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Car insurance premiums are climbing again in more than half the U.S.

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Car insurance premiums are climbing again in more than half the U.S.


A new midyear report from Insurify, an online insurance comparison platform, projects that auto insurance premiums will increase in 32 states by the end of 2026. Rates have already risen in 27 states during the first half of the year, reversing last year’s national trend, when average premiums fell 6%. 

The size of the increases varies widely by state. However, the report suggests that rising repair costs, more severe weather, and higher claim expenses continue to put pressure on insurers — and ultimately on policyholders.

Insurify’s data suggests that last year’s premium declines may have been short-lived.

“After rates fell in 2025, 2026 looks to be a year of normalization,” Matt Brannon, Insurify’s senior economic analyst and a licensed insurance agent, said in a press release. “Inflation, more expensive vehicle technology, and rising claims costs are often the types of factors underlying rate increases.”

One of the biggest drivers is the rising cost of repairing today’s vehicles. According to data from Insurify and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, auto maintenance and repair costs have climbed 45% over the past five years. Modern vehicles increasingly rely on cameras, sensors, and advanced driver-assistance systems that can make even relatively minor collisions more expensive to repair.

Weather is also playing a growing role. Kentucky, for example, has experienced a sharp increase in hail events over the past several years, contributing to more comprehensive insurance claims and higher premiums.

Read more: How inflation affects car insurance

Even with recent declines, several states continue to have some of the nation’s highest average premiums for full coverage.

Source: Insurify. Average annual premium as of June 2026. 

New York posted one of the largest year-over-year declines in the country, falling 13% since June 2025. That translated into average annual savings of roughly $431 per driver, according to Insurify. Even so, New York remains one of the country’s 10 most expensive states for car insurance.

Perhaps the most surprising finding isn’t that rates are increasing, but where those increases are happening.

Several historically lower-cost states are seeing some of the largest jumps. Insurify estimates car insurance rates will jump the most in these states:

Meanwhile, several traditionally expensive markets moved in the opposite direction during the first half of the year and are expected to decrease overall in 2026. 

The regional differences highlight how localized auto insurance has become. Repair costs, weather risks, state regulations, litigation trends, and claim frequency vary from state to state, so drivers in neighboring states can experience very different pricing trends.

Read more: Best car insurance companies of 2026

Auto insurance has become one of many recurring household expenses that have climbed in recent years.

Although last year’s premium declines offered some relief, many drivers are still paying hundreds of dollars more than they were just a few years ago. Another round of increases could put additional pressure on household budgets, particularly in states where insurance costs are already well above the national average.

The issue may even carry political implications. According to Insurify, 29% of drivers said auto insurance costs will influence how they vote, while more than half believe elections affect insurance prices.

Even if premiums continue rising nationally, drivers aren’t necessarily stuck paying the first renewal price they receive. There are still moves that may help drivers save.

  • Shopping around for auto insurance remains one of the most effective ways to lower costs, since insurers assess risk differently and may offer widely varying quotes for the same driver. In fact, comparing car insurance rates at renewal time may become less of an occasional money-saving tactic and more of a regular part of managing insurance costs in an increasingly expensive market.

  • Raising deductibles is another way to save. It lowers car insurance premiums because the higher the deductible, the less the insurance company has to pay when a claim is filed.

  • Trying telematics for a discounted rate cuts down on costs. Most insurance companies now offer discounts through usage-based insurance. Drivers download an app or install a plug-in device that monitors mileage, driving habits, speed, and more.

  • Bundling home and auto coverage with the same insurance company often provides significant savings. 

  • Maintaining a clean driving record lowers rates, but a careless at-fault accident or speeding ticket can lead to a rate increase. 

  • Taking advantage of available discounts can also help offset premium increases. Ask about student discounts, senior discounts, military and veteran discounts, and any discounts for safe driving, taking a defensive driving course, or enrolling in traffic school.



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Trump family ‘s World Liberty Financial (WLFI) delay plans to sell Maldives resort token

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Trump-backed American Bitcoin (ABTC) executive Matt Prusak joins Giga Energy

World Liberty Financial, the cryptocurrency project backed by the Trump family, delayed plans to sell a token related to a resort in the Maldives, Bloomberg reported on Friday.

The token was planned to go on sale next year, giving investors a share of revenue from loans financing the Trump-branded resort, but this has been pushed back due to the Iran war disrupting travel in the region, according to the report, citing people familiar with the matter.

World Liberty Financial tapped real-world asset (RWAs) platform Securitize in February to help represent loan interests tied to the resort’s development as a digital token that could be traded onchain.

It is unclear when the token will now be listed.

The venture is part World Liberty Financial’s plans in tokenization, the representation of RWAs on blockchains in token form. WLFI is exploring this concept not just in real estate, but in commodities like oil and gas.

A World Liberty Financial spokesperson declined to comment, according to Bloomberg’s report. The company did not immediately respond when contacted by CoinDesk for additional comment.

The protocol’s native token WLFI rose by 2.7% on the news before giving back all of the gains and returning to parity. It is now down by 88.5% from its record high in September, 2025.



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People are going to lengths to stop themselves from being filmed through Meta’s ‘pervert glasses’

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People are going to lengths to stop themselves from being filmed through Meta’s ‘pervert glasses’

There’s an ongoing arms race to protect identities and privacy in the age of facial recognition, biometric scanning and data collection. Now, some of those concerns are coming from the influx of wearables, namely, smart glasses, and how to go about protecting oneself from being filmed in public. Some joke about singing Disney songs, others use software, and some have even resorted to physical tricks. 

And the concern is warranted: Meta’s Ray-Ban Meta Glasses, for example, have been coined “pervert glasses” for recording people undressing, and the company is even being sued after a study revealed Meta’s subcontractors are viewing your most intimate moments. This is all culminating into a real privacy concern as not only is your right to privacy (or lack thereof) in the public realm coming into question, but so is how to stop what you do in public from getting stored on a company’s servers. 

“We are living in weird times,” Jim Waldo, a professor of computer science who teaches several technological privacy courses at Harvard, told Fortune. “The technology is changing. It’s the combination of the Meta Glasses with facial recognition, AI, and a number of other sorts of technologies that are all coming together and putting us in an environment that we just aren’t prepared to deal with yet.”

The privacy concerns are real—from the suit to data collection, and even the social media content made with the tech has left people chalking up Meta Glasses as a form of surveillance. Even Meta’s Instagram has had to act: the platform disabled several accounts thanks to violations of content usage after those accounts amassed millions of followers by streaming live feeds from Meta glasses.

“We don’t want harassing content on our platforms and take it down when we find it,” a spokesperson for Instagram told Fortune.

A new era of wearable technology

Gone are the days of “dumb” smart wear. No longer are wearables contained to just your fitness trackers or your sleep monitors, they now have cameras with AI built in them. Most prominently in this space are Meta’s Ray-Ban Meta Glasses, which have cameras built directly into the frames, allowing users to take photos and videos without pulling out a phone. The glasses also have microphones that capture audio, and Meta has enabled livestreaming directly from the glasses to Facebook and Instagram.

There’s a way to tell if you’re being recorded: the glasses use a white capture LED on the front of the frames that blinks when content is being captured. Meta says the LED cannot be switched off and that the camera is disabled if the LED is covered or blocked.

“We will keep strengthening our protections as our glasses become even more capable,” Meta spokesperson Dina El-Kassaby told Fortune.

But experts are still concerned about the privacy implications of wearable technology. “They’re making it safe for the consumer,” Waldo said. “They’re not making it safe for the people around the consumer.”

There are also legal implications for the use of these smart glasses in public. Gene Kang, partner at law firm Rivkin Radler LLP, told Fortune the technology itself is not necessarily the problem, but that people don’t know they could be filmed.

“If you’re holding up your phone to somebody’s face, they’re going to know,” Kang said. In that situation, he explained, there could potentially be an argument for implied consent if the person knows they’re being recorded and does nothing to object. With the inconspicuous glasses, however, that assumption becomes much harder to make—meaning privacy and consent laws can potentially be invoked.

“If they’re not aware that they’re being recorded, then I think that presents a different issue,” he added. “I think they would potentially have a claim there.”

Discreet recordings, “Pick-up artistry” and data sensitivity

According to a study done by University of Sydney researchers, “pick-up artistry” content has picked up in recent years. This type of content, spread around social media and mainly perpetrated by individuals in the “pick-up artist” community, attracts viewers who wish to watch point-of-view reels of women being approached in public.

The study found 60% of over 350 videos analyzed involved behavior classified as potentially harassing. In 43% of the videos, women were subjected to derogatory commentary, and other subjects were identified or doxxed. The study focuses on what the researchers defined as “ambient capture”—recording people in their everyday surroundings without them realizing that a camera was pointed at them.

The researchers found a relationship between the apparent covertness of the recording devices and the severity of the harassment. “We should all be very concerned,” Dr. Milica Stilinovic, one of the study’s authors, told Fortune.

Fighting back

The harmful content perpetrated online echoed concerns among consumers, leading them to find avenues to protect themselves. People have started to use face markings to confuse the facial recognition system within the glasses, and a theory has circulated online to sing copyrighted songs when under suspicion of being recorded.

Some individuals have even developed software to help notify users for potential smart glass intrusion. Professor. Dr. Yves Jeanrenaud built an open-source, free software app Nearby Glasses, allowing users—as the name suggests—to be notified when Meta Glasses are nearby. According to its open-source repository, Jeanrenaud developed the app in response to “an intolerable intrusion, consent neglecting, horrible piece of tech that is already used for making various and tons of equally truely disgusting ‘content’.”

According to the Google Play store, the app has amassed over 100,000 downloads to date.

And while the app was made to help users stay aware of potential discreet filming, Professor Jeanrenaud included a disclaimer on the use of his technology.

“It’s still an imperfect approach and probably always will be,” he wrote. “It’s not all good only because this app exists now. We need better solutions to curb surveillance tech and privacy intrusion.”

Not all of the methods are feasible, however. A recent social media theory has circulated citing Disney songs can protect you from being filmed. The idea is that Disney’s notorious copyright strikes would be enough to get any unsolicited videos taken down across social media. But according to Kang, hiding behind copyright isn’t an effective way to protect yourself from discreet filming. 

“If you’re the person being recorded, you don’t own any copyright to the composition,” he explained. However, while he did add that copyright may not be an effective claim, he also said individuals who want to protect themselves should look into privacy claims instead.

“It’s really a privacy issue,” he said. “Which still could be applicable here.”





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Resort destination mall and hotel seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy

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Resort destination mall and hotel seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy


Consumers’ flight from brick-and-mortar stores in malls became a major problem for retailers as internet sales and e-commerce began taking business away from physical stores in the 1990s.

Malls were hit even harder from the shutdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic, with retail slowly recovering over the last six years.

Boatworks at Tahoe LLC, a Lake Tahoe shopping mall and hotel owner, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to avoid a foreclosure auction that was scheduled for Aug. 12.

The owner of Boatworks Mall and Inn at the Boatworks in Tahoe City, Calif., files for bankruptcy. PeopleImages / Getty Images

Boatworks at Tahoe files for bankruptcy

The Tahoe City, Calif., owner of Boatworks Mall and the adjacent 34-room Inn at Boatworks on Lake Tahoe’s North Shore filed its petition in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of California on Aug. 11, listing $10 million to $50 million in assets and debts.

Citizens National Bank of Texas in January filed a notice of default against Boatworks at Tahoe on its $14.4 million loan after the debtor failed to pay property taxes and provide proof of insurance. The debtor is managed by San Francisco firm MJD Capital Partners, according to SFGate.

“Staying open is crucial for the business, the employees, and the community,” MJD Capital Partners’ Marie Murphy said in a statement. “A Chapter 11 reorganization of the LLC that owns this iconic project legally prevents foreclosure while the business restructures.”

Bankruptcy halts legal action

MJD’s Chapter 11 filing invokes an automatic stay on all legal actions against the debtor while the bankruptcy case proceeds. The debtor plans to remain open while it reorganizes its assets in bankruptcy.

“We continue to believe a mixed-use redevelopment is the best way to revitalize Boatworks and preserve its unique character,” Murphy said. “Foreclosure would be a major blow to the area. For over four decades, Boatworks has been Tahoe City’s place to be. With this reorganization, we intend to continue our efforts to ensure that legacy continues.”

Owner planned property redevelopment

MJD purchased the property in 2019 with plans for a rebuild of the property. The developer planned to demolish the property in 2024, which included an 80-room hotel, 31 condominiums, and 8,000 square feet of retail space, but the project never proceeded.

A planned redevelopment would have moved the mall’s retail closer to street level and away from the adjacent marina, according to Katherine Hill, executive director of the Tahoe City Downtown Association.

“Our board is committed to supporting our businesses in Tahoe City. We see the Boatworks Mall as an important part of our community,” Hill told SFGate.

Boatworks Mall consists of a mix of retail, office and non-profit operations, including women’s boutique Camila’s at Tahoe, resort wear shop The Lucky Horseshoe, Steve Schmier’s Jewelry, Tahoe City Chocolates candy shop, Acorn Home Furnishings and Design, souvenir shops Tahoe T-Shirtery and Tahoe Boho, makeup and eyelash shops, and training and yoga studios.

The upscale mall also houses The Snow Sports Museum and Placer County Library Tahoe City branch, as well as an architectural firm and general construction contractor.

The Inn at the Boatworks opened in 1958, and the mall opened 20 years later in 1978.

Another upscale mall files bankruptcy

Boatworks isn’t the only upscale mall facing financial issues, as Blackhawk Plaza in Danville, Calif., filed for Chapter 11 protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California in March amid defaulted loans and lawsuits.

The Blackhawk area in Danville is an upscale community for which the Blackhawk Plaza accommodated with high-end retail tenants and restaurants, until many began closing following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Investment firm The Ramanujan Group LLC purchased the shopping center at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 for $28.3 million. The debtor defaulted on loans totaling $28 million and $3 million from Preferred Bank and $5 million from Nano Bank, according to SiliconValley.com.

Related: Home Depot hardware store rival files Chapter 11 bankruptcy

This story was originally published by TheStreet on Aug 13, 2026, where it first appeared in the Retail section. Add TheStreet as a Preferred Source by clicking here.



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Bullish (BLSH), Coinbase (COIN), Circle (CRCL) slide as SEC delay weighs on tokenization trade

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Bullish (BLSH), Coinbase (COIN), Circle (CRCL) slide as SEC delay weighs on tokenization trade

The moves followed CoinDesk’s report late Thursday that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was set to further delay its anticipated “innovation exemption,” which is expected to make it easier for companies to offer trading in tokenized securities. Concerns from the White House and Wall Street over the proposal’s legal footing and potential market impact have held up the plan.

Adding to the uncertainty, the SEC canceled a meeting scheduled for Friday where commissioners planned to consider whether to propose new rules creating a tailored offering regime for certain investment contracts involving crypto assets.

The impact wasn’t limited to stocks. The innovation exemption had also been expected to provide some regulatory relief for trading through decentralized finance venues, meaning the delay reaches beyond publicly traded tokenization companies. Uniswap’s UNI (UNI), the native token of the decentralized exchange, fell 7% over the past 24 hours, making it the weakest performer in the CoinDesk 20 Index both Friday and this week.

For comparison, the Nasdaq 100, S&P 500 and bitcoin were all mostly flat during the day.

A ‘speed bump,’ not the end of the tokenization trade

The setback could stretch out the timeline for U.S. tokenization, but it doesn’t necessarily change the longer-term story, according to Owen Lau, managing director and senior analyst at Clear Street.



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Cumberland-linked wallet moves $8.73M UNI – Is Uniswap’s $3 floor next?

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Cumberland-linked wallet moves $8.73M UNI – Is Uniswap’s $3 floor next?


Uniswap [UNI] faced intense bearish pressure over the past two weeks. After facing rejection at $4.50, the altcoin entered a descending channel and fell to a $3.40 low.

Over the same period, UNI’s Trading Volume dropped 42% to $154 million, showing weaker market activity.

Why are major UNI holders selling?

Amid the downturn, large holders increased their exchange activity significantly. According to Nazoku, a Cumberland-linked wallet transferred over $4.5 million in digital assets to Binance.

UNI represented most of those assets. The wallet moved 1 million UNI worth $3.48 million to Binance. It also deposited 1.5 million UNI worth $5.25 million into Bybit through three separate transactions.

Uniswap whale
Source: Arkham

In total, the wallet moved 2.5 million UNI worth $8.73 million to exchanges.

Even after those transfers, the wallet held 1.22 million UNI worth $4.23 million. However, its remaining balance did not confirm whether further sales would follow.

The Cumberland-linked wallet was not alone. Two days earlier, a long-term holder sold 9.29 million UNI worth $33.46 million. The holder reportedly executed the sale through Coinbase Prime.

Together, these transactions increased UNI’s potential sell-side supply during an already weak market.

Uniswap Exchange Supply Ratio Uniswap Exchange Supply Ratio
Source: CryptoQuant

On top of that, Uniswap’s Exchange Supply Ratio rose for three consecutive days. The metric reached a monthly high of 0.105, showing that a larger share of UNI’s supply sat on exchanges.

This could raise near-term selling risk. However, exchange deposits alone do not confirm completed sales.

UNI also declined for five consecutive days, reinforcing its bearish market structure.

Can UNI price hold above $3?

Uniswap [UNI] remained under pressure from whales and institutional holders. Meanwhile, visible buying demand remained limited. The Bulls V Bears indicator confirmed this bearish control.

The metric stayed negative for five consecutive days, reaching approximately -60 at press time.

Uniswap BvB & RSIUniswap BvB & RSI
Source: TradingView

At the same time, UNI’s Relative Strength Index [RSI] declined to 38. An RSI below 50 signaled weak momentum, although UNI had not yet entered oversold territory.

These conditions could extend UNI’s decline if large holders continue sending tokens to exchanges.

In that case, UNI may test the $3 support level. However, renewed demand could help defend $3.40.


Final Summary

  • A Cumberland-linked wallet moved 2.5 million UNI worth $8.73 million to exchanges. Another long-term holder sold 9.29 million UNI worth $33.46 million.
  • Continued selling could push Uniswap toward $3, while renewed demand may protect $3.40.



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Stock Market Midday, Aug. 14: Stocks Wobble on Falling Consumer Confidence, Reddit Jumps 14%

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Stock Market Midday, Aug. 14: Stocks Wobble on Falling Consumer Confidence, Reddit Jumps 14%


As of 11:39 AM ET, the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX:^GSPC) has fallen 0.21% to 7,782.65, and the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX:^IXIC) is down 0.50% to 26,664.30 as investors balance recent record highs against soft retail data. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES:^DJI) has slipped 0.19% to 53,735.56.

Gold is up 1.26% to $4,351.26 and the 10-Year Treasury yield is trading up 0.05% to 4.69%. Energy, real estate, and basic materials lead the sector gainers, as technology and healthcare stocks fall.

Today’s biggest moves

Reddit jumped 14% this morning after news that the social media platform will join the S&P 500. Valneva surged 22% following yesterday’s earnings and news that European regulators validated its Lyme disease vaccine application. Semiconductor shares like Micron Technology are gaining on AI optimism. T-Mobile US slipped on a brokerage downgrade that cited revenue risks.

What this means for investors

Two consumer releases weighed on stocks this morning: July retail sales fell for the first time in nine months, and August consumer sentiment dipped to 51, from 55.2 in July. The University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index showed consumers are concerned about inflation and business conditions, and slowing sales suggest that continued elevated oil prices are weighing on people’s wallets.

On the one hand, a decline in confidence, combined with this week’s slower inflation data, makes a Federal Reserve rate cut less likely, and can boost risk appetite. However, stock markets wavered today because that decline also raised concerns about economic weakness and the sustainability of recent index highs.

Even so, the S&P is on track for a third consecutive weekly gain after breaking the 7,800-point level yesterday, as technology and artificial intelligence (AI) stocks deliver strong earnings and demonstrate resilience. For investors, diversification and careful risk management are key.

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Stock Market Midday, Aug. 14: Stocks Wobble on Falling Consumer Confidence, Reddit Jumps 14% was originally published by The Motley Fool



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