Personal Finance
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Dane County project helps Latinas in Wisconsin save for retirement despite low wages
Centro Hispano of Dane County’s Latina Savings Project aims to increase financial wealth for Latinas across the nation.
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Gambling elements in apps and games are often difficult to spot
Gambling addiction can be easy to hide from others, according to gambling counselor Patricia Jirovetz. Jirovetz also said that what counts as gambling isn’t always clear. “(Some) video games are set up with the same reward structure as a slot machine,” Jirovetz said in a recent interview for “The Morning Show” on WPR. “It’s unpredictable.…
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UW-Whitewater offers financial literacy courses to high school students
A partnership between the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and area high schools is giving students a leg up on financial literacy and a chance to earn college credits. The university officially launched the three-credit online financial literacy course this fall semester, and high schoolers can join college students in the class. The course helps students learn…
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Wage growth slowing in Wisconsin, but personal incomes expected to outpace 2022
Wage growth in Wisconsin has been slowing down this year, but inflation-adjusted personal incomes are expected to grow slightly after declining last year. The state’s year-over-year change in annual pay was 5.6 percent in November, down from 8 percent in the same month of 2022, according to a report from ADP Research Institute. The consumer…
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Bipartisan bills aim to reform payday loans in Wisconsin
A pair of bipartisan bills circulating in the state Legislature would try to redefine and reform short-term, high interest loans. In Wisconsin, a borrower can take out a payday loan if they have a bank account to use as collateral. The loan must have a term of 90 days or less, and must total no…
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Northwoods officials: Accessible internet, housing and child care are key to jobs growth
Northern Wisconsin businesses face many of the same challenges as the rest of the state, according to a pair of regional economic development leaders. Sheldon Johnson and Tommy Wartman lead two partner organizations of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, a state agency tasked with driving business growth. Johnson oversees Spooner-based Visions Northwest in the state’s…
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Wisconsin faces up to nearly $1B in costs to replace private lead lines
State environmental regulators said the cost of removing private lead service lines alone could run up to nearly $1 billion, and an infusion of federal funds is not enough to meet the need. Staff with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said the state has more than 147,000 private lead lines, which typically run from…
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Tribal leader says town must pay nearly $10M before it can access roads under tribal ordinance
The leader of the Lac du Flambeau tribe said it won’t issue permits under a tribal ordinance granting access to roads that cross the reservation until the town of Lac du Flambeau pays nearly $10 million for trespassing on tribal lands. It’s the latest development in a contentious dispute between the tribe, town and title…
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State officials warn against charity imposter scams
Many Wisconsinites will donate to charities and nonprofit organizations this holiday season. But not everyone asking for donations, especially online or over the phone, is on the level. State officials are reminding donors of how to spot potential scams. Federal Trade Commission data shows consumers lost $8.8 billion to scams last year. An FTC report…
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Business incubator works to connect Driftless Area entrepreneurs
In her role as executive director of the Platteville Business Incubator, Kate Koziol said she learned there are no mistakes in the entrepreneurial world. “There’s just ideas that didn’t execute well,” Koziol says. “And you can retool it or refine it. You can always learn from something.” But, she added, rural entrepreneurs may sometimes feel…
