CNN BUSINESS | Don’t believe these 8 common credit score myths

You probably already know that you need a good credit score to get the best interest rates on a mortgage or auto loan, which can make a big difference to your budget over time.

“With something like a mortgage, even a minor difference in rates can have a big impact on your monthly payment and can mean tens of thousands of dollars or more over the life of the loan,” said Justin Pritchard, a certified financial planner and founder of Approach Financial.

But that’s just the beginning of how the three-digit number impacts your financial life.  –read more–  

CNN US | America’s disdain for Black men and boys hasn’t diminished in the years since Trayvon Martin was killed

Washington (CNN) – Police officers’ aggressive handling of a Black teenager in New Jersey wasn’t anomalous — it was part of an age-old pattern of treating Black men and boys as threats to be subdued.

In a video that went viral last week, two Bridgewater Township officers break up a fight at a mall between two boys: one White, the other Black. While the White teenager is pushed onto a nearby couch, the Black teenager is pinned to the ground and then handcuffed. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who’s representing the family of the Black teenager, said in a recent statement that the incident pulled into focus “the kind of racial bias that we need to root out of our system of policing.”  –read more–

CNN travel | Best boutique hotels opening in Europe in 2022

(CNN) — Small, intimate and well-placed, a good boutique hotel offers far more than just a place to lay your head.

The best, especially those in the charm-filled cities of Europe, exhibit local flavor, distinctive character and a strong connection to the community.

While the pandemic may have put paid to many travel plans over the past two years, things are looking slightly more hopeful for 2022, with a number of new boutique hotels slated to open across Europe by the end of the year.

Whether you’re looking for a home away from home, a hideaway from the bustle of the city, or somewhere in the center of it all, here are some of the most stylish new European boutique boltholes to watch out for this year.  –read more–

CNN US | Video showing how police treat Black and White teens in mall fight sparks outrage

(CNN) – A video showing police officers breaking up a fight between a Black teenager and a White teenager at a New Jersey mall has prompted outrage over the police response.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday that the “appearance of what is racially disparate treatment is deeply, deeply disturbing.”

One video of the incident reviewed by CNN shows the boys arguing before the White teenager points his finger at the Black teenager’s face, and the Black teenager pushes the White teenager’s hand back. The White teenager pushes the Black teenager, who begins to throw punches at the other boy. The White teenager punches back.  –read more–  

CNN BUSINESS | Home prices skyrocketed last year. Two regions saw the biggest increases

Home prices rose 18.8% in 2021, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller US National Home Price Index, the biggest increase in 34 years of data and substantially ahead of 2020’s 10.4% gain.

All regions saw price gains last year, but increases were strongest in the South and the Southeast, each of which were up over 25%.

Phoenix, Tampa and Miami reported the highest annual gains among the 20 cities in the index in December. Phoenix led the way for the 31st consecutive month with prices 32.5% higher than the year before. It was followed by Tampa with a 29.4% increase, and Miami, with a 27.3% increase.  –read more—

ESPN | F1 to host three sprint races in 2022 with revised point format

Formula One will have three qualifying sprint races in 2022 with points now given out to the top eight rather than just the top three, it was confirmed at Monday’s F1 Commission.

The revised weekend format with qualifying on a Friday evening, a sprint race on Saturday and the main race on Sunday, will take place at April’s Emilia Romagna GP, July’s Austrian GP and November’s Brazilian GP.

The winner of the sprint race at each of those events will score eight points, rather than three like last year, with the points scaling down to eighth position, which will score one point. –read more–  

CNN BUSINESS | The biggest chip deal in history has fallen apart

Hong Kong (CNN Business) – SoftBank’s record-breaking sale of a prized chip designer to Nvidia has officially been called off.

At an initial value of $40 billion, the US chipmaker’s acquisition of British design firm ARM would have been the largest semiconductor deal on record.

But regulators around the world have long raised concerns about the deal, eventually leading to its collapse on Tuesday.  –read more– 

CNN BUSINESS | These GameStop traders struck gold. Then came the hard part.

(CNN) – Best friends AJ Vanover and George “Rash” Adams were once making $35,000 a year working together at a battery store in rural Missouri. But a bet on GameStop last year changed their lives. So what happens after you strike market gold? –watch–