Current Events in June 2023

With Memorial Day behind us, the busy summer travel season has officially begun - with TSA airport volumes already exceeding pre-pandemic levels.

In the wake of thousands of flights being delayed across the U.S. last week, many travelers are asking, should we expect another hectic summer of travel?

In a word, yes. In its new Summer Disruption Outlook, the experts behind travel app Hopper dug into all the TSA data from last summer to come up with a ranking of the U.S. airports expected to be the worst. Plus, the Hopper analysts offered ConsumerAffairs readers some free advice for anyone who’s taking to the skies and possibly flying out of or going to one of these airports.

The worst

The worst airports in the U.S. are the ones you’d expect them to be just because they’re hubs for major airlines, such as Chicago where American and United route a lot of their traffic. 

Worst U.S. Airports for Summer Travel

1. Chicago (MDW) - 44% of flights disrupted during summer 2022

2. Baltimore (BDWI) - 39% of flights disrupted during summer 2022

3. Newark (EWR) - 37% of flights disrupted during summer 2022

4. Dallas (DAL) - 35% of flights disrupted during summer 2022

5. New York City (JFK) - 34% of flights disrupted during summer 2022

The busiest

You could probably close your eyes and guess the busiest airport in the U.S. You know, the one where nearly 100 million people travel through this year? The big Delta hub? Yep, Atlanta.

Busiest U.S. Airports for Summer Travel

1. Atlanta (ATL) - 26% of flights disrupted during summer 2022

2. Chicago (ORD) - 25% of flights disrupted during summer 2022

3. Dallas (DFW) - 28% of flights disrupted during summer 2022

4. Denver (DEN) - 30% of flights disrupted during summer 2022

5. Los Angeles (LAX) - 24% of flights disrupted during summer 2022

Taking care of the investment in your flight plans

Travelers to Europe this summer will want to make sure they get the most out of their money with airfares up 26% from 2019. These top tips from Hopper's experts will hopefully help you travel smoothly this summer:

Add travel protection. There are a few ways to go about this. Some credit card companies offer travel protection so check with the one you used to buy your ticket. Then, there are companies such as Hopper that offer protection such as Flight Disruption Guarantee, which allows you to rebook a new flight immediately on any carrier, if your flight is delayed, canceled or you miss a connection. Thirdly, if you’re price shopping, there are other worthy travel insurers, but it’s important to ask them if they offer that specific type of coverage.

Take the first flight of the day. Getting out of bed at 5 a.m. isn’t any fun, but it might pay off if a storm rolls into town or there’s a domino of disruptions over a certain airline’s route. Flights departing after 9 am are two times more likely to be delayed than those departing between 5-8 am.

Don't leave it up to chance. Build in a buffer day! It's always better to be safe by adding an extra day to your trip, especially for big events or major trips. Should any delays or disruptions interfere with your travel plans, then you'll have some breathing room.

Make sure you sign up for alerts and check flight status before you leave for the airport. Things happen quickly in the airline world. Pilots don’t show up, bad weather causes delays and cancellations, all types of things that can drag a trip down.

You'll want to be aware of delays and cancellations as soon as possible so sign up for whatever the airline you’re flying on offers: the option of receiving text, email, or in-app notifications about changes to their itinerary, including delays and cancellations. If your trip is delayed or canceled, know what options you have, including other flights heading to your destination. 

Whatever you do…

The airline industry is a royal mess right now and the pressure of summer travel is only going to complicate things further. No matter where you’re going, it’s important to know what’s going on so if you run into a problem you know what to do and these two websites will do the trick.

The Department of Transportation’s Airline Customer Service Dashboard. If something goes wrong, you’ll be able to quickly find what the airlines are supposed to be doing to take care of you and the situation as well as who’s committed to doing what they’re supposed to do and the laggards.

The other is FlightAware.com. This site is ConsumerAffairs’ go-to for things like delays and cancellations and within a matter of seconds, anyone can find out where their flight is, what flights are canceled, which ones are delayed, what airports are having issues, and something called a “Misery Map” that isolates each airport and shows what routes are experiencing problems.

If you have a retirement savings plan, such as a 401(k) or IRA, you may be unaware of the vast changes that have been made to the rules governing these accounts.

The Secure Act 2.0, passed by Congress at the end of last year, contains at least 90 changes to retirement savings plans. Only a few will go into effect this year but more will take effect in 2024 and still more will become operative over the following three years.

Here are a few examples:

• In 2025, people of a certain age will be allowed to contribute more to their plans in the form of “catch-up” contributions.

• In 2026, the ABLE plans for the disabled will increase the age of disability onset from 26 to 46.

• In 2027, low-income savers will be eligible for a government match to their retirement plans.

Most significant changes

What changes are the most important for consumers to understand? Taylor Kovar, a certified financial planner and CEO of Kovar Wealth Management, says one of the most important changes is the increase of the Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) age from 72 to 75. 

“Simply put, this provides more time for your retirement savings to mature, which should result in a boost to your nest egg,” he told ConsumerAffairs.

The new law also introduces an automatic enrollment feature for 401(k) plans aimed at ensuring more employees contribute to their retirement savings right from the start. 

“While this is not required, and employees can choose to opt out, it's big a step towards fostering a more universal culture of saving,” Kovar said.

A lighter penalty

Another positive change is a reduction in the penalty for not taking the correct RMD. Currently, the penalty is 50% of the shortfall. The new law reduces it to 25% – just 10% if made up in a “timely manner.”

Retirement savers should consider one of the changes taking effect this year. In 2023, you can contribute an extra $7,500 per year if you are at least 50-years-old.

If you are between the ages of 60 and 63, you can make an additional catch-up contribution of $10,000 – or 50% more than your regular catch-up contribution, whichever is greater. 

Just getting started on a retirement savings path? Check out ConsumerAffairs resources here, here and here.

You may be getting fewer robocalls these days but chances are you’re being flooded with robotexts. As carriers have improved call screening, spammers – many of them scammers – have switched to text messages.

In a recent study, Robokiller found Americans received nearly 226 billion spam messages in 2022, a huge increase over the previous year. There are fewer robocalls because the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has pressured major carriers to block them. But Peter, a Pure Talk customer from Mecosta, Mich., said he still gets a lot.

“I am absolutely inundated with spam calls,” Peter wrote in a ConsumerAffairs review. “I signed up for the National Do Not Call Registry but it did little to help.”

The Robokiller study found scammers have not exactly abandoned phone calls, it’s just that it’s harder to reach people. They made 78.2 billion robocalls last year, an 8% increase over 2021.

Reasons for the shift to texts

The telecommunications industry has made progress in curbing spam calls, notably by adopting STIR/SHAKEN, the mandatory regulation for voice service providers designed to stop caller ID spoofing. Robokiller said the scammer community made a wholesale shift to texting last year, and not just because of the cellular industry’s blocking strategy.

“Another reason behind the shift is the fact scammers understand where to find people,” the authors wrote. “They know we live in a text-first society and that by keeping up with social trends and events they can take advantage of people's vulnerabilities with compelling cons.”

The study notes that delivery scams increased 156% from October to November as the holidays approached. The study concludes that the threat will not only persist but grow.

The FCC’s advice

The FCC says consumers who have filed complaints with the agency said some of the texts resemble email spam, with links to unwanted and unsolicited products. Some appear to be ploys to steal valuable personal or financial information.  

Some recipients have been pressured to log in to a fake bank website to verify a purchase or unlock a credit card that was frozen. Others use package delivery updates as phishing bait. 

The FCC recommends the following:

• Do not respond to texts from unknown numbers, or any others that appear suspicious.

• Never share sensitive personal or financial information by text.

• Be on the lookout for misspellings, or texts that originate with an email address

• Think twice before clicking any links in a text message. If a friend sends you a text with a suspicious link that seems out of character, call them to make sure they weren't hacked.

• If a business sends you a text that you weren't expecting, look up their number online and call them back.

• Remember that government agencies almost never initiate contact by phone or text.

As demand for mental health services continues to rise, the Mozilla Foundation’s latest round of its *Privacy Not Included research says that despite warnings that app developers need to shape up.

The foundation has slapped 59% of the mental health apps it studied with *Privacy Not Included warning labels because they fail to safeguard an app user’s privacy and protect their data. 

“Our main goal is better protection for consumers, so we were encouraged to see that some apps made changes that amount to better privacy for the public,” said Jen Caltrider, a privacy researcher and consumer privacy advocate and Mozilla’s *Privacy Not Included team lead. 

“And sometimes all that had to be done to make those positive changes was to ask the companies to do better. But the worst offenders are still letting consumers down in scary ways, tracking and sharing their most intimate information and leaving them incredibly vulnerable. The handful of apps that handle data responsibly and respectfully prove that it can be done right.”

The good and the bad

After developers took heed of the previous Mozilla mental health app study, there were some good – as well as some are-you-kidding-me – results. Almost a third of the apps, including Youper, Woebot, PTSD Coach, and the AI chatbot Wysa, made improvements over their 2022 performance. Those last two received a “Best Of” citation, which Mozilla uses to spotlight the apps doing privacy and security the right way.

One piece of bad news was that an astonishing 40% of the apps researched got worse in the last year. One that Mozilla researchers found troubling was Replika: My AI Friend, an app downloaded 10 million times on Google Play and “millions'' more (according to the description) on the Apple app store.

The analysts called Replika one of the worst apps they have ever reviewed because of its weak password requirements, sharing of personal data with advertisers, and its recording of personal photos, videos, and voice and text messages consumers shared with the app’s chatbot. 

Another scary app was Cerebral. It set a new mark for the number of trackers: 799 within the first minute of download. Plus, the foundation charged that several others — Talkspace, Happify, and BetterHelp — couldn’t wait to get their hands on a user’s private information, reportedly pushing consumers into taking questionnaires up front without asking for consent.

"They claim collecting your information will help them deliver you a better service, but ... they aren’t using your personal information to help you feel better, they are using your personal information to make them money."

How to carefully choose a mental health app

Given that there's a lot of pitfalls embedded in the mental health apps Mozilla reviewed, the smart money is on finding out what those are before downloading one. ConsumerAffairs asked Caltrider and Lucas Hamrick, CEO of ORE Sys, what are their best practices in this regard. 

Read the “About this App” section on the app stores. Both emphasized the importance of clicking on the little arrow beside the ‘About This App’ section of the listing prior to downloading it.

"Then I go down to the bottom of that box and find the word ‘Permissions’ and click on the link under there. That tells me what app permissions the app wants to use,” Caltrider said.

“If an app offers me tips for weight loss wants to know all my contacts, that seems weird. Or if an app says it can help me recognize songs wants access to my microphone, okay, that makes sense. But if it asks for access to my camera, I’m like, ‘nah’ you don’t need that."

Hamrick says if an app implies it can do anything "health" related, the information an app developer provided should also cover any information on therapeutic methods used within the app. "

These methods should complement any recognized therapeutic practices in your mental health and wellness journey," he commented.

Read the privacy policy for what information is collected. Privacy policies are insurmountable documents full of gobbledygook, but Caltrider suggests that app users look for the most telling information like what personal info is collected, how it’s used, and who it’s shared with or sold to. It doesn’t take long to see if an app triggers their “creepy” senses, she said.

Check trusted resources. Her last suggestion is to check and see if a trusted source like Mozilla’s *Privacy Not Included or Common Sense Media.  Common Sense is a good source for parents because it also reviews app concerns like sex, nudity, drinking, smoking, and violence.

“There are people out there doing work like this to help consumers. Use us, we’re here to help!” she said.

Getting through the airport is about to get much easier for passengers. 

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is now accepting mobile IDs through Google Wallet, starting with Maryland travelers who are catching flights in 25 participating airports across the country. 

“TSA’s partnership with Google and Maryland spotlights our commitment to implementing new technologies and expanding use of mobile driver’s licenses,” said David Pekoske, TSA administrator. “This launch represents the first mobile driver’s license in Google Wallet. We continue to work closely with other states on deploying this capability across the country. TSA is committed to collaborating on international, open standards that provide enhanced security, privacy protections, and offers airline passengers a more efficient and convenient travel experience.” 

Which airports are accepting mobile IDs?

Currently, there are over two dozen airports across the country that are accepting mobile Maryland IDs through Google Wallet at TSA checkpoints:

• Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)

• Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)

• Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)

• Denver International Airport (DEN)

• Des Moines International Airport (DSM)

• Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW)

• Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport (GPT)

• Harry Reid International Airport (LAS)

• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)

• Honolulu Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)

• Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport (JAN)

• John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH)

• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

• Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY)

• Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU)

• Miami International Airport (MIA)

• Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC)

• Nashville International Airport (BNA)

• Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)

• Richmond International Airport (RIC)

• Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)

• Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)

• San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

• The Eastern Iowa Airport (CID)

• Will Rogers World Airport (OKC)

How does it work?

To use Google Wallet with your mobile ID at the airport, consumers first need to follow the steps involved with linking your driver’s license to your Google Wallet. Once you’ve done that, you head to the airport with your Bluetooth turned on and make your way to the security checkpoint. 

Travelers will hold their phone or watch with their mobile ID against the Credential Authentication Technology (CAT-2) device reader. Rather than fumbling a physical ID and a boarding pass, this one scan will do all of the work.

The TSA agent will compare the information from the digital wallet with the real-time picture that’s taken during this screening process. Travelers won’t also need to provide a boarding pass; the scan of the mobile ID will automatically generate the boarding pass. 

If everything matches, travelers can move on to the next portion of the security procedure. In certain instances, TSA agents may ask for additional ID materials to verify travelers’ identities, and so the agency encourages consumers to still bring their physical IDs to the airport just in case. 

In time, TSA plans to roll out this feature for travelers from more states and at more airports across the country. When fully functional, this will make security screening more efficient and more secure for travelers. 

Currently, this new feature is only available for travelers with TSA PreCheck. 

If you have more than one Gmail account, you might want to take a look at the one you use least because it could disappear. Google is going on a cleaning spree and deleting Gmail accounts it considers to be just taking up space.

The average person has 1.9 Gmail accounts. It might not be surprising that people tend to get lazy with their secondary accounts when it comes to reusing passwords and security like two-factor authentication.

Google has to deal with more than a billion superfluous email accounts and with nuisances like spam, account hijacking, security threats, and phishing scams going after all of those, Google's action shouldn't be a surprise.

Who’s getting cut and when

If you haven’t used or signed into a Google account in two years, everything tied to that email address is at risk. And when we say everything, we mean everything — Gmail, Docs, Meet, Calendar, and even Google Photos.

However, this policy change only applies to personal Google Accounts, and will not affect accounts for organizations like schools or businesses.

Google is giving everyone some breathing room, so don’t throw yourself into a tizzy, yet. The earliest Google will begin deleting accounts is December 2023.

“We will take a phased approach, starting with accounts that were created and never used again,” Ruth Kricheli, vice president, Product Management, said.

“Before deleting an account, we will send multiple notifications over the months leading up to deletion, to both the account email address and the recovery email if one has been provided.”

How to keep your account active

Despite having about six months to pull the trigger on older accounts, it would be wise to go on and do it, now, so you don’t have to worry about it for another two years. You should probably set up a ping on your main account’s calendar so you don’t run the risk the next time the Google cleaning crew comes a-knocking.

Finding all your extra accounts can be easy if you only have a couple of those. Google suggests going to that account by clicking on the profile icon to the right of the address bar in Chrome (it’s a circle), logging into that profile, and then do one of the following:

• Reading or sending an email

• Using Google Drive

• Watching a YouTube video

• Downloading an app on the Google Play Store

• Using Google Search

• Using Sign in with Google to sign in to a third-party app or service

If you have an existing subscription set up through your Google account, for example to Google One, a news publication or an app, Google also considers this account activity, and your account will not be impacted. Oh, yeah – the company does not have plans to delete accounts with YouTube videos, at least not now.

Don't know how many Google accounts you have?

If you've had a number of side hustles and wanted special emails or, had something else going on on the side, you might not remember all the Google accounts you have.

As ConsumerAffairs found out, if you have more than a few accounts, all of those might not show up in the account profile. At that point, it requires a little extra work to identify all of those with the key element being looking up your accounts by using your telephone number, not your email address.

Rather than explain the process in a step-by-step fashion, it might be easier to follow the instructions on this YouTube video. Remember, the key is to use your phone number.

In today’s everything-digital world, most consumers have been forced to use non-bank payment apps like CashApp, Venmo, or PayPal simply because that’s how some service or some person wanted to be paid.

While using those apps may make life simple, some people build up balances in those apps rather than immediately transferring the money to their bank account.

The Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB) says anyone doing that is running a big risk because the money stored on those app platforms is often not protected by federal deposit insurance (FDIC).

“The difference is that the money in your app might not be held in an account at an FDIC member bank or NCUA member credit union. This means it might not offer federal deposit insurance,” the agency said.

“The difference is key because the money you keep in your bank or credit union account is insured if the bank or credit union fails. However, deposit insurance does not apply when a nonbank payment company fails.”

“Tens of millions of American consumers and small businesses rely on payment apps to spend, manage, and send their money," said Financial Technology Association CEO Penny Lee. "These accounts are safe and transparent, with users receiving FDIC insurance on their accounts depending on the products they use. FTA members provide clear and easy-to-understand terms in all their products and consumer protection remains a top priority." 

What happens if one of these payment apps goes belly up?

When you consider that a number of banks have already fallen on their sword this year, the CFPB’s worst-case scenario is not that far-fetched. Payment apps – just like banks – invest users’ money in loans, bonds, etc., so they can make a little extra cheese on top of service fees. But if an app company goes belly up, are you safe? The agency said the answer is about as clear as mud.

“Your user agreement might be confusing, murky, or even silent on exactly where your money is held or invested. It might not explain whether and under what conditions your money may be insured at a bank or credit union, and what happens in the case of the nonbank payment app’s business failure or bankruptcy,” the agency wrote.

“If the nonbank payment app’s business fails, your money is likely lost or tied up in a long bankruptcy process. You might be standing in line with other lenders to the failed app, waiting to see if you can get any of your money back after the business is unwound.”

Some apps offer 'pass-through' insurance

If you’re lucky, the payment app you favor may offer “pass-through insurance” through business arrangements with a bank or credit union, but typically that requires a customer to sign up for additional services such as a company-branded card or choosing direct deposit. However, to be eligible for pass-through insurance, the account must comply with certain rules and regulations set by the FDIC or NCUA.

Even at that, things are still a little shaky. The CFPB says that while pass-through insurance protects against the failure of the bank or credit union where the app holds the money for a user, it doesn’t insure them against the failure of the payment app company. 

“This means there could be a risk of losing your money in the event the company fails. If the payment app company followed all the relevant requirements, though, your money could be safe in the associated bank or credit union. Still, there could be risks, like delaying your ability to access your money,” is the agency’s position.

ConsumerAffairs reached out to PayPal Holdings which owns both PayPal and Venmo for comment, but did not immediately get a response.

The question must now be asked. Will California homeowners be able to buy insurance coverage for their homes?

Allstate has become the second major insurance company to announce it will stop writing homeowners insurance policies in the state. Because of wildfires and other natural disasters, the company says the risk is too great. In fact, the company confirmed it stopped writing new policies at the end of 2022.

Last week State Farm announced it is pulling out of California for the same reason. It also pointed to the high cost of rebuilding and repairing homes in California.

State Farm was the largest home insurance provider in California. Allstate was the fourth-largest.

Amy Bach of the consumer group United Policyholders says California homeowners shouldn’t panic, pointing out there are still more than 100 carriers offering coverage. But she told KSFN-TV in Fresno that it’s a worrisome trend.

"State Farm's announcement is definitely not helpful news, but we have to keep it in perspective,” she told the station. "Ever since the fires, I talk to insurance executives, they're all worried about wildfires in the west... They don't take blind risks anymore because they can buy data and they can see the pine needles in your gutter."

Prop 103

In March, United Policyholders sent an alert to state legislators, warning that Proposition 103, which controls insurance premium rate hikes in the state, could cause the insurance industry to push for less regulation.

“Lawmakers are being bombarded by complaints from constituents who’ve been dropped by their insurers, (even after making risk reduction improvements), and unable to find replacement coverage outside the last-resort, expensive, bare-bones protection California Fair Plan, so they are all ears and seeking solutions,” the group said. 

The group also noted that from the time Prop 103 was enacted, California insurers have been vocal about wanting less regulation generally, and have dramatically intensified their campaign in recent months.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning consumers about a potentially fatal device that they might have in their homes – fire extinguisher balls. 

Several popular brands, all of which are sold on Amazon, have been called into question for allegedly failing to extinguish fires, which ultimately increased the risk of serious injury – and possible death – to consumers. The agency warned about the following brands of fire extinguisher balls: LVYXON, TATTCHINE, ARMYJY, PETSTIBLE, HelloPharma, Vixuiyz, and JHEUAYK. 

For consumers shopping on Amazon, the following ASINs should be avoided, the agency said: 

• LVYXON: B0BCPL2QY8 and B0BCPH6M9L

• TATTCHINE: B0BCYXZ5H9 and B0BCYWR1VH

• ARMYJY: B0BB6Y1JQQ

• PETSTIBLE: B0BD3RL3K9 and B0BD3T4BNX

• HelloPharma: B09YNKKKM2

• Vixuiyz: B09YRRL241

• JHEUAYK: B0BCQ121VL and B0BCWR36DQ

Failing to meet guidelines

The CPSC explained that one of the biggest issues with these devices is that they don’t meet specific safety requirements for fire extinguishers. All of the brands mentioned above reportedly failed to meet three key safety guidelines: NFPA 10 Standard for Portable Fire Extinguishers, UL 299 Dry Chemical Fire Extinguishers, and UL 711 Rating and Fire Testing of Fire Extinguishers. 

All of these devices also posed serious health and safety risks for consumers by failing to actually extinguish fires, according to CPSC. 

“Specifically, the identified products can fail to properly disperse fire-suppressing chemicals and fail to extinguish a fire,” the CPSC wrote. “In addition, the products do not have a pressure gauge or pressure indicator, a locking device to reduce the risk of unintentional discharge, a self-closing valve for intermittent discharge, or a nozzle to direct the discharge.” 

For any consumers who may have these extinguishers in their homes currently, the CPSC encourages you to stop using them immediately and also dispose of them. Both hazardous waste facilities and local fire departments will accept these devices. 

The agency also recommends that consumers report any product-related injuries to SaferProducts.gov to ensure that any future extinguishers meet the UL 299 and UL 711 safety standards. 

Many of today’s new cars have a safety feature called automatic emergency braking (AEB). The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is moving to require it on all new cars and trucks in the future.

AEB uses sensors to detect when another car or object is too close and automatically applies the brakes. Regulators say adding the feature to all cars would dramatically reduce crashes associated with pedestrians and rear-end crashes. 

NHTSA projects that once finalized, the rule would save at least 360 lives a year and reduce injuries by at least 24,000 annually. As an added bonus, safety regulators say AEB systems would result in significant reductions in property damage caused by rear-end crashes. Many crashes would be avoided altogether, while others would be less destructive.   

“Today, we take an important step forward to save lives and make our roadways safer for all Americans,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Just as lifesaving innovations from previous generations like seat belts and airbags have helped improve safety, requiring automatic emergency braking on cars and trucks would keep all of us safer on our roads.”   

Widespread support from safety groups

A number of safety groups have endorsed the proposal. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) said the provision of the proposed rulemaking that requires pedestrian detection that works both at night and during the day is especially important.

In March 2022, IIHS joined the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) to press regulators to make that feature mandatory.

Both an HLDI analysis of insurance claims and an IIHS study of police-reported crashes have reportedly found large benefits from pedestrian AEB. However, while the IIHS study found that the systems cut pedestrian crashes in daylight or on well-lit roads, it found virtually no effect at night on unlit roads. More than a third of fatal pedestrian crashes occur under those conditions.

‘Game-changer’

“Pedestrian AEB that works well at night is a game changer for protecting the most vulnerable people on the road,” said IIHS-HLDI President David Harkey. “This proven technology takes action when a driver doesn’t and can reduce the severity of a collision or prevent the collision from happening altogether.”

NHTSA’s proposal would require that all new passenger vehicles have AEB capable of braking to fully avoid a crash with another vehicle at up to 50 mph. Vehicles must also be able to stop for pedestrians from speeds up to 37 mph, and pedestrian detection must work in dark conditions.

The proposal is likely to be adopted since it was advocated by Congress, as part of the 2121 infrastructure bill. If it goes into effect it would be after a 60-day comment period.

Enough Republicans and Democrats in Congress found enough common ground to pass a debt ceiling bill and avert a U.S. government default.

But as a result, people with student loan debt – whose payments were suspended at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic three years ago – will resume making monthly payments. The resumption of loan payments was one of the many other features contained in the bill.

The bill, which President Biden is expected to sign, calls for the resumption of student loan payments “60 days after June 30, 2023,” which would be Aug. 29. Estimates of total student loan balances vary but investment banking firm Jefferies has reported that about 45 million Americans owe more than $1 trillion, with average monthly payments of $393.

Economists are concerned about what this will mean to the U.S. economy. Payments were suspended in 2020 because it was believed the pandemic would lead to widespread unemployment and severe economic hardship for student loan borrowers.

While unemployment spiked in the first couple of months, the U.S. quickly had a labor shortage and most people who wanted jobs could find one. At the same time, the U.S. government paid out more than $1 trillion in stimulus payments.

Belt-tightening

Student loan borrowers who have grown accustomed to not making those payments will now have to factor them back into their monthly budgets. And the political climate makes Biden’s student loan debt forgiveness proposal appear less likely to prevail.

In fact, the Senate, controlled by Democrats, this week passed a House measure to repeal the administration’s debt forgiveness program. Biden has said he will veto it.

Opponents of debt forgiveness say it is unfair to ask taxpayers who didn't go to college and those who have paid off their student loans to pay for those who still owe.

Even with the veto, the debt forgiveness program is at the mercy of the U.S. Supreme Court, which is set to rule on the measure’s constitutionality. Biden’s executive order would grant 40 million borrowers up to $20,000 in student loan forgiveness.

With inflation, a slowing economy and rising layoffs Americans are stressing over money like never before. A recent study from Point found  55% of people said worries about personal finances had negatively impacted their mental health, far more than other troubling issues.

The issue is so serious that a third of those saying finances was their top concern said the issue was causing them to lose sleep. Young adults seem to be the most affected.

Members of Gen Z said that while social issues are very important to them, nearly two-thirds of that generation cited personal finance as having an impact on their mental health.

Broken down even further, women more than men are worrying about money. Nearly 60% of women said personal finances impact their mental health “a great deal” or “quite a bit,” compared with about 45% of men.

Follow the money

Personal finance experts have long advocated increasing financial literacy, not just for financial health but also for general mental well-being. Taylor Kovar, a certified financial planner and CEO of TheMoneyCouple.com, says the best way to alleviate the stress over financial concerns is to get a firm grip on spending.

“I see people every day who are stressed about money but when I ask them where their money goes, they really don't know – so remember that you can't manage what you can't measure,” he told ConsumerAffairs. “This doesn't have to be a crazy hard thing to do but sit down with a copy of everything you've spent for the past two months and see where the money is going. Give each dollar a job and you'll immediately feel some of that pressure disappear!”

Some might say that’s easier said than done, especially if you are already spending more than you’re taking in just to keep up with the bills. In that case, Kovar recommends getting some professional advice.

“We have unfortunately been taught not to discuss religion, politics, and money since they are taboo, but talking with a professional who handles these things on a daily basis can do wonders!” he said. “There are many free or low-cost advisors and financial coaches out there who have the tools, experience, and care to guide you through financial hardships and get you on the path to financial freedom!”

Credit counselors, many of them non-profit, may be a good source of sound advice. ConsumerAffairs has researched these advisors and singled out five that are best for certain situations.

ALDI and Instacart have teamed up on a new virtual convenience store, designed to deliver the essentials right to consumers’ doors within 30 minutes. 

“We know our customers live hectic lives, and sometimes that means they don’t have time to make it to the grocery store – even for a quick trip,” said Scott Patton, vice president of National Buying at ALDI. “Through ALDI Express, we’re making shopping more convenient so you can satisfy a craving or get a missing ingredient in minutes.”

Fast delivery across the country

Instacart will work with over 2,100 ALDI locations across the country to bring consumers ALDI Express. Whether you’re in a rush after work or forgot to grab something for your barbecue, the new partnership will get everything delivered in 30 minutes or less, the companies say. 

ALDI Express will feature nearly 2,000 items, with the primary goal of making it as efficient and easy as possible to get the necessities delivered. ALDI Express is divided into several different categories based on shoppers’ needs: 

• Fresh vegetables

• Fresh fruit

• Dairy & eggs

• Snacks & candy

• Meat & seafood

• Ice cream

• Frozen foods

• Cheese

• Juice

• Soda & water

• Coffee & tea

• Sports drinks

• Pantry

• Household

• Health care

• Pet care

• Baby

• Personal care

• ALDI Finds (Limited Time)

• Vegan

• Organic 

ALDI Express also shows what items are currently popular and trending on the site, as well as tabs for special deals. Items are also tagged if they’re on sale, or if there are “many in stock.” 

While ALDI offers store pickup and delivery options through DoorDash, and has been working with Instacart since 2017, ALDI Express is designed to speed up the process – and is ideal for smaller orders, the companies say. 

ALDI Express is currently up and running, and consumers can start shopping through either the ALDI Express storefront or through Instacart’s Convenience Hub – which also features other stores like CVS, Stop & Shop Express, 7-11, Rite Aid, Walgreens, and more local spots in your area. 

“With this launch, we’re making it easier for customers nationwide to get their favorite ALDI staples delivered faster than ever before,” said Ryan Hamburger, vice president of retail at Instacart. “We know how important it is to get what you need when you want it – whether it’s a last-minute delivery for a missing dinner ingredient, milk for the baby, or simply wanting a late-night snack.”