| Volume 129 Number 4 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
Now is the time to be thinking about returning a holiday gift? Return policies are a matter of contract law and are determined at the time of purchase. If the store has a notice posted saying, “no returns-exchange only” the person who receives the gift will be bound by this rule. It is always a good idea to ask the store about its return or exchange policy when you purchase the gift. Click here for more.
Several Issues on Voter Ballots to Affect Consumers
After last night's presidential campaign result, the global markets took a downturn, but have now stabilized. The markets began a steady climb after Donald Trump made a victory speech late last night that was focused on unity and less on divisive rhetoric. However, there is still a lot of uncertainty among investors over what his campaign will actually deliver. Additionally, there is skepticism that the proposed AT&T and Time Warner merger will happen under a Trump presidency. The Trump campaign came out strongly against the merger when it was first announced. Along with the presidential election, Boulder, Colorado and cities in California voted to tax soda and sugary beverages. Cook County in Illinois will vote later this week to tax beverages in Chicago. Further, voters in California, Nevada, and Massachusetts approved the legalization of recreational marijuana. Click here for more.
Your Money
In the morning after the presidential election, you may now be asking about how a Trump presidency may affect your personal finance. From what Trump has stated during the campaign many people's tax bills are likely to fall. He plans to lower rates for businesses and individuals, although low-income families may end up paying more. He has vowed to hold colleges accountable if they don't lower tuition. He also wants to forgive student loan debt after 15 years of full payments instead of 20. Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Uniform Wage Garnishment Act: Currently, every state has a different wage garnishment law and process. This means that employers who do business across multiple states must know and abide by a different, and often complex, law for each jurisdiction. If employers make processing errors calculating garnishments, they may face civil penalties. The Uniform Wage Garnishment Act seeks to simplify and clarify wage garnishments for employers, creditors, and consumers by standardizing how the wage garnishment process works and offering plain-language notice and garnishment calculation forms. Click here for more.