Image: Getty Images; Illustration: Bankrate HELOC rates are feeling the impact of the Federal Reserve’s recent quarter-point rate cut. The $30,000 home equity line of credit fell 18 basis points to 7.63%, its lowest level in almost three years, according to Bankrate’s national survey of lenders. Meanwhile, the benchmark five-year…
Key takeaways Buying a new car allows for customization and the latest technology, but it comes at a higher price and loses value quickly. Used cars are less expensive and slower to depreciate, but may require compromises and can come with higher maintenance costs. When deciding between new and used,…
Most drivers only interact with a rental car on vacations or time away — and for many, they can also be a means to getting a vehicle of their own. While rental cars go through many drivers, they also typically have thorough maintenance records and a low price tag. But…
Key takeaways Texas has the highest car loan balance of $7,920. While vehicle expenses vary across the country, drivers can still work to secure a competitive rate by improving their credit and comparing different lenders. Vehicle affordability is still a challenge for many drivers and has resulted in more auto…
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The nation’s 75 million Social Security recipients will receive a 2.8% cost of living adjustment (COLA) increase in their benefits…
Historically Black colleges and universities are on the frontlines of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s new limits on parent…
The big new fees JPMorgan Chase is planning to charge some financial technology companies may well trickle down to consumers,…
With artificial intelligence beginning to eat away at many white-collar entry-level jobs, and the unemployment rate for recent college graduates…
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Key takeaways Your required minimum distribution (RMD) amount changes each year based on the IRS’s life expectancy calculation for your age. You calculate your RMD by dividing your year-end account value by the estimated remaining years in your lifetime, as per an IRS table. If…
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What Is the 4 Gift Rule for Christmas? A Financial Safety Net What the 4-gift rule for Christmas provides is a simple guide…
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OBSERVATIONS FROM THE FINTECH SNARK TANKBankers wants to discuss AI strategy. They’re excited about chatbots, machine learning models, generative AI tools, and AI…
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Malcolm MacGregor/Getty Images As home prices keep rising, so do conforming loan limits, the number that distinguishes the most common loan types from jumbo loans. These limits vary from year to year and by geographic area. What is the conforming loan limit? The conforming loan limit is set each year…
If you want to buy a high-priced home and need to finance most of the purchase, you’ll need a larger-than-usual mortgage: a jumbo loan. Here’s how jumbos work, and the current limits, state by state. Jumbo loans earn their title because they’re big, so big they exceed the conforming loan…
With investors getting increasingly anxious about the nosebleed valuations of public stocks, Goldman Sachs announced Monday morning that it’s spending $2 billion to buy Innovator Capital Management, a firm that will cushion its clients from a crash.Wheaton, Illinois-based Innovator manages $28 billion in assets, mostly in defined-outcome ETFs which use…
Legacy automakers will not admit it yet, but they are all heading toward the same destination: They will license Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system. When the gap widens significantly, they need to find a way to bridge it. The boardrooms know this, even if the public narrative still pretends the race…
Kevin Hassett is now the lead candidate to be nominated as the next Federal Chair according to prediction markets and media reports. Prediction markets currently give Hassett a 7 in 10 chance of receiving the nomination to replace Jerome Powell from February 2026. According to Bloomberg reporting, Trump has made…
Governance failures rarely announce themselves. They don’t begin with arguments, fines, or hearings. I didn’t expect to see these patterns in a small lakeside community governed by a Home Owners Association (HOA). Yet the familiar signs emerged. They start in the quiet corners where authority meets procedure and where small…
Year-end bonuses can provide a much-needed financial boost, and using that money wisely can make a meaningful difference in your financial health. But deciding whether to put your bonus toward paying down debt or saving can be challenging. Both options offer strong benefits, and the best choice ultimately depends on…
After a run of more than 230 years, the U.S. is done producing the penny. While the death of the little copper coin leaves many feeling nostalgic, producing it simply isn’t worth it for the U.S. Mint at 3.69 cents a pop — an increase of 1.42 cents over the…
Photo from Getty Images / Illustration by Bankrate Key takeaways Linking bank accounts makes it easier to transfer funds, automate savings, split direct deposits and potentially avoid certain fees such as overdraft or maintenance charges. Banks typically use strong security measures to protect your information when accounts are linked, including…
Financial misinformation isn’t new, but today, it’s supercharged. The 24/7 news cycle fueled by social media virality means you’re more likely than ever to consume inaccurate or misleading information every day. Sometimes these narratives, no matter how false, seep into our collective consciousness and give a false impression of our…
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