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Technology and money in plain English · Since 2012

Morning briefing

Morning briefing:

The stories to know this morning.

  1. Is Your iPhone Always Listening? What Apple's Secure Exclaves Do and Don't Prove

    Apple says Secure Exclaves let devices sense their surroundings without recording them. Here is what the company claims, how the privacy indicator is checked, and what remains unverified.

  2. HELOC vs Personal Loan vs Credit Card: How the Costs and Risks Compare

    HELOC balances are up 13.3% from a year ago, according to Equifax. Here is how a HELOC, a personal loan and a credit card differ on rates, collateral and risk.

  3. Student Loan Wage Garnishment Could Return: What Defaulted Borrowers Should Know

    More than 9 million borrowers are in default, and collections that were paused could restart. Here is how wage garnishment and refund seizures work, how to check your status, and the ways out.

  4. Home Prices Dropping: Redfin Reports First Yearly Decline Since 2023

    Redfin says the U.S. median sale price fell 0.4% from a year earlier in October, the first annual decline since May 2023, as pending sales hit their lowest level since 2013 outside April 2020.

  5. Overdraft Fees: How Opt-In Works, What Banks Can Still Charge and How to Cut the Risk

    Banks generally cannot charge a debit card or ATM overdraft fee unless you opted in, but checks and recurring payments are different. Here is how to check your status and cut the risk.