It’s not uncommon for companies to help with tuition payments for their employees who are continuing their education, especially if they are working toward a professional degree that will help them in their job or with future advancements in the firm. Such a program can be a great recruiting tool.
Unfortunately, these programs do not
Borrowing
Let’s say you’re tempted to make a withdrawal from your 401(k) plan to pay off some debts. You can always catch up by paying that money back into your retirement savings later, right? Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. Don’t rob your future to pay for your past! Watch Bankrate.com Senior VP and Chief Analyst
Affordable Housing? What Affordable Housing? Affordable housing is increasingly hard to find in today’s market. According to data from Trulia, America’s inventory of starter homes has decreased by almost half compared to six years ago while prices rose by almost 58%.
As consumers recovered from the housing crisis and Great Recession, more people became financially
You anticipated a large refund on your taxes to pay off some bills and put some money away in a rainy-day fund. Unfortunately, the money never showed up. What happened?
Your refund may have gone toward an unpaid bill selected by the government – your unpaid student loan.
Your federal student loan is
America has reached a new economic milestone – or maybe a millstone – of $1.52 trillion. Which of the following does this number represent?
1. The latest contract for a professional athlete
2. Your current credit card balance
3. America’s collective student loan debt
While the first choice sounds strangely plausible, and some
Getting a personal loan online has grown into a multi-billion-dollar industry, with lenders ranging from individuals in peer-to-peer programs to big banks. Although countless Americans have been helped by the ability to borrow money without leaving home, others have hurt themselves by being ill prepared for the process.
“Because the loans are being evaluated remotely,
Congratulations! You made it through college armed with a degree, and hopefully a job. Now it’s time to move on to the next stage of your education: life. The tests are all open book, the deadlines are varied, and some lessons are much harder and carry higher stakes than others do. Worst of all –
Buying a home will probably be the most expensive item you ever purchase… until you buy the next one! MoneyTips is happy to help you get free mortgage and refinance quotes from top lenders.
Finding the right home at the right price is always a challenge. Discover how other American homebuyers searched for – and
Do you receive rewards from your current credit card? Unless you are just starting out and have no credit history, or are attempting to rebuild poor credit, you should be able to qualify for a rewards credit card. We suggest evaluating your credit card options to optimize your rewards – but consider these three tips
Where did you learn how to handle credit cards? According to a new survey conducted by the website CreditCardsExplained.com, there’s almost a 50% chance that you’re self-taught.
The survey of 2,500 respondents showed that 45% of consumers never had a proper education on credit cards. Of those who received their credit card education in school,
You’ve made some life decisions that you’ve regretted, and some of those decisions surely involve money. What sort of money mistakes have you made?
Don’t be shy about admitting your financial mistakes. According to the latest version of Finder.com’s annual America’s Biggest Money Mistakes survey, you have 192 million fellow Americans to keep you company.
It Will Cost You More to Buy A Home The housing market topped a new threshold over the past week. Buoyed by a strong economy and a series of interest rate increases by the Federal Reserve, thirty-year fixed mortgage interest rates reached 4.61% – the highest number since May of 2011.
Rates crossed the 4%
Welcome to the 2018 home-buying market. Rising demand and an extremely tight supply of homes, especially in the critical starter-home market, make it difficult to realize your goal of home ownership.
In this buyer’s market, you’ll need two important things to land your dream home – more money and a higher credit score.
Data from
We know the stereotype of the unmotivated millennial, living at home with their parents without any long-term plan or concern about their situation. Is that a fair representation? Do millennials disproportionately live with their parents? If so, is this from necessity, lack of motivation, or part of a grander strategy?
It’s logical that younger generations
Are you satisfied with your credit cards? If so, are you convinced that your current card best fits your needs – or have you never considered other options?
Whatever the reason, many Americans tend to stay with their existing card. A recent survey from CreditCards.com found that 28% of Americans, about 49 million, have always
President Trump promised changes in Washington upon his election. Whether you are a Trump fan or foe, there’s no question he’s succeeded in that goal. Sometimes the change is precipitated by the President’s choice to lead an agency, as in the case of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
The CFPB was born out of
Which is the worst first-date mistake – talking about an ex, eating food off your date’s plate, or mentioning that you are heavily in debt?
We have no idea, but we’re guessing that a second date is unlikely in all those cases. A new survey from Finder.com suggests that in the case of excessive debt,
How bad is America’s student loan situation? According to recent data from the New York Federal Reserve, our $1.38 trillion in outstanding student loan debt is second only to mortgage debt but comes with a higher delinquency rate.
As of the end of 2017, approximately 1.3% of mortgage balances were delinquent by ninety or more
Home ownership is a fulfilling but difficult goal. The challenges of being single can make it even more difficult to find an affordable home to buy – especially for single women.
According to data provided by Zillow, the typical single American requires almost eleven years to save up a suitable down payment for a home
We frequently hear about America’s crushing student loan debt – but auto loans are not far behind. While student loans are approaching $1.5 trillion, outstanding auto loans topped the $1.2 trillion mark in the third quarter of 2017 according to the New York Federal Reserve.
Subprime borrowers (FICO credit scores below 620) hold almost one-quarter
Subprime Loans are Back Since the housing crisis began over a decade ago, subprime mortgage loans basically disappeared – thanks to regulatory actions from government and self-preservation for both lenders and borrowers. The effects of borrowing more than you could safely afford to repay became obvious to all parties.
Subprime mortgage loans have been making
Are you ready to tackle a home improvement project this year? If so, you have plenty of company. According to the latest LightStream Home Improvement Survey, 58% of Americans are ready to pour money into home improvement projects in 2018. The percentage of homeowners planning projects is close to 2017’s 59% value, but homeowners are
America’s economy is improving by most standards – but is it improving on the backs of excessive debt?
According to the New York Federal Reserve, total household debt reached a new high of $13.15 trillion in the fourth quarter of 2017. While the majority of household debt is mortgage debt, consumer credit rose by the
Did you sell your home last year? If so, there’s a decent chance that you did well on the exchange. According to a recent release from Zillow Research, 24.1% of homes that sold in 2017 yielded more than the list price – up from 17.8% in 2017.
In some competitive markets like San Jose and
By Kelly Hartog
It’s been more than seven months since the credit reporting agency Equifax revealed in September 2017 that 143 million Americans’ personal data – including Social Security numbers, addresses and birthdates – had been accessed. Several weeks later, they announced that number was actually 145.5 million.
Even though the data breach occurred between
Your credit score may not be good enough to allow you to qualify for a home at a reasonable interest rate, but can a less-than-stellar credit score also keep you from finding a good place to rent?
“Credit scores aren’t just about mortgages,” says Rod Griffin, Director of Public Education at the credit bureau Experian.
When your identity is stolen, you have so many potential issues to deal with — changing passwords, closing accounts, dealing with fraudulent charges, and placing fraud alerts with the credit bureaus — that you may forget about potential tax fraud. Armed with your personal information, identity thieves can file a fraudulent tax return in your
By Eric Olsen Executive Director, HELPS Nonprofit Law Firm
According to the Kaiser Foundation, almost half (21 million) of American seniors have incomes below 200% of the poverty line. Many have debt they can’t afford to pay. When debt is not paid, collectors call, send demand letters, and sometimes file a lawsuit. Being served legal
Why do you even bother signing your credit card receipts? Nobody ever looks at it. You could write your name, Donald J. Trump, Samuel L. Jackson, or Bullwinkle J. Moose and nobody would care – would they?
Theoretically, your signature does matter. That signature indicates a binding contract for the purchase. A seller could choose
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. That’s sound advice for almost all aspects of life, including the search for mortgage relief services.
Distressed homeowners don’t have to resort to third-party mortgage services. Free counseling is available at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD programs such as the
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