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Newsom's latest insurance move could help Californians avoid canceled policies -- but they'll have to pay
As some Californians continue scrambling for ways to affordably insure their homes, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced a push to expedite how quickly insurance companies can increase rates.
Speedier approvals for rate hikes is one of the key reforms insurers say is necessary for them to stay afloat amid a growing number of costly claims in ...Read more
Piecing together the puzzle of college financial aid
There's been a lot of drama this spring for families seeking college financial aid.
The trouble stems from a revamp of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), where changes and technology glitches have been an ongoing source of frustration for families.
The federal government, meanwhile, was significantly delayed in relaying data...Read more
Home insurance mistakes to avoid as we enter hurricane season
Nobody likes paying for homeowner insurance.
That’s been especially true in Florida, where over the past few years, as more frequent storms and high litigation rates have doubled the cost of insurance for just about everyone who owns a home.
It’s tempting for homeowners, particularly seniors on fixed incomes, to put off critical upgrades ...Read more
Would you rent a room in an apartment with a stranger? This development is betting on it
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — Many renters in Charlotte pay to have a bathroom, living room and kitchen all to themselves — but for some people, one room is enough.
Now an apartment company is trying something new, where people can rent a bedroom for less than paying for an entire apartment, but share common space with a stranger. It’s kind...Read more
Study: American workers plan to slow-roll into retirement
Often when people aged 50 or older contact her, Pittsburgh financial coach Shay Port said the conversation starts with them declaring that they will never be able to retire.
"They say things like, 'I know I will have to work the rest of my life,'" Port said. "And that's what I try to help them with — actually being able to retire at some ...Read more
Report: 80 percent of low-income San Diegans spending more than half their income on rent
The vast majority of low-income renters in San Diego County are spending more than half of their income on rent, said a new study.
San Diego's Affordable Housing Needs Report, released Thursday by the nonprofit California Housing Partnership, gave the region poor marks across the board for everything from homeless housing to subsidized rentals ...Read more
Graffitied skyscraper in downtown Los Angeles poised for sale
Oceanwide Plaza, the bankrupt, unfinished development in downtown Los Angeles that became a canvas for trespassing graffiti artists, is officially on the market.
The Chinese owners of the stalled residential, hotel and retail complex towering over Crypto.com Arena have hired real estate brokers to sell the property to buyers who could restart ...Read more
A tale of two downtowns in LA: As offices languish, apartments thrive
By many measures, downtown Los Angeles’ newest apartment tower is over the top with such gilded flourishes as stone tiles from Spain lining the elevator cabs and hand-troweled Italian plaster on interior walls. Hummingbirds have somehow found the fruit-laden trees decorating the outdoor lounge on the 41st floor.
For Stuart Morkun, the ...Read more
How much could Trump hotel in Las Vegas sell for? It's complicated
As Republican presidential candidate and former president Donald Trump navigates multiple criminal and civil trials levied against him, his professional net worth and assets have come into the spotlight.
In Las Vegas, Trump — along with business partner Phil Ruffin — is the co-owner of Trump International Hotel, a 64-story, 1,282-room ...Read more
Record wave of Americans fled big cities for small ones in 2023
Score a victory for Mayberry. America’s small towns, like the iconic setting of television’s The Andy Griffith Show from the 1960s, saw more in-migration in 2023 than larger areas for the first time in decades.
The remote work boom that prompted Americans to flee urban areas for mountain hamlets and seaside towns during the pandemic ...Read more
Real estate Q&A: What can we do about new apartment's surprise special assessment?
Q: We are in the process of purchasing an apartment. Our closing attorney received the report from the condominium association showing the monthly dues were current, and we were surprised to learn that a special assessment was pending because the sellers told us that none were. The contract also says that no special assessments are pending. We ...Read more
One of California's largest home insurance companies is raising rates by 15% on average
One of California’s largest home insurers is raising rates for hundreds of thousands of state policyholders by an average of 15.3%, the latest move by a major insurer to boost homeowners’ premiums in the face of growing wildfire risk.
Travelers Insurance, the state’s sixth-largest home insurer as of 2022, plans to update rates for roughly...Read more
US rents climbed 1.5 times faster than wages in last four years
Rents in most major U.S. metropolitan areas have risen some 1.5 times faster than wages in the last four years, according to an analysis by Zillow Group Inc.
Nationwide, rents climbed 30.4% while incomes expanded 20.2% from 2019 to 2023, data from Zillow, StreetEasy and the Bureau of Labor Statistics show. Florida, a migration hot spot, had ...Read more
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting: 5 takeaways for investors
Berkshire Hathaway shareholders flocked to Omaha, Nebraska, on Saturday to hear from CEO Warren Buffett and other Berkshire executives. For about 5 hours, Buffett took questions on Berkshire’s many businesses, investing and life in general.
The meeting included a video tribute to Buffett’s longtime partner and Berkshire vice-chairman ...Read more
More than 90% of stablecoin transactions aren't from real users, study finds
More than 90% of stablecoin transaction volumes aren’t coming from genuine users, according to a new metric co-developed by Visa Inc., suggesting such crypto tokens may be far away from becoming a commonly used means of payment.
The dashboard from Visa and Allium Labs is designed to strip out transactions initiated by bots and large-scale ...Read more
California State Farm customers anxious as insurer starts major policy cuts. 'There's panic'
Debbie Lindh leaned forward in a chair on the front porch of her Grass Valley, California, home and pointed at the house directly across a narrow street.
Lindh, 71, and her husband were recently told State Farm will no longer insure their property near the city’s downtown.
Yet the neighbor across the street is not losing coverage. Her ...Read more
Vanguard is boosting fees to urge holdout customers to do their own trades online
Investment giant Vanguard Group is renewing its effort to get customers to embrace online banking, annoying some longtime clients.
The company, which has spent the past decade urging longtime fund investors to move their savings into the company’s brokerage accounts, now plans to raise brokerage fees in a bid to get holdouts to finally start ...Read more
Lori Borgman: Conversations are growing ear-resistible
My husband and I have experienced some hearing loss. The most frequently heard word at our house is "WHAT!?"
More pressing than our physical hearing loss is our selective hearing loss, something that happens to couples who have been married a long time.
Just the other day, the husband was working on his laptop at the kitchen table with his ...Read more
Real estate Q&A: Do I have to sell condo to another owner in building?
Q: When we decided to sell our apartment, one of our friends wanted to buy it, and we agreed to sell it to him at a discounted price. When he went for his interview with the condo board, he was told that he could not buy it because another owner in the building was going to. Do I need to sell it to my neighbor at the discounted price, or can I ...Read more
Nix the oven? A skinny fridge? Tips on designing a tiny kitchen in your ADU
LOS ANGELES -- Unlike European kitchens, which are designed for efficiency rather than luxury, American kitchens often emphasize open-concept designs simply because they are larger.
But now that people are adding accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, in their backyards to house family members and generate passive income, the European model is ...Read more
Popular Stories
- Would you rent a room in an apartment with a stranger? This development is betting on it
- Piecing together the puzzle of college financial aid
- Study: American workers plan to slow-roll into retirement
- Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting: 5 takeaways for investors
- Report: 80 percent of low-income San Diegans spending more than half their income on rent
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