Finance Information OnlineFinance,Financial,Business,Money,Economic Information Online For Banking, Budgeting, Checking, Savings, Debt, Management, CreditCard, Credit Reports, Career, Leadership, Salary, Negotiation, Self-Employment, Work-Life, Balance, College, K-12, Education, Family, Kids, Parents, Love, Money, Travel, Insurance, Homeowners, Health, Loans, Autos, House, Personal, Small, Buy, Sell, Rent, Home Improvement, 401ks, 403ks, IRAs, Retirement, Real Estate, Planning, Taxes, Advice, and StrategyMortgage rates: biggest spike in 4 years- October 10, 2007 By Rob Kelley, CNNMoney.com staff writerMortgage rates made their largest upward movement in nearly 4 years, and the 30-year fixed-rate reached its highest level since July 2006, Freddie Mac said Thursday.The average rate on 30-year fixed-rate loans climbed to 6.74 percent for the week ending June 14, from 6.53 percent the previous week. That marked the biggest one-week increase since July 2003.Last year at this time, 30-year mortgage rates averaged 6.63 percent. The rate is the highest since...http://wistuo.blogspot.com/2007/10/mortgage-rates-biggest-spike-in-4-years.html Make a buck off rising rates- October 10, 2007 By Rob Kelley, CNNMoney.com staff writerThe recent run-up in interest rates may be a letdown to someone looking for a home loan, but it could spell dollar signs for investors with money to lend.Four years ago, when rates were around 1 percent, loan-based investments like certificates of deposit (CDs) and money market funds weren't attractive because their payoffs rise and fall along with rates.But now they're looking a lot better as interest rates have risen above 5 percent on inflation...http://wistuo.blogspot.com/2007/10/make-buck-off-rising-rates.html Auto loans: What you need to know- October 10, 2007 By Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNNMoney.com staff writerFew of us have the means to write a check for the full amount of a new - or even used - vehicle.Unfortunately, car buyers, treating financing as an afterthought in the car buying transaction, can easily waste thousands of dollars.Here are some tips on what to do and what to avoid.Know your incentivesWeb sites like Edmunds.com (which provides automotive data for CNN's Web sites) list available incentives in your area. Often there are low-interest,.http://wistuo.blogspot.com/2007/10/auto-loans-what-you-need-to-know.html Pulling cash from your home: What's new, what to do- October 10, 2007 By Gerri Willis, Money Magazine contributing writerNEW YORK (Money Magazine) -- Not long ago, a well-known economist surprised me by suggesting that it's a good time for homeowners to tap their equity to buy stocks.Crazy, I thought. If you had risked your house to invest in the stock market before the dotcom crash, you could have lost everything.But his idea got me thinking. For many of us, our house is our biggest cash reserve, and raiding that piggy bank made financial sense for years because.http://wistuo.blogspot.com/2007/10/pulling-cash-from-your-home-whats-new.html Mortgage rates ease slightly- October 10, 2007 NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Mortgage rates fell slightly after three weeks of gains as the initial effects of credit woes spread to the housing market, Freddie Mac reported Thursday.The government-sponsored loan buyer said the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.37 percent for the week ending October 3, down from 6.42 percent from the week earlier. At this time last year, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.30 percent."The initial effects of the credit market turmoil that began in...http://wistuo.blogspot.com/2007/10/mortgage-rates-ease-slightly.html Health costs race past inflation- October 10, 2007 NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Health insurance premiums in 2007 rose 6.1 percent, the lowest growth rate in eight years but still well above inflation and worker earnings, according to the latest annual survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation.It was the fourth consecutive year of slowing growth and the lowest rate of growth since 1999, when premiums increased 5.3 percent.Since 2001, however, premiums for family coverage have increased 78 percent, while wages have gone up 19 percent and inflation..http://wistuo.blogspot.com/2007/10/health-costs-race-past-inflation.html They want to sell your kid- October 10, 2007 By Penelope Wang, Money Magazine senior writerTo improve her chances of getting into a good college, Caitlin Pickavance, a 17-year-old high school senior from Danville, Calif., has been working with a private college coach since her freshman year (cost: $800).She gets tutored in math ($1,400), takes an ACT prep class ($900) and participates in afterschool enrichment activities ($1,350). Then there's the good-will mission to Belize she went on last spring ($1,375) and the classes she took this...http://wistuo.blogspot.com/2007/10/they-want-to-sell-your-kid.html When bad returns don't make a bad fund- October 10, 2007 By Penelope Wang, Money Magazine senior writerLast month I got an e-mail from a reader really giving it to me: "How can you possibly continue to have Jensen on your Money 70 recommended fund list" he asked. "I just couldn't keep the dog in my portfolio, so I sold it."Jensen (Charts) has been a laggard, true enough. But too bad about the timing of that sale. More often than not, the best move to make with a lagging fund is to do nothing. A fund may go into a slump simply because its strategy is..http://wistuo.blogspot.com/2007/10/when-bad-returns-dont-make-bad-fund.html The right IRA for you- October 10, 2007 By Walter Updegrave, Money Magazine senior editorNEW YORK (Money) -- Question: If you contribute to a traditional IRA, after many years most of your account value will be in the form of investment earnings, which are taxable when you withdraw them. With a Roth, on the other hand, your balance will be tax-free. So it seems to me that the advantage of tax-free withdrawals from the Roth in the future greatly outweighs any tax-deduction benefit you get from a traditional IRA. Doesn't that make the..http://wistuo.blogspot.com/2007/10/right-ira-for-you.html Giuliani, Romney champion tax cuts- October 10, 2007 DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) -- Republican presidential hopefuls Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani quarreled over tax and spending cuts Tuesday, each claiming greater commitment than the other in a debate in the nation's struggling manufacturing heartland.The government "is spending money of future generations and those yet to be born," added Fred Thompson, making his debut on a debate stage after a late entry into the race. He said future retirees should receive smaller Social Security benefits than they..http://wistuo.blogspot.com/2007/10/giuliani-romney-champion-tax-cuts.html |