For Americans hoping to buy a home this fall, the math just became uncomfortable again. Mortgage rates near 7% can turn a seemingly manageable $400,000 purchase into a substantially larger monthly obligation than buyers might expect. Freddie Mac reported that the average 30-year fixed mortgage reached 6.95% for the week ending September 17, up from 6.76% one week earlier. That change may look small on
Seeing $20,000 sitting in your checking account can feel reassuring, especially when bills, repairs and surprise expenses seem to arrive at the worst possible time. But a large checking account balance can create a different problem: thousands of dollars may be earning little or nothing when they could be working harder elsewhere. The goal is not to drain checking until every purchase becomes stressful, but
If you have five credit cards but regularly reach for only two, closing the other three may seem like obvious financial housekeeping. Fewer accounts can mean fewer statements, fewer passwords and less temptation to spend, but unused credit cards can still play an important role in your credit profile. Closing them may reduce your available credit and potentially affect your credit scores, even when the
If you bought a home in 2021 and locked in a mortgage rate around 3%, your monthly payment may look surprisingly affordable compared with what a buyer would face today. Mortgage rates fell below 3% during parts of 2021, creating an unusually favorable borrowing environment that millions of homeowners still benefit from. By September 17, 2026, Bankrate reported an average 30-year fixed mortgage rate of
A $10,000 emergency fund sounds like a reassuring financial cushion—until your paycheck suddenly disappears. Once rent or a mortgage, groceries, insurance, utilities, transportation, and debt payments keep arriving, that five-figure balance can shrink surprisingly fast. Financial experts commonly recommend keeping roughly three to six months of essential expenses available for emergencies, but the right target depends heavily on your household and monthly obligations. The real
The Federal Trade Commission is moving to limit Beretta Holding’s influence over the board of rival gun manufacturer Sturm, Ruger & Co. after raising concerns that a proposed stock deal could create an illegal connection between competing companies. The Federal Trade Commission announced September 16 that it had accepted a proposed consent order addressing antitrust concerns arising from an agreement between Beretta Holding S.A. and
Christine Brown Woolley’s life looks dramatically different from the one viewers saw when Sister Wives premiered in 2010. She left her spiritual marriage to Kody Brown in 2021, returned to Utah, and married David Woolley in 2023. Her financial life has changed along with her personal one. Christine continues to appear on Sister Wives, wrote a bestselling memoir, promotes products as a brand ambassador, and
For years, homebuyers chasing affordability seemed to follow the same map: Texas, Florida, Arizona, and other fast-growing Sun Belt states. But one of America’s hottest housing markets is now hundreds of miles north, where buyers can still find homes at prices well below the national norm. The Rockford, Illinois, metro ranked as the nation’s hottest housing market in August 2026, according to Realtor.com’s latest Hottest
Having $20,000 in savings while carrying $10,000 in credit card debt creates a particularly awkward money dilemma. The savings account looks comforting, but the credit card balance can quietly become more expensive every month. So should the debt get wiped out, or should that cash stay safely parked? For many households, the smartest answer involves doing both, rather than treating the decision like an all-or-nothing
For buyers who have watched big-city home prices sprint far beyond their budgets, smaller housing markets are starting to look a lot more interesting. The catch is that affordability attracts people, and when enough buyers chase the same relatively affordable homes, yesterday’s bargain can become tomorrow’s bidding war. That pattern already shows up in markets such as Buffalo, New York, and Hartford, Connecticut, while Indianapolis
