Kim K. uses the FaceTune app: Not me — the other Kim K. She’s one of the many celebs who use it to look great in every photo on social media. It’s free to download, but there are a ton of in-app purchases. Expect to shell out $30 a year for all the editing features and to remove watermarks. More here.
Sky-high car insurance rates? Blame it on all the tech in our cars
My car insurance just went up 32%. Did I have an accident or get a few tickets? Nope. Across the U.S., the average full-coverage car insurance bill went up 25% last year. In some states, it was closer to 40%. Geez.
The main reason? Today’s high-tech vehicles cost way more to repair. You don’t need to own a high-tech car to feel the pinch, though; it’s hitting everyone.
Driving up costs
Modern cars are packed with dozens of sensors and endless lines of computer code. Combine that with the rising cost of replacement parts and repairs, and voila — soaring auto insurance rates.
No wonder the average collision insurance claim jumped 64% between 2018 and 2022. In 2023, auto insurance rates climbed 20%, the biggest increase since 1976.
The rate increases are slowing a bit, but there’s no telling how tariffs could impact that. About 60% of car parts used in repairs are imported from China.
Let’s look under the hood
In 2018, Toyota redesigned its uber-popular Camry. The number of parts in the front bumper alone increased from 18 to 43. Most are related to advanced driver-assist features.
The upgrades also mean a front-end collision repair is 43% more expensive. It’s not just driver-assist jacking up costs.
- Many new cars have LED headlights, which cost around five times more than halogen lights to replace.
- New cars contain more aluminum. Compared to steel, aluminum is lighter, provides better gas mileage and offers more protection in a crash, but it’s harder to fix and more expensive.
- EVs take 20 days on average to repair. That’s 40% longer than traditional vehicles and $500 more expensive for labor.
Smart ways to save
I make it my business to find the best ways to save. Then, I pass them along to you. Let’s do this.
68 to 70 degrees: Your thermostat’s sweet spot during winter to keep you comfy without raising your heating bill. Pro tip: Turn it down by 7 to 10 degrees for the hours you’re at work. You may save up to 10% a year. A smart thermostat makes it easy to maintain a schedule.
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
📍 Google Maps pro tip: You don’t need to know the exact name of something to find it. Search Maps for general terms, like “plants and trees,” “frame shop” or “dog park,” and Google will find you spots that match.
Tip tap: Navigate with just your keyboard. On a PC, hit the Windows key + T to highlight the first icon on your taskbar, then use the arrow keys to move through the bar. Press Enter to open an app. On Mac, hold down Cmd + Tab for a list of open apps. Use the arrows to navigate, and release the keys when you reach the one you want.
Big Tech decides what you see: It doesn’t have to be that way. StartMail is my pick for the best privacy-first email. It’s super easy to switch over your contacts and mail, or you can treat it as a fresh inbox for only your VIPs. Save 60% now with my special link.
🔠 All work and no play: Get through your afternoon slump (or teach your kid to spell) by plugging this prompt into any chatbot: “Let’s play hangman. Think of a word, and I’ll guess one letter at a time. I get six wrong guesses before it’s game over. Each wrong answer adds a part to the hangman with ASCII art.” So fun!
3 signs there’s a card skimmer: Criminals put them on ATMs, gas pumps and payment terminals at grocery stores to steal your info. Red flags: 1.) The buttons on the PIN pad are off-center, 2.) They’re hard to push and 3.) Part of the pad is loose. If anything feels off, walk away. Better bet: Use your credit card’s tap-to-pay option, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
Better than holding down the power button: Windows PCs have a hidden emergency restart when nothing will respond. Hold down Ctrl and click the power icon in the Start menu. You’ll get a dramatic-looking message warning you’ll lose any unsaved data. Click OK to restart immediately.
🥴 “What’d you say?” If you find yourself asking this more and more, it’s time to make a change. Forget the hearing aids your grandpa wore; today’s tech is so much better. These hearing aids have two tiny processors that analyze the sound around you to make conversations crystal clear. Incredible.
Apple menu > System Settings > Displays: Head there on your Mac to see options for how text is displayed. Make it bigger, smaller or have more space between lines. Play around and see what you like. In nerd speak, you’re changing your screen resolution.
📦 Packages ending up at the wrong house? Enter your address in Google Maps to see if it’s marked correctly. Press Suggest an edit (pencil icon) > Wrong address > Fix an address. Move the map to where your house is or type the correct info if you’re on a computer. Tap Submit.
Tailored advice: Create a “persona” for your AI chatbot when you write a prompt. Pick a role and give some context. For example, “Pretend you’re a graphic designer giving me feedback on my website’s color scheme and branding. What should I adjust?” You can do this with any role you can think of! More smarts like this are coming soon in my small-biz newsletter.
Get more cred: Don’t let your LinkedIn posts get lost in the digital abyss. The best time to post is a weekday during business hours, especially lunchtime between noon and 1 p.m. Bonus points for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
🔦 Light it up: On your iPhone, hold down the flashlight button and drag the slider up or down to control its brightness. One more: Say, “Siri, turn on the flashlight” when you need it, then tell her to turn it off, too.
50% off alert: My home security pick, SimpliSafe, is having a massive sale. Get all the gear to lock down your home. You’ll sleep better at night.
Try this, Samsung pals: Samsung DeX lets you connect your Galaxy phone or tablet to a monitor or TV. Just plug a USB-C to HDMI adapter into your phone and voila: A mini computer! You can connect a mouse and keyboard via Bluetooth, too.
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
While you’re at it: Lock down your device security. If you’re still browsing, shopping and working online without antivirus software, you’re making a mistake. My trusted pick is $19 for the first year.
Locked up tight: In Gmail, click the little padlock icon at the bottom of a new email for Confidential mode. Set an expiration date and a passcode for your recipient to open the email. You’ll both feel like James Bond.
📊 Make your data pop: Biz owners, AI can turn a dry presentation into something more fun. Just share your data with your AI chatbot. Let it know what stats you wanna show off. Then ask, “Can you turn this data into [an infographic, an interactive quiz, a poll, etc.]?” Your clients will remember it.