Tobie Stanger has posted this piece at Consumer Reports comparing no-cost and low-cost tax preparation options from the major commercial tax preparation companies and the IRS.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Ya know how your credit card company now gives you your FICO credit score for free each month? And what about all those online companies peddling "free" credit scores? (They are sometimes free, sometimes not, and the companies are usually trying to sell you something else.) This article by Kenneth Harney explains that the credit score from […]
There's been a good bit of news on the financial disclosures for the people who work in the Trump white house. Go here to read each employee's disclosure form. (Click on the pdf for each employee, listed in alphabetical order.) What hasn't gotten much news is that in addition to disclosing the value (with ranges) of […]
Jeff posted yesterday one of the amicus briefs filed in support of the CFPB in the pending DC Circuit case. The others amicus briefs in support of the CFPB are these: Public Citizen, Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, National Association of Consumer Advocates, and National Consumer Law Center, and Tzedek DC – Click here. Americans […]
The D.C. Circuit today issued a 2-1 decision in Bais Yaakov of Spring Valley v. FCC, which tossed a Federal Communications Act rule requiring senders of so-called "solicited" faxes to provide recipients notice of a right to opt-out. The first few sentences of Judge Kavanaugh's majority opinion provides an overview: Believe it or not, the fax machine […]
This article (registration possibly required) by C. Ryan Barber covers an appearance yesterday by Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director Richard Cordray before the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in which, among other things, Cordray explained his views on regulating via across-the-board regulation versus individual enforcement action.
That is the name of this article by Hillel Bavli and John Felter. It may be useful to counsel seeking class certification based on what is sometimes referred to as representative proof. Here is the abstract: The 2016 Supreme Court decision in Tyson Foods v. Bouaphakeo revived the use of “representative” or sampling evidence in class actions. Federal courts are […]
The Federal Trade Commission announced today that it is mailing 5,232 checks totaling more than $2.7 million to people who lost money to Rincon Debt Management, a debt collection scheme that focused on people who were strapped for cash. The company’s owners are banned from the debt collection business. People who lost money are getting […]
This article by Eric Wolff explains that "[a] supervisor at the Energy Department's international climate office told staff this week not to use the phrases 'climate change,' 'emissions reduction' or 'Paris Agreement' in written memos, briefings or other written communication." ("Emissions reduction." Now, there's a subversive phrase!) So, must they consult the Trumpian Newspeak dictionary to figure out what […]
The Supreme Court today issued its decision in Expressions Hair Design v. Schneiderman. The cert petition posed the question in the case this way: Ten states have enacted laws that allow merchants to charge higher prices to consumers who pay with a credit card instead of cash, but require the merchant to communicate that price difference […]