DaniloAndjus / E+ / Getty Images Key takeaways A student card can be an ideal way to start building credit if you have little to no credit history. Most student credit cards are designed for students with student centric perks and relaxed credit requirements. In addition to practicing good credit…
Water damage can cause serious harm to your home, rapidly totaling thousands of dollars in damage and requiring months of reconstruction. You may think it won’t happen to you, but no matter where your home is located or how recently it was built, water damage is a very real possibility.…
Key takeaways Interest-only mortgages let you pay just the accruing interest on your loan for an introductory period — but they come with high payments once that period ends. These loans mainly benefit those planning to move or anticipating a big income increase within a decade. Since the Great Recession,…
Michael Hanson/Getty Images Key takeaways Tuition insurance can reimburse educational expenses should there be a covered reason for early withdrawal from college. Typical coverage includes a life-altering or chronic illness or injury, a debilitating illness or a death in the family. College tuition insurance generally costs 1 percent of tuition…
Trending
Spotlight This Week
More Articles
Personal Finance
Washington is abuzz over whether Congress will address President-elect Donald Trump’s ambitious policy agenda in one bill or two. But…
TomoCredit, a five-year-old San Francisco startup that claims it boosts consumers’ credit scores, is facing a growing number of problems,…
Millions of student loan borrowers face an uncertain future as a second Trump administration prepares to return to Washington. But…
The 2024 presidential election has ended, and Donald Trump is poised to retake the White House, with big implications for…
Featured Articles
Dan Coplan/Getty Images: Illustration by Issiah Davis/Bankrate Key takeaways An FHA cash-out refinance lets you borrow against the equity in your home by swapping out your current home loan with a new, larger one. An FHA cash-out refinance is available to borrowers with any kind…
Dept Managmnt
Key takeaways Credit repair is a term used to describe the process of restoring your credit rating. You can hire a credit repair…
Banking
Thanks to more than a decade of Dodd-Frank and Basel III regulations, the Trump administration inherits a well-capitalized and liquid banking system. Squandering…
Credit Cards
Key takeaways The Southwest Companion Pass is attainable by using Southwest credit card welcome bonuses to meet the 135,000-point requirement. Applying for a…
All News
Credit Sesame simplifies your financial life with tools to monitor and manage your credit. Life gets busy, and managing finances often takes a back seat until a late fee or missed payment reminds you to pay attention. But simplifying your financial life doesn’t have to be complicated. With the right…
Key takeaways Typical home-selling costs can include Realtor commissions, closing costs, paying off the mortgage and more. Don’t forget to factor in the costs of any home repairs, improvements or staging you do to get the house market-ready. The overall cost can vary widely depending on what state you’re in…
In recent years, a wave of retiring baby boomers and high interest rates have helped fuel record-breaking sales in the annuity market. From 2022 to 2024, annuity sales topped $1.1 trillion, according to Limra, a global research organization for the insurance industry. In 2023 alone, annuity sales increased 23 percent…
Pekic/GettyImages; Illustration by Hunter Newton/Bankrate Key takeaways Both mortgages and home equity loans are secured by property. A mortgage is used to purchase the property, while a home equity loan taps the value of that property for various expenses. Compared to other forms of credit, both a mortgage and a…
Applying for a home equity financing is similar to applying for a mortgage. You may wonder, then, do home equity loans have closing costs? And how about HELOCs? While the average home equity loan closing costs can be comparable to primary mortgages — a range of 2–5 percent of the…
John Smith/VIEWpress/Getty Images Key takeaways The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card rewards you with 3X points on restaurants, travel, gas stations and EV charging stations, transit, select streaming services and phone plans. The card also offers some travel benefits — such as an auto rental collision damage waiver and…
Alistair Berg/Getty Images Key takeaways Credit card extended warranties can provide coverage for purchases with manufacturer’s warranties, potentially saving thousands of dollars on repairs or replacements. The terms and coverage of extended warranties vary by credit card, so it is important to read the fine print and understand what is…
Key takeaways Credit inquiries can either be in the form of hard inquiries or soft inquiries, and they can happen for a variety of reasons. Hard credit inquiries occur when someone like a landlord or potential creditor is assessing your credit risk, and these kinds of inquiries can lower your…
Richard Drury/ Getty Images; Illustration by Austin Courregé/Bankrate The average rate on a $30,000 home equity line of credit (HELOC) steadied at 8.28 percent this week — close to its lowest level in a year and a half, according to Bankrate’s national survey of lenders. In contrast, the average $30,000…
Key takeaways Most major credit card issuers offer the option to easily lock and unlock cards through their online accounts or mobile apps. Locking a credit card can prevent impulse purchases and keep the account safe from fraud. Recurring transactions will still go through while a credit card is locked.…
Editor's Pick
