Plus, are online sports bettors destined to lose money? Finance journalist Randall Smith shares his findings from a Wall Street Journal investigation. Also, save big on rideshares with my Uber vs. Lyft comparison. Discover the top-paying cybersecurity jobs, free finance calculators to manage debt and cloud storage options.
Privacy tip: Make sure you're not accidentally sharing your location with apps or people
Ever text a picture to an acquaintance or someone you just met? Depending on your phone and camera’s settings, you may have inadvertently sent where you live, too. This is what someone can see from just a photo.
One good thing about social media is that most platforms wipe out this data. Still, they’re exposing you in other ways. Here’s how to check everything Facebook collects.
Your devices and apps know where you are, too, but you can stop that.
Location, location, location
Your GPS app must know where you are to guide you to your destination. Your social media apps want to know where you are to serve you with more relevant ads. You can fiddle with these settings as needed but you must be thorough.
Say you turn off location tracking on your phone but don’t do the same with your laptop. It defeats the purpose.
Let’s start with your device and account settings.
Your Google account is tied to various apps and services, making it a great place to start.
Location History
Location History saves your location wherever you take your smartphone. It’s off by default, but you may have turned it on and forgotten about it. No problem. Here’s how to turn it off:
- Sign into your account at myaccount.google.com or through the Google app.
- Go to Data & privacy > Location History.
- Click Turn off and confirm your selection.
- While you’re here, make sure Auto-delete is On.
Rent your next car from a person like you - or rent out your own
If you travel for business or pleasure, renting a car is always an excellent option for exploring a new city or simply getting to where you need to go. But, like buying a car, renting a car can be a time-consuming and expensive process.
Just say no: An Uber or Lyft driver might ask you to pay in cash so they can take home more money. They make as little as $9 an hour (paywall link) through the app, but a cash payment means no safety features like the emergency button, and you’ll get hit with cancellation fees.
100,000-plus paid rides
Per week, taken by auto taxi service Waymo One in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Phoenix. It’s no surprise Uber and Lyft drivers say it’s hurting their earnings (paywall link). Waymo is also expanding to Atlanta and Austin early next year. I still won’t get in one.
💰 Your go-to rideshare app may not offer the best deals, depending on your location. Type your pickup and drop-off points into RideGuru to get a comparison of rideshare options in your area, including Uber, Lyft, Curb, Ola Cabs and DiDi Rider.
Smaller or regional options (like those names above you probably don’t recognize) can be a lot cheaper than Uber. Try Wingz, too, if you’re scheduling a ride to the airport in advance.
Speaking of, many airports add an expensive rideshare fee that gets passed along to you. I know someone who takes the airport shuttle to the nearest hotel or parking area instead of directly to the airport, and they catch an Uber from there to their destination instead.
6 ways to use your car to make some cash this summer
Your car is just sitting in the driveway or garage, costing you money. Maybe it’s paid off (hooray!), but gas and maintenance add up. You might as well use those four wheels to make some cash. Here’s how.
Uber and Lyft are at the top of the rideshare game, and it’s worth considering if you enjoy driving and are a people person. Don’t get too chatty, or your reviews might not be great. You’ll have to pass a screening, and then you can work on your own time to generate cash from your ride.
May 15 tech news roundup: Win on eBay, Google beta test, AI video giveaways
Every day in my email newsletter, The Current Tech News, I share the news you need to know. Like what you read? Get it in your inbox.
Win at eBay: New study analyzed 25 million transactions. When bidding, best to use a round percentage of the asking price. Say a seller wants $34. You’ll win the bid at $17 or 50% more often than had you bid $18 or 53%.
Oopsy-daisy: A typo sent Lyft’s stock soaring 35% to a 52-week high of $16.39 per share. Turns out its profit margin got an extra zero, and boy, oh boy, did investors jump on it. From 50 to 500 basis points? Talk about a happy accident.
Ask Kim: 'Which dashcam should I buy?'
Uber, Lyft and other rideshare companies have provided more opportunities to make a living driving people to their destinations. Some do it as a full-time job, while others make driving into a second or part-time job.
10 ways to make money for Christmas that anyone can do
Is there anything better than the holidays? Food, family, and gifts. What more could you want? Tap or click here for creative ways to include your pet in this year’s holiday cards.
As with anything in life, these things all come at a cost. That’s why we’re here to share ways to make this holiday season one your family and friends will never forget.
Use Uber? See how many one-star and five-star ratings you've gotten
Rideshare driving is one way to make money full-time or as a side gig. Rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft offer opportunities to get started with little more than a car, a driver’s license and a smartphone. You’ll also have to pass background checks, and your vehicle must meet standards dictated by the company.
Reader question: 'Can you help me pick a dashcam?'
Uber and Lyft have become overwhelmingly popular in America to make extra cash. Drivers can sign up in minutes, fill in their information and be up and running as an employee in just a few days.
But using your car to earn income comes with liability issues. What if you get into an accident or one of your riders becomes combative? Even if you don’t drive for a living, proving fault in a crash can be difficult. To avoid he said she said, you’ll need to protect yourself.
Best and worst tech of the last decade
When historians look back on the 2010s, they’re sure to see some contradictions. Not only was the last decade a bastion of scientific and technological progress, but it was also a time of a few absolute stinkers.
Between better and more efficient smartphones, the rise of tablets and the breakthrough of smart home devices, there’s been no shortage of amazing products to buy and try out. That said, some items released in the past 10 years were downright strange. Tap or click to see the weirdest smart home gadgets out there.
7 Alexa commands you should be using right now
Turning your home into a smart home is easier than ever. Now you can control virtually anything in your home using your voice. At the center of this revolution is the Amazon Alexa. But with over 50,000 different skills, there is a good chance there are quite a few things you had no idea she could do. Here are the top 7 commands I’m sure you didn’t know about.
