The Daily Money

ALL THE MONEY NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Mon Jan 8 2024

Daniel de Visé | Personal Finance Reporter

Good morning! It's Daniel de Visé with your Daily Money.

Sunday was, to put it mildly, a messy travel day. With a massive winter storm impacting the interior mid-Atlantic and New England, carriers had canceled more than 800 flights and delayed another 5,859 as of Sunday evening, Zach Wichter reports.

United Airlines was hit hardest, with 257 flights canceled, or about 9% of its schedule -- though some of that may be related to the Federal Aviation Administration order grounding Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft.

An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 plane sits at a gate at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on January 6, 2024. Alaska Airlines grounded its 737 MAX 9 planes after part of a fuselage blew off during a flight from Portland Oregon to Ontario, California.

Stephen Brashear/Getty Images

After airplane mishap, 'Bob' makes a surprising backyard find

Which brings us to our second story. You remember the Alaska Airlines flight that made an emergency landing Friday after a piece of it fell off?

That flight was forced to return to Portland, Oregon, shortly after takeoff when a section of the fuselage separated from the plane. In response, the FAA temporarily grounded over 170 Boeing airplanes.

Well, apparently the piece was a "door plug," which has now been recovered in the backyard of a man identified only as Bob, a schoolteacher, whose home is near Portland, Emily DeLetter reports.

"We are really pleased that Bob found this," an official said.

Time to give CDs a spin?

Now, on to something more business-y.

For the kitchen-table investor with a little money to spare, now might be an ideal time to consider investing in a certificate of deposit.

CD rates are as high as they've been in years. The best one-year CDs offer 5.66% annual interest, according to a January survey by WalletHub, the personal finance site. The best six-month CDs top out at 5.75%.

"No doubt, CDs are getting more attention these days," said Chris Starr, head of consumer and business deposits at Wells Fargo Bank.

CDs spook some investors. In a 2023 survey by Forbes Advisor, 41% of Americans said they had never opened one. Some respondents said applying for a CD was "too complicated and time-consuming," while others didn't want to lose access to their funds.

Certificates of deposit may be unfamiliar to many, but bank officials say the application process is not, in fact, particularly complicated or time-consuming.

"Opening a CD is simple and can be done from your phone or computer in a matter of minutes," Starr said.

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Think you're a hot-dog driver? Here's a potential job for you: driving the Wienermobile.

Oscar Mayer wants to hire a dozen "Hotdoggers" for year-long full-time jobs driving its iconic 27-foot-long hot dog on wheels, Mike Snider reports. If you relish the chance, you can apply through Jan. 31 on the Oscar Meyer website to be part of what will be the 37th class of Hotdoggers who pilot the Wienermobile, which first hit the road in 1936.

About The Daily Money

Each weekday, The Daily Money delivers the best consumer news from USA TODAY. We break down financial news and provide the TLDR version: how decisions by the Federal Reserve, government and companies impact you.