this year knew that a cellphone company accesses your credit score when you open an account. So do electric utilities, but awareness of that fact is also on the decline.

Who else checks your credit score? Pay TV providers do, along with many other businesses that charge a monthly subscription fee.

Impact on car insurance rates

In all but three states, car insurance companies check your credit score when they assign you a car insurance rate. They justify the practice by saying insurance risk is higher for consumers with a low credit score.

CFA Executive Director Stephen Brobeck says the fact that more consumers are checking their credit scores on a regular basis, but have less knowledge about how that score works for or against them, is puzzling.

“One would think that increasing access to one’s credit scores would help increase knowledge about these scores,” Brobeck said. “But that apparently has not been the case, to the detriment of consumers. Low credit scores can cost consumers hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of dollars a year in higher loan and service costs.”

What you don't know can cost you

For example, did you realize that a low credit score can increase loan charges by more than $5,000 on a typical car loan? Or that you might even have more than one credit score?

The survey showed declining knowledge in those areas, and that fewer than half of those in the survey knew credit repair agencies are rarely helpful in improving a credit score.

There was a definite bright spot in the survey, however. More consumers know the correct ways to improve a credit score. Ninety-one percent knew that missing a loan payment lowers your credit score. Eight-six percent also knew that high credit card balances will also drag down a score.

CFA and VantageScore have set up an interactive credit score quiz website at www.CreditScoreQuiz.org to help consumers better understand credit scores.