Key takeaways Tapping into home equity carries several risks, including losing the property, the potential to fall into significant debt and the dilution of a valuable asset. The unpredictable nature of the housing market and high interest rates are also reasons not to borrow against a home’s worth. Financial experts…
Key takeaways While your home’s value is determined by many factors, some home improvements could help increase its worth. There are multiple ways to pay for upgrades, including cash-out refinancing, a home equity loan or home improvement loan. If you plan to sell your home, it’s important to determine not…
You have money questions. Bankrate has answers. Our experts have been helping you master your money for over four decades. We continually strive to provide consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to succeed throughout life’s financial journey. Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that…
I’ve recently accepted a hard truth: I will never experience true pay equality in my career. Neither will most women my age. If the gender wage gap follows its historical pace, many women working full time won’t reach pay parity with men until 2059 — 33 years from now, according…
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The nation’s 75 million Social Security recipients will receive a 2.8% cost of living adjustment (COLA) increase in their benefits…
Historically Black colleges and universities are on the frontlines of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s new limits on parent…
The big new fees JPMorgan Chase is planning to charge some financial technology companies may well trickle down to consumers,…
With artificial intelligence beginning to eat away at many white-collar entry-level jobs, and the unemployment rate for recent college graduates…
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Key takeaways Your account number is located at the bottom of a check — it’s the second set of numbers, between the nine-digit routing number and the check number. The routing number comes first — it’s the nine-digit number on the left that identifies your…
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The decision of which debt to start paying off first is a personal one, but starting with high-interest debt is generally considered the…
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The fundamental flaws in the way the Federal Reserve operates these days were on full display Wednesday when Jerome Powell talked to the…
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Congratulations! Becoming debt-free is a game-changer. Making that last payment on credit cards, student loans or whatever debt burden you carried must have been a huge weight off your shoulders. After having paid off $300,000 of debt, I know that feeling well. But when the celebratory vibes wear off and…
Oleksandra Yagello/Getty Images The average credit card interest rate is 20.03 percent, down from a record-high 20.79 percent set on Aug. 14, 2024. Current credit card interest rates Weekly national averages Variable 10/8/2025 20.03% 10/1/2025 20.09% 9/24/2025 20.11% 9/17/2025 20.12% 9/10/2025 20.12% 9/3/2025 20.12% 8/27/2025 20.12% 8/20/2025 20.13% 8/13/2025 20.13%…
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images Feeling the strain of making ends meet without a regular paycheck? You’re not alone. On top of the more than 7 million people who are currently unemployed, 750,000 federal employees are now on furlough and without pay due to the current government shutdown. And it…
Once you begin taking required minimum distributions (RMDs) at age 73, you must withdraw a set amount each year from your pre-tax retirement accounts. If you don’t need that money for living expenses, you can still use it productively. Many retirees choose to reinvest their RMDs in a taxable brokerage…
Image by PM Images/Getty Images; Illustration by Hunter Newton/Bankrate Mortgage rates held steady again this week, with the 30-year fixed rate averaging 6.39 percent, unchanged from 6.39 percent the previous two weeks, according to Bankrate’s latest lender survey. Current mortgage rates Loan type Current 4 weeks ago One year ago…
Image by GettyImages; Illustration by Bankrate Home equity rates ticked lower in the latest week, reaching levels not seen since 2023. The $30,000 home equity line of credit fell five basis points to 7.84 percent, according to Bankrate’s national survey of lenders. Meanwhile, the benchmark 5-year $30,000 home equity loan…
Even though I have enough saved for early retirement, I still worry. As someone with lifelong chronic conditions, I know all too well how healthcare costs can creep up, even when everything else seems under control. Medical debt is one of the sneakiest ways financial stress shows up in people’s…
PNC Bank is one of the largest banks operating in the U.S. It offers a full suite of retail, commercial and small-business products. PNC Bank has around 2,200 branches across 27 states and Washington, D.C. Its customers can also access nearly 60,000 in-network ATMs. PNC Bank near me You can…
Hispanolistic/ Getty Images Key takeaways The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is a solid choice for travelers who want some basic Delta perks with a more manageable annual fee. The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card offers frequent Delta flyers more benefits plus the ability to earn Medallion Status…
Investors have many ways to gain exposure to gold, from directly purchasing gold bullion to more indirect methods like owning shares of public mining companies. While some funds invest directly in the physical metal, others manage a portfolio of gold-related stocks. To get in on the action, the most efficient…
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