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Payday lenders prey on those in financial need, offering quick money with interest rates as high as 300 or even 1,000 percent. But it’s about to get a bit harder for those lenders to find their next victim. Google announced this week that it is banning advertisements for payday loans and related products from its AdWords system. The search (and everything else on the Internet) company positioned the new rule as protecting users from fake or harmful products and misleading advertising, and civil rights advocates have supported the move....

Loaning money to family and friends can be a delicate subject. You don’t want to be too formal with the terms of the loan. Yet, if you don’t write a proper loan note or a legally binding IOU, you could be kissing your money goodbye. It’s generally a good idea to protect yourself by putting the terms of the loan in writing. If your friend or relative protests, you could say that there are tax consequences and you’ll need the note to keep the IRS off your back....

A Georgia man has been released from his child support payments after serving over a year in jail despite the court knowing he was not the child’s father. Welcome to the Kafkaesque story of 50 year old Frank Hatley. As reported by CNN, Hatley spent a total of 13 months in jail for non-payment of child support after being declared not the father. Though he had been “relieved” of future child-support payments, he was jailed for failing to pay all the old child support back-payments....

It looks like the Republicans and Democrats can reach across the aisle. Some of the time. On Saturday, a White House Official told the Associated Press that it plans to repeal the 1989 cell phone tax. In fact, the promise of this repeal is included in President Barack Obama’s new budget and spending plan for 2011. If you’re like the rest of America, you’re probably scratching your head right now. Cell phone tax?...

Changes to same sex marriage or even domestic partnership laws seem inevitably to be followed by situations that require a closer look at same sex divorce and custody battles. Singer Melissa Etheridge has filed for dissolution of partnership papers from her long-time partner Tammy Lynn Michaels. Tammy Lynn Michaels is now filing papers seeking full physical and legal custody of the twins she gave birth to during her relationship with Etheridge....

Teen girls under the age of 17 will still require a prescription for Plan B, the emergency contraceptive medication. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has reportedly rejected Teva Pharmaceutical Industries’ application to sell Plan B to teens without the age restriction. FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said the agency was prepared to grant Teva’s request until they were directed by Sebelius not to. Now, the pills will remain behind pharmacy counters with the same restrictions it had before....

When moving into a new home, a few problems are expected during the time it takes to unpack and adjust. However, the last thing anyone expects to come across is toxic mold, the harmful substance responsible for a host of respiratory and sinus problems. If this has happened to you, you’re probably wondering who’s responsible now that you own the home. It actually may not be you. If you purchased your home from another owner, and they knew about the toxic mold, then they may be responsible for their failure to disclose a known defect in the home....

As a small business owner, you’ve already got to worry about everything from inventory and advertising to hiring and firing. And now that Obamacare is in full effect, that’s just one more pan in your ever-more-crowded fire. Two provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) only apply if you’re an “applicable large employers” (ALE). So how do you determine if you’re an ALE? And how do you comply with the ACA if you are?...

The U.S. Senate is poised to vote this week on a bill that would stabilize student loan rates by tying them to market rates. The proposed legislation was announced last week, and in light of the increasing student loans rates facing students in the fall, it is likely to pass with President Obama’s support, reports USA Today. What is included in this new student loan deal, and how will it affect students and their families?...

It may only be fall but winter storms are on the horizon and now is the best time to prepare for the storm. There’s no way to avoid the snow and wind that hit much of the United States during the winter but you can minimize the impact it has on your business. Storm preparation for homeowners is a big topic but it’s just as important for businesses to be ready....

The defense in the kidnapping case of a man who calls himself “Clark Rockefeller” (real name, Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter) is claiming that portions of an interrogation video should not be shown to jurors in his trial. The reason given by the defense? Clark, or Gerhartsreiter, supposedly invoked his right to remain silent, which police proceeded to ignore. These kinds of situations likely provide good fodder for TV cop shows, but they do also pose serious legal issues, as can be seen by looking at the specific details of the Rockefeller case....

A good way to think about an inheritance is to assume you’re getting nothing. After all, it is someone else’s money. That way, when you do receive an inheritance, it’s a blessing. But try telling that to siblings who feel entitled to their parents’ assets, especially if they failed to plan for their own retirements. And to an extent, their feelings are understandable, especially if the parents contributed to their unrealistic expectations....

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed SB 1062 on Wednesday, explaining that the bill – which would have effectively allowed business owners to refuse service to gays on the basis of religious freedom – “does not address a specific and present concern related to religious liberty in Arizona.” While insisting that she had worked hard to represent the voters of Arizona, Gov. Brewer expressed concern that the controversial bill – which had been cast as “anti-gay” – was simply too broad, reports the Los Angeles Times....

A lawsuit filed by Organic Consumers Association (OCA) against Ben & Jerry’s will be allowed to move forward on its merits, according to the recent decision handed down by a Washington, D.C. superior court judge. OCA has sued Ben & Jerry’s, and its parent company, Unilever, claiming the company has misrepresented itself to consumers in advertising. According to OCA, Ben & Jerry’s advertises its ice cream products in such a way as to convince a consumer that its products are more environmentally friendly than they are....

Is it legal for an employer to search an employee’s cell phone? Many employees don’t realize that while they are at work, their privacy rights may be limited when it comes to digital data. For example, employers can legally monitor employee email communications under certain conditions (such as in response to another employee’s harassment complaint), if the employee is using a company-owned device (like a company-issued laptop). So are employers allowed to search their employees’ cell phones?...

Urban farming has given way to urban livestock ownership, and now every hippie and hipster in your neighborhood has chickens, bees, and maybe a goat or two. Which is all well and good for the decrease in their food bill every month, but what about the increase in noise and odor coming from their backyards? The good news is that you may be able to file a nuisance lawsuit to address the problem....

You have been in a car accident. It may have been your fault, but you were injured too. Does this mean you can’t get any compensation for your injuries? What if the other driver was also partially at fault? As with many legal questions, the answer depends on your state’s laws. Some states allow recovery under the comparative negligence theory. Some states bar recovery under the contributory negligence theory. About a dozen states, instead, have no fault laws....

Most people have a good idea of when they may be too sick to go to work. But can an employer ask for proof? Whether your employer offers you paid sick leave (which will soon be required by law in some states) or your sick leave is unpaid, an employer will typically take an employee’s word for it that he or she is sick. In some cases, however, a supervisor may request a doctor’s note or other form of documentation to justify a sick day....

Sure, you have received notices in the mail informing you about a class action case that you may be able to opt into. Or maybe last time you went to drop off a movie rental or pick up groceries, the attendant handed you a note card with details about a pending class action case that you could join. And before you launched into your next errand or tossed the mail into the “look at later” pile, you have may wondered…should you join in or opt out?...

It’s a love story that seems too good to be true: Two nonagenarians, alone in their later years, get married after a chance meeting in line for lottery tickets. But as it turns out, it may indeed be too good to true – or at least to be legal. The bride, 96-year-old widow Edith Hill, was declared mentally incapacitated several years ago, reports The Associated Press. And now a Virginia judge – who called her marriage to 95-year-old widower Eddie Harrison “improper” – has appointed an attorney as Hill’s guardian....