The one and only

When that brutal snowstorm threatened to cancel Christmas, Santa knew there was only one reindeer for the job. That shiny nose not only saved the day, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer set the standard for holiday specials to come.

It’s hard to imagine anything more magical than Santa, the jolly old elf himself, but that magic is rooted in something quite real. In fact, researchers believe they’ve just unearthed the actual sarcophagus of St. Nicholas!

Any elves down there too? ;)

Congratulations to our Day 7 winner, Claudia Kline! Now let’s get ready for Day 7 of our annual 12 Days of Giving. Each weekday between now and December 20th we’re giving away a $100 Amazon eGift card and all you have to do to get in on the fun is answer today’s poll question before 6pm (ET)!*

NOTE: If you’re checking us out here online and would like to take part in the giveaways, please subscribe to the newsletter. Good luck!

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) finalized a rule limiting the way banks and credit unions can impose fees for consumers whose accounts are in overdraft.

Historically, there has been no limit for how much banks are allowed to charge if a customer’s account goes into overdraft, with horror stories often describing extreme examples of a $3 overdraft to buy a coffee resulting in a $30 fee.

The new rule requires banks to choose from a handful of options when it comes to such fees: they can charge a flat rate of $5, they can charge a fee that exclusively covers their losses/costs and nothing more, or they can charge whatever they want, but must be explicitly upfront about the fee structure when acquiring a new customer.

The rule was finalized by the CFPB, but it isn’t set to take effect until October of next year, casting doubt on whether or not it will actually be implemented. President-elect Donald Trump is yet to name a new CFPB director, and the prospect of shutting the entire agency down was floated during his campaign.

The CFPB estimates up to 70% of consumers whose accounts typically end up in overdraft have average regular balances of between $237 and $439. American banks and credit unions generate roughly $8 billion in revenue annually from overdraft fees.

Internet, cable, streaming, mobile—they’re all basically necessary expenses these days, and though we’re always searching for a deal on monthly payments, even the best deals will still ultimately cost hundreds of thousands of dollars over a lifetime.

Reviews.org covered this exact topic in its annual State of Consumer Media Spending report, and found the average American spends $272.90 every month on the four services listed above.

When extrapolated, this figure adds up to $3,274.80 on internet, mobile, streaming, and cable every year. Broken down by category, the average consumer spends $833.16 on internet, $731.52 on mobile, $508.56 on streaming, and $1,067.28 on cable every year.

The report defined an adult lifetime as 60 years, which allowed those who compiled it to estimate how much Americans spend on digital data services over the course of their lives: just under $200,000. Here’s how the report broke it down:

• Internet: $49,989.60 lifetime cost

• Mobile plans: $43,891.20 lifetime cost

• Streaming services: $30,513.60 lifetime cost

• Cable TV: $64,036.80 lifetime cost

Pet owners have increasingly been substituting Apple AirTags as trackers for keeping tabs on their pets. Experts say there are much better and safer alternatives.

For starters, an AirTag has mechanical parts that aren’t safe for pets.

"There's a battery in there, and if the dog or cat ingests this—which there's several articles and reports in our veterinary magazines where people have cited that this has happened—then we have to do a surgery called a gastronomy or an enterotomy and go fish that tag out," says Dr. Shannon Vawter, medical director and veterinarian at Thrive Pet Healthcare Wedgewood in Nashville, Tennessee.

AirTags also aren’t great tracking devices in all scenarios, particularly when it comes to rural ones. "This is especially problematic if you're trying to track a dog that has wandered far away from populated areas," Vawter says.

Microchips are a better alternative, in terms of safety and effectiveness. They’re also affordable, usually not costing more than $60.

"Any pet can get a microchip at any age, and it is not much bigger than a vaccine needle," says Vawter. "We do it all the time with distraction, like giving them some cheese or a little bit of peanut butter, and they don't even know they get it." 

A new study published by researchers at University College London suggests just 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise a day combined with at least six hours of sleep per night will help maintain memory function for longer.

“The takeaway is just [that] physical activity is good for your brain and good sleep helps that,” said D.r Mikaela Bloomberg, first author of the study.

Bloomberg and her team recruited 76 adults between 50 and 83 years of age, and had them wear an accelerometer for eight days, allowing the team to track participants’ physical activity and sleep habits. They also had each participant take a daily cognitive test.

The study revealed those who worked out moderately or vigorously on one day would ultimately experience a 2% to 5% boost in working and episodic memory the following day. This seemingly-causal relationship was detectable each time a participant exercised and slept well.

“The idea is for people who have mild cognitive impairment, a very minor boost in cognitive performance on a day-to-day basis can make a huge difference,” she said.

She noted the study didn’t control for existing levels of cognitive impairment, suggesting the detected effects of exercise may appear differently depending on how cognitively impaired someone already is.

Today, we find ourselves thinking about one of the most iconic decades for TV—the ’70s! If you wanna jump on down the rabbit hole and remember some of TV’s finest shows too, grab a seat and turn on the tube with today’s trivia ;)

Have a great day ahead Staker!

Trivia courtesy of funtrivia.com. Today’s issue written by Michael Cowan, Joey Cowan, and Maureen Norman.


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