February 14, 2025 - Last month, we published an article warning about the privacy risks associated with DeepSeek, a China-based artificial intelligence chatbot. That article, titled Use of DeepSeek May Be the Best Way to Become a Victim of Identity Theft, outlined how DeepSeek collects excessive user data and poses a serious threat to personal privacy.

February 7, 2025 - The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) is coming under scrutiny for its use of facial recognition technology to identify gun owners. Recent reports indicate that the agency has conducted hundreds of facial recognition searches, raising serious concerns about personal privacy, civil liberties, and potential violations of federal laws prohibiting a national gun registry.

January 31, 2025 - A growing number of Americans are falling into a dangerous debt trap by making only the minimum payments on their credit cards—a decision that can cost them thousands of dollars in the long run. Financial experts warn that this practice is a key indicator of economic stress and could have severe consequences for households struggling to keep up with rising costs.

January 30, 2025 - Late last week, an announcement came out of China about a company named DeepSeek. It's an AI company that's developed an application very similar to ChatGPT. The company is claiming that it can provide Superior results to ChatGPT at 1/30th of the cost. That claim sent other AI Company stock prices into a tailspin this week. At the same time, millions of Americans rushed to both the Apple and Google app stores to download DeepSeek to their phones. Those downloads could be extremely dangerous.

January 26, 2025 - Artificial intelligence-driven traffic cameras, already in use in the United Kingdom and Australia, are set to expand their reach into the United States, raising significant privacy and oversight questions for American drivers.

January 22, 2025 - When disaster strikes, rebuilding your life can feel overwhelming, especially when it comes to finding a new place to call home. For victims of federally declared natural disasters, including renters, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) offers a glimmer of hope with its 203(h) loan program. Designed specifically for those who have lost their homes in disasters, this program provides an accessible path to homeownership during a critical time of need.

January 15, 2025 - We first published this guide in 2007. Over the years, it has been one of our most read articles so we regularly update it as natural disasters occur. The last time we published it was for Hurricane Helene. This time it is for the fires in California. 

December 30, 2024 - Credit card defaults in the U.S. have reached their highest levels since the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, painting a concerning picture of the financial health of many Americans. In the first nine months of 2024 alone, lenders wrote off $46 billion in seriously delinquent balances, a 50% increase from the same period the previous year. This surge in defaults highlights the strain on low-income households, whose financial resilience has been eroded by persistent inflation and elevated borrowing costs.