Mortgage rates continued their upward trajectory this week, climbing for a month straight while further pushing down demand in the stalled housing market. Freddie Mac’s latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey, released Thursday, showed that the average rate on the benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage surged to 6.54% from last week’s reading of…

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on Wednesday ordered Apple and Goldman Sachs to pay $89 million over mishandled transaction disputes and misrepresentations that impacted hundreds of thousands of Apple Card users. The CFPB found a breakdown in how customer service for the Apple Card handled consumer disputes, as Apple failed…

The upcoming election is only days away, and the two presidential candidates remain in a statistical dead heat. Control of the U.S. Congress seems likely to be narrow as well, with either party having a chance to win control. Clearly, the electorate is deeply divided, and it is increasingly rare…

Subsidizing home care for aging adults has been discussed in decades past. Now it is part of the political discussion once again. Can it ever be achieved? Consider the obstacles and possible benefits. History In the 1970’s, less than ten years after Medicare became the law of the land in…

A new push to move credit card users to a digital statement will now come with a penalty for those who don’t want to comply. Credit card companies from big name retailers have been silently rolling out a fee of $1.99 if you wish to keep receiving paper statements.One of…

As the 2024 election approaches, candidate Vice President Harris and Former – President Trump promise to protect Social Security, but only Donald Trump has specific proposals. And Trump’s plan would cut Social Security benefits by 33 percent and drive Social Security to insolvency by 2031. The proposals would benefit high…

Americans saw mortgage rates soar during the Federal Reserve’s aggressive campaign to fight inflation, leading many to hope for a reprieve after the central bank finally cut the federal funds rate last month for the first time in four years. But instead of declining, mortgage rates have marched higher for…

There aren’t many absolutes in financial planning. There are, however, many—MANY—opinions. Advisors, personal finance gurus, and online opine-ers regularly die on the hills of passive vs. active investing, ETFs vs. mutual funds vs. individual stocks, traditional vs. alternative investing, good debt vs. bad debt, term vs. permanent life insurance, traditional…

Estimated tax requirements are a frequent problem for retirees, with many incurring penalties for underpaying their estimated taxes. Fortunately, there’s a little-known strategy that can help avoid penalties when a retiree realizes late in the year that estimated tax payments have been too low. Income taxes have to be prepaid…

Another 60,000 student loan borrowers will receive student loan relief in the coming weeks. The Biden Administration announced $4.5 billion in relief for public service workers such as nurses, teachers and social workers. The relief comes as a fix to the original Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. The program…