Time to Clean Out Your Email, Computer
Pittsburgh — You may not think you’re a hoarder, but your hard drive knows better. Those emails, photos and attachments that sit there in your computer or smartphone for weeks, even months, eat away at drive space and slow every log-on and complicate every keyword search. You already know that, sure, but when was the last time you did something about it? “Even the most organized person can have issues with their email,” said Jen Cohen...
5 Tax Breaks You Might Be Missing Out On
This year, don’t get mad at the tax man. Instead, devise a plan to find as many tax deductions as you can. Here are five of the most commonly overlooked tax breaks. The more you know, the less you’ll pay when you file your taxes by April 18. Alimony Breaking up is hard to do, but it can be tough on your pocket book, too — particularly if you’re responsible for making spousal support payments. The good news: Alimony is a tax write-off...
McDonald’s Knows You’re Sick of Screw-Ups at the Drive-Up
When you’re hitting the drive-up, what matters more, how quickly you get your Big Mac or whether they remembered to hold the pickles? McDonald’s is betting on the latter. In its latest comeback maneuver, the world’s largest restaurant chain is switching up the outdoor ordering process to make it more personal, and hopefully more accurate. The new method — it’s called “ask, ask, tell” in McDonald’s speak — provides three opportunities...
Wheels: In Sync With What Really Matters
I write 52 columns a year for this beloved journal — too few, I think, to devote more than a couple to models so expensive they can be comfortably afforded by only 1 percent of the U.S. population. As it is, depending on whose numbers you believe, only 15 percent of our nation’s people can comfortably afford — meaning without sacrificing rent, mortgage, food or utility money — a new car with a current average price of $33,566. And...
Considering a Tiny Home? Try Before You Buy
Croydon — Hilary and Shane Lentz were hooked on the idea of a tiny house, but they weren’t sure the reality would be so appealing. Their curiosity led them to the hills of New Hampshire, where a business that started at Harvard University rents out tiny houses for $99 a night. The company, Getaway, has drawn visitors from afar who come to sample life in a 160-square-foot house before they dive headlong into the lifestyle. “It’s a way...
