Tuesday, October 31, 2023

The Daily Money: Halloween's finally here!

Halloween is finally here. See what the most popular treat is and why it seems surprising.

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The Daily Money

ALL THE MONEY NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Tue Oct 31 2023
 

Medora Lee | Money and Personal Finance reporter
Here's how much Americans will spend on Halloween in 2023

Halloween is big business, raking in a record $12.2 billion this year. From pet costumes to candy, here are the frightful spending totals.

Straight Arrow News

Boo!

Did I scare you?! It's Halloween, even though it's snowing here in Chicago and it looks and feels more like Christmas today. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups were recently named the most popular candy, but I wondered how could that be with all those nut allergies out there? Do people really still buy them? Are they even allowed anymore? If you can believe it, candy corn is still ranked number eight of favorite candies. I wonder what President Joe Biden passes out at the White House?

I'll leave you with a kindness tip for tonight's festivities: if you see an adult leading kids door to door in the cold, I'm sure they'd appreciate an offer of a treat or two, too.

Oh, and when you get home tonight, it's never too early to start preparing for year end holidays. You can even let us know about it here and have a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card, which can go towards holiday expenses. It may come in handy since the cooling labor market is making it harder to win bigger pay.

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US President Joe Biden hands out candy to children during a Halloween celebration on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on October 30, 2023. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images) ORIG FILE ID: AFP_33ZL4PG.jpg

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI, AFP via Getty Images

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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.
BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA - MARCH 26: David Knight buys Powerball tickets at the Shell Gateway store on March 26, 2019 in Boynton Beach, Florida. Wednesday's Powerball drawing will be an approximately $750 million jackpot which would be one of the biggest in US lottery prize history. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The Powerball jackpot for Monday's drawing was worth $137 million after no winner was produced in Saturday's drawing. See winning numbers.

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Sign outside the Dairy Queen in Groton. American News Photo by John Davis
 

Dairy Queens in NJ to forfeit $24,000 after child labor and wage violations

The U.S. Department of Labor has ordered the operator of four New Jersey Dairy Queen franchises to forfeit nearly $24,000.
Americans appear to be going back to their pre-pandemic borrowing habits, causing total U.S. household debt to hit a record $15.24 trillion over the summer , according to a November report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. All main sources of credit -- mortgages, auto loans, student loans, and credit card balances -- are headed toward, or have surpassed, pre-pandemic levels. But reviewing the economic health of households during the high point of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 shows that Americans took some of that pandemic-related emergency stimulus money and paid down some of their debts. The result? From February to October 2020, mortgage delinquencies declined and credit scores increased. The share of people with debts in collection declined slightly, while the median amount of debt in collection increased by only $16, to $1,849, according to nonprofit think tank Urban Institute. Debt in collection occurs when a creditor, such as a credit card issuer, writes off the debt as a loss after a certain period of non-payment, typically after 180 days, and sells it to a collection agency. The borrower's credit score then tanks, and the stressful calls from the collection agency begin. To identify the 50 counties where debt in collection increased the most during COVID-19, 24/7 Wall St. ranked counties by the change in median debt in collection from February 2020 to October 2020 using data from the Urban Institute's report, " Credit Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic ." Only 2,225 counties with data were considered. The amount of debt in collection varies geographically, but it's typically higher in low-population areas with a sizable number of low-income earners and fewer local job opportunities relative to more densely populated and economically active areas. ( This is the worst county to live in .) For example, Elko, Nevada, a county of about 20,500 residents located 230 miles west of Salt Lake City, saw a $1,090 increase in median debt in collection from February to October 2020, to $3,754. About one in every five residents -- with a credit bureau record -- of this northern Nevada county had debt in collection. (Find out the counties with the most medical debt in collections .) Median debt in collection ranged from $1,765 in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, to $3,989 in Callahan, Texas among the counties that saw household debts increase considerably.
 

Need cash? Here are the cheapest ways to tap some near-term cash.

Interest rates are soaring. So is the cost of your credit card debt. It may be time to explore these cheaper options to access some short-term cash.
Leverage is in the employees hands.
 

The Great Shift? As job openings ease, employers are gaining leverage

Job openings and quits are gradually declining, a trend that's starting to balance out leverage that had been tilted in workers' favor.
 

Can a temp job devalue my long-term career goals? Ask HR

Permanent and temporary positions both have unique facets to consider, and the nature of each aligns with your career interests in differing ways.
Elizabeth Harriger, 60, became sidelined with osteoarthritis just as she earned her MBA. Now she faces more than $70,000 in student-loan debt.
 
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More older Americans are retiring with 'high-risk' debt

The share of older Americans with debt has nearly doubled in 30 years, alarming researchers.
The Ken doll is sculpted in Ryan Gosling's likeness, and wears the hoodie that became super popular after the film's release.
 

Barbie releases new Ken doll inspired by Ryan Gosling's character

You can order a new Barbie doll inspired by Ryan Gosling's character from the "Barbie" movie for $50. Mattel says the doll celebrates "Kenergy".
Lego announced Monday the arrival of a 4,000-piece Natural History Museum set.
 

Lego unveils new 4,000-piece Natural History Museum set

The Lego Company announced Monday the arrival of a 4,000-piece set of a Natural History Museum. Here's what you need to know.
Panera Bread will now display a warning about its caffeinated lemonade.
 

Panera adds warning to Charged Lemonade following death lawsuit

The family of college student Sarah Katz filed a lawsuit against the fast-casual chain alleging the 21-year-old died after consuming the drink.
Actor Patrick Dempsey, center, prepares to start a cancer march with his mother, Amanda, and cancer survivor Laura Davis, left, in 2011 in Lewiston, Maine.
 

Cancer patients now live longer. But their lives aren't always better.

Actor Patrick Dempsey's family worked hard to support his mother while fighting cancer. But many families lack the help they need to assist loved ones.

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