CPS Energy customers cranking up air conditioning pay nearly $80 more for comfort, utility says
CPS Energy customers are paying higher energy bills than they did last summer, an average of about $80 dollars according to the provider. It's mostly due to fuel cost increases and the relentless Texas heat wave.
Mississippi's attorney general has no plan to prosecute Carolyn Bryant Donham over role in Emmett Till lynching, aide says
Mississippi's top legal official has no plan to prosecute Carolyn Bryant Donham, whose accusation set off the lynching of Black teenager Emmett Till nearly 70 years ago, an aide said Friday.
cbsnews.comIowa, Texas Republicans hail benefits from Biden infrastructure bill they opposed
“Since the bill was signed into law, this money was going to be spent regardless. If there’s federal money on the table she is, of course, going to do everything she can to make sure it is reinvested in Iowa,” Seid said in a statement. “That’s why she worked with a bipartisan group of her colleagues in asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to prioritize NESP construction along the Upper Mississippi River.”
washingtonpost.comFTC shuts down savings app Beam under tentative settlement
Beam aimed to let users earn higher interest rates on their money by engaging with its mobile savings app. Beam — the mobile savings app that imploded last year after a CNBC investigation revealed dozens of customers were unable to get their money out — has been shut down for good under a tentative settlement with the Federal Trade Commission. As part of the settlement, Beam is banned from operating a mobile banking app or any other product or service that can be used to deposit, store, or withdraw funds. Under the settlement, neither Beam nor Du admit wrongdoing. Beam, which launched in 2019, billed itself as "the first mobile high-interest savings account for the 99%."
cnbc.comThe new $1,400 stimulus checks would cost over $400 billion. Here's how Congress plans to get the funds
President Joe Biden's Covid relief plan is making its way through Congress. The $1.9 trillion bill includes money for a myriad of programs, including enhanced unemployment benefits, vaccination efforts and $1,400 stimulus checks. Funding new relief spending involves an interesting way of borrowing and figuratively printing money, according to Sahil Bloom, a financial educator and vice president at Altamont Capital Partners. Bloom said the government can create money without actually printing physical currency. Check out this video to see who actually "clicks the button" and to learn how the process can backfire.
cnbc.comThe best free resources to help you learn how to manage your money
There are so many ways to earn, manage and invest your money that it really takes some preparation to get it right. Here is a list of some great free resources to learn more about managing your money. Government ResourcesSeveral government agencies offer free learning resources for new investors. Here are some of my favorite resources:The IRS' Interactive Tax Assistant program offers a plethora of answers to common tax issues and questions. The Social Security Administration also offers excellent resources for mapping out any benefits for which you might qualify - how much you can anticipate to receive in Social Security or SSDI benefits; Medicare; and more.
cnbc.comIs this something to jump into? Pros, cons of buying a trampoline during a pandemic
Is a trampoline a good purchase to make, to help occupy kids time? However, there are also some rewards to a trampoline that can make entertaining kids a lot easier. So, lets jump (pun intended) into the pros and cons of owning a trampoline, and how to mitigate any concerns. Besides, just jumping by itself is more than enough to burn off energy and fulfill the purpose of getting a trampoline. Have you bought or thought about buying a trampoline during the pandemic?
UTSA changes course and will now waive some mandatory fees for summer term
SAN ANTONIO Officials with the University of Texas at San Antonio have announced that select mandatory fees for the 2020 summer term have now been 100% waived. A Defenders investigation in early May revealed the university would be requiring all students enrolled in the summer to pay the mandatory fees despite other universities across the U.S. waiving them. The transportation fee, student union fee and international education fee will be 100% waived and the recreation center fee will be 50% waived, according to UTSAs website. The Campus Rec Center is still not open but is offering virtual programming for students like online fitness consultations and live group exercise classes. UTSA students taking summer classes hit with mandatory feesBetsy Smith, whose son is enrolled at UTSA this summer, previously told KSAT, when youre charged an athletic fee and theres no athletic events to go to, it just doesnt seem right."
Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer program to provide $1 billion in food benefits to some Texas families
SAN ANTONIO The Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) will provide money to eligible families with children that have temporarily lost access to free or reduced-price school meals, according to Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC). These guidelines are the same as SNAP benefits. Map: Where San Antonio-area students can find free school meals during closuresEven if a childs school is providing meals, families who receive SNAP benefits are still eligible for P-EBT. These families will receive P-EBT benefits on their current Lone Star Card by May 22. (This includes families who received SNAP benefits for the month of March 2020 and have children under 5 and between 19 and 21.)