Save Money Content Index - Page 1

Wondering how to save money? This page gets you started with saving and makes sure your savings plan works for your personal finance needs.

**Refinance Fees: How Much Is Too Much?** When you're refinancing your mortgage, how much should you be paying in refinance fees? It can be hard to tell what fees you're paying to the lender, what is prepaid interest, and what are the other costs of the loan. Refinance fees, especially for prepaid interest, can add up to the closing costs of refinancing your loan. Have your lender explain exactly what all the refinance fees are going toward before you make any decision about refinancing or canceling your refinance.

**Getting financial help on a budget.** Thousands of people come to ThinkGlink.com for financial and personal finance help. If you are in need of financial help and you are on a budget, here are some tips that might help you. You can also think about your financial future and use the information on our site to help you out. You can visit with a top consumer credit counseling service, take advantage of all of the free financial help on ThinkGlink.com and check out some of our free books and other products at the [ThinkGlink Store](http://thinkglinkstore.com/).

Are government bonds safe? With the economy in recession, it's natural to worry about where you are putting your money. Government bonds are almost always a safe bet, but you shouldn't expect to see a great interest rate.

Majority of property owners experiencing higher vacancy rates. Seventy percent of property owners are experiencing higher vacancy rates this year. The vacancy rate has been above 10 percent since June 2009. A recent Rent.com survey looks at how property owners are coping with these trends and encouraging tenants to stay or move to their units.

Property owners are finding creative ways to fill vacancies during the recession. Over 70 percent of property owners have experienced higher vacancy rates over the past year. Recent vacancies are primarily a result of job loss and tenants trying to save money on rent by moving to a cheaper unit or doubling-up with roommates. Property owners are modifying credit policies to fill units during the recession. Owners are also lowering rent, relaxing pet policies and offering unit upgrades. Read the full press release below from Rent.com.

FHA cash reserves fall to the lowest level in history, below the congressionally mandated level. The Federal Housing Administration's mortgage insurance cash reserves fell to the lowest levels in recorded history, 0.53 percent. The FHA announced today FHA cash reserve levels have fallen below the congressionally mandated threshold. The annual independent accounting survey of the FHA came with the assessment that additional action needed to be taken to manage risk to prevent further losses.

**Jobs, Foreclosures, The Stock Market And More Thoughts About Our Wacky World.** If we don't have jobs, it's awfully hard to pay a mortgage. More foreclosures may be on the way, according to the one person who I knew correctly called the financial meltdown.

**Divorce Decree vs. Quit Claim Deed** You get divorced. You refinance your home. Your ex-spouse gives you a quit claim deed. End of story? Not so, says this reader whose ex-spouse wants half of the proceeds from the sale of the home 13 years after the quit claim deed and and 14 years after the divorce. Does the divorce decree trump the quit claim deed? Does the quit claim deed trump the divorce decree? What should the ex-spouse get in this real estate problem.

Ilyce Glink Show Notes - November 1, 2009. How has the credit crisis and recession changed you and your spending habits? I want to hear from you. Free books and ebook deal. This week, our latest ebooks, on investing in real estate, will be released on ThinkGlink.com as will our podcasts from our How to Profit From Foreclosures event. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter to get the latest information, discounts and deals.

**LLC vs Corporation: Can You Do Without Either** When it comes to choosing how to hold your real estate investments, you can choose from many options. The most popular options are using an LLC to own real estate or a corporation. Some decide that they would prefer to hold title to their real estate investments in their own name. Is it wise to own investment real estate properties in your own name?