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Tuesday, 28 June 2022

Posted by Unknown - 07:33

The Daily Money: Workplace abortion Q&A; July 4th travel tips

ALL THE MONEY NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Tuesday, June 28

Hello, Daily Money readers. It's Jayme Deerwester with you on this Tuesday.

Good news if you're planning on a road trip for the July 4th weekend: Sheetz is lowering gas prices to $3.99 a gallon through Monday. If your car can take E85, you'll score an even bigger discount: $3.49 per gallon.

If you want to avoid gridlock, consider leaving midweek, preferably before morning rush hour. Here are the best times to travel for the holiday weekend, according to traffic analysis firm Inrix:

•	Thursday: Before 7:00 a.m. or/ after 8:00 p.m.
•	Friday: Before 10:00 a.m. or/ after 9:00 p.m.
•	Saturday: Before 12:00 p.m. or/ after 7:00 p.m.

What to know if you're flying this weekend

If the last couple of weekends are any indication, airports will likely be a mess. So keep these tips in mind:

Arrive at the airport even earlier than usual: The Transportation Security Administration and airlines recommend passengers arrive at airports at least two hours early for domestic flights and three hours early for international flights on a regular basis.

Know your rights. Check your flight status well before leaving for the airport. If your flight is canceled for any reason or "significantly delayed" and you choose not to take a different flight, you're entitled to a full refund.

Keep your essentials in your carry-on bag. This includes medication or even diapers and phone chargers.

Roe reversal workplace Q&A

How companies decide to accommodate employees needing an abortion remains up in the air for many now that the Supreme Court has put states in charge of abortion law. Here's what we do know:

Where can I go for help? Like any other health benefit question, you can either go to a human resources manager or your health care provider. And there should be a phone number on the back of your insurance card that you can call to speak to a representative who can walk you through your benefits. That includes how your company's policy covers abortions, and if so, what the terms of your coverage are, including whether there's a deductible.

Do corporations in multiple states have different rules? Health plans are covered by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, which preempts state laws, meaning that plans don't have to be different in each state. But just because the health plan may cover abortion care does not mean that an employee or dependent could obtain one in a state with restrictive laws.

How do I access company travel subsidies? Employers providing travel for abortions to unrestricted states probably would go through a third party, and all health-related privacy laws would have to be adhered to.

Can my company be sued for helping an employee cross state lines? That has yet to be determined. However, Justice Brett Kavanaugh's opinion argues the constitutional right to interstate travel prevents a state from barring residents from traveling to another for an abortion.

🎵 Mood music 🎵

Genesis' "Land of Confusion" is pushing 40 but the lyrics remain as apt as the day they were written.

"This is the time, this is the place, so we look for the future. But there's not much love to go round. Tell me why this is a land of confusion."

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. It even comes with its own Spotify playlist a listen. It features every song quoted here.

Follow Jayme Deerwester on Twitter – or Instagram, if you prefer puppy pictures. (Why? Because everybody loves puppies!)

On Friday, June 24, the United States Supreme Court overruled the 1973 Roe v. Wade, eliminating constitutional right to abortion. The question of abortion's legality will now be left to the states. The decision upheld a Mississippi law that banned abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. About a month ago Oklahoma passed the country's strictest […]

Roe v. Wade and your workplace: We answer your questions

Employers and employees will have to see how policies shake out after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. But this is what we know so far.

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Monday, 27 June 2022

Posted by Unknown - 07:36

The Daily Money: Why home and car insurance rates are about to jump

The Daily Money

ALL THE MONEY NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Monday, June 27

Hello, Daily Money readers. It's Jayme Deerwester with you on this Monday.

Nearly half of us worldwide are still unhappy more than two years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new survey says. According to the Oracle Happiness Report released earlier this month, about 45% of people have not felt true happiness since early 2020.

Although vaccines have allowed a return to normal, most people still of us aren't feeling happier because the crisis still isn't over, explains Gretchen Rubin, the best-selling author of "The Happiness Project," and co-author of the report, tells USA TODAY.

"I don't know about you, but I've heard so many people say, 'Give me a date where I can pace myself and I can get to the finish line,'" Rubin says. "But, when we have this constant feeling that we don't know, that sense of uncertainty increases."

Home and auto insurance rates are set to jump in tandem

When consumers receive their homeowner and auto insurance renewal contracts this year, they're likely to find their rates have risen significantly. It's hard to pinpoint exactly how much rates will increase because they vary by location. But analysts generally estimate the average increase will range between high single-digit to low double-digit percentages.

A couple of things are combining to push homeowners' insurance rates higher, including the rise in extreme climate events over the past five years and inflation.

Also factoring into higher renewal rates is inflation that has soared to a 40-year high. During the pandemic, not only did the housing market boom, but shortages emerged of everything from lumber to oil (used for things like asphalt and roofing products) and even workers to build, repair, or remodel homes. All of that pushed up how much it would cost to rebuild a house in case of a disaster, a major factor in pricing homeowners' insurance.

Auto insurance rates are also getting a boost from higher costs. Not only did the price of used cars soar during the pandemic for various reasons including a limited number of new cars for sale and a strong preference for road trips while flying was restricted, but labor and parts prices also jumped because of shortages. Couple that with more accidents occurring as vehicle miles driven reverted back to pre-pandemic levels in spring, and you have a recipe for disaster.

Is inflation turning us into bad tippers?

Daniel Westwood has been bartending across Las Vegas for almost two decades through multiple recessions. But even during those tough times, customers tipped him adequately, he said.

The shift nowadays "100% has to do with inflation," he says. "I'm hearing customers all the time going: 'It's too expensive. We can't tip.'" One customer recently left a handful of coins as a tip on a $120 bill they racked up, he adds. Others look him dead in the eye as they hit "no tip" on the credit card processing machine.

Americans are feeling the pinch of inflation across just about every spending category as it hovers at a 40-year high. But that hasn't caused Americans to cut back on vacations or dining out, according to consumer spending data published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Instead, many people who eat out, particularly in cities with high tourist volume, are increasingly leaving smaller tips, servers and bartenders told USA TODAY. That's making it even more difficult for those workers to cope with inflation.

🎵 Mood music 🎵

As someone who worked in the service industry in her younger years, I'm with Willie Sordill on the issue of tipping.

"Please tip your waitress, she's workin' hard for you. She'll walk a few miles more before she's through. She's got bills to pay, and food to buy like you."