One way to fix the #MeToo problem and the right way to spend a lot of money

Happy Wednesday, MarketWatchers! Here are the top personal finance stories of the day.

Personal Finance

I love my girlfriend, but she spends all her money on vacations and clothes

This 22-year-old man saw his mother lose everything during the Great Recession and doesn’t want history to repeat itself.

This shopping hack will get you 60% off an iPhone XS

Sprint and mobile virtual networks offer ways of getting Apple’s latest phone on the cheap.

Spending money on expensive stuff can make you happier, if you do it for the right reason

It’s not the item, but the reason for buying it, that makes you feel good.

Students do better at public colleges than for-profit colleges

New research into student underperformance comes as officials debate the future of the industry.

Want to fix the #MeToo problem? Start with eliminating abstinence-only sex education

The U.S. government spends $85 million a year on programs that do not address consent.

How to choose a college major that won’t bury you in debt

Research your potential salary so you know how much you can afford to borrow

Your easy step-by-step guide to paying off all kinds of debt

Follow these tips on how to pay off credit cards, student loans and outstanding medical bills faster.

Want to invest in cannabis companies? Watch out for rogue players

The Securities and Exchange Commission is warning of scams.

Why paying more than $50K for college is a gamble

New study sheds light on the risks to pursuing a college degree.

How a $450 million da Vinci painting got lost in America for years

Leonardo da Vinci’s rediscovered painting of Christ as the world’s savior, “Salvator Mundi”—auctioned last year for a record-setting $450.3 million—has been owned by British kings and Russian oligarchs. But until now no one knew much about the nearly half-century it spent lost in obscurity in the U.S.

Elsewhere on MarketWatch

Don’t believe the hype: Republicans’ claims on GDP growth are provably false

Desperate to show the benefits of the federal tax cut before the midterm elections, Republicans are running a con game on the voters.

Repatriated profits total $465 billion after Trump tax cuts - leaving $2.5 trillion overseas

American companies have returned some of their profits held overseas after President Trump cut corporate taxes for the first time in 31 years, but most of their roughly $3 trillion moneypot remains parked offshore.

Housing starts roar back even as builder permits fall to 15-month low

Builders broke ground on more new homes, but applied for fewer permits, a signal that the pace of construction could ease in the future.

U.S. current-account deficit sinks 17%

The U.S. current-account deficit fell 17% in the second quarter and touched the lowest level in three years, though the dropoff is unlikely to last.

Extreme poverty has been reduced by 1 billion people in the last 25 years

The global population living in extreme poverty has fallen below 750 million for the first time since the World Bank began collecting global statistics in 1990, a decline of more than 1 billion people in the past 25 years.

Save the Supreme Court, not Kavanaugh

Senate hearings on nominee test American’s faith in its leaders and government, writes Ann Skeet.

China retaliates with tariffs on $60 billion of U.S. goods

The Chinese government said Tuesday it plans to impose new tariffs on $60 billion in U.S. exports, prompting President Trump to reiterate a threat to punch back by hitting Chinese goods worth more than four times that much.

North Korea will allow foreign experts to inspect nuclear sites

The two Koreas also said that the North would permanently decommission its Yongbyon nuclear-enrichment facility—provided the U.S. took “corresponding steps” to fulfill the terms of the agreement signed by the U.S. and North Korea in June.

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