Whenever the Federal Reserve raises or lowers interest rates, those changes affect the loans that consumers have that are tied to those rates. Interest rate changes affect mortgage loan rates, credit card interest rates and the rates that government bonds pay. Learn how the Federal Reserve may lower interest rates to try to boost the economy.
Over the past five years, housing price valuations have skyrocketed. Is it the amount the bank's appraiser says it's worth? Or, is it the amount on which the tax assessor bases your every-rising real estate property taxes? Or, is it the amount that someone is willing to pay for your home?
Ilyce gives advice to homeowners who are planning home improvement and home repairs. Homeowners who are planning home improvement and home repairs should put the deal with their contractor in writing. Homeowners should also hire a real estate attorney to draw up the contracts and make sure their home improvement or home repair plans go smoothly.
It's tough to determine the best time to refinance your home. You want to refinance with the lowest rate, but there's no way to know if and when rates are going up or down. But if you can refinance now and pay off the refinancing costs within a year and save money from then on, now is probably a good time.
Homeowners can do several simple things to survive home improvement projects. The most important thing for homeowners to do is plan ahead for home improvement projects - including choosing paint colors, wall tiles, even the door knobs. The less homeowners have to do during the home improvement project, the easier it will be to survive. Homeowners should also make sure they have written contracts on all their home improvement projects in order to keep things running smoothly with the contractor.
A new study from the Consumer Federation of America and Providian Financial shows that millionaires tend to be older, have graduate or professional degrees and earn more than $100,000 per year. All that isn't so surprising, but what is interesting is that the average American is doing a pretty good job of building assets, even with incomes as low as $10,000 per year.
When you have a pet you may decide you want to buy pet insurance to cover your pet's health costs. How can you decide on the right pet insurance? You can ask questions similar to what you'd ask for a human health insurance policy.
Rotten neighbors can really bring you down. Read some advice about rotten neighbor problems, including picking up a copy of Neighbor Law by attorney Cora Jordan. You can likely talk to your neighbors before you have a serious dispute.
Two weeks ago, as part of The Economic Growth & Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, the new tax rates went into effect. With all the hullabaloo about how much money everyone was going to save, the effects on your paycheck won't be as dramatic as all the fireworks that came along with the rhetoric. Take a look at how your paycheck might change:
