Because a mortgage is one of the most substantial financial commitments you’ll make in a lifetime, it’s important to do your due diligence and ensure you’ve investigated all of your options thoroughly. Before you choose a mortgage lender, though, you must shop around and compare multiple offers to get the…
March is National Credit Education Month, while not an official government designation this month is dedicated to increasing awareness about credit, how it works, and why it’s essential for financial well-being. Whether you’re working on improving your credit score, managing debt, or learning how to use credit responsibly, this is…
Key takeaways Parent PLUS loans are offered to parents by the federal government to help cover their child’s higher education expenses. Refinancing can help if you want to lower your monthly payment, transfer the loan to your child or make it more manageable. You can also refinance your parent PLUS…
Ariel Skelley/Getty Images Key takeaways You’ll need a credit score of at least 620 for a conventional refinance. Credit score minimums for other types of refinances range from 580 to 700 or higher. Refinances, like purchase mortgages, come with minimum credit score requirements. The specific requirements vary depending on your…
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While there has been much conversation on not buying from companies with poor diversity, little has been said about investing…
Lifestyle inflation occurs when your expenses increase as you earn more income. It can start subtly—dining at pricier restaurants, upgrading…
Chime, the largest digital bank in America, grew its revenue to $1.7 billion in 2024, an increase of roughly 30%…
Technology has transformed some parts of the daunting homebuying process–making it easier to search and compare properties online, to prepare…
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Cash App incorporates banking, spending and investing all into a single streamlined app. The banking side includes a debit card and early access to your paycheck when you set up direct deposit. Swipe over to the investing side and you can invest with just $1…
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During times of financial hardship, it’s not uncommon to fall behind on regular bills and debts you owe. But if you don’t keep…
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Apple, FedEx and Oracle all got loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration. But rules and red tape keep many banks from making…
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MStudioImages/Getty Images If you’re one of the 80 million Chase Bank customers, chances are you already know of many benefits to banking with the largest banks in the U.S.: cardless ATM access, a robust mobile app and overdraft assistance, to name a few. And while there are some drawbacks —…
Jacob Wackerhausen/Getty Images “How much can I afford to pay for a house?” It’s a question all hopeful homebuyers ask themselves. Coming up with a monthly payment that works for you might be easy — simply subtract your monthly expenses from your gross monthly income. Unfortunately, that number might not…
Investing in an individual retirement account (IRA) is a great way to save for retirement — as long as you’re actually investing your money. Yet a surprisingly high number of investors who take the critical step of contributing money to an IRA miss out on the account’s biggest perk: access…
eclipse_images/Getty Images Key takeaways Credit-builder loans can help borrowers improve their payment history — and by extension their credit score — since they report regular, on-time payments to major credit bureaus. Benefits of credit-builder loans include flexible acceptance criteria, the chance to improve your credit and the ability to build…
Key takeaways When securing a vehicle lease, lessees can negotiate the buyout price, gross capitalized cost, mileage allowance and money factor. Take the time to understand the language of a car lease to ensure confidence when negotiating. When signing off on a car lease, you cannot negotiate the acquisition fee,…
Rhode Island may be the smallest state in the country, but real estate prices here can look pretty big. Home prices in Rhode Island have increased over 7 percent from the year prior as of February 2025, according to Redfin data. If you’re a first-time homebuyer in Rhode Island, you…
Key takeaways When it comes to couples and credit cards, only one party needs deep knowledge to accumulate credit card rewards. Having a secondary user work in partnership with a lead cardholder as a ‘Player Two’ can yield great results. Here at Bankrate, many of us are slightly obsessed with…
JGI/Tom Grill/ Getty Images; Illustration by Austin Courregé/Bankrate Key takeaways Business line of credit interest rates range from 8 percent all the way up to 60 percent or higher, depending on the lender and the borrower’s creditworthiness The best rates are offered to established business owners with good-to-excellent credit Business…
Key takeaways Divorce can have a negative impact on your finances, but it’s important to protect your credit at all costs. Understand that the process of rebuilding your credit can take time and effort. Take advantage of resources that help you rebuild your credit and finances after divorce. When a…
If your paycheck is different every month, you’re not alone. Many freelancers, gig workers and commission-based employees face the same challenge of having a variable income. But you can manage your money with an irregular income (and it’s easier than you think). The secret? A budget—which is just a plan…
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