Hill Country News

In some cases, it can be difficult to know whether a charge is unauthorized or "fraudulent," or whether it’s your issue to deal with. (Dreamstime/TNS)

Why you can be on the hook for credit card charges you didn’t make — and how to avoid it

Imagine you connect a credit card to a game on your child’s phone for convenience. A few weeks later, you find out thousands in charges were processed to your card in a matter of … more

Holly D. Johnson, Bankrate.com (TNS) | 1/30/22

A street performer, masked for COVID protocol, plays violin as a part of the Merry Menagerie troupe at Disney's Animal Kingdom, Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021. Walt Disney World's four Florida theme parks filled to near-capacity for the New Year's Eve holiday, in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. As of Thursday afternoon, Animal Kingdom was the only park showing available reservations for ticket holders, Disney resort guests and annual passholders for New Year's Eve, Jan. 31. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/TNS)

Theme parks saw changes — big time — in 2021

Orlando’s theme parks had a big year even while coping with a global crisis or two. Attractions debuted, returned from hiatus, celebrated birthdays and shifted the ways we experience them. Here … more

Dewayne Bevil, Orlando Sentinel (TNS) | 1/28/22

Canadian pacific railway tracks along the Mississippi River south of Dubuque, Iowa. The Soo Green Line would run through Iowa and Illinois along the Canadian Pacific right of way. (Adam Wineke/Dreamstime/TNS)

Unique underground power line would send renewable energy from Midwest to eastern markets

The Soo Green Line would be a unique addition to the U.S. electricity grid. Running along a railroad corridor, the big underground power line would ship low-cost renewable energy from the Upper … more

Mike Hughlett, Star Tribune (TNS) | 1/28/22

Betsy Berkhemer-Credaire, CEO of 50/50 Women on Boards, in the Tom Bradley Conference Room at City Club LA in downtown Los Angeles on Sept. 3, 2021. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

California outlawed the all-white-male boardroom. That move is reshaping corporate America

When Dr. Maria Rivas joined the board of a medical tech firm called Medidata a few years ago, she was a novelty: The company had never had a woman in that role. Medidata was no … more

Evan Halper, Los Angeles Times (TNS) | 1/27/22

Jonathan Contreras, 28, adds gray coloring, to be mixed in with ground up rubber to make rubber tiles at U.S. Rubber Recycling in Colton, California. Contreras is a former felon. Employers, now facing severe labor shortages, are starting to tap into hiring former felons. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

Once shunned, people convicted of felonies find more employers open to hiring them

In the 25 years that U.S. Rubber Recycling in Colton, California, has been grinding up old tires to create new products, its sales have never ballooned so fast as during the COVID-19 pandemic. As … more

Don Lee, Los Angeles Times (TNS) | 1/26/22

The Institute for Supply Management’s gauge of December factory activity fell to 58.7, the lowest level since January 2021, from 61.1 in the prior month, according to data released Tuesday. (Dreamstime/TNS)

US manufacturing gauge falls while price pressures ease

A measure of U.S. manufacturing fell short of expectations at the end of 2021, reflecting declines in gauges of delivery times and prices that belie an otherwise solid demand picture. The … more

Reade Pickert, Bloomberg News (TNS) | 1/26/22

A ''Now Hiring" sign hangs above the entrance to a McDonald's restaurant on Nov. 5, 2021, in Miami Beach, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images/TNS)

How scammers are trapping those who are hunting for jobs

Adam Garfield-Turner thought he had a lead on a good job. All he had to do was find people who needed to borrow cash and he'd get paid money to make those connections. The pay? He was supposed to … more

Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press (TNS) | 1/25/22

TurboTax has exited the IRS' Free File program. (Sharaf Maksumov/Dreamstime/TNS)

Want to file your tax return for free? TurboTax opts out of major program

TurboTax — which has been criticized for some sketchy tactics when it came to providing online access free of charge through the IRS site — is now shocking taxpayers by informing them … more

Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press (TNS) | 1/24/22

Fintech startups — which include all kinds of companies aiming to disrupt lending, saving, payments and more — raised $94.7 billion over the first three quarters in 2021, according to CB Insights. (Dreamstime/TNS)

These are the 5 biggest consumer fintech trends to watch for in 2022

It’s never been hotter to be a fintech brand. Fintech startups — which include all kinds of companies aiming to disrupt lending, saving, payments and more — raised $94.7 billion … more

Mary Wisniewski, Bankrate.com (TNS) | 1/23/22

In California, you can’t be sued for consumer debt older than four years. But making even a partial payment can restart the debt clock. (Kawee Srital On/Dreamstime/TNS)

Not all debt is collectable. Be mindful of the statute of limitations

Some businesses and debt collectors may want you to think your financial obligations will trouble you forever unless you come across with some cash. What they don't usually tell you is there are … more

David Lazarus, Los Angeles Times (TNS) | 1/23/22

Over the past year, Black workers in so-called “knowledge” roles, like graphic design or data analysis, are more likely to say they’ve been treated more fairly, value their co-workers more and feel more supported by management, according to a survey by the Future Forum, a research consortium created by software maker Slack Technologies. (Dreamstime/TNS)

Remote work has vastly improved the Black worker experience

Working remotely has its downsides: Cramped apartments, endless Zoom calls, juggling child care duties. But for many Black workers in white-collar jobs, getting out of the office has resulted in a … more

Matthew Boyle, Bloomberg News (TNS) | 1/22/22

The Chrysler Airflow Concept at CES 2022. (Stellantis/TNS)

Chrysler to go all-electric by 2028, target millennial women

The Chrysler brand will abandon gas-powered vehicles for a bigger, all-electric lineup with SUVs by 2028 in its attempt to stave off demise at the end of the decade. The Stellantis NV make on … more

Breana Noble, The Detroit News (TNS) | 1/21/22

The Amazon Spheres are the visual symbol of Amazon's downtown Seattle campus. (Kjell Redal/Seattle Times/TNS)

Amazon is focus of push to curb ‘rank-and-yank’ worker ratings

For years, white-collar employees at Amazon.com Inc. have accused the company of using opaque “rank-and-yank” performance reviews to periodically cull its workforce. Now a proposed … more

Spencer Soper, Bloomberg News (TNS) | 1/21/22

The Internal Revenue Service building is in Washington, D.C. Many 2019 tax returns filed on paper have not been processed yet, leading to complications for those filing their 2020 returns. (Chuck Myers/TNS)

Tax-efficient investing: 7 ways to minimize taxes and keep more of your profits

If you’re an investor, be sure to give special attention to the taxes you’ll have to pay on your investments. In many cases, you have ways to legally reduce, defer or even eliminate taxes … more

James Royal, Bankrate.com (TNS) | 1/20/22

Barely out of bankruptcy, Hertz Global Holdings Inc. placed an order for 100,000 Teslas in the first step of an ambitious plan to electrify its rental-car fleet. (Dreamstime/TNS)

Hertz orders 100,000 Teslas in car-rental industry shake-up

Hertz Global Holdings Inc., just months out of bankruptcy, placed an order for 100,000 Teslas in the first step of an ambitious plan to electrify its rental-car fleet. The cars will be delivered … more

Erik Schatzker, Bloomberg News (TNS) | 1/19/22

Employeers who want to make room for his future colleagues, but also stay flexible, are increasingly opting to rent a large space that serves as a coworking office. (Dreamstime/TNS)

Coworking offices hope for COVID-19 rebound

Quinton Myers expects his payments company, Appetize, to double its Atlanta-based staff from 14 to 28 in the next few months to handle a surge in business. To make room for his … more

Andy Peters, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (TNS) | 1/17/22

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell testifies before the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee July 15, 2021, in Washington, DC. (Win McNamee/Getty Images/TNS)

Powell says Fed to ensure inflation doesn’t take root in economy

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank will prevent higher inflation from becoming entrenched while cautioning that the post-pandemic economy might look different than the previous … more

Craig Torres, Bloomberg News (TNS) | 1/11/22

American Airlines planes are seen at the gates of Terminal C at DFW Airport on Friday, Jan. 7, 2022. (Smiley N. Pool/Dallas Morning News/TNS)

American Airlines expects $1.2 billion pre-tax loss for fourth quarter

American Airlines said Tuesday that it lost around $1.2 billion in the fourth quarter of another pandemic-stricken year, a sign the carrier still has miles to go to recover from COVID-19 after nearly … more

Kyle Arnold, The Dallas Morning News (TNS) | 1/11/22

Nearly two years into COVID-19, sometimes it feels reasonable to ask if there will ever be a return to work, writes Laura Yuen. (Octavian Lazar/Dreamstime/TNS)

Laura Yuen: I started a new job in the pandemic. Will I ever get to meet my co-workers?

I'm one of the millions of Americans who quit their jobs last year. It's not lost on me how fortunate I am to have landed a remote gig with the kind of flexibility I've craved ever since becoming … more

Laura Yuen, Star Tribune (TNS) | 1/11/22

App Store developers made about $60 billion in 2021, Apple says

Apple Inc. said that developers have generated more than $260 billion in revenue since the App Store launched in 2008, up about $60 billion from the figure it reported a year ago. The iPhone … more

Mark Gurman, Bloomberg News (TNS) | 1/10/22

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