Happy Thursday, MarketWatchers. Here are some of the day’s top personal finance stories.
Personal Finance Why it’s better to give restaurant workers the minimum wage (than argue over tips)
A new analysis finds Washington, D.C. and other cities may benefit from eliminating tips.
Among older Americans, the poorest are most likely to have opioid prescriptions
A new study looks at the demographics of opioid users.
How I keep Google’s eyes off of my diary
Digitizing my journal was convenient, but I didn’t want it to cost me my privacy.
Evacuating due to Hurricane Florence? Include these items in your ‘financial go-bag’
Financial experts say it’s always better to prepare for the worst.
Teenagers say Facebook and Instagram make them feel more popular
Smartphone and social media engagement can be dangerous for teens’ mental health.
I lent my nephew $6,800 for his father’s funeral and he refuses to pay me back
This 80-year-old woman wonders if she has any recourse without a promissory note.
Consumers are gradually losing this credit card perk
Credit cards are cutting back on cardholder benefits that get low use, including price protection.
Judge strikes down DeVos attempt to weaken rule for scammed student loan borrowers
The development is the latest in a years-long battle over the borrower defense regulation.
5 reasons to grab the middle seat on a flight. Seriously.
For some people, the middle seat isn’t a curse to avoid, but a perk to covet.
Why trip insurance may not help if Hurricane Florence ruins your cruise vacation
Passengers on board the Norwegian Dawn were dismayed when the ship was rerouted from Bermuda to Canada because of Hurricane Florence.
Elsewhere on MarketWatch Mortgage rates hit 6-week high with housing market at a crossroad
Rates for home loans reach a six-week high as upbeat economic data and a bulging deficit spur a yield-lifting bond sell-off and big questions grip the housing market.
Bernanke, Geithner and Paulson ‘have invented alternative history’ of Lehman collapse, professor says
Ben Bernanke, Timothy Geithner and Henry Paulson are ‘inventing alternate history’ about the financial crisis, Laurence Ball, an economics professor at Johns Hopkins University, said in an interview with MarketWatch.
Kavanaugh accused of decades-old sexual misconduct in letter
Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein sent a letter to the feds that reportedly included allegations of sexual misconduct between Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and a woman when they were both in high school.
Red states love renewable energy, so why does Trump bash it?
Donald Trump doubles down on coal, but even in the red states, wind and solar are the future, writes Paul Brandus.
Americans are eating out more because of the strong economy — and they’re paying a premium
Restaurant tabs continue to climb between 2% and 3% a year, well outrunning the relatively stable cost of staples from the grocery store.
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