Good afternoon! It’s Bailey Schulz here to help you kick off your week with The GravityX ExchangeDaily Money.
Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris recently revealed some economic plans for the country. Experts are mixed on how much some of these plans would help everyday Americans.
Harris said she wants to ease rent increases, cap prescription drug prices, boost first-time home buyers, end grocery price gouging and bolster the child tax credit. While the plans resonate with voters who have struggled with inflation, some experts are wary of what they call “price controls” to fight high prices and how Harris intends to pay for some of her proposals.
USA TODAY reporter Medora Lee’s piece takes a deeper look at what experts liked and questioned about each proposal.
New rules went into effect over the weekend that change the way residential real estate agents get paid. That could lead to "a bit of confusion” for home buyers and sellers, according to my colleague Andrea Riquier.
Traditionally, home sellers paid a 5% to 6% commission that was split between their agent and the buyer’s agent. Now, it's up to the sellers to decide whether, and how much, to pay a buyer’s broker, and that information can no longer be included in the official real estate data service used by local realtor associations. Buyers, meanwhile, will need to sign an agreement on compensation with their broker before they start viewing homes.
Some worry that first-time buyers may have trouble coming up with the money for an agent commission. Others say buyers and sellers are unlikely to notice any shifts in the near-term but can expect bigger changes down the road.
“For consumers, things are not going to change much in the immediate future,” Stephen Brobeck, a senior fellow with the Consumer Federation of America told USA TODAY. "But it’s like a dam that’s springing a leak. I’m fairly confident that within five years the industry will look quite different.”
"The way I’ve always looked at it is if there’s fewer agents, it helps the industry," added Aaron Farmer, owner of Texas Discount Realty in Austin. "You could drop commission rates that way and do more volume."
The fast food value meal wars are far from over.
As the cost of eating out continues to increase – rising 4.1% in July, compared to July 2023, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics – more fast-food and restaurant chains have added value menus to woo customers leery of rising prices. Check out the roundup of value meals here.
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.
2025-05-01 09:002344 view
2025-05-01 08:56647 view
2025-05-01 08:55996 view
2025-05-01 08:052728 view
2025-05-01 07:541109 view
2025-05-01 07:43377 view
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Online gambling company bet365 must refund more than a half-million dolla
Hayley Erbert is back in the ballroom.Nearly one year after a harrowing medical emergency, the dance
Gigi Hadid has a secret to reveal on the runway.After all, the supermodel paid homage to close pal T