Sitemap - 2017 - The Red Tape Chronicles
My most popular stories of 2017 (What else? Equifax tops the list)
Trying to beat the 2018 tax clock by pre-paying? The IRS has bad news for many of you
My 2018 calendar: Another year driving across the country, trying to figure out this crazy place
Why 'average' homeowners in 32 states have something to fear from GOP tax plan
Buying vs. renting? Here's an amazing calculator that will help you decide
As airline profits soar, hidden fees and other Gotchas are still OK, administration says
Sneaky fee alert: 'Urban Destination Charge' added to hotels just in time for the holidays
You'll buy 4 gift cards worth $45 this holiday season; here's why that's just not safe
A tax cut or a tax increase? The chart that tells 25,000 stories
'A sick, sad...joke' -- CFPB fight shows we're headed back to 2008, and that's not funny
Why is my credit card interest rate so high?
Why you need Thanksgiving to run a country (and why women should probably hate Amazon)
'We don't need Net Neutrality, we have a free market,' and other lies
Why buying health insurance is stupid, and the problem of small sample sizes
Western Union might owe *you* money, but you have to act fast (this time, it's not a scam)
Rich Cordray's departure from the CFPB could cause real problems for consumers
Why you suddenly care that Equifax has all your paystubs, and what that says about the digital age
The surprising list of places where millennials make up half of new home buyers
Garbage in, garbage out: Why gun background checks are shamefully flawed
Where will GOP tax plan hurt the most home owners? I've got data on that, too (Hint: Sorry, Jersey)
Where would GOP tax plan hurt the most home buyers? I've got the data...
Someone I love is the victim of an elder scam right now: What should I do? A shareable to-do list
OBIT: Consumerist.com publishes last post; a huge voice for consumers is silenced
With Papadopoulos guilty plea, Mueller signals he's not buying Trump camp alibis
EXCLUSIVE: Email prankster who tricked Trump admin officials reveals 'inbox hypnotism' techniques
Senate spits at consumers; ending ban on lawsuit fine print a gift to banks
How much did your health insurance premium go up? Mine's up 22%. Share here
Health care and Trump: What the administration's latest moves mean for you
Elder scam victims are easy prey: 'Many ... just don't feel important to anyone any more'
The KRACK attack: Is all Wi-Fi unsafe now? No, not really. But you'd better patch
The original sin of modern American capitalism: Picking consumers over workers
SOUNDCLOUD Audio: Listen to my radio appearance on WTOP
Yahoo hack gets even worse: 3 billion accounts (all of them) impacted
Former Equifax CEO blames 'human error,' makes his own errors at Congressional hearing
'Our worst fears...come true' -- Former Equifax CEO issues testimony on eve of grilling by Congress
Q: Why would anyone at Equifax have access to 143 million SSNs? A: Greed
Hacker attack turns 'Find My iPhone' into ransomware on Apple Mac laptops
Avocado toast? Nope. U.S. families are spending half as much on food as they used to
Equifax CEO out; Smith couldn't survive bumbling response to huge hack
VIDEO: 'Future proof this kid' -- highlight from my appearance on This Week in Tech
In anthem wars, the big winner is Russian bots...and Vladimir Putin
Murder of retired California teacher in Jamaica puts lottery scams in the spotlight
No car tags, no licenses: Alabama County's computers knocked offline by ransomware
Credit card debt sets a record: Is that good or bad?
Love credit report security freezes? Hug a state lawmaker. Really!
Momentum builds for free credit freezes in wake of Equifax hack
He wanted a credit freeze, but ended up with a $20-a-month Trans Union service instead
VIDEO: Latest on the hack -- Freezes should be free, and we know how but not why
My NYT op-ed; SSNs are dead now, but this is another Target moment
Trans Union tries to lure security freeze-hunting consumers into ID theft service
Equifax: What now? My credit freeze primer. Also, don't over react
The Equifax FAQ: You've got questions, I try to give you answers
Equifax credit bureau says hackers stole SSNs, more, on 143 million consumers
Jerking around Dreamers for political theater is cruel, and it makes us less secure
Dept. of Education picks loan servicers over struggling, mistreated borrowers again
Sick of overdraft fees? There’s an app for that
Know Your Nuggets: Social Proof
Know Your Nuggets: Operational Transparency
Know Your Nuggets: The Identifiable Victim Effect
Know Your Nuggets: Choice Overload
It's Labor Day. Millions of Americans will be working unpaid overtime this weekend. Stop it.
Carton's Corner on consumer law: Why are low-dollar ripoffs such a big problem?
I write about scams for a living; Trump's 'blame the media' routine feels awfully familiar
GPS hacking was already a concern; is it causing U.S. Navy ships to crash?
Last-minute eclipse glass seekers facing shortage, dangerous fakes online
Ukrainian malware programmer said to be cooperating with U.S. on Russia election hacking probe
Eclipse economics leaves towns in the dark; beware the fear of missing out that comes this weekend
Four fast-growing frauds, and the top 10 consumer gripes of the year
'On many sides, on many sides' -- here's how you figure out what side a politician is on
Lucky Whitehead lost his job because of ID theft; you could, too
VIDEO: Disney hit with lawsuit over kids' app -- a new way to sue for privacy invasions?
A sincere mea culpa in IT? His password policies drove us all crazy for years. Now, he's sorry
Dow up 20%, wages up 2.5%. So why are we cheering?
Have you tried to buy a home with a big student loan balance?
'Password patterns' eyed as potential clue in hack of Mandiant/FireEye security pro
Lucky Vacation Spots (for your dog): Missoula, big sky and a big heart
What's really scary about Petya 'ransomware' attack? It might not be ransomware
Lucky Vacation Spots (for your dog): Kansas City, and drinking under the table
'Don't waste your time' -- new ransomware outbreak, nastier than WannaCry, spreads globally
Lucky Vacation Spots (for your dog): In Pittsburgh, everything is Aces (and, Tipsy)
#RoadTrip2017 -- Rusty and I are back on the road, away from the coasts. Is America talking now?
Remarkable look inside the underground 'fake news' economy shows how lucrative truth hacking can be
Phishing's dark cousin, 'whaling,' now a big concern -- why executives make easy targets
Make America Great to Move Around in Again. Talk is cheap, roads aren't.
Here we go again -- the House just voted to kill a host of banking consumer protections
While you are watching Comey, Congress will vote to take away consumer protections (like it's 2008)
The Russians keep running circles around us on the hacking story. Here's why (again!)
Why the Do Not Call list doesn't really work any more
Forget, 'covfefe' -- Trump sharing his cell number with world leaders creates real risks
Greg Gianforte, the 'body-slam' candidate, sits on the board of credit score firm FICO
Asking hard questions is hard, and sometimes gets ugly. That's journalism (and, life)
Trump budget would radically change student loan repayment; here's the winners and losers
Fighting to stay competitive at work, more men 'getting work done' to look younger
Some people trust Trump so much, they use his name as their password
'On tilt' in the Trump casino? You're going to lose that bet
Roughly 9 in 10 at-risk student borrowers aren't told about options to lower payments, report says
VIDEO: This week's Facebook live videos -- WannaCry, and your Financial Diaries
WannaCry's legacy -- America's cyberweapons were turned against us. Now what?
Inspiring (?) thought of the day: 'News is a misleading way to understand the world'
Ransomware fallout continues as victims pay up (and you should back up)
The secret plan to protect student loan borrowers as Trump administration relaxes Obama-era rules
Facebook must 'come clean' about teen mood research and ad targeting, consumer groups demand
Podcast: The future of journalism, one pair of new boots at a time
Pets make great friends, but terrible passwords. Look how many I found!
Netflix hack is no big deal. Here's the big deal
Why password meters lie (and re-used 'strong' passwords are a security killer)
VIDEO: Can those annoying robocalls be stopped?
Mortgage debt is rising fastest in ...West Virginia, Kansas, and the Dakotas? Yup
Why did Wells Fargo, United behave so badly? Look at perverse incentives
A Tweetstorm: United's bad flight, in perspective
This is your face. This is how corporations treat you. This is what we've let America become
Asking Twitter to unmask an anonymous account is serious; this DHS request is amateurish, but scary
The 'original sin' that made student loan borrowers into criminals: Part 2 of a series
Lucky Vacation Spots: Folly Beach, South Carolina (near Charleston)
Every day is April Fool's Day online -- don't blame the Russians for fake news, blame advertisers
A new series: Lucky Vacation Spots -- my take on very-dog-friendly destinations
Restless Project: Why 'busy' is the new cufflinks, and why that might be killing you
How the proposed Trump budget might impact your life
How many dossiers do corporations have on you? At least 78 -- that you can see
A Muslim laptop ban? No, a real threat -- that the U.S. has lost credibility
Saks Fifth Avenue customer data leaked online -- victims appear to include NASA, DHS, IRS employeers
What TrumpCare (RyanCare? GOPCare?) might mean for your wallet
America's $1.3 trillion student loan mess: How did we get here? Blame Sputnik (Part 1 of a series)
Why 'iPhone Queen' is the new 'Welfare Queen,' and why it matters
Software at online job sites can block older applicants, Illinois attorney general claims
Most Americans are cyber-victims, fear a major attack...and write their passwords down on paper
The real story behind fake news (and how we can save ourselves)
I warned you about creepy 'Internet of Toys' doll; now, German authorities have banned it
This Trump stock market rally -- should you say or should you go? Eight lessons
Bank stocks soar after regulation rollback starts; but what about your money?
ARCHIVE - Life really is harder now, if you look at the numbers
Who's winning that Facebook comment or Tweet throwdown you're in? Not your boss
What's with the disappearing executive orders? Cyber, financial orders pulled at last moment
Some Comcast users say they can't watch Super Bowl
VIDEO: Treason, arrests, a suspicious death, the vanishing executive order -- Trump's cyber-mystery
ID theft hit all-time high in 2016, but it's not all bad news
America's new reality: The rise of the Four-Income Family
If interest rates are going up, why aren't savings rates going up? Well, it's like gas prices...
Trump’s mortgage fee cut reversal: What it really means for house hunters
The Truth needs your help -- because without it, there will be no Justice, and no American Way
Women's march - signs from the protest
Scenes from The Inauguration: The protests
Scenes from the inauguration: Along the National Mall
Scenes from the inauguration: Practice
Will a Trump presidency mean the return of Gotcha Capitalism?
Credit, debit card fraud activity up sharply -- thanks (?) to those new EMV chips
'Nothing to do but pay until we die' - student loan debts soar among the over-60 crowd
Ignore those 'keep your shoes on' airport security ads; high heels still don't fly
Americans aren't going West for opportunity anymore. Or East. Or anywhere... Why?
They stole $2,900 at an ATM without her debit card; how the smartphone 'eATM' rollout got dumb
Top 20 surprising hot U.S. housing markets that could be primed for a fall in 2017