When interest rates fall, many homeowners will refinance their mortgage to lock in a lower interest rate, which can reduce a borrower’s monthly payment or allow a homeowner to build equity more quickly. However, one group of homeowners who typically have trouble refinancing are those in negative equity. This means they owe more on their

Jim Umpleby, CEO of Caterpillar Inc. Adam Jeffery | CNBC This year has already been a tough one, and 2023 isn’t looking much better, with economic growth expected by the Federal Reserve to come in at just 1.2%. Given this dour outlook, investors will have to carefully choose where to put their money to work.

Information in this article reflects congressional funding as well as guidance from the Small Business Administration following passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA), 2021, on Dec. 27, 2020, and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, signed into law on March 11, 2021. Whether you’re seeking financial help for your small business in response

Mistrust toward banks and other financial institutions prompts more fearful individuals to seek alternative venues to park their capital. Others may be avoiding the banks on principle, given their participation in the reckless lending that led up to the housing bubble bursting and triggered the Great Recession. Of course, after last year’s wildly volatile stock

Retirees looking for dependable income during their golden years can no longer rely on money market funds and certificates of deposit (CDs) since the interest rate is too low to make them a viable primary savings instrument for retirement. Instead, a key to combating increasing costs of living is the smart diversification of funds. Transamerica

After you die several things can happen to your bank account, depending on the type of account you have, how you’ve set up your account before your passing, and whether you’ve set up a will or trust. Learn the common ways you can set up your account to make things as simple as possible after

Any savvy investor knows you can’t put all your eggs in one basket. Even though it may not cut out risk entirely, diversifying your investment portfolio can help you reach your investment goals by maximizing your returns. There are plenty of different investment vehicles for you to choose from including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, futures,

If you work for a company that has a 401(k) plan, congratulations. As of 2020, nearly 60 million Americans took part in roughly 600,000 company retirement plans. According to Investment Company Institute, there were about $7.3 trillion in assets invested in 401(k) plans as of the end of June 2021. Retirement plans managed to stay

Dividend Stocks: An Overview Dividend stocks are stocks of companies that pay out a portion of their earnings to a class of shareholders on a regular basis. Usually, these companies are well established, with stable earnings, and a long track record of distributing some of those earnings back to shareholders. The distributions are known as

In this article WIX Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Marco Vdm | E+ | Getty Images Company: Wix.com (WIX) Business: Wix.com is an Israeli information technology company that develops and markets a cloud-based platform that enables users to create a website or web application. Their platform consists of three web creation products, each with

For many people, marriage brings a vast swath of benefits, including financial ones. But if you have a significant other who believes that getting married is more of a financial liability than a benefit, don’t be surprised because that mindset is more common than you’d think. Many people, largely confused by the long-held belief that

The first U.S. dollar (USD) is one of the world’s strongest currencies. It is the official currency of the United States as well as several other countries. Although it has a deep-rooted history in the United States, the dollar as we know it today was first printed in 1914. Printing began a year after the

A loan contingency clause in a contract defines a condition that must be met or an action that must be taken before a sales agreement becomes binding. A home loan contingency clause commonly gives the buyer the right to have the home independently appraised, to have the home professionally inspected, and to obtain a mortgage.

When Aretha Franklin died intestate—without a legal will—in 2018, she joined a surprisingly long list of famous people, including Prince, who also did the same. By not preparing an estate plan, she made the task of settling her affairs more complicated for her survivors. While your estate may not be as large or complex as

The oil and gas industry is one of the largest sectors in the world in terms of dollar value, generating an estimated $5 trillion in global revenue as of 2022. Oil is crucial to the global economic framework, impacting everything from transportation to heating & electricity to industrial production & manufacturing. Investors looking to enter