Here are three of the week's top pieces of financial advice, gathered from around the web:
How to get affordable legal help
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Credit card perks disappear
Credit card account holders are accustomed to being showered with "an ever-expanding menu of perks," said Herb Weisbaum at NBC News. But card companies have begun reeling back "the buffet of free benefits," owing to what they describe as the "low usage" of the perks. Discover, for example, began trimming its perks in February, getting rid of return guarantees, purchase protections, extended warranty protection, auto rental insurance, and flight accident insurance. This month, Chase will also remove price and return protection from its cards, along with a handful of travel-related perks on selected cards. Citi is also pruning its travel-related perks on some cards as well as its return-protection scheme. Visit your card company's website to check whether your individual card is affected.
Employers help with money problems
"Money stress can be as bad for workplace productivity as back pain," said Beth Pinkser at Reuters. It's for this reason that many companies have begun defining financial health as "the next frontier in workplace wellness." In a recent survey by PwC, a quarter of U.S. workers said financial anxiety has led to personal health issues, 40 percent claimed finances have "distracted them" at work, and 15 percent cited money worries as a cause for work absences. In response, some organizations are providing a "robust menu of voluntary financial wellness benefits," including debt management and budgeting as well as stress-management training. Others are offering cash relief of around $100 per month on student loan debts, and "discounted services for everything from car buying to pet insurance."
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The pros and cons of noncompete agreementsThe Explainer The FTC wants to ban companies from binding their employees with noncompete agreements. Who would this benefit, and who would it hurt?
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What experts are saying about the economy's surprise contractionThe Explainer The sharpest opinions on the debate from around the web
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The death of cities was greatly exaggeratedThe Explainer Why the pandemic predictions about urban flight were wrong
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The housing crisis is hereThe Explainer As the pandemic takes its toll, renters face eviction even as buyers are bidding higher
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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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What the stock market knowsThe Explainer Publicly traded companies are going to wallop small businesses
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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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How the oil crash could turn into a much bigger economic shockThe Explainer This could be a huge problem for the entire economy
