Color Of Money

BPT How much data do you really need on your monthly cellular plan? To hear most wireless companies tell it, the answer is simple: go unlimited! Mobile data usage has been on the rise over the past decade, even before the pandemic forced us to stare at our phones more than usual. Audio streaming, online…

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ABOVE PHOTO: It’s All About the People: The North Central Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grant is helping to bring 302 new units of handsome, modern housing to a neighborhood heralded as today’s  “new model” for housing. People of various income levels are moving into the same zip code, and living side-by-side. North Central Resident Council President Donna…

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BPT The holidays are right around the corner, which means it’s time to start planning how you’ll be celebrating this season — from how you’ll decorate your home to what you’ll serve on your table to what gifts you’ll give your loved ones. No matter what you’re preparing this season, one thing is for sure:…

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FAMILY FEATURES Now that you’ve closed on your first house, you’re officially a homeowner. However, before you can get comfy in your new place, you need to actually move in. If you’ve never moved into a new house, there are a few things you may not be aware of.  As you make plans to move…

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BPT Despite mortgage rates hitting historic lows during the last year, many homeowners still haven’t considered refinancing their mortgage —  essentially, replacing an existing mortgage with a new mortgage loan that has new terms and potentially a lower interest rate. Homeowners in lower-income brackets may be convinced they won’t qualify for refinancing because of high…

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By Amy V. Simmons Several African American business professionals from across the country joined U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans (D-3rd Dist.) for a discussion titled “Building Back Better: The Future of Black Businesses, Wealth and Entrepreneurship” during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference. In addition to Evans, who served as honorary co-host of the…

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BPT Whether you’re actively looking for a job or are simply curious about a new career, you’re not alone. Millions of people nationwide are open to work, but it can be hard to know the most effective methods for finding the right job for you. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, almost half of all American…

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BPT There’s nothing worse for a household budget than big-ticket expenses, even when you know they’re coming. And one of the most challenging spending periods is well underway: back-to-school shopping. As back-to-school (and back-to-work) season kicks off, retailers across the U.S., from Famous Footwear to Newegg and more, are stocking stores with fresh outfits, the…

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By Paul Wiseman  ASSOCIATED PRESS  WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose for the first time in five weeks even though the economy and job market have been recovering briskly from the coronavirus pandemic. Jobless claims edged up by 4,000 to 353,000 from a pandemic low 349,000 a week earlier, the…

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By Jeff Rowe ASSOCIATED PRESS  “Dirty Work: Essential Jobs and the Hidden Toll of Inequality in America,” by Eyal Press (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) In “Dirty Work,” flying military drones, patrolling a prison, and processing meat emerge as morally suspect occupations that not only carry outsized emotional challenges, but the work disproportionately falls to people…

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