promoearn: The Daily Money: Is your car impacted by AT&T's 3G shutdown?

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

The Daily Money: Is your car impacted by AT&T's 3G shutdown?

ALL THE MONEY NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Tuesday, February 22

Subscribe to The Daily Money newsletter. Come for our roundup of each day's top stories from USA TODAY Money. Stay for the pop-culture references and financial news-inspired playlist.

Happy Twosday (2.22.22) and National Margarita Day, Daily Money readers. Jayme Deerwester back with you, feeling like my decision to retrofit my 2016 Mazda SUV with Apple Carplay a couple of years ago just paid for itself. Read why in the next section.

🗞 News you should know 🗞

It's a good thing a lot of people are still working from home or else we might have panic in our driveways today as AT&T shuts down its 3G network. See, while our phones have long since moved on to faster networks, that's not true for car infotainment systems – even some cars built in the last couple of years use 3G for navigation, safety and emergency services and other features.

Even if your car's system runs off another network like Verizon or T-Mobile, you still need to act sooner than later because those wireless carriers will be shutting down their 3G networks later this year. Check out of our list of affected models so you know how much time you have left.

🚨 More stories you shouldn't miss 🚨

RESTAURANT CRACKDOWN: Managers can't dip into employee tip pool, Labor Department says.

FAMILY DOLLAR RECALL: 404 stores closed in 6 states after rodent infestation; see the list.

GET HIRED IN RECORD SPEED. It now takes minutes as bosses use software to automate hiring.

CLOSING THE WEALTH GAP: An entrepreneur's mission to open Iowa's only Black-owned bank.

SERESTO FLEA COLLAR DEATHS: Popular flea collar linked to almost 1,700 pet deaths, yet the EPA issued no warning.

💡Daily insight 💡

Got a chatty co-worker who's sapping your productivity? While it can be a good thing to take a break and catch up with a colleague, those conversations can become disruptive and even stressful if not held in check. It can feel awkward or rude to address it, especially at first, but set the boundaries now. Your time is valuable, and you are the only one who can protect it.

You can start by politely saying, "I'd love to hear more about this, but I need to get back to work." Sometimes co-workers may not be managing their time the same way you do, or they may not be aware that you're on a tight schedule. A reminder can bring awareness to the situation.

Non-verbal signals help get your point across, too. Let your body language show you are focused on your work, minimize eye contact, and pair it with a request like, "I'm on a deadline, so can we catch up later?" If the co-worker still doesn't take the hint, ask for help. Reach out to your supervisor and have them bring this person up to speed on the situation. Sometimes it takes a third party to get the message across.

💵 Tax hacks 💵

Now that tax season is in full swing, you may be gearing up to tackle your tax return. While you can file on your own (today's software programs are surprisingly user-friendly), there are circumstances where you may want to consider hiring a tax preparer for the job instead. This might be true if you owned a small business, had several side jobs, sold a lot of stock or got married or divorced in 2021.

🎶 Mood music 🎶

LISTEN WHILE YOU WORK: For National Margarita Day, it can only be Jimmy Buffett: "There's booze in the blender. And soon it will render that frozen concoction that helps me hang on."

Remember, you can listen to this song and every track I've quoted in the newsletter in the Daily Money Mood Music playlist on Spotify.