Christina Zelow Lundquist/ Getty Images; Illustration by Austin Courregé/Bankrate Key takeaways A cash-out refinance replaces your current mortgage with a new, bigger one. The borrower receives the difference between the two balances in cash. The terms of your refinanced mortgage might differ from your original loan, including a new interest…
Money is an uncomfortable topic for many, yet it’s an important ongoing conversation to have in a relationship. Financial secrets undermine trust. And for many, it may even feel like betrayal. More than 2 in 5 U.S. adults (43%) believe keeping financial secrets is at least as bad as physical…
Key takeaways Decisions made by the Federal Reserve to increase the benchmark rate do not directly impact auto loans but rather the cost for banks to lend. The higher the Fed sets rates, the higher auto loan rates will likely be. The Fed made its third and last rate cut…
The holiday season is a time filled with joy, celebration, and, often, a lot of expenses. As the festivities wind down, many find themselves facing the reality of depleted bank accounts, credit card debt, and the daunting task of rebuilding their financial safety nets. An emergency fund serves as a…
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The nation’s 75 million Social Security recipients will receive a 2.8% cost of living adjustment (COLA) increase in their benefits…
Historically Black colleges and universities are on the frontlines of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s new limits on parent…
The big new fees JPMorgan Chase is planning to charge some financial technology companies may well trickle down to consumers,…
With artificial intelligence beginning to eat away at many white-collar entry-level jobs, and the unemployment rate for recent college graduates…
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Image: Getty Images; Illustration: Bankrate No movement in home equity rates, as the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged at its first meeting of 2026. The $30,000 home equity line of credit and the five-year $30,000 home equity loan were flat for the week, remaining…
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2. Coaching and Tutoring Take stock of your areas of expertise – maybe you speak a second language or solving math equations comes…
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OBSERVATIONS FROM THE FINTECH SNARK TANKBankers wants to discuss AI strategy. They’re excited about chatbots, machine learning models, generative AI tools, and AI…
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damircudic/Getty Images; Illustration by Richard Tran/Bankrate Keeping track of average personal loan rates can give you an idea of how much you’ll pay for a personal loan for debt consolidation, home improvement, emergencies or any other financial goal that requires quick funding with a fixed monthly payment. The average is…
At age 70, retirement is no longer a distant goal—it’s your current reality. Whether you’re newly retired or reevaluating your strategy, this is an important time to ensure your savings last. While there is no single best retirement portfolio for a 70-year-old, building a portfolio that suits your needs involves…
The final six months before retirement are some of the most important. During this window, you’ll want to fine-tune your income plan. This means you should assess your tax exposure, make sure your investment mix supports your goals and double-check your paperwork. Even if you’ve been planning for years, the…
Buying a home is an exhilarating and exhausting process, one that tests the wits and resolve of even experienced buyers. And some of the very people you turn to for guidance might not always have your best interests in mind. Some of the industry’s sales tactics can make it unnecessarily…
We all know that inflation has greatly affected our purchasing power in recent years. Prices have risen an average of 22.7 percent since the beginning of 2021 and wages have grown 21.5 percent, according to Bankrate’s 2025 Wage to Inflation Index. This is a major contributor to the low consumer…
Congratulations! Becoming debt-free is a game-changer. Making that last payment on credit cards, student loans or whatever debt burden you carried must have been a huge weight off your shoulders. After having paid off $300,000 of debt, I know that feeling well. But when the celebratory vibes wear off and…
Key Takeaways October is Financial Planning Month: a reminder to take charge of your finances, review debt, and set long-term goals. Multiple debt relief options exist: including debt management plans, debt consolidation, debt settlement, and bankruptcy; each comes with benefits and risks. Nonprofit credit counseling offers safe solutions: organizations like…
Sometimes, two seemingly incongruous things can be true at the same time. For example, it’s true that U.S. homeowners have amassed an extraordinary amount of home equity these days — roughly $34.5 trillion. And according to ATTOM’s most recent home equity report, more than 47 percent of homeowners are “equity…
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images Feeling the strain of making ends meet without a regular paycheck? You’re not alone. On top of the more than 7 million people who are currently unemployed, 750,000 federal employees are now on furlough and without pay due to the current government shutdown. And it…
Once you begin taking required minimum distributions (RMDs) at age 73, you must withdraw a set amount each year from your pre-tax retirement accounts. If you don’t need that money for living expenses, you can still use it productively. Many retirees choose to reinvest their RMDs in a taxable brokerage…
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