Mortgages
Key takeaways Cash back sites give you money for shopping at the retailers they recommend to you, and those retailers then pay the cash back sites for their referrals. These sites offer plenty of savings across many different categories, including travel, grocery spending and online shopping. To maximize the rewards…
Key takeaways When you pool together credit card rewards, you’re taking rewards from one or more cards and moving them onto a specific account or credit card, usually one with high redemption value. Pooling credit card rewards with family members can make it easier to reach redemption goals, especially when…
Key takeaways Vacation loans can help pay for a trip’s expenses, but they should only be used if you have a clear plan to pay back the loan on time. Loans used to cover vacation costs offer fixed monthly payments and potentially lower interest rates than credit cards. The proceeds…
ilbusca/ Getty Images; Illustration by Austin Courregé/Bankrate Key takeaways Very few lenders offer $100,000 personal loans, and those that do have strict eligibility requirements. Carefully consider the costs and alternatives to $100,000 personal loans before you apply. Tapping into your home’s equity may be another way to borrow a large…
Many homeowners are celebrating the recent boom in housing wealth, but not everyone is taking part in the home equity party. Collectively, American homeowners have amassed almost $35 billion of home equity, a near-record amount. According to property fintech platform Cotality, that adds up to about $303,000 in equity for…
Key Takeaways APY stands for Annual Percentage Yield, which tells you how much interest you can expect to earn over one year. The APY offers a complete story of an account’s earning potential by using the interest rate and the compounding frequency. APY should be easy to find: The federal…
Key takeaways Managing your student loans and making a repayment plan starts with understanding the basics of personal finance. There is no quick fix for student loan debt, but there are strategies: especially aggressive or strategically slow. There is a lot of confusing guidance and policy surrounding student loans. Stay…
Monte Goodyk/Getty Images Key takeaways Landowners can sell on their own or by working with a real estate agent. The process is much the same as selling a home, though more due diligence may be required. Getting the best price will likely mean helping buyers imagine what they can do…
Key takeaways Hardwood floors can potentially have a positive return on investment (ROI), unlike some other home improvement projects. Moving furniture, demolishing the current floor and preparing the subfloor should also be included in your budget. You can do some work yourself to save money, but working with a professional…
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) lets you put money into a traditional IRA and defer taxes on your contribution and any investment gains all through your career. But this situation doesn’t last forever. Eventually, you have to take out minimum amounts annually, known as required minimum distributions, or RMDs, from…
