Anson Chan

Six women who were drugged and raped or sexually assaulted by the same Denver cardiologist filed a lawsuit against Match Group on Dec. 16, accusing the world’s largest dating app company of “accommodating rapists across its products” through “negligence” and a “defective” product.

The women, backed by four law firms, said that by allowing known abusers like Stephen Matthews to remain on its apps, Tinder and Hinge, even after they are reported for rape, the company fostered a breeding ground for “sexual predators.”

“Even when Match Group receives reports about rapists, they continue to welcome them, fail to warn users about the general and specific risks, and affirmatively recommend known predators to members,” the complaint said. “Rapists know each Match Group platform offers a catalog of available victims.”

Though Match Group claimed to a survivor who reported Matthews that they had “permanently banned” him, the suit contends, he remained active on Hinge — and was even promoted as a “Standout” match.

“Dating apps have a duty to protect their users from known dangers,” said Carrie Goldberg, one of the attorneys representing Matthews’ survivors. Goldberg, who is known for high-profile lawsuits against large companies, including Amazon and Meta, and high-profile abusers, like Harvey Weinstein, said “Stephen Matthews was a known danger,” calling dating apps “potentially the most dangerous product.”

The 54-page complaint, filed in Denver District Court, cites an 18-month investigation into Match Group by the Dating App Reporting Project, published in The Markup in February.

In October 2024, Matthews was sentenced to 158 years to life in prison. He was convicted in August of 35 counts of drugging and/or sexually assaulting 11 women between 2019 and 2023. The six women bringing civil suit against Match Group are proceeding anonymously to protect their identities.

Match Group did not provide comment before publication. In February, in a statement provided to the Dating App Reporting Project by company spokesperson Kayla Whaling, the company cast itself as an industry leader in deploying technology to promote safety, including “harassment-preventing AI tools, ID verification for profiles, and a portal that helps us better support and communicate with law enforcement investigating crimes. … Every person deserves safe and respectful experiences. We are committed to doing the work to make dating safer on our platforms and beyond.”

“We recognize our role in fostering safer communities and promoting authentic and respectful connections worldwide,” the February statement read. “We will always work to invest in and improve our systems, and search for ways to help our users stay safe, both online and when they connect in real life.”

The Dating Apps Reporting Project investigation found that Match Group, an $8 billion dating app behemoth that operates in more than 40 languages and 190 countries, had kn

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When homeowners review their policy, their focus often remains on Coverage A: Dwelling, which is the physical structure of the main house. However, a significant portion of a property’s value resides in its external, unattached structures, such as detached garages, fencing, sheds, and gazebos.

Cheap Insurance explains how these external structures are covered under a different section of the homeowners insurance policy, usually designated as Coverage B: Other Structures. Understanding this section’s limitations, exclusions, and unique valuation is essential to prevent significant financial loss after a claim.

Defining Coverage B: What Does Other Structure Include?

Coverage B provides protection for structures on the residence premises that are separated from the main house by clear space. The structure is considered “detached” or “appurtenant.”

The core definition of Other Structure includes any building or feature at the insured location that is not directly attached to the primary dwelling. If a structure is connected only by a fence, utility line, or similar minimal attachment, it is typically still classified under Coverage B.

Common structures that fall under Coverage B include:

• Detached garages and carports
• Storage sheds, utility buildings, and workshops
• Fences (wood, chain link, or vinyl)
• Gazebos and pergolas
• In-ground swimming pools and related equipment (often covered under Coverage B or A, depending on the specific policy language)
• Guest houses or casitas (if not rented out)

Attached Versus Detached Distinction

The distinction between Coverage A and Coverage B is crucial. An attached garage, a sunroom, or a deck physically connected to the house is covered under Coverage A: Dwelling. A structure set apart by clear space falls under Coverage B: Other Structures. Incorrectly valuing these structures can lead to underinsurance on a claim.

The Automatic Coverage Limit: A Common Gap

In nearly all standard homeowners insurance policies (the industry-standard HO-3 form), the limit for Coverage B is set automatically as a percentage of your main dwelling coverage (Coverage A).

• Standard limit: The limit for Coverage B: Other Structures is typically 10% of your Coverage A dwelling limit.
• Example: If your main house (Coverage A) is insured for $500,000, your automatic Coverage B limit for all other structures combined is only $50,000.

This automatic 10% limit represents a major coverage gap for many homeowners. If you have a substantial detached garage used for storage, a high-quality perimeter fence, and an expensive in-ground pool, the combined replacement cost can easily exceed this 10% threshold, leaving you significantly underinsured after a total loss. Homeowners must calculate the full replacement cost of all secondary structures and proactively ask their agent to increase the Coverage B limit if needed.

Common Exclusions and Pitfalls in Coverage B

While Coverage B protects

James Bernal for The Hechinger Report

When Edgar Rosales Jr. uses the word “home,” the second-year college student with a linebacker’s build isn’t referring to the house he plans to buy after becoming a nurse or getting a job in public health. Rather, the student at California’s Long Beach City College is talking about the parking lot he slept in every night for more than a year. With Oprah-esque enthusiasm, Rosales calls the other students who use LBCC’s Safe Parking Program his “roommates” or “neighbors.”

Between 8 and 10:30 p.m., those neighbors drive onto the lot, where staff park during the day. Nearby showers open at 6 a.m. Sleeping in a car may not sound like a step up, but for Rosales — who dropped out of a Compton high school more than 20 years ago to become a truck driver — being handed a key fob to a bathroom stocked with toilet paper and hand soap was life-altering. He kept the plastic tab on his key ring, even though he was supposed to place it in a drop box each morning, because the sight of it brought comfort; the sense of it between his fingers, hard and slick, felt like peace.

When Rosales and his son’s mother called it off again in the fall of 2024, just after he’d finished a GED program and enrolled at LBCC, he stayed with his brother for a week or so. But he didn’t want to be a burden. So one day after work at the trucking company — he’d gone part-time since enrolling, though he’d still regularly clock 40 hours a week — he circled the block in his beat-up sedan and parked on the side of the road, near some RVs and an encampment. The scariest part of sleeping in his car was the noises, Rosales told The Hechinger Report: “I heard a dog barking or I heard somebody running around or you see cop lights going down the street. You see people looking in your car.” He couldn’t sleep, let alone focus. Without the ability to bathe regularly, he began to avoid people to spare them the smell. The car became his sanctuary, but also, a prison. As he put it, “It starts messing with your mental health.”

First, Rosales dropped a class. A few weeks later, he told his LBCC peer navigator he couldn’t do it anymore and needed her help to withdraw. Instead, she got Rosales signed up for the college’s Safe Parking Program, and everything flipped on its head. With the LBCC lot’s outlets and WiFi, the back seat of his car morphed into a study carrel. Campus security was there to watch over him, not threaten him like the police had, telling him to move along or issuing a citation that cost him a day’s pay. For the first time in a month, Rosales said, “I could just sleep with my eyes closed the whole night.”

Forty-eight percent of college students experience housing insecurity, meaning “challenges that prevent them from having a safe, affordable, and consistent place to live,” suggests the most recent Read more

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The real estate investment arena hasn’t exactly been rolling out the red carpet for new investors, but things are about to change. According to industry insiders, we’re stepping into a Goldilocks zone over the next six to 12 months. For the last few years, you couldn’t breathe on a property without ten cash offers beating you. That frenzy has finally cooled (at least for the moment).

Interest rates have settled in the mid-6% range and are projected to dip slightly into 2026. This will push sellers who were holding onto their 3% rates to realize that life goes on, and they have to sell. As a result, more distressed inventory is about to hit the market.

But to turn a profit, you need to buy deep (at a discount) and move fast. Speed is the currency of this market, which is why finding proper financing for first-time fix-and-flip is of utmost importance, The Investor’s Edge reports.

The Investor’s Edge

Why a Hard Money Loan?

Conventional mortgages typically require a property to be habitable, meaning it must have a functioning HVAC system, a roof, and a kitchen.

Not to mention that a bank loan takes 30 to 45 days to close … few investors have that much time to throw around. In this market, good deals last about 48 hours, and then they’re gone. You’re either ready to act or not.

This is why the best fix-and-flip loans for first-time investors need to be speedy, without worrying too much about the property’s current condition. A hard money lender doesn’t care if there’s a hole in the roof; they care about the house’s future value. Plus, a hard money loan can close in seven to 10 days, making it much easier to negotiate against cash offers.

Financing for First-Time Fix-And-Flip

Hard money lenders want to lend, so they won’t look for reasons to say “no” like a bank would. However, this doesn’t mean it’s something anyone can get.

When you’re looking for money for your first fix-and-flip, you’ll notice lenders want to know three things:

Can you pay me back if you fail?

This is the biggest hurdle. You need skin in the game (so to speak). For a first-timer, expect to bring 20% to 25% of the purchase price plus closing costs.

If you don’t have that cash, bring a money partner who provides the capital in exchange for a share of the profits. The lender doesn’t care whose money it is, as long as it’s there.

LanaSweet // Shutterstock

New year, new calendar, and new opportunities for your business.

But first comes the cleanup. The weeks before January are when all the loose ends show up — invoices that need collecting, payroll that needs double-checking, and plans that need to be set in motion before another busy year begins.

It’s tempting to push financial details to January, but taking a few hours now can make the difference between a smooth start and a stressful one. The more accurate your numbers and organized your systems are, the more ready you’ll be for what’s next.

According to the Federal Reserve Banks’ Small Business Credit Survey, 59% of small businesses report being in “fair or poor” financial condition.

Comerica created a short checklist of five practical financial moves to help you close out the year with confidence and step into the new one prepared.

Key takeaways:

• Year-end gives you the cleanest snapshot of your business. Use this as an opportunity to review your numbers and data-backed decisions.
• To keep your business running smoothly into the new year, update payment systems, payroll records, and fraud protections.
• Set clear goals and plan for financing needs to turn year-end clarity into next-year momentum.

1. Review Your Finances

Year-end tells you the financial truth. You’ll see which months carried the business, which expenses crept up, and where the cash went. Before the calendar turns, look at the patterns in your financials, and use them to shape decisions in January and beyond.

• Check cash flow and reserves. Compare your last few months of revenue against costs. If December was strong, move some funds into savings to help cover slower weeks in January. For many owners, the first quarter slows down while fixed costs like rent and payroll still come due.
• Reconcile accounts and clear outstanding payments. Match your receivables, payables and bank balances. If an invoice is overdue, follow up now instead of carrying it into the new year. Catching a missed payment before year-end avoids messy surprises during tax prep.
• Meet with your CPA or tax advisor. Review how new rules under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act could affect you. Ask if there are smart year-end moves — like prepaying expenses or making retirement contributions — that could help lower your taxable income.

2. Check Payments and Payroll

How are payments working for you? Look at how customers paid this year and how easy it was for you to pay others. If you’re juggling paper checks or slow deposits, small upgrades can save you hours each month.

• Evaluate payment systems. If your customers couldn’t use their preferred payment methods, fix it before the next busy stretch. Add digital wallets, tap-to-pay, or online invoicing. Shoppers often abandon purchases when chec