Are we headed into a recession?

Welcome to The Money, where we break down financial news and provide the TL;DR version of how decisions by the Federal Reserve, government and companies impact you.

Recession worries gripped Wall Street this week, with the Dow losing more than 1,000 points on Monday .

Stock indices have bounced back some since then, but the question of whether the U.S. is headed into a recession continues to simmer.

After Monday's rout, Americans could be talking themselves into one , some economists say.

In other words, if people believe the economy is wobbling, they may pull back spending and companies may curtail hiring and investment, causing the economy to teeter even if its fundamentals were previously sturdy.

Just in case, some recession-proof investments

If you're worried about a recession, now would be a good time to diversify your investments and make sure you have some assets less likely to get hit during a recession.

Recession-proof assets can be as specific as certain companies or as broad as entire asset classes or industries. Here are some examples:

• Companies with stable cash flow and pricing power, such as Walmart.
• Industries with stable demand, such as utilities , consumer staples and health care .
• Commodities like gold .

Are you eligible for the CashApp payout?

Another breach, another payout.

Cash App users have until Nov. 18, 2024 to submit their claim for reimbursement for a data and security breach.

In a settlement, the mobile payment service was ordered to pay out $15 million in damages. ?If users had unauthorized or fraudulent withdrawals or transfers of funds from their Cash App account between Aug. 23, 2018, and before Aug. 20, 2024, they are eligible to submit a claim for up to $2,500, the Cash App website said. ?

According to a class-action lawsuit obtained by USA TODAY, plaintiffs sued Cash App Investing and Block Inc. for the companies' "failure to exercise reasonable care in securing and safeguarding consumer information." The lawsuit said that the December 2021 data breach resulted, “in the unauthorized public release of the personally identifiable information of 8.2 million current and former Cash App Investing customers.”?

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Results from an online survey, developed?by market research and rankings provider?Statista , will shape this annual ranking of “America’s Most Recommended Tax Firms” and “America’s Most Recommended Accounting Firms.”?The survey is open now until Sept. 29.

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