Search

4 Things to Know Before Investing in a Vacation Home 08/07/2017 08:00pm • Families with disposable income and a penchant for travel may be tempted to purchase a vacation home investment to use personally or to rent to other travelers. A vacation home could save you money if you use it a lot, especially if hotel and lodging costs are high in a destination you frequent, say 6 Mistakes Grandparents Make When Helping Pay for College 08/06/2017 08:00pm • Even well-meaning grandparents make mistakes. And when it comes to financing college, any missteps can be quite costly, either for the grandparents themselves or the grandchildren. Be sure to avoid these common mistakes grandparents make when trying to help their grandkids with college costs. Mi Decorate your dorm room on a budget 08/06/2017 11:00am • If you're looking to spend money on dorm room decorations, you don't have to look far. "There's so much targeted advertising," says Julie Selander, director of One Stop Student Services at the University of Minnesota--Twin Cities. The office provides a financial literacy and money management init How the Fed's Rate Hikes Can Hurt Your Credit Score 08/03/2017 08:00pm • Credit scores are at record high levels. So too is credit card debt. Interest rates, meanwhile, are near historical lows but rising fast. Put that together, and you've got a recipe for impending credit damage. Basically, Federal Reserve rate hikes make debt more expensive. For example, credit card With legal fight still raging, work picks up on the Purple Line 08/03/2017 02:36pm • WASHINGTON — Work is picking up again on Maryland’s Purple Line even as the state waits to sign a final agreement with the federal government that would provide about $900 million required for the project to move forward. “With a clear path forward, there are no plans to scale back pre-cons Are REITs Good Dividend Investments? 08/02/2017 08:00pm • Roughly one year ago, the Standard & Poor's 500 index made a big change to its structure, giving real estate-related investments their own category. This move increased the number of core sectors in the popular stock index from 10 to 11, and gave real estate a prominent place in the list of inv These Sectors Should Gain From Rising Rates 08/02/2017 08:00pm • The Federal Reserve is starting to raise interest rates, and whenever that happens, winning and losing investments will follow. The U.S. central bank has already hiked rates twice, and after a strong July jobs report, the Fed will likely raise rates again, perhaps as early as next month. Investors How much paid family leave is enough? 08/02/2017 02:26am • WASHINGTON — When Dr. Rebecca Hall was expecting her first child, stress set in long before sleepless nights and feeding schedules became a reality. The Connecticut-based dermatologist wasn’t offered maternity leave benefits through her medical practice and was disqualified from receivin 3 Student Loans for Parents to Fill a College Tuition Gap 08/01/2017 08:00pm • During the summer months, college-bound students and their parents will pay their first tuition bill for the fall semester. Seeing the amount due can be a harsh dose of reality, especially since they may have to multiply it by four years and the number of children in the family. Even after financia How Expected Family Contribution for College is Calculated 08/01/2017 08:00pm • California mom Kristina Shurbert was stunned to find out some colleges use the value of your home to calculate your expected family contribution. "I was shocked to only now realize that Kenyon College has their own method of calculating 'demonstrated need' and does not use the FAFSA amount of estima 7 Ways to Be a Debt-Free Credit Card User 08/01/2017 08:00pm • Credit cards are tricky beasts: On one hand, they're an essential part of establishing and building personal credit. On the other hand, their convenience and means of instant gratification get consumers into trouble. What's more, the disproportionate rise in the cost of living compared to income gr 8 Things You Can Learn From a First-Time Homebuyer Boot Camp 08/01/2017 08:00pm • For most, homebuying seems to be an overly complicated process. Viewed from a wider lens, you have multiple steps -- mortgage application and approval, making an offer, competing with other buyers, contract negotiation, the due diligence period and (hopefully) a successful closing -- rolled into on 3 Ways the Credit Industry Is Changing How We Apply for Loans 07/31/2017 08:00pm • If all goes as planned, you will soon be able to apply for credit by sending a text. Experian, the credit bureau, recently announced what it calls a "groundbreaking innovation." It isn't mainstream yet, though several lenders and card issuers are involved in a pilot program in which consumers can i 5 Scary Facts About Financial Literacy -- and How to Avoid Becoming a Statistic 07/31/2017 08:00pm • If you're reading this story, then you're already ahead of the curve. That's because adults and teenagers in the U.S. -- and worldwide -- are enormously ignorant when it comes to financial literacy. They struggle to understand basic concepts such as how interest works, why inflation matters and how 10 Smart Ways to Deploy Your Extra Cash 07/30/2017 08:00pm • There are so many bad ways to use your money. However, what if you have made the responsible decision to handle your money wisely? Where should the next dollar of free cash flow be deployed? Should it be used for savings, paying down debt, saving for retirement or helping your kids go to college? H