Kaitlyn Wells

Journalist & Social Media Maven

United States

Portfolio

MarketWatch.com

Marketwatch
03/21/2014
Don't get cheated at the funeral home

Despite having 30 years to get it right, one in four funeral homes still isn't following a government regulation intended to protect mourners from the confusing and sometimes slippery practices of the funeral planning industry. Annually, the Federal Trade Commission conducts compliance checks across the U.S.

Marketwatch
03/27/2014
7 ways to save on funeral costs

These days, a funeral can cost upwards of $27,000, reports the National Funeral Directors Association. But even the least expensive funerals, hovering around $2,000, can be more than some families can afford. But there are ways to cut the bill.

Marketwatch
03/21/2014
6 ways to beat pricey gym memberships

Minerva Studio / Shutterstock.com Gym memberships at big-name health clubs can cost anywhere from $50 to $200 a month, plus initiation fees - a huge sum many shell out, and some never even show up.

Marketwatch
03/18/2014
Death of the bounced check

Checks don't bounce much anymore. And it's not just that fewer paper checks get written - the rate at which checks get returned for insufficient funds is dropping too. In 2009, 0.5% of checks bounced, according to a report from the Federal Reserve , but by 2012, the rate had dropped to 0.3%.

Marketwatch
03/10/2014
Should your credit score be on your bank statements?

Michael D Brown / Shutterstock.com Are truly free credit scores on the horizon? Maybe, if credit-card companies heed the suggestion of the government that they should provide all consumers with free access to their credit scores.

Marketwatch
03/05/2014
MasterCard uses geolocation to make sure you are you

If someone steals your credit card, they'd probably have little trouble racking up a hefty bar tab or buying a new TV with the plastic. But MasterCard is experimenting with a new technology to change that by using your smartphone's geolocation to verify that you are in the same location as your credit card at the time of sale.

Marketwatch
02/27/2014
Delta brings class warfare to SkyMiles

Getting a good deal on a Delta flight will soon be a bad break for your frequent-flier miles-especially if you're booking a round-trip ticket. That's because starting next January passengers will rack up SkyMiles based on the number of dollars they spend rather than the distance they travel.

TheUptowner.org

Columbia
'Copwatchers' Fight Back Against Stop-And-Frisk | The Uptowner

Matthew Swaye's hands shake with nerves as he walks through Sugar Hill with his phone out. He has never really looked for trouble, but he knows trouble can be just around the corner or across the street. And then he spots it: a New York City police officer questioning a neighborhood kid.

StarringNYC.com

Starringnyc
05/16/2013
Apollo Amateur Night lives on

A night at the Apollo The next big star could be born tonight, everyone knows it. This stage launched the career of a 16-year-old Ella Fitzgerald and a 9-year-old Michael Jackson, to name a few. So no one, not even the audience, is underdressed. This is tradition.

Starringnyc
03/28/2013
Check in to Bates Motel this season

A prequel television series to Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 Psycho, set in the present day, Bates Motel follows the life of 17-year-old Norman Bates ( Freddie Highmore) and his mother, Norma ( Vera Farmiga), as they make a life for themselves in the seaside town of White Pine Bay, Oregon.

Starringnyc
02/24/2013
'Southern Wild' is honest, gritty and beautiful

There's a little island in the Louisiana bayou known to locals as the Bathtub in the film Beasts of the Southern Wild. The rural, feral community that inhabits that Bathtub is indeed a family. The lot stand together, protect one another from outsiders, and never miss out on an opportunity to teach the next generation of Bathtubers to enjoy life.

Starringnyc
03/22/2013
Boardwalk pieces find love in Heartwalk

The red TKTS tickets booth, where discounted Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, music and dance event tickets are sold, is usually the star attraction amid the neon lights and animated billboards in the heart of Times Square. But for a few weeks in February, a pile of debris from Hurricane Sandy took center stage in Duffy Square.

Starringnyc
02/24/2013
'Beautiful Creatures' casts its spell

Get ready for another teen paranormal romance saga, because Beautiful Creatures has just hit theaters. The first installment of "The Caster Chronicles," based on a best-selling series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, follows seventeen-year-old Ethan Wate ( Alden Ehrenreich), a small-town boy with dreams of breaking away from his hometown of Gatlin, South Carolina.

Nautilus Magazine

Nautil
10/30/2013
19th-Century Code Helps 21st-Century Mars Rover Find Its Way

Back in the 1840s, Morse code was a ground-breaking approach for sending messages over a hot, new communications medium called the electrical telegraph. Earlier this year, the last telegram ever was sent, yet Morse code is not entirely out of a job.

Consumer Reports Magazine

Consumer Reports
08/21/2013
Far-fetched fast food

Do new fast food items seem a little far fetched? Get information on these crazy fast food items from Consumer Reports.

Consumerreports
02/10/2014
5 Tech Savvy Valentines Day Gifts - Consumer Reports News - Consumer Reports News

Find Ratings If your beloved thinks candy and flowers are passé, then express your commitment this Valentine's Day by giving them one of these gadgets. (After all, everyone loves new toys!) To stick with the lovey-dovey theme, everything listed below is available in a Valentine's Day color scheme.

Consumerreports
11/21/2013
GustBuster Umbrella | GustBuster Reviews - Consumer ReportsFlipping for GustBuster

The claim. GustBuster is the only  "UN-Flip­pable, UN-Flappable, UN-Leakable umbrella in the World!" boasts its manu­facturer, touting the "exclusive, rain­drop-shaped wind-release vents" that enable the umbrella to withstand winds of more than 55 mph. GustBusters come in various sizes. We paid $34.95 for a foldable Metro with a 43-inch canopy.

Consumerreports
11/18/2013
Black Friday Deals | Video Game Consoles - Consumer Reports News - Consumer Reports News

This holiday season, the gaming world is buzzing about the release of the Sony PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Xbox One. But many shoppers may not be willing to shell out $400 or $500 for each system. Still, there are deals to be had during Black Friday.And though retailers are offering similar deals, there are a few surprises for PS3 and Xbox 360 bundles.

ConsumerReports.org

Consumerreports
12/04/2013
Post Black Friday Deals | Best Electronics Deals - Consumer Reports - Consumer Reports News

Walmart has several electronics-bundle deals. For $85, the retailer is offering the Canon PowerShot SX160 IS with an 8GB SDHC memory card. This point-and-shoot is a good option for the shutterbug who enjoys shooting landscapes as well as indoor get-togethers. It's also lightweight and has a great image stabilizer, which is important when photographing images using the zoom.

Consumerreports
12/18/2013
5 Top Tech Gifts For Teenagers | Best Gifts - Consumer Reports - Consumer Reports News

Ninety-five percent of teenagers are online, says the Pew Research Center-so it's no wonder that the digital world is dominated by selfies, emojis, and txt-speak. Nor is it shocking that electronics are at the top of teen wish lists this year. But should you be concerned with how connected they are with every new device you purchase?

Consumerreports
11/24/2013
13 Holiday Shopping Apps | Gift Buying Tips - Consumer Reports News

Groupon is the digital-deal site you already know and love; this is the app version. For the gift-giving season, you can easily sort through deals under $50, for him or for her, or by recent promotion. In fact, Groupon's offering 50 percent off your favorite magazine for a limited time.

Consumerreports
07/17/2013
Essentials for your summer camping trip

July, which happens to be National Park and Recreation Month, offers a perfect chance to explore America's more than 400 national parks. If camping is in order, as it was for 282 million Americans at national parks last year, be sure to make a list and check it at least twice.

Consumerreports
07/18/2013
Backyard and bathroom updates are the summer's top projects

Home improvement activity is heating up this summer with 60 percent of homeowners expecting to spend an average of $1,200 on at least one upgrade. At the top of the list is improving outdoor spaces, followed by bathroom remodels, according to Zillow Digs, an online real estate website that tracks design trends.

Consumerreports
08/23/2013
College Apps | Back to School - Consumer Reports - Consumer Reports News

Find Ratings College students everywhere are heading back to school-with their mobile devices in hand. We've compiled a list of our favorite free back-to-school apps that can help you score an A in College 101. Whether it's studying for a test, learning better eating habits, or even finding your car in a giant university parking lot, we've got you covered.

Bay Area Council On Drugs & Alcohol

Yourhoustonnews
League City Healing Field raises awareness about the high cost of drunk driving

It doesn't stand as a reminder of 9/11 but each flagpole in the ground marks the lives lost due to alcohol-related motor vehicle fatalities on Texas roadways in 2010. This November marks the fourth installment of the Healing Field: A Memorial Event, and remains the only field of its kind in the state of Texas.

InCite Newspaper

Incitealternative
Recovery Assistance Limited for Number 8 Party School

Photo by Emily Kinsolving Celebration of Recovery meetings are held in a classroom in the School of Social Work building. In October, State District Judge John Dietz ordered Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity to pay $16.2 million to the parents of a University of Texas at Austin freshman pledge Tyler Cross, 18.

Multimedia