CONSUMER CATCH-UP: Tesla to rent solar panels, 2019 on track to set record for most data breaches, and the Tooth Fairy's leaving kids less cash
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Tesla offering solar panel rentals to residents of six states
Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that Tesla will soon make their solar panels available to rent in select states.
Tesla will allow the residents of six states, including California, to rent the panels starting at $50 a month - although Californians will have to pay $65 a month. Users can cancel at any time, but will have to pay a $1,500 cancellation fee. Tesla says this fee is to cover the cost of removing the panels and restoring the roof.
Tesla bought solar company Solar City in 2016, but its business has lagged behind competitors.
More information can be found on Tesla's website.
2019 on pace to set record for most data breaches
If you think you've heard about more data breaches than ever before - you're right.
2019 is shaping up to have the most data breaches on record. According to Risk Based Security, a research and security firm, the number of data breaches is up 54% year over year in the first half of 2019. More than 3,800 breaches were reported in the first six months of the year. The number of records exposed in those breaches is up by 52% as well. 3.3 billion records were exposed; 80 percent of those coming from only eight major breaches.
The Tooth Fairy is leaving kids less cash
The Tooth Fairy is slightly less generous these days - but parents will relate to the reason why.
According to a poll by Delta Dental, the average payout per tooth is down 43 cents over the past year. The average amount left under kids' pillows is now $3.70, down from $4.13 last year.
The reason why stems mostly from the fact that fewer parents have cash on hand when their child's tooth makes its final exit. 46 percent of parents who responded to the survey cited the availability of cash as a deciding factor in the Tooth Fairy's deposit, as more and more Americans go increasingly cashless.
Further reporting by MarketWatch found that the first tooth lost usually gets the biggest payout, and can fetch up to $20, while subsequent teeth usually go for $5 or less. Kids will lose about 20 teeth as they grow - so the Tooth Fairy also has to take that into consideration when determining how much to shell out.
Take a look at more stories and videos by Michael Finney and 7 On Your Side.
