Here are three of the week's top pieces of financial advice, gathered from around the web:
Child care and your employer
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Oregon moves on retirement savings
Frustrated at federal inaction, Oregon is tackling the retirement savings crisis on its own, said Elizabeth Olson at The New York Times. By 2020, the state will require that all private-sector employers set up 5 percent payroll deductions for employees who lack access to a workplace retirement savings plan. Workers will be automatically enrolled unless they opt out, with the state acting as a conduit for the savings, directly sending the deductions to OregonSaves, a collection of "privately run, low-cost investment funds." Oregon's "heavy concentration" of small businesses means an estimated 1 million workers could benefit. Eight other states have similar programs in the works.
The danger of deferred interest
Deferred-interest-rate credit cards can seem like an enticing proposition in the midst of holiday shopping, said Sarah O'Brien at CNBC, but "you could be in for an unwelcome gift long after the holidays are over." Most consumers misunderstand how much they will owe on deferred-interest purchases; in a recent survey, just 28 percent were able to correctly identify how these deals are actually applied to their card balance. For instance, if you purchase an item priced at $1,000 with deferred interest, you are given a period — typically 12 months — to pay that amount back in full before any interest applies. However, if you do not pay back the entire amount within that 12-month window, the interest rate is applied on the full $1,000 purchase, no matter how much you have already paid back.
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How to be an ally to marginalized coworkersThe Explainer Show up for your colleagues by showing that you see them and their struggles
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Can the government save small businesses?The Explainer Many are fighting for a fair share of the coronavirus rescue package
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