Money & Finance

Tallahassee, Fla. – September 19, 2026 -- Families saving for their children's education may be underestimating what a 529 plan can actually pay for, according to the Florida Prepaid College Board.

As National College Savings Month is marked this month, the Board is highlighting that 529 plans no longer apply only to traditional four-year degrees. Depending on the specific plan and applicable law, qualified withdrawals can cover tuition, fees, books, supplies, certain room-and-board costs, registered apprenticeship programs, select K-12 expenses, educational testing costs and limited student loan repayment.

St. Petersburg, Fla. – September 19, 2026 -- Squaremouth, a travel insurance comparison platform, has expanded its partnership with Trawick International Travel Insurance, adding two new plans to its marketplace for U.S. residents in all states.

Two new Pathway plans launched on Squaremouth on August 27, 2026

Trawick Pathway Plus and Trawick Pathway Premium join the existing Trawick lineup on Squaremouth.com, which already includes Pathway Essential and three Safe Travels Annual plans. The new options are designed for luxury travel or longer trips, covering up to 90 days and offering high trip cost allowances.

Oro Valley, Ariz. – September 19, 2026 -- Arizona homeowners facing rising property values and larger legal settlements are being urged to look beyond their standard home and auto policies for liability protection. A new HelloNation article featuring insights from Shawn Hellebuyck of Oakley Insurance Group breaks down how umbrella insurance adds an extra layer of coverage once existing policy limits run out.

Umbrella coverage kicks in once standard policy limits are exhausted

Umbrella insurance is designed to activate when claims exceed the limits of a homeowner's existing home or auto policy. Serious accidents, liability lawsuits, and major property damage can generate legal fees, settlements, and medical costs that quickly surpass those underlying limits, according to the article.

Austin, Texas – September 19, 2026 -- U.S. Money Reserve is celebrating 25 years in business, reporting more than $4.4 billion in completed transactions and over 1 million clients served since its founding in 2001.

The precious metals distributor has shipped 5.1 million gold, silver, platinum, and palladium products over the past quarter-century, expanding from its original coin and bullion offerings into precious metals IRAs, digital market tools, and educational resources for investors.

The company expanded its Austin headquarters to support workforce growth

U.S. Money Reserve recently enlarged its Austin, Texas, headquarters to accommodate an increasing number of employees. The company also operates offices in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Houston, Texas.

Charlotte, N.C. – September 18, 2026 -- Drivers relying solely on their state's minimum auto insurance requirements may be leaving themselves financially exposed after a serious accident, according to a recent HelloNation article breaking down the basics of coverage.

State minimums cover legal requirements, not full financial protection

The article explains that liability coverage typically splits into two parts: bodily injury liability, which pays for injuries a driver causes to others, and property damage liability, which covers damage to another vehicle or property. Meeting a state's minimum satisfies legal obligations but doesn't guarantee a driver's finances are protected after a major crash.

Great Neck, N.Y. – September 18, 2026 -- The $697 figure most people cite as the average cost of laser hair removal doesn't actually measure laser hair removal at all -- it comes from a broader American Society of Plastic Surgeons survey on "laser skin treatments" that has never been broken out by procedure. Other guides cite $582 or $389 from the same source, while CareCredit reports a $207 to $913 per-session range and RealSelf's user-submitted data puts the average near $1,016.

Laser by Aleya, a laser hair removal and electrolysis studio in Great Neck, New York, is publishing its own itemized pricing and a 10-year cost comparison against shaving and waxing, aiming to let customers check the math themselves rather than rely on a single national number.

Seattle – September 18, 2026 -- Renters across the United States are paying $1,066 less per month than typical home buyers, according to Zillow's latest Rental Market Report, with the gap holding in all 50 largest U.S. metros.

Typical rent sits at $1,948 versus a $3,014 mortgage payment

The Zillow Observed Rent Index puts typical U.S. rent at $1,948 a month, while the typical new home buyer's monthly payment -- including taxes and insurance -- totals $3,014. That works out to $12,792 a year in savings for renters, a gap Zillow says has widened as mortgage costs rose $140 over the past six months, more than four times the $32 increase in typical rent over the same period.

Port Neches – September 14, 2026 -- Texas does not require golf cart owners to carry traditional auto insurance, but driving a cart on public roads in Port Neches can leave uninsured owners financially exposed if an accident occurs.

Homeowners policies rarely cover cart accidents on public streets

Many Port Neches residents assume their homeowners insurance automatically covers golf cart incidents. That assumption only holds up in limited cases. Homeowners policies typically extend coverage only to accidents that happen on the insured property, not on public roads. Owners are advised to review their policy directly with an agent to confirm what is and isn't covered.

St. Petersburg – September 17, 2026 -- Webull will give eligible customers access to CME Group's E-nano S&P 500 and E-nano Nasdaq-100 futures starting in mid-September, adding contracts sized at one-tenth of the platform's existing CME Micro E-mini futures.

Smaller contracts mean smaller dollar commitments

The reduced contract size lets investors take on less notional exposure and potentially lower dollar margin requirements, according to Webull. That gives retail traders finer control over position sizing when managing exposure to major U.S. equity indexes.

Access requires an approved futures account

Nano Futures will trade alongside Webull's existing futures products, using the same monitoring and position-management tools already on the platform. Customers need an approved Webull futures account, and trading remains subject to applicable account, margin, risk, and jurisdictional requirements.

Cape Girardeau – September 16, 2026 -- A new HelloNation article featuring insights from insurance agent Nick Hogan breaks down the parts of a homeowners policy that first-time buyers frequently overlook, warning that gaps in understanding can lead to costly surprises after a loss.

Many buyers assume coverage stops at the house itself

According to the article, first-time homeowners often focus on purchase price, mortgage terms, and moving costs while spending little time learning how their insurance actually works. Many mistakenly believe a policy only protects the physical structure, when most homeowners policies bundle several distinct types of protection.