4 ways to become your own consumer advocate

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or CFPB, and other government agencies have scaled back their consumer protection work in recent months, but there are still steps people can take to keep their money safe.

In fact, consumer advocates say doing so is more important than ever.

“We as consumers are quite vulnerable right now,” says Christine Hines, senior policy director at the National Association of Consumer Advocates.

“We all need to be much more diligent about the products and services that we sign up for,” she adds.

Here are four ways to be your own advocate:

Enter new financial relationships with skepticism

Before taking out a new loan, insurance policy or any other kind of financial product, research the company, says Jeanine Skowronski, author of the “Money As If” newsl