Betty Lin-Fisher
Verified
USA TODAY consumer reporter, adjunct faculty at Kent State School of Media and Journalism, formerly Akron Beacon Journal consumer columnist and medical reporter
Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Betty Lin-Fisher
Protect wallet from surveillance pricing
USA TODAY Network As American shoppers are seeing price hikes from tariffs, the…
The Daily Money: The rising costs of college life
Oct. 30, 2026, 10:29 a.m. ET Good morning and Happy Friday! This is Betty Lin-Fisher with Friday's consumer-focused edition of The Daily Money. In the final installment in our six-part series on the American economy, Daniel de Visé talked to six college students to take the pulse of their money woes. Is AI your secret holiday helper? More than half of Americans in a new survey said they'd let AI help them with their holiday shopping.
Is AI This Holiday Shopping Season’s Secret Santa?
At a time when American shoppers are seeing price hikes from tariffs, the war with Iran and inflation, there’s another reason some shoppers are paying different prices, some consumer advocates and lawmakers say. It’s surveillance pricing, which uses personalized information about you to potentially change the price. That is different than dynamic pricing, which is often called surge pricing, and changes with supply and demand.
Is AI this holiday shopping season's Secret Santa? Original
Oct. 30, 2026, 5:03 a.m. ET More than half of Americans said in a new survey they'd let AI help them with their holiday shopping. But a large chunk of them wouldn't tell the recipient they used AI. Sixty-five percent of respondents in the Visa 2026 Holiday Spending Shift Survey said they'd let AI assist their holiday shopping, with 24% saying they're more comfortable with the technology than last year.
'I have to pay her back.' One family's struggle to afford food
Snapshots of the Economy: Relentless inflation and a stagnant job market have thrust the economy to the forefront of the November midterms. In the run-up to election day, USA TODAY Money reporters fanned out across the country to examine how Americans are coping with the financial squeeze, from the gut-punch of sudden layoffs and endless job searches to the daily grind of making ends meet. This is the fourth story in a six-part series.
'I have to pay her back.' One family's struggle to afford food Original
Oct. 28, 2026, 5:01 a.m. ET Snapshots of the Economy: Relentless inflation and a stagnant job market have thrust the economy to the forefront of the November midterms. In the run-up to election day, USA TODAY Money reporters fanned out across the country to examine how Americans are coping with the financial squeeze, from the gut-punch of sudden layoffs and endless job searches to the daily grind of making ends meet. This is the fourth story in a six-part series.
Americans enjoying shopping secondhand
USA TODAY Network The popularity of secondhand buying and selling of goods as a…
These Alabama residents spend among most on groceries, study says Original
Birmingham residents spend a larger share of their household income on groceries than residents of nearly every other major U.S. city, according to a new WalletHub study. Birmingham ranked No. 3 in the personal finance website’s analysis of grocery spending across 100 of the nation’s largest cities. Residents spend approximately 3.45% of the median monthly household income on a basket of common grocery items, the website reported.
Will Halloween mean less chocolate?
There may be something scary in Halloween trick-or-treat bags, or rather, a lack of something: chocolate. Cocoa prices have dropped from record-high numbers in 2024, but retail chocolate prices are still high. That will likely mean less chocolate for trick-or-treaters, David Branch, sector manager of Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute, told USA TODAY. "For families, this Halloween they may notice they're getting a little less for their money,'' Branch said.
Home repair costs jump 76% in a decade Original
Oct. 19, 2026, 5:05 a.m. ET Home improvement and repair costs have escalated in price in the last decade, adding to the strain of tight budgets for Americans, a new analysis finds. The median cost of a home improvement project has risen 76.1% from 2015 to 2025, from $1,200 to an inflation-adjusted $2,113, according to a LendingTree analysis. "Home improvement costs are increasing so much in part because the price of most anything is going up.
Why you might find less chocolate in your Halloween bag
There may be something scary in Halloween trick-or-treat bags, or rather, a lack of something: chocolate. kAmr@4@2 AC:46D 5C@AA65 7C@> C64@C5 9:89 ?F>36CD :? a_ac[ 3FE C6E2:= 49@4@=2E6 AC:46D 2C6 DE:== 9:89]k^Am kAm%92E =:<6=J H:== >62? =6DD 49@4@=2E6 7@C EC:4<\@C\EC62E6CD[ s2G:5 qC2?49[ D64E@C >2?286C @7 (6==D u2C8@ p8C:\u@@5 x?DE:EFE6[ E@=5 &$p %@52J]k^Am Costumed children participate Oct. 31, 2025, in a Halloween event in Bainbridge Island, Wash.
Why you might find less chocolate in your Halloween bag
There may be something scary in Halloween trick-or-treat bags, or rather, a lack of something: chocolate. kAmr@4@2 AC:46D 5C@AA65 7C@> C64@C5 9:89 ?F>36CD :? a_ac[ 3FE C6E2:= 49@4@=2E6 AC:46D 2C6 DE:== 9:89]k^Am kAm%92E =:<6=J H:== >62? =6DD 49@4@=2E6 7@C EC:4<\@C\EC62E6CD[ s2G:5 qC2?49[ D64E@C >2?286C @7 (6==D u2C8@ p8C:\u@@5 x?DE:EFE6[ E@=5 &$p %@52J]k^Am Costumed children participate Oct. 31, 2025, in a Halloween event in Bainbridge Island, Wash.
Why you might find less chocolate in your Halloween bag
There may be something scary in Halloween trick-or-treat bags, or rather, a lack of something: chocolate. kAmr@4@2 AC:46D 5C@AA65 7C@> C64@C5 9:89 ?F>36CD :? a_ac[ 3FE C6E2:= 49@4@=2E6 AC:46D 2C6 DE:== 9:89]k^Am kAm%92E =:<6=J H:== >62? =6DD 49@4@=2E6 7@C EC:4<\@C\EC62E6CD[ s2G:5 qC2?49[ D64E@C >2?286C @7 (6==D u2C8@ p8C:\u@@5 x?DE:EFE6[ E@=5 &$p %@52J]k^Am Costumed children participate Oct. 31, 2025, in a Halloween event in Bainbridge Island, Wash.
Why you might find less chocolate in your Halloween bag
We and our 74 IAB TCF partners store and access information on your device for the following purposes: store and/or access information on a device, advertising and content measurement, audience research, and services development, personalised advertising, and personalised content. Personal data may be processed to do the following: use precise geolocation data and identify devices based on information actively requested.
Why you might find less chocolate in your Halloween bag
There may be something scary in Halloween trick-or-treat bags, or rather, a lack of something: chocolate. kAmr@4@2 AC:46D 5C@AA65 7C@> C64@C5 9:89 ?F>36CD :? a_ac[ 3FE C6E2:= 49@4@=2E6 AC:46D 2C6 DE:== 9:89]k^Am kAm%92E =:<6=J H:== >62? =6DD 49@4@=2E6 7@C EC:4<\@C\EC62E6CD[ s2G:5 qC2?49[ D64E@C >2?286C @7 (6==D u2C8@ p8C:\u@@5 x?DE:EFE6[ E@=5 &$p %@52J]k^Am Costumed children participate Oct. 31, 2025, in a Halloween event in Bainbridge Island, Wash.
Why you might find less chocolate in your Halloween bag
There may be something scary in Halloween trick-or-treat bags, or rather, a lack of something: chocolate. kAmr@4@2 AC:46D 5C@AA65 7C@> C64@C5 9:89 ?F>36CD :? a_ac[ 3FE C6E2:= 49@4@=2E6 AC:46D 2C6 DE:== 9:89]k^Am kAm%92E =:<6=J H:== >62? =6DD 49@4@=2E6 7@C EC:4<\@C\EC62E6CD[ s2G:5 qC2?49[ D64E@C >2?286C @7 (6==D u2C8@ p8C:\u@@5 x?DE:EFE6[ E@=5 &$p %@52J]k^Am Costumed children participate Oct. 31, 2025, in a Halloween event in Bainbridge Island, Wash.
Show More
loading
Actions
Get in touch with Betty
Contact Betty, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack