Happy Thursday, MarketWatchers. Don’t miss these top stories:
Personal Finance This is why loneliness and dating apps are such a bad match
New research highlights what people likely to become addicted to apps like Tinder and Hinge have in common.
Parents are spending hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars decorating their children’s college dorm rooms
Some students have paid interior designers $2,000 to create dorm rooms with color-coordinated rugs and ottomans.
I have driven 2 hours to visit my elderly parents twice a week for 10 years — shouldn’t I receive compensation?
‘I’ve spent the equivalent of three years of 40-hour work weeks visiting our parents, running errands and commuting.’
Why ‘charitable contributions’ won’t help you get around SALT deduction limits
The IRS has nixed a state-led plan to provide a ‘work around’ for SALT deduction limits.
Why it could get more difficult for Americans to get approved for a mortgage
Would-be minority and low-income buyers could be especially hard-hit by this policy change at the CFPB.
After Equifax settlement, should you opt for free credit monitoring or $125? The FTC has an answer
Millions of people have already visited FTC’s site for claims since the settlement was announced a week ago.
Beware, the IRS is eyeing your inherited money
One little-noticed tax grab is already on the table, and another waits in the wings.
Men with beards are killing the razor industry
Procter & Gamble blames Gillette’s $8 billion writedown on ‘lower shaving frequency.’
This mother took her family on a $2,200 vacation to Disney World — for free
This will be the third vacation Maegan Bagley will take that hasn’t cost her one red cent, and her second to Disney World.
From Equifax to Capital One — everything you wanted to know about data breaches and hacks, but were afraid to ask
Millions of Americans are wondering, ‘Was my data breached in the Capital One hack?’ Here’s what you should do next.
Elsewhere on MarketWatch Pentagon delays JEDI decision, which pits Amazon vs. Microsoft, pending review
Defense Secretary Mark Esper will undertake a review of a massive cloud-computing contract before the Pentagon awards it, creating a new potential obstacle for the lucrative deal expected to be valued at up to $10 billion over a decade.
10 alarming things about the economy that politicians won’t tell you
The Congressional Budget Office reveals shocking forecasts for immigration, debt and spending for the next 30 years.
Big Tech antagonist Hawley has a bill to stop ‘social media addiction’
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., late Tuesday introduced the SMART Act to curb what he calls ‘addictive and deceptive techniques,’ the latest move in his personal crusade against the largest players in social media.
Trump ramps up China trade war as he heads to Ohio rally
President Trump ramped up his trade war with China on Thursday, threatening new tariffs in a move that sent stocks plummeting.
Boston named best U.S. city for students, but it doesn’t crack the global top 10
Boston boasts dozens of universities in and around the city, including some internationally renowned institutions like Harvard and MIT. What it cannot boast, however, is a top 10 finish in a new survey of the best cities in the world for students. And nor can any other city in the United States.
The economy has problems, but the labor market isn’t one of them: U.S. likely added 171,000 jobs in July
The economy might be more fragile now than it was last year, but it’s hard to tell by looking at the muscular U.S. labor market. The U.S. likely added 171,000 new jobs in July, returning the unemployment rate to a 50-year low of 3.6%.
