October 30, 2025 - Starting January 1 2026 new data privacy laws will take effect in Indiana Kentucky and Rhode Island giving millions of Americans more rights over how their personal information is collected shared and sold. Though each law has its own twist they all offer a set of core protections that include the right to know what data companies collect about you the right to delete or correct that data and the ability to opt out of targeted advertising or the sale of personal information. These laws are part of a growing movement among states to give consumers more control over their personal data.

October 20, 2025 - White House Budget Director Russell Vought announced this week that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) will be shut down within the next two to three months. Speaking on a radio program, Vought stated that the agency is already in the process of winding down, with only a small group of staff remaining at its Washington, D.C. headquarters. He described the CFPB as having overreached its mandate and placed unnecessary burdens on small lenders and financial institutions. 

October 18, 2025 - A sophisticated wave of scam text messages, linked to criminal networks based in China, has defrauded Americans of more than $1 billion over the past three years, according to a recent report from the Department of Homeland Security. The scheme relies on simple but convincing messages sent to mobile phones, claiming the recipient owes a small toll, parking fee, or postal delivery charge. The messages often include a link to what appears to be a legitimate agency website, but it’s a trap.

October 10, 2025 - If you are in the process of purchasing a home, you probably have some contingencies that you have to remove before closing. These include contingencies for things like completing your inspections, an appraisal of the property and signing off on your home loan. The laws vary from state to state, but in most cases if you cancel the purchase while your contingencies are in place, you can get your initial deposit on the property back and you don't run the risk of getting sued by the seller. But once you remove your contingencies, that all changes. The during any government shutdown, some of the requirements for getting a loan may be unavailable to you. If you have removed your contingencies, that could create real issues for you.

September 28, 2025 - Three senators - Chuck Schumer of New York, Maria Cantwell of Washington, and Ed Markey of Massachusetts - recently introduced the MIND Act, short for the Management of Individuals’ Neural Data Act of 2025. The bill directs the Federal Trade Commission to study how brain wave and other neural data should be safeguarded as consumer devices capable of measuring and interpreting the nervous system become more common. Supporters say it is important to act now because companies are already experimenting with headsets, implants, and other technologies that may collect deeply personal information about people’s thoughts, emotions, and decision-making patterns. Unlike medical records covered by HIPAA, most of this data is collected outside health care and falls into a gray area where few protections exist.

September 22, 2025 - A new Reuters investigation has found that some of the world’s most popular AI chatbots can be coaxed into writing convincing phishing emails — and older Americans may be particularly at risk. Working with Harvard researcher Fred Heiding, Reuters reporters tested whether six major chatbots could help craft scams aimed at senior citizens, then sent a sample of those emails to 108 elderly volunteers who agreed to participate in the study.