The Federal Reserve is doing homeowners a big favor, keeping interest rates low. That means you should consider refinancing your old higher-rate mortgage. But how do you go about this? First of all, you should know that not everyone can qualify for a new mortgage. If some of your payments were delinquent or your home is underwater, for instance, you may have a problem.
Earnings season is under way for the second quarter. Don’t be surprised to see sudden stock price moves when companies report. But that doesn’t mean you should respond to every twitch. Each quarter, public companies open their books and disclose to the world how they performed during the past three months. It can be a time of great stress and great jubilation for shareholders. The move in the company’s share price following an earnings announcement often stems from whether the company beats or misses the expectations set by Wall Street.
As summer heats up, it pays to take a good look at how flexible you are. When you plan for the future, you need to be adaptable. No one knows what tomorrow holds.
When we talk about financial fitness, one of the most important measures is the value of our assets. The problem is that we often have false expectations about some asset types, and we need to break those illusions to focus on our real financial condition.
Why do so many of us not use our vacation days? Salespeople talk about “leaving money on the table.” Well, employees leave vacation on the table. And the cost to us is significant.
It used to be that everyone wanted to buy a home, seeking pleasure and security, as well as the potential for future wealth. But younger Americans are buying homes far less often than their elders’ generations did, and that puts a large sector of the U.S. economy at risk.