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David Koch: Very simple ways to reduce your household bills in 2024

I often talk about plugging the financial leaks in your life to make ends meet — those expenses you lose track of which mysteriously siphon cash. Comparison site Finder surveyed 1090 people and found 41 per cent had made a financial blunder in the past 12 months, and I reckon the other 59 per cent are fibbing. Forgetting to cancel a free trial (17 per cent), letting a gift card expire (14 per cent), and going over data limits (13 per cent) are the most common financial errors, and are classic financial leaks. The research showed 11 per cent had lent money to a friend without chasing them for a repayment, while 9 per cent had missed…

7 Reasons Dollar Stores Can Sell Food For Really Low Prices

Most shoppers are familiar with dollar stores, where customers can purchase various goods, including food, at ostensible discounts compared to conventional retailers. Many of these stores stick as closely as they can to offering everything in the store for just a dollar a pop, while others, like Dollar General or Family Dollar, merely evoke the idea of savings with the word "Dollar" in their name. As inflation rolls on, it's natural to wonder just how these stores are able to sell food with price tags that appear so much lower than they do at your local supermarket or convenience store. Fortunately, the dollar store business model…

Driverless truck companies plan to ditch human copilots in 2024

Driverless trucks with no humans on board will soon cruise Texas highways if three startup firms have their way, despite objections from critics who say financial pressures, not safety, is behind the timetable. After years of testing, Aurora Innovation Inc., Kodiak Robotics Inc. and Gatik AI Inc. expect to remove safety drivers from trucks that are being guided by software and an array of sensors including cameras, radar and lidar, which sends pulses of light that bounces off objects. The companies have already hauled cargo for big names such as Walmart Inc., Kroger Co., FedEx Corp. and Tyson Foods Inc. “At the end of the year, we…

Retail Industry 2024: 3 Trends and Predictions to Watch

When it comes to retail industry trends, one refrain is most common — “it’s going to be a tough year.” From huge department stores and shopping malls to exclusively e-commerce and back again, the retail landscape is a fast-moving sector that can be difficult navigate. Plus, it’s a sector that’s heavily dependent on the economy. When people have excess cash burning a hole in their pocket, they’re more likely to splurge on frivolous goods. But when budgets are tight, big ticket items are scratched off shopping lists and unnecessary items are quickly postponed. The year ahead is set to be a tough one for many economies around the…

More states are considering requiring full minimum wages for tip earners this…

Five states are deciding this year whether to ditch the practice of paying workers who earn tips less than the minimum wage. And activists say they’re bringing that fight to at least as many others, framing it as a key cost-of-living issue in an election year. Ballot measures pending in Michigan, Arizona, Ohio and Massachusetts, and a bill being reintroduced in Connecticut would eliminate a longstanding two-tiered pay system for tip-earning hourly workers like restaurant servers and bartenders, who earn a lower “subminimum” wage than their nontipped counterparts. Only seven states already pay a single minimum wage regardless of…