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Consumerpedia, Episode 98: THE BENEFITS OF SHOPPING LOCALLY – In this episode: The benefits of shopping at small, independent businesses, the challenges of shopping locally, ways to spend more in your community, and whether it costs more to avoid the big chain stores.
UNSAFE TOYS: HOW TO SPOT THE HIDDEN RISKS – The annual “Trouble in Toyland” report from U.S. PIRG highlights hidden dangers ranging from toxic chemicals to artificial intelligence that can engage in “disturbing conversations” with kids. A must-read before you go toy shopping.
Consumerpedia, Episode 97: SALE PRICES ARE USUALLY FAKE DISCOUNTS – Researchers at Consumers’ Checkbook tracked prices at 25 major retailers for 6 months and found that most advertised markdowns were bogus. Find out which retailers run fake sales most often.
HOLIDAY SHOPPING TIPS 2025: SAVE TIME, SAVE MONEY – Checkbook asked shopping experts for their advice on how to find the best deals and avoid the bogus sales. Plus, the smart ways (and the really costly ways) to pay for your holiday purchases.
CRYPTOCURRENCY IS MAINSTREAM BUT STILL INCREDIBLY RISKY – Despite warnings about volatility, scams, and lax regulatory oversight, digital currencies have become part of the financial mainstream. While this modern-day gold rush has made people (mostly insiders) incredibly rich, many others have lost money to scams.
LENGTHLY CAR LOANS CAN COST YOU THOUSANDS – To lower their monthly payments, many car buyers are taking out longer loans. But that will drive up the total interest paid, and keep you upside-down on that loan for much longer.
Consumerpedia, Episode 95: CRYPTOCURRENCY: COINS, CONS & CHAOS – It’s a modern-day gold rush. Millions of Americans are buying digital currencies despite the known risks. Crypto is virtually unregulated, highly volatile, and not backed by any government or tangible asset. And, of course, digital money can be hacked.
SCAM ALERT: FAKE LOAN APPROVAL ROBOCALLS – Identity thieves have found a new way to steal our personal financial information: By calling with an “update” on a loan you never applied for. These scammers are aggressively targeting consumers nationwide.
Consumerpedia, Episode 94: OUR EDITORS’ FAVORITE WEBSITES & APPS – The editors and researchers at Checkbook use a variety of consumer-oriented websites and apps to get accurate and unbiased information. In this episode, we’ll highlight some of our favorites and why we find them to be valuable tools.
NEW ATTEMPT TO STOP ROBOCALL EPIDEMIC – Nomorobo, a robocall blocking service, has taken the unusual step of suing four companies—all debt collectors—it claims are “significant violators” of a federal law that bans most robocalls.