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How would you like to retire early? Millennials certainly like the idea, according to a recent survey from Bankrate.com. Millennials identified the perfect retirement age as 61 – a full six years before their full retirement age (FRA) as defined by Social Security and one year before they can even claim reduced Social Security
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Have you been denied a mortgage loan recently? Rejections usually don’t come down to a single reason, because lenders look at your overall financial status. However, some factors increase your risk of rejection. According to NerdWallet’s 2018 Home Buyer Report, three issues stand out as primary reasons for mortgage denials based on the most recent
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The term “administrative offset” brings to mind meaningless governmental jargon. It is governmental jargon – but if you are affected, it’s not meaningless at all. In layman’s terms, administrative offset is the government’s way of applying money that would normally be owed to you (such as tax refunds and certain Social Security benefits) to outstanding
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Are you familiar with the 4% rule and how it relates to retirement? Let’s find out. Choose one of the options below. The 4% rule refers to… a) The average amount of your retirement time you’ll spend looking for something you misplaced. b) The average annual amount of time you’ll spend getting medical care. c)
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Just like assets can be sold, so can debts. It’s possible that your auto loan or mortgage could be sold by one lender to another. If your debt is in good standing, the terms and conditions of your agreement generally apply, but things relating to the servicing of your loan such as due dates and
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By Sandra Parsons While Cardi B is topping the charts, “Card Cracking” is ruining some music fans’ lives. Rapper Young Ash and five others were recently indicted for running a card cracking ring that recruited accomplices through her Snapchat channel. Learn how card cracking works and how you can avoid falling victim to
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You probably comparison-shop for most of your purchases, especially the high-dollar ones. If you’re going to spend money on a new appliance or an automobile, you want to review options to make sure you’re getting the best deal. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), there’s a big exception to this rule – mortgages.
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When your credit score is down, it takes great effort to rebuild it. You have to take care to pay down your debts and get your finances in order. You may also have to change some of your spending habits to have the greatest impact. Consider these five spending habits that will retard your credit
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You want to know exactly what you are getting when you make any large purchase, especially when you are buying a home – the largest purchase that many Americans will ever make in their life. That’s why a real estate disclosure statement is a fundamental part of any real estate transaction. By law, home sellers
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If you are one of the fortunate few who have a defined benefit retirement plan, you have more predictability in your retirement income than most. You can calculate your combined pension benefits and any Social Security benefits that you have earned and have a clear idea of your annual income throughout retirement – assuming you
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Homeowners may see less of a tax break this year, thanks to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). Beginning with homes purchased after December 16, 2017, you can only deduct the interest incurred on $750,000 of mortgage debt on qualifying residences (primary homes and one second residence). Under prior law, the limit was $1
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You’re in a cash-flow crunch again. An important bill is due, and you’ve earned the money to pay that bill – but it’s not payday yet. You’re on a two-week pay cycle and have to wait for another week or so before your money is available. What are your options? Ask a friend or relative
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Did you realize that not all financial advisors are obligated to act in your best interest? Financial professionals are obligated to offer products and advice that are suitable for your needs, but not all of them are obligated to offer the best advice possible. Two standards govern financial advisors – the fiduciary standard and the
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It just makes sense. When mortgage interest rates rise, fewer people can afford to buy homes. Home sales go down as a result. Conversely, when interest rates drop, homes become more affordable and home sales will go up. There’s only one problem with this premise. It isn’t necessarily true. According to Sam Khater, a deputy
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Be Afraid of the Dark Is your credit card information floating around the dark web, waiting to be sold to an enterprising criminal? That’s increasingly likely. According to the cybersecurity research group IntSights, black-market credit card information for sale has increased by almost 150% over the last 18 months – surpassing 4,000 credit cards
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Your data is under constant attack from hackers. Unless you take steps to protect your personal and account information, you’re at a high risk for identity theft – and the residents of some states are less vigilant than others when it comes to cybersecurity. A survey conducted by cybersecurity company Webroot and the Ponemon Institute
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Retirement has finally arrived. You’re ready to start drawing on your retirement income sources. Enjoy this new phase of your life. Unfortunately, you haven’t been able to retire from taxes – and your taxes will enter a new phase as well. You don’t have an employer to hold out taxes on your salary anymore. You’re
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Do you have enough cash to handle an unexpected emergency expense? According to a new survey from Bankrate.com, a significant number of Americans don’t have an emergency savings fund – and don’t see the lack of one as a problem. Bankrate found that almost one in four respondents has no emergency fund at all, and
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Prefer using debit cards over credit cards, but miss earning rewards? Some debit cards offer cash-back rewards – either as a straight points-based redemption program or as a perks-based program directed at purchases with specific merchants. You may have debit card cash-back benefits through a perks-based program and not even realize it. Cardlytics is
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Do you consider a rewards program as an integral part of your credit card choice? According to a new study by finder.com, close to one-third of Americans use credit cards just to get the associated rewards. The finder survey suggests that approximately 71.7 million Americans (29.2% of the adult population) make credit card purchases just
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