While the process of adding a spouse to a deed can be relatively simple, there are some tax implications that make it more complicated. Depending on how you handle the property transfer, it can affect gift taxes, capital gains taxes, and estate planning outcomes later on. State laws and ownership…
Once you retire, the purpose of your investment portfolio often changes. Instead of concentrating primarily on growth, many retirees focus on generating reliable income to supplement Social Security, pensions or other sources of income. Choosing the right investments to add income after retiring can help support day-to-day expenses while managing…
Paying off Debt on a Fixed Income: Making Sacrifices and Learning Patience Paying off debt on a fixed income requires discipline. Jill emphasizes that working with the program meant more than simply making payments. It meant changing her mindset. “You really do have to cut up the cards and not…
Morsa Images/GettyImages; Illustration by Hunter Newton/Bankrate Key takeaways Many first-time homebuyer programs operate at the state level, through a state housing finance agency. Others are federal, and some are offered through nonprofits or employers. To qualify for a first-time homebuyer program, you may need to live in a certain area…
Trending
Spotlight This Week
More Articles
Personal Finance
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…
Featured Articles
For fintech startups, the first five years of the decade have been a roller-coaster ride. At the outset, companies were awash in easy money, then a harsh funding winter befell them, causing numerous startups to fold. Last year, the industry stabilized and is now looking…
Dept Managmnt
Does a Consumer Proposal Affect My Credit Score? Yes, filing a consumer proposal will affect your credit score. Your score reflects your past…
Banking
These entrepreneurs, traders and investors are making an outsized impact in fintech, crypto and traditional financial services.By Jeff Kauflin, Hank Tucker and Nina…
Credit Cards
All News
The latest Bankrate Financial Fraud Survey reveals that about 1 in 3 U.S. adults (34 percent) have experienced financial fraud or a scam in the past 12 months, since January 2024. Among them, nearly 2 in 5 (37 percent) lost money. “Financial scams today come in all shapes and sizes,…
kate_sept2004/Getty Images S&P 500 index funds allow you to invest in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, a collection of stocks that includes the largest and most successful companies in the U.S. The S&P 500 index has returned an average of about 10% annually over time. Here are seven of…
To identify the best lenders for mortgage refinances, Bankrate analyzed Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data to determine the amount of lenders’ mortgage volume that was made up of refinance mortgages in 2024, the most recent year for which data is available. At least 20% of a lender’s mortgages must…
Receiving a tax refund can feel like a sudden financial windfall, an opportunity to breathe easier and recalibrate your budget. While it is tempting to view this check as “extra” money, it is actually a strategic tool. When used wisely, this influx of cash can significantly enhance your long-term financial…
Key takeaways A home equity loan allows you to borrow a lump sum against your home’s equity, usually at a fixed interest rate that’s lower than other forms of consumer debt. The amount you can borrow with a home equity loan is based on the current market value of your…
Halfpoint Images/Getty Images Key takeaways High-yield savings accounts and money market funds both provide safe places to park your cash, and are ideal for short-term savings. But neither will generate significant long-term wealth or outpace investments like stocks. Money market funds are investment accounts that potentially could lose money, though…
Key takeaways Mortgage loan amortization refers to how you repay your mortgage balance over the loan term. At the beginning of your loan term, more of your payment goes toward interest, but this reverses closer to the end of the term. You can use your amortization schedule to find the…
Key takeaways You may owe capital gains tax on any realized gain on the sale of an asset, but not on unrealized capital gains. Long-term capital gains — that is, on assets held for a year or longer — are taxed at a 0%, 15% or 20% rate, depending on…
The Standard & Poor’s 500 index, or S&P 500, is perhaps the world’s most well-known stock index. The index contains 500 of the largest publicly traded companies in the U.S., making it a bellwether for stocks. It includes stocks across all 11 sectors of the economy, as defined by the…
Key takeaways Low-cost index mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are a great way to invest in the market, giving you a diversified fund with low expenses. Index funds are passive funds that track an established index, making changes only when the index itself changes, rather than actively trying to…
Editor's Pick
