Change the record

⚫ Change the record: If you have a Spotify account, don’t sleep on your custom “Discover Weekly” playlist. It’s refreshed every Monday with 30 new tracks you’ll like based on your past listens. Find it in the Made For You section of your library.

Tags: Music, music player, Spotify


Turn on your phone's theft protection

Your phone is very valuable in the wrong hands — and not just if you have a snazzy, new iPhone 16 Pro Max that costs as much as a mortgage payment. Even a cheap smartphone is loaded with logins, personal data and financial info. Think of it as instant access to everything.

Continue reading

What makes a good VPN? 3 features to look for before you spend a dime

What you do online should be your business. That’s not the world we live in, though. Your internet service provider can see every site you visit, even in incognito mode, and your data is routinely packaged up and sold to the highest bidder.

Continue reading

🔞 OnlyScams: The sexy gal on OnlyFans might just be some dude in another country. To keep up with the huge volume of texts, agencies hire low-paid “chatters” (or even AI) to create the illusion of personal interaction. Cue the class-action lawsuit seeking billions in damages and pushing OnlyFans to be more transparent about who’s really on the other end. Think about those sexy pants.

$300,000 or 6 years’ worth

Of lost retirement savings for serial job hoppers. It all comes down to retirement savings rates. When you switch to a new job, you’re starting back at 3% and adding a percentage each year. Too many job changes can lead to a 41% smaller nest egg.

Starlink is powering a new wave of pig-butchering scams

Pig-butchering scams are getting more sophisticated — and more costly — by the day. One report found criminals have swindled an estimated $75 billion from victims. And just recently, a criminal organization in Asia was taken down, adding another $46 million to that tally.

Continue reading

The best budgeting and finance tools for home and business

The Mint budgeting app has been folded into Credit Karma, owned by Intuit. It’s been around since 2006, so it’s a shame to see it go. Worry not! There are other options out there.

Don’t just blindly choose the first app that pops up when you search for budgeting apps. There are several factors to consider when selecting the one that fits your needs best.

Continue reading

If police try to get you to unlock your smartphone: Say no. Under the Fourth Amendment, they need a warrant to search it. Once they’re in, they can access your private info and, theoretically, use it to pressure you into a confession. That’s where the Fifth Amendment comes in: The government can’t force self-incrimination. It pays to know your rights.

Three words that scream “text scam”: Would you kindly.” It’s not a common phrase in the U.S., so it’s a tip-off you’re dealing with someone from afar. “Kindly settle your balance” is another. One more: A random number texting “Hi, how are you?” isn’t a sign from the universe; it’s a scammer trying to get you to reply so they can steal from you someday.

How did he think this would work? A woman got a disturbing text after a guy saw her phone number on her luggage tag. “I saw you and thought you were so beautiful, so I had to find a way to talk to you.” Even worse, he might know where she lives since her address was also on the tag. Tip: Use luggage tags with covers.

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

Hard drive 101: How to buy, store and protect yours

All that drive space that comes with your computer, phone or tablet can quickly fill up, especially if you’re a movie fan, gamer or just have a lot of photos to store. The quick and easy fix? Pick up an external drive.

Continue reading