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Smart financial strategies for women entrepreneurs 09/20/2017 10:12am • WASHINGTON — Every Sept. 22, American Business Women’s Day honors the contributions and accomplishments of millions of women in the workforce and women business owners. The American Business Women’s Association is responsible for establishing this day and has been championing the efforts of Home Equity Options for the Older Investor 09/19/2017 08:00pm • For many investors, the home is the single largest asset, and although it's needed for shelter it can also serve as a valuable fallback when other holdings run low in retirement. But it's a trick to get at that money, with pros and cons to each option -- selling, borrowing through a home equity loan How much should you spend on big-city rent? 09/19/2017 08:00pm • The average one-bedroom apartment in the U.S. rents for $1,183 per month, according to rental information company Zumper's September 2017 National Rent Report. At a slight increase over the previous month — 0.6 percent — the monthly cost reflects both the high demand for rental housing since File FAFSA Early to Minimize Borrowing 09/19/2017 08:00pm • A recent survey of college enrollment and financial aid practices, conducted by Ruffalo Noel Levits, showed that Free Application for Federal Student Aid submissions increased 15.8 percent in the 2016 award year compared with the previous year. And according to a different survey, most schools maile What You Should Know About Investing in Commercial Bridge Loans 09/19/2017 08:00pm • Short-term commercial mortgage bridge loans give investors fixed returns of 6 percent to 10 percent per year. Junk bonds of similar duration only provide about 1.77 percent. With no fees and no loads taken from the investor's share, this can translate into a straight 6 percent annual return paid mo Navigating a Changed Municipal Bond Market 09/19/2017 08:00pm • Municipal bonds were once considered the gold standard of investment options thanks to their tax-exempt status. Income from these bonds is tax-free at the federal level and usually exempt from state taxes in the bond issuer's state. Since the financial crisis, though, the market has changed, with mo Fair housing in Fairfax County? Not quite, report suggests 09/19/2017 04:58am • WASHINGTON — A new report on fair housing in Fairfax County, Virginia, finds the area has room to improve on its efforts to make housing accessible to any resident regardless of their race. The report, released last week for public comment, found that discriminatory lending practices and the co What Is Equifax and Why Does It Have My Financial Information? 09/18/2017 08:00pm • Your financial life may be negatively affected by a company that, until recently, you may well have never heard of, or only been dimly aware of. Earlier this month, Equifax announced that hackers may have gotten access to the personal information of as many as 143 million Americans. If you don't th Discover Creative Ways to Afford College 09/18/2017 08:00pm • One Student's Strategy: Become a Franchisee Nathan Fink, Belmont University When students at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, attend the college's basketball games, they flock to a food cart called Maui Wowi Hawaiian Coffees & Smoothies, staffed by fellow student Nathan Fink. For Fi 10 Universities That Charge Out-of-State Students the Least 09/18/2017 08:00pm • The U.S. News Short List, separate from our overall rankings, is a regular series that magnifies individual data points in hopes of providing students and parents a way to find which undergraduate or graduate programs excel or have room to grow in specific areas. Be sure to explore The Short List: Everything you need to know about finding and fixing credit report errors 09/18/2017 09:52am • Your credit report is probably on the bottom of your list of must-reads, but there's a good chance that some of the information in your credit report is wrong. There's also a good chance you can fix those errors and improve your credit score. A 2012 Federal Trade Commission study found that one i How to Be a More Conscious Consumer 09/17/2017 08:00pm • Who hasn't given in to retail temptation from time to time? Very few people, in fact. According to a recent survey from personal finance comparison site Finder.com, 88.6 percent of Americans admit to buying things impulsively online. You might have anticipated that near-unanimous response on the sub 5 things to know about your life insurance 09/17/2017 09:04am • When it comes to strengthening your overall financial wellness, many people could benefit from flexing their muscles with a greater understanding of life insurance. Think about going to a gym and walking into a room with a variety of machines and equipment. What if you don't know what they do or Va. to boost loan to I-66 companies by $9M 09/15/2017 01:16pm • WASHINGTON — Virginia plans to loan the private companies designing and building toll lanes on Interstate 66 outside the Capital Beltway $9 million more than originally planned after other financing for the project was delayed. Documents prepared for Virginia’s Commonwealth Transportation Boa Women in wine: Booming Va. industry sees more women at the helm 09/14/2017 01:24am • WASHINGTON — When Melanie Natoli left her stable career in physical therapy to work in the wine industry, she knew she was taking a risk — not to mention a steep pay cut. “I always said, ‘Someday I’ll retire and open up a winery,’ but then was smart enough to realize I was not go