Latest news with #MorePerfectUnion
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'Your Bank Account Isn't Broken,' Says Kevin O'Leary, Your Habits Are The Problem—'You're Leaking Money And Don't Even Know It'
Investor Kevin O'Leary, also known as 'Mr. Wonderful' from 'Shark Tank,' has a straightforward message for people wondering why they can't seem to save money: The issue isn't your income. It's your spending habits. 'Your bank account isn't broken—your habits are,' O'Leary posted recently on X. 'Subscriptions, cable bills, random fees... you're leaking money and don't even know it.'Don't Miss: Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — 'Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. In a video attached to the post, he broke down how he regularly audits his own finances to plug those leaks. 'Generally, a third of [your subscriptions] you're not using, so you get rid of them,' he said. His advice is to scroll through your phone and take a hard look at every recurring charge. If you're not using it, cancel it. Beyond subscriptions, O'Leary also targets household bills, especially cable. He says U.S. customers should call the retention department, not regular customer service, when bills go up. 'Threaten to leave and be ready to do it,' he said. In many cases, companies offer retention bonuses like a free month or discounted service just to keep you. O'Leary emphasized he's been doing this for decades. 'Every time a bill goes up, I call. Not customer service—retention. That's where the real deals are,' he wrote in another post. 'I negotiate like it's sport. I've been doing it for decades, and I never pay retail. I don't do charity for telecoms.' Trending: Invest where it hurts — and help millions heal:. O'Leary's warnings about recurring fees are echoed by growing consumer backlash against aggressive subscription models, especially those tied to physical products. A video last year from the 'More Perfect Union' YouTube channel featured a woman named Maggie, who discovered her new HP (NYSE:HPQ) printer stopped working because her payment method for HP's Instant Ink subscription had expired. 'The ink is completely full,' she said. 'But the reason it's not printing [is that] payment method needs updating. Cannot print with the installed cartridge.' Maggie later found out that HP remotely disables printer cartridges if you cancel or miss a payment on their subscription plan. 'I have two full cartridges that I don't have access to because I canceled HP's Instant Ink monthly service,' another person featured in the video tactic, known as software tethering, is becoming increasingly common. It allows companies to restrict or disable products unless users keep paying. Critics argue it's a way of turning ownership into rental. 'Buying an expensive physical thing and then also having to keep paying for something every month—it's kind of frustrating,' Maggie explained. As More Perfect Union pointed out, federal regulators have started cracking down. The Federal Trade Commission introduced a 'Click-to-Cancel' rule last year and has filed lawsuits against some major companies for predatory subscription practices. Meanwhile, public pressure forced HP to start phasing out Instant Ink, and BMW backed off its plan to charge for heated seats. The broader issue remains. As O'Leary pointed out, staying vigilant about subscriptions and recurring charges isn't just smart budgeting—it's now essential. 'If you're not negotiating your bills,' he said, 'you're just giving money away.' Read Next:Deloitte's fastest-growing software company partners with Amazon, Walmart & Target – UNLOCKED: 5 NEW TRADES EVERY WEEK. Click now to get top trade ideas daily, plus unlimited access to cutting-edge tools and strategies to gain an edge in the markets. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? HP (HPQ): Free Stock Analysis Report This article 'Your Bank Account Isn't Broken,' Says Kevin O'Leary, Your Habits Are The Problem—'You're Leaking Money And Don't Even Know It' originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'Now with reduced staff': Billboard calls out DOGE cuts to Cuyahoga Valley National Park
A national pro-labor organization has placed at least one billboard in the Columbus area targeting the Department of Government Efficiency. The satirical billboard advertising that Cuyahoga Valley National Park will now have fewer rangers because of DOGE-backed cuts to the federal workforce has been spotted near the Scioto Downs Resort and Casino off of Highway 23. More Perfect Union paid for hundreds of billboards in several states, including Ohio, Colorado and Pennsylvania. The executive director of the organization Faiz Shakir recently told GoErie, part of the USA TODAY Network, that staffing cuts to national parks could mean visitors have a less than ideal experience that can include longer wait times. 'My understanding is that some national parks are going to have some reduced staffing. Some people are looking forward to going there with their families and my impression is that this year, sadly, you will have a worse experience because of what Trump and Musk are doing with unnecessary cuts,' Shakir said. Thousands of federal workers have lost their jobs after DOGE-led cuts. The recently formed department was until very recently led by the richest man in the world, Elon Musk. In Cuyahoga Valley National Park, three probationary employees lost their jobs, in addition to a freeze on seasonal hires, according to previous Akron Beacon Journal reporting. The park in northeastern Ohio is the only national park in the Buckeye State. Anna Lynn Winfrey covers the western suburbs for the Columbus Dispatch. She can be reached at awinfrey@ This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio billboard calls out DOGE cuts to Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Targeting DOGE, labor group puts up billboards warning of heat deaths at national parks
LAS VEGAS — On West Bonanza Road near Martin Luther King Boulevard, not far from the glittering casino lights of the Strip, motorists pass a dire message for the upcoming summer tourism season. A billboard mimicking a postcard from one of the most extreme places on the continent reads: 'Greetings from Death Valley National Park,' before a more sinister warning: 'Heat deaths rise. Safety staff cut. Made possible by D.O.G.E.' It's one of around 300 billboards placed across Arizona, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida by More Perfect Union, a nonprofit labor advocacy organization seeking to bring attention to staffing cuts brought on by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. The National Parks Conservation Association, an independent advocacy organization, estimates that around 2,500 employees — roughly 13% of the National Park Service's staff — took buyouts or accepted early retirements or deferred resignations as part of DOGE's efforts to significantly slash the size of the federal government. There are concerns that deep cuts across the National Park Service could jeopardize public safety. 'In far-flung places like Death Valley, park rangers are there to help maintain your safety,' said Faiz Shakir, More Perfect Union's founder and executive director. 'If you pass out from heat exhaustion, they're the ones making sure you're taken care of.' In Nevada alone, 19 billboards are on display in Las Vegas and Reno, highlighting the public safety risk of heat-related illness and death for park visitors this summer. Death Valley National Park extends from eastern California to Nevada and is about a 2.5-hour drive from Las Vegas. The area is often known as the hottest place in North America, with temperatures often reaching 130 degrees Fahrenheit or higher in the summer. An early-season heat wave has scorched much of the West with dangerously hot conditions, prompting an extreme heat warning that extended from Friday to late Saturday. Triple-digit highs were widespread across southern Nevada, and temperatures over 115 degrees were expected in Death Valley. Such extreme heat weeks before the official start of summer added urgency to More Perfect Union's message. The organization's billboard campaign is targeting broad impacts of DOGE's layoffs and cuts to the nation's most popular national parks. In the Southwest, that meant zeroing in on extreme heat, Shakir said. 'We had to tailor the message to get at where the rubber meets the road,' he said. The full consequences of National Park Service reductions remain to be seen, and peak summer tourism season is looming. Abigail Wines, acting deputy superintendent of Death Valley National Park, said park employees are working to keep the public safe and raise awareness about the dangers of extreme heat. She encouraged people to take necessary precautions before visiting Death Valley, such as checking for weather alerts or closures and packing adequate water, sunscreen and other essentials. 'As always, the National Park Service is working to provide visitors with amazing, safe and memorable experiences in Death Valley National Park, and throughout the country,' Wines told NBC News in a statement. More Perfect Union's bigger goal with its billboard campaign is to bring attention to DOGE's controversial work and the Trump administration's sweeping cuts to federal agencies. Shakir said the organization purposefully used the bipartisan support that national parks enjoy as a way to provoke debate. A 2024 poll from the Pew Research Center found that the National Park Service was the most popular federal agency, with 76% favorability among the more than 9,400 Americans surveyed. 'A lot of places we put the billboards in are in red areas, where it's assumed that a lot of people may have voted for Donald Trump, like Donald Trump and even like components of DOGE, quite frankly,' Shakir said. 'But with national parks, we thought this was a good example of where they've gone way too far.' This article was originally published on
NBC News
01-06-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Targeting DOGE, labor group puts up billboards warning of heat deaths at national parks
LAS VEGAS — On West Bonanza Road near Martin Luther King Boulevard, not far from the glittering casino lights of the Strip, motorists pass a dire message for the upcoming summer tourism season. A billboard mimicking a postcard from one of the most extreme places on the continent reads: 'Greetings from Death Valley National Park,' before a more sinister warning: 'Heat deaths rise. Safety staff cut. Made possible by D.O.G.E.' It's one of around 300 billboards placed across Arizona, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida by More Perfect Union, a nonprofit labor advocacy organization seeking to bring attention to staffing cuts brought on by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. The National Parks Conservation Association, an independent advocacy organization, estimates that around 2,500 employees — roughly 13% of the National Park Service's staff — took buyouts or accepted early retirements or deferred resignations as part of DOGE's efforts to significantly slash the size of the federal government. There are concerns that deep cuts across the National Park Service could jeopardize public safety. 'In far-flung places like Death Valley, park rangers are there to help maintain your safety,' said Faiz Shakir, More Perfect Union's founder and executive director. 'If you pass out from heat exhaustion, they're the ones making sure you're taken care of.' In Nevada alone, 19 billboards are on display in Las Vegas and Reno, highlighting the public safety risk of heat-related illness and death for park visitors this summer. Death Valley National Park extends from eastern California to Nevada and is about a 2.5-hour drive from Las Vegas. The area is often known as the hottest place in North America, with temperatures often reaching 130 degrees Fahrenheit or higher in the summer.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Billboard featuring Gateway Arch protests cuts to National Parks
ST. LOUIS – A new billboard featuring the Gateway Arch is turning heads. It's part of a nationwide campaign protesting federal cuts to the National Park Service. The billboard displays a scenic photo of the Gateway Arch National Park with springtime trees in bloom, accompanied by this message: 'Greetings from Gateway Arch National Park. Now with reduced staff. Made possible by $ D.O.G.E.' That said, you won't find it in St. Louis. This specific billboard is on display in Des Moines, Iowa. More Perfect Union, a pro-labor advocacy group, says it placed 300 billboards across 40 U.S. cities to draw attention to staffing reductions and funding cuts at national parks that stem from the Department of Government Efficiency. The department, more commonly known as DOGE, is an initiative of President Donald Trump's second term that is led by billionaire Musk. It aims to reduce government spending and consolidate the federal workforce. DOGE's website claims that the department has saved $170 billion through federal workforce cuts as of May 11. More Perfect Union argues these cuts have been harmful to national parks, resulting in fewer rangers, reduced maintenance and limited public programming. Police spike dozens of reckless drivers in slideshows across St. Louis Regarding the Arch billboard and the broader campaign effort, More Perfect Union shared this statement with FOX 2 on behalf of Executive Director Faiz Shakir. 'National Parks are some of our nation's most cherished resources. They provide a space that all people – old, young, rich, poor – can enjoy equally and find their lives are enriched by amazing experiences. But that's not something oligarchs care much about. Some elected officials and unelected billionaires would rather privatize or eliminate our public services, we believe strongly in the need for great public parks and outdoor spaces that all Americans can enjoy.' Des Moines is located nearly 350 miles northwest of St. Louis. Though physically distant, Gateway Arch is the closest national park to Des Moines and draws visitors from all across the Midwest, one reason More Perfect Union chose to feature it there. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
