Bond prices have been volatile in recent years as the Federal Reserve hiked interest rates to combat high inflation, but with rate cuts paused for now, investors may still be able to take advantage of attractive yields in short-term bonds. Here’s what you should know about short-term bond funds and…
A stretch annuity lets a beneficiary receive inherited annuity payments over an extended period rather than all at once. Spreading payments over time can create a steadier income stream and may limit how much taxable income is recognized each year. The remaining balance continues to grow tax-deferred while payments are…
Image: Getty Images; Illustration: Bankrate Home equity rates barely budged heading into the final Federal Reserve meeting of 2025. The $30,000 home equity line of credit was unchanged, holding at 7.81% for the fourth straight week, according to Bankrate’s national survey of lenders. Meanwhile, the benchmark five-year $30,000 home equity…
Key takeaways Mutual funds can be a great way to invest for long-term goals such as retirement. There are thousands of mutual funds focused on different asset classes, such as stocks and bonds. Index funds are popular because of their low cost and diversification benefits. Millions of Americans use mutual…
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
With investors getting increasingly anxious about the nosebleed valuations of public stocks, Goldman Sachs announced Monday morning that it’s spending $2 billion to buy Innovator Capital Management, a firm that will cushion its clients from a crash.Wheaton, Illinois-based Innovator manages $28 billion in assets, mostly…
Dept Managmnt
Experience with the Program: How Debt Management Helped a First-Time Renter Katie’s journey shows clearly how debt management helped her regain control over…
Banking
OBSERVATIONS FROM THE FINTECH SNARK TANKCross River announced a new USDC stablecoin payments platform that connects directly to its core banking system. It’s…
Credit Cards
All News
Justin Sullivan/GettyImages Brokerages are aggressively competing for your money. One way they do that is by offering competitive bonuses in the form of cash that you can add right to your brokerage account. Bankrate tracks the best brokerage account bonuses to help you compare active offers. Best brokerage account bonuses…
Cassandra Gucwa was crying in frustration in her office closet shortly after her employer was acquired by a larger conglomerate in 2012. Hundreds of employees were now mixing into her workspace, and the vibe in the office shifted from collaborative to competitive. “It was just so difficult to work your…
Building wealth is hard. For women, it’s even harder. Women typically earn less than men. When trying to move up, many find that bias is still the norm in many corners of the American workplace. They’re more likely to take breaks from work or shift to lower-paying jobs to raise…
Key takeaways Discover’s rotating cash back categories offer cardholders the chance to earn 5 percent back (after activation) on up to $1,500 combined spending on qualifying purchases each quarter (then 1 percent). Categories tend to align with seasonal themes and common spending patterns. Each of the rotating categories cards also…
The median age of first-time homebuyers has risen to 40 — the highest it has ever been, according to new data from the National Association of Realtors.It’s not as though first-time homebuyers needed any more bad news, but that’s what they got with this dreary statistic, which tops last year’s…
Dear Abby, You probably won’t earn as much money as a man who does the same work for most of your career. I know this makes you mad. It makes me mad, too. This gender pay gap has been a problem in America for decades. Women earned 61 cents for…
Illustration by Bankrate / Getty Images While the gender wage gap has narrowed over time, Census Bureau data shows it remains pervasive across the country. In every state, and even in the nation’s capital, women still earn less than men on average. Some states fare worse than others, including Louisiana,…
Illustration by Bankrate / Photo by Getty The gender pay gap isn’t closing anytime soon, especially for women of color. Black and Hispanic women earn the least compared with men, and a Bankrate analysis of the latest income data from the Census shows it could take generations for their pay…
Key takeaways Credit unions typically offer better rates on savings and lower rates on loans compared to traditional banks. Membership is required and may have specific eligibility requirements based on location, employer or affiliation. Your deposits are federally insured up to $250,000, just like at banks, providing the same level…
Practical Money Tricks That Lead to Real Treats Getting out of debt doesn’t happen overnight, but small, consistent actions can help you regain confidence and control. Here are a few tried-and-true strategies: Budget like a pro: Track every dollar for a month to see where your money really goes. Focus…
Editor's Pick
