This years hottest holiday toys compacted with the latest technology. But buyer beware. Are these gadgets actually safe . Andrew day has more in our cover story. Im listening to you. Reporter t talking through. Im listening to you. Reporter its just a demo, but the Public Interest Research Group is concerned that my friend kayla could double as a spy. If a stranger is within distance of the bluetooth connection then they can actually lisn in on your child, they can talk to your child. Reporte the interactive doll is already banned by german regulators. Kayla is just the beginning. Were already seeing that more of these internet of things toys are coming onto the market. Reporter genesis toys, which makes my friend kayla, did not respond to our request for comment. But according to the toy Industry Trade group there have been no reported incidents for the doll. But at least one Consumer Group has filed a complaint, with the federal trade commission which regula. Toy safety is the toy industrys number one priority. That not just the physical safety of the toy but the Online Safety of the child playing with their toy. Reporter the Consumer Product Safety Commission or cpsc regulates toys. Cpsc is beginning to look into this. The internet of things. And what does it mean for the safety of the toy . And security. Reporter another hot toy on the agencys radar . Fidget spinners found for sale at target. But loaded with lead. According to tests by cpsc accredited lab. One of them had a whopping 33,000 parts per million of lead. Which is 330 times the legal limit for lead allowed for a prod repor but get this, that Fidget Spinner is perfectly legal because the label says 14 and above. So cpsc toy regulations dont apply. If fidget spin remembers marketed to 12yearolds and younger, then they do have to meet our standards that are very stringent for childrens toys. Reporter bullseye toys, who makes the spinner sold at target tells us, quote, safety is one of our top priorities. All of our products are tested and comply with cp and according to target, while these two products comply with all cpsc guidelines for Fidget Spinners, based on the concerns raised were removing them from our assortment. Additionally were working closely with our vendors to ensure all of the Fidget Spinners carried at target meet the cpscs guidelines for childrens products. To protect kids from lead make sure you check the age on the label. Most Security Experts have when you connect any device to the internet change the default password. No some toys like the doll kayla, dont have a password at all, so that just leaves the toy for on the mo whether youre getting a child an internet connected toy or an amazon echo what should you be looking for when you buy one of these gadgets . Joining us is ed lee, managing editor at reco. Thanks for being here today. Of course. You hear these stories. The idea of doing this, i thought about it with the amazon echo. It never occurred to me that a childs toy could be a listening device or like a hacking device either. Exactly. The technology is getting so fast now theyre putting it into pretty much everything. An internet connected toy has a lot of great features, but that just means its another entry point for a hacker to get in. I your room. O if its got a camera, they can speak to your child. If its got a microphone. Its there have been some hacking incidents already. And its very much buyer beware. What are some tips that you would tell people, say theyve already got some at home. Lets say theyre buying it because its the hot toy. There any way to protect yourself and your child . When the kid is playing with the toy, be around with it. You want to make sure theyre using it in a way its supposed to be used. When theyre not playing with the toy, turn it off, take the batteries out, so its not something that can turn on by itself. At the same time, educate yourself, make sure what these toys can do. If its got a camera, a microphone, is it gps enabled . These are all potentially dangerous things. You say that and i start thinking about the number deaf vices around our homes from the laptops to the phones echoes for that matter. All of these different things. What so were just now going to increasingly live in a world where devices are connected. It could be your refrigerator in addition to things like amazon echo. So its up to the consumer to be more savvy about how the world works around you. As somebody who course technology, whos in the center of all things technology, is it worth it, the tradeoff that we do for these things . Well, so i think ultimately, peop are grabbing tons of value from the things we get. Whether its Google Search or being able to get things from amazon within two days. I think the benefits really outweigh the cost. I do think its a great question in terms of Silicon Valley itself. The people behind these products, are they really taking an extra step to think about how these things are going to be used or how they could be exploited . I think thats something that theyre still coming to grips with. When you look at the devices like the amazon echo or the google home or any of these things, ive had people tell me that im paranoid when i worry about somebody hacking in on it. Maybe i am. I think paranoia should be the baseline. You should be paranoid. You should always be paranoid. You should always assume someones tryin to hack it, someones trying to get in. And so if you just court of approach the world that way, frankly, youll be better off. Much smarter, and savvier as a consumer. And i think congress ultimately has to get in and sort of build laws, build regulations around without overregulating. I dont think thats the point. We should be aware that they could be dangerous and so therefore should be looked at and considered, and regulated in the right way. E cameranow, i am still paranoid thats right here on your laptop. Put the tape over it. And i think im being so smart and somebody pointed out yeah, but whatr phone . Oh, yeah every person in my family who is over the age of 14 has a phone. And, theyre laying around the and theyre incredibly sophisticate devices. Not to mention the stupid tvs. T cameras sometime as well. Its going to become a point where the concept is called ambien computing. Youre to have desktops everywhere, but every device is going to have a connection to the internet. It makes certain things convenient but paranoia should be the way you should approach the world as you approach your fridge, or whatever it might be. Again, its dont go into the kitchen naked. Thats for sure. Be careful what you say. And on that note of paranoia, we wish everybody a merry christmas. Ed, thank you for being here. Merry christmas t now heres a look at whats making news as we head into a new week on the money. Americas housing mark ept is booming. New home sales rose by 17. 5 in november. Th the biggest monthly jump in more than 25 years. And its partly due stocks climbed during the week. The dow setting a record on monday for the 70th time in 2017. Thats the most of any year ever. The nasdaq crossed 7,000 for the first time on monday but it failed to hold that number. Stocks were mixed later in the week. And imagine a walmart with no cashiers. It may be closer than you think. The retail giant is reportedly Testing Technology that would track and charge store purchases ha, good luck with that all you shoplifters. Stores would probably be much smaller than a traditional membership fee for joining. Up next were on the money looking for a new rental . Imagine opening wait for it. Wait for it. Yeah, thera rea robot that can tours, answer ques and later, the first time weve seen tax reform in a generation. Wh does it mean for your money right now, though, were going to take a look at how the s so your folks took it pretty hard, huh. They loved that tree. It really meant a lot to them. So your folks took it pretty hard, huh . See the snap shots of my life this is all and i wil lets bring ever toyota. Lets go place one is the loneliest number that youll ever see staying is head isnt about waiting for a chance. Its about the one bold choice the one and only cadillac sclass. Come in for our seasons best offer and drive out with the perfect 2017 Cadillac Escalade for you. Get thi looking for you arental home . Need to see one right now . One california rental Management Company is offering home tours at a moments notice. But, dont expect a person to answer the door when you ring the bell. Reporter ahmas is a millennial so shes used to doing everything on an app. But this was a first. Nice to meet you. Reporter she took a re the hardwood floors. Reporter kind of a robot. A robot with a rental agent. All right. Im going to do it. Yes. Reporter yep, even in the bathroom. It the latest high tech offering from zen place, a san francisc based rental Management Company. What our robots really do is reduce the leasing period, and cut down vacancy time for owners and make it a much easier process for tenants who can now literally go from seeing a place that they like to renting it out in a matter of minutes. Versus the days and weeks it traditionally took. Reporter zen place developed the app for the robot. There is a human agent on the other side, but the robot can also provide the customer with Realtime Data on the neighborhood, amenities, and rental trends. It also has a lease application bu thanks. It was fun. It was definitely weird. Reporter weird, perhaps. But efficient. Ive gotten more used to having to do everything through apps and technology. So its kind of nice to make it convenient, and i didnt have to wait on anybody else. And i was able to do it on my own time frame. Reporter the Technology Allows people who might just be driving by a home see it immediately. Of course it only works for rentals because theyre usually empt but it does raise the question of s. Walking in to we ask you to quickly take a picture of i. D. And then we instantly verify who you are and check your background. And if it all comes clear, we send you a unique code that you can then enter into our smartlock. It didnt even feel like there wasnt somebody there, because she was in the room with me. Reporte zen pla currently offers the robot rental service in california, but will soon put it in rental homes in five other states. If it catches on, it could open the door to more robots in real. This could only work in a for sale home if the house was empty, or perhaps a newly built home that was empty. Or but in any case, its all about making real estate easier and more efficient for buyers and renters alike. Becky . Up next, were on the mone tapping in to your homes equity just got more expensive. Why the new tax plan is changing the eq and later, looking for a new holiday wine . Food and wines expert has the top picks fro resolution 1 binge more. Resolution number o join the uncarrier and get four unlimited lines for only 40 bucks each. Plus, netflix for so they get their shows. Lets go, girl. And you get yours. Watch however you want. On your phone, tablet or tv. For just 40 bucks per line wi rock this joint. All on americas best unlimited netw as a recruiter you redefine succ with paycor you brought us better processes and a smarter way to hire. And looking aro so thank yo for improving the lives of each including me. This Week Congress passed the first tax overhaul in 30 the Federal Reserve has raised interest how will all these changes impact your money . Greg mcbride is chief financial analyst at bankrate. Com, the Consumer Finance site. Greg, thanks for joining us today. Thank you, becky. Happy holidays. Happy holidays to you. We are at the end of the year, theres only a few days left. So lets start off with these tax changes. Is there anything that anybody should be doing at the end of the year, tax moves that you could make now that you wont be able to make in just a few days . Yeah, i think there are a couple action steps to take this week given the latest tax reform. If youre in a situation where youre in a high tax state and youre going to bump up into that 10,000 threshold for deducting state and local taxes in 2018, you may want to look at paying your 2018 property taxes this week, before the end of the year. Get that on the 2017 taxes so you can deduct it. Now you can only do that if youve actually been billed for it. Also some states will actually give you a discount for paying it early. I hear what youre saying about prepaying your property taxes if you can. But, ive also had people tell me that you cannot prepay any of your se tax. That the courts have ruled against that in the past and be careful if you do that, you could get ought itted for it. Exactly. That is an important distinction. E just talking about the ability to prepay property taxes. Not your state and local income taxes. Okay, great. Another question for you, home eqn interest, thats no longer going to be deductible. So what should you do if you have that type of a loan . You know, i think this really shifts the calculus in terms of how people think about debt repayment. Because, not only are you losing the ability to deduct the interest on the home equity borrowing, but theres no you cant sit back and say, oh, well good thing i got mine already, im good. No youre not. At the end of the year, everybody loses the ability to deduct that interest. So, when you look at the cost of that debt on an aftertax, afterinflation basis, the cost is going to look a whole lot different in 2018 than it did in 2017, because, a, you cant deduct the interest anymore. From your taxes. And b, the fed is raising Interest Rates. So youve got the rate on your home equity line marching higher at the same time you cant deduct the interest. That was my point, though, if the feds raising Interest Rates its not like you could suddenly say im going to pay off my home equity line of credit and put it on a credit card. Those rates are going to go up, too. And its likely a higher Interest Rate there. Absolutely. And by virtue of the december rate hike from the fed, you know, by the time that january statement coit card borrowers a see that higher rate. Welcome to 2018 your rate is going to be a quarter percentage point higher. What about charitable deductions . A still going to be allowed to be deducted next year if you itemize. But the number of people who are going to be itemizing is expected to drop pretty dramatically. Yeah, absolutely. Because the standard deduction is doubling there are a lot of t be itemizing in 2018. Thats the line in the sand. If youre in a situation where you dont think youre going to be itemizing your deductions in 2018, make the charitable contribution this week. Get it on this years taxes where you can deduct it. Now the plus side is, tax filings going to get easier for a lot of people in 2018, because of the fact that theyre going to be taking the standard deduction, ratr than having to worry about itemizing. Greg, thank you so much. Pretty complicated stuff. Thanks for having me. Up next on the money, a look at the news for the week ahead. And if you want something bubbly to toast the holidays, we have a champagne alte Liberty Mutual stood with me when this guy got a flat tire in the middle of the night. Hold on dad. Liberty did what . Yeah, Liberty Mutual 24hour roadside assistance helped him to fix his flat so he could get home safely. My dad says our insurance doesnt have that. Dont worry i know what a lug wrench is, dad. Is this a lug wrench . Maybe . You can leave worry behind when liberty stands with you™. Liberty stands with you™. Liberty mutual insurance. one is the only number that youll ever need staying ahead isnt about waiting for a chance. Because one is. Its about the one bold choice you make that moves you forward. That you ever need the one and only Cadillac Escalade. Come in for our seasons best offers and drive out with the perfect 2017 Cadillac Escalade for you. Get this low mileage lease from around 899 per month. here are the stories coming up that may impact your money this week. On monday the markets will be closed for the holiday. Merry christmas, everybody. On tuesday, were going to get a read on real estate with caseshiller home price index for october. Almost as exciting as christmas. But not quite. And for those with a sweet tooth it is National Candy kane day. On wednesday, pending home sales for november will be released and it marks the 85th anniversary of new yorks radio city music hall. Friday is the last business day of the holidays bring special occasions, and if that includes wine, ray isle is here to help. Hes the executive wine editor of food and wine magazine with suggestions for toasting the holidays without breaking the bank. Great to be here. Thanks for having me back. What have you brought us . I brought you some so its not too late, you know, to buy wine for the holidays. Were in the holidays but its not too late to buy. Ive brought some really great values perfect for parties, also taste great. First one, white wine cote de rhone. I was going to ask how to say that. Pretend youre french from one ofe producers in the rhone. Split the difference between people who love chardonnay and people who love sauvignon blanc. This is right down the middle. Oh, yeah, thats so mild. The full body of a big wine like chardonnay but its got some of the acidity. Goes with food. You know, its a steal at 15 bucks a bottle. This is my favorite one already. I know before we try any of the others. And also okay rile give it back. Remember a lot of places offer case discounts. This is a cabernet sauvignon. This is cannonball cabernet sauvignon. Its made with fruit from around california. It not a huge company but they set out to do one thing which is to make a great under 20 buck represented thi this a number times. Thats really gentle, too. Mmhmm. Im not saying the right tht when i say its gentle its not like whoa. Cabernet can be aggressively tanic, and this is much more on the sort of fruity and forward side. How much is this again . 15. 99. Thats amazing. Really two gre wines that i would drink. Theyre bot sparkling wine. Youve got to have some sparkling wine fo the holidays. Thisch because it doesnt come from the champagne region in france, it comes from california, but its made by rhoderrer which is the great champagne house that makes crystal. Califo as opposed to france. Which means much better on your pocketbook . Way better. You cant touch from champagne from champagne for under 35 or so. This is 19. 99. Cheers. And its, you know, straight up g you know, i dont even like champagne but this is pretty good. Its crisp, its clean, its affordable enough that you can pour several bottles at a big party. Its also nice enough that you could do it as a special dinner kind of thing. And then, were going to splurge. Good luck with this. G to drink this. Im not a fan of port. Im going to convert you. This is a 10yearold tawny port from graham which is one of the great port producer. Port comes from portugal. This is a 10yearold tawny which means its a blend of wines from 10yearolds to 3 years old. The average age is 10. Its a dessert wine. Its sweet. Its going to remind you of like oh. Its going to remind you of like toasted nuts and caramel and coffee a th. Ill keep that in mind. Think of a holiday dessert. A creme caramel or something. Actually when you say that it does taste like that. And yeah, it does. I mean thats actually the flavors that are in there. And its not ive never liked port. But that i need you to describe it to me like that. Sort of toasted, you knod al of like orange peel caramelized orange peel with the chocolate dip. That is really good. Yeah. How ms bottle. Its a great gift. Very pretty. And ive converted you to port. U are like my cultural adviser. Cheers. Thank you. Thank you for having me. That is the show for today. Im becky quick. Thank you very much for joining. Next year wely tr. Newest gadgets that will be out next year. Each wee, e on the money. Have a great one. Ill see you next year. Were going to leave you with some of the names of people who put this show together for us every week. Best crew out there. Happy holidays race against the clock. Last minute shoppers have just hours to pick up those last minute presents. Holiday staple, right now people are lining up at a popular spot in south philadelphia to complete their christmas dinners. And were tracking the mix of rain and snow for your Christmas Eve forecast as we take a live look over boathouse row. What it means for your neighborhood and the first alert forecast. Nbc 10 news starts now. Good morning, welcome to nbc 10 news today. Im dray clark. It is 5 30 on this Christmas Eve. Nice to be with you. A live look at center city this morning and today well see sunshine giving way to increasing clouds. The weather should be fine during the day for last minute shoppers or travelers
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