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What is the future of non-fungible tokens? Will they become more than digital art and collectibles? A couple of experts certainly think so. By Chris Cluff See Our List: 100 Most Influential Money Experts Small Business Spotlight 2022: Nominate Your Favorite Small Biz by July 25 One says NFTs will become like mobile apps, where creators cash in without requiring a purchase. NFTs also are expected to be at the center of the next version of the internet, referred to as Web3....

What Is Upside? Upside, formerly known as GetUpside, is an app that lets you earn money back on gas, grocery and restaurant purchases. It uses customer data, such as debit and credit purchase history, to determine consumer purchase behavior to curate personalized promotions near your location. These personalized promotions are delivered through the app, helping direct customer behavior and creating profit for participating businesses. By Kathy Evans What Is Upside...

Walmart, the nation’s largest private employer, said it would hire 150,000 new store associates ahead of the holiday season and amid a tight labor market. By Yaёl Bizouati-Kennedy See: Fact Check — Is a Fourth Stimulus Check Going to Happen?Find: How to Use The Child Tax Credit Direct Deposit Portal Most of the jobs are permanent, full-time positions, and the company reiterated the numerous perks it offers to its employees....

Tempting credit card offers are everywhere — from closed-loop store cards offering a bevy of rewards to the most elite credit cards on the planet. But just because you desire to add a particular credit card to your wallet doesn’t mean you can: First, you have to apply. This holds true even if you receive a preapproval offer for a credit card. In this instance, the credit card company only thinks you will qualify, and you’re still required to fill out an application....

Astros pitcher Justin Verlander is still in the league after 16 seasons, and in that time, he’s made eight visits to the All-Star Game. By Andrew Lisa Justin Verlander Net Worth: $95 Million Voted Rookie of the Year his debut season, the right-hander has won the Cy Young Award twice, the ERA Title, the Triple Crown, League MVP and the World Series. His efforts have earned him nearly $275 million in salary alone....

Even in a year when prices for just about everything are skyrocketing, the surging price of food stands out. In June, the federal government’s food-at-home index — meaning food you buy at a grocery or supermarket — soared 12.2% from the previous year, according to the latest Consumer Price Index numbers. That was the biggest increase in 43 years and even outpaced the overall inflation rate of 9.1%, Supermarket News reported....

With the consumer landscape starting to more closely resemble the pre-pandemic era, continued expansion of lending is expected in 2022, with origination levels reaching or surpassing pre-pandemic levels, according to the newly released TransUnion Financial Services 2022 Consumer Credit Forecast. By Yaёl Bizouati-Kennedy The forecast found that the auto, credit card and personal loan markets are expected to continue expanding into the non-prime segment of the market as financial institutions recalibrate their growth strategies....

More Americans than ever before own pets. In fact, approximately 70% of U.S. households — or 90.5 million homes — have at least one pet, according to the American Pet Products Association. Forty-seven percent of pet owners have some type of debt related to pets, reported Forbes, citing data from the LendingTree Pet Survey 2020. By Angela Mae Dollar Tree: 5 High-Quality Items To Buy NowExplore: 3 Easy Tips to Turn Your Credit Woes into Wows...

Investing can seem like a daunting way to start building wealth if you don’t know much about it. And the fact is, many people are confused or uncertain. According to Invest Right, a common barrier to investing is simply not knowing enough to get started. Moreover, as many as 39% of Americans don’t have any money invested in the stock market, at all, according to Bankrate. Here we look at other aspects of investment that most Americans don’t know about with the goal of helping you get educated, the first step to growing wealth....

In the world of streaming, 2021 was a seamless continuation of 2020 as consumer demand for services just kept on growing. Conviva, an online video analytics company, found that even after the initial hit of the pandemic in the second quarter or 2020, video streaming spiked an additional 13%. A staple in the mix of streaming subscription services is Netflix — which courts around 222 million subscribers — and though not without challenges in 2021, had a prosperous year, as proven by its third-quarter 2021 earnings which saw revenue hit $7....

While we have entered a crypto winter, not everyone sees this as doom and gloom for the ecosystem. Several experts and advisors offer a more nuanced vision of the industry and its prospects, with one even saying it represents “a wealth creation opportunity we haven’t seen in 35 years,” according to a recent CNBC interview. By Yaёl Bizouati-Kennedy See: 10 Cheap Cryptocurrencies To BuyCrypto Fees: A Full Breakdown and How To Minimize Costs...

BuzzFeed announced today that it will become publicly listed via a merger with 890 Fifth Avenue Partners Inc., a publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), which holds $288 million in cash in its trust account. By Yaёl Bizouati-Kennedy See: 10 Affordable Stocks You Can Buy on a Budget Find: 10 Post-Pandemic Stocks To Add to Your Portfolio BuzzFeed, which was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti, said it is targeting an implied valuation at deal-closing of $1....

Your credit score is a powerful number. It can determine the loans you qualify for, the rates you get and the types of credit cards you can open. Because those three little digits mean so much, it’s important to keep your credit score as high as possible. By Gabrielle Olya SNAP Benefits: How Long Do They Last? See Why: This Credit Score Mistake Could Be Costing Millions of Americans Certain credit card behaviors can lower your credit score — and unfortunately, closing a credit card is one of them....

If you’ve been anticipating the housing market turning a corner, you may need to adjust those expectations — at least for now. According to the latest HPS-CivicScience Economic Sentiment Index (ESI) reading, consumer confidence continued to slip with record-low confidence on purchasing a new home. By Yaёl Bizouati-Kennedy See: Homeowner Stimulus Checks Are Coming – How to Get Your Money From This $10B FundFind: Two New Stimulus Checks May Be on the Way – Here’s Everything You Need to Know...

Inflation impacts everything in a country’s economy, from government spending to the stock market to what an average person pays for gas, clothing and even Oreos. By David Nadelle See: Vast Majority of Americans Want More Stimulus Checks in 2023 Find: How To Get Free Gift Cards From Your Everyday PurchasesStop: 10 Things To Stop Buying in 2023 Although it is not a perfect barometer of inflation, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is the most important indicator of the annual inflation rate which is the movement of the CPI from one month/period to the same month/period of the previous year expressed as a percentage over time....

Inflation has been plaguing Americans throughout 2022. While it cooled down in October, at 7.7%, consumers are feeling the pinch every day. By Yaёl Bizouati-Kennedy Check Out: States Whose Economies Are Failing vs. States Whose Economies Are Thriving Holiday Spending: Get Top Holiday Shopping and Savings Tips These two items have seen their prices steadily creeping up throughout the year. Here’s a look at the numbers and what can be done to alleviate these financial hits in 2023....

Happy Friday, everyone. Before you head off to enjoy your weekend plans, take a minute to get the lowdown on the biggest financial news stories of the day. Then, go enjoy the weekend. By Gary Dudak The Big Lead: Global Food Prices World food commodity prices made a significant leap in March — up 12.6% from February — representing their highest levels ever as the Russia-Ukraine war continues to affect several markets....

Tourism might not come up first in mind when thinking of the heavy hitters in economic output, but the numbers might surprise you. By Georgina Tzanetos Learn More: 13 Insider Secrets From Travel Agents That Will Save You MoneyShhh: 40 Pandemic Airport Secrets Only Insiders Know In 2019, before the pandemic, the tourism industry contributed $8.9 trillion to GDP — that meant 10.3% of global GDP came from tourism, including 7% of the world’s total exports....

2021 was a whirlwind year filled with controversy, tragedy and incredible accomplishments — and the people at the center of it all blew up the internet over the last 12 months. When Google released its Year in Search 2021 report, the names at the top of the rankings served as a reminder of the events that defined the year. Some of them were regular people thrown into extraordinary circumstances, but others were big-time players who had never fallen out of the limelight — and they had the net worths to prove it....

As Americans continue to grapple with high inflation rates, many are looking for ways to offset the increasing costs. One possibility could be to adjust your investment portfolio — but is this actually necessary? And if so, what adjustments should you be making? By Gabrielle Olya The Future of Finances: Gen Z & How They Relate to MoneyLooking To Diversify in a Bear Market? Consider These 6 Alternative Investments First, Think About How Inflation Is Affecting You Personally Although inflation is affecting everybody, some people are feeling the crunch more than others....