Personal Finance

It’s the early days of Techtober 2022, and Samsung just dropped phones that cost $999 and $1,799, respectively, but it’s 2022, and budget or mid-range smartphones are having a moment. You can spend under $500 and score a terrific experience with good cameras, long battery life, and the ability to run a boatload of apps.… Continue reading Apple iPhone SE vs. Google Pixel 6a: Which Smartphone is Right For You?

Surging home prices and mortgage rates are paining home buyers. Housing starts are falling and mortgage cancellations are rising. Ring up another piece of bad news for the housing market, as roaring home prices and mortgage rates continue to hammer the sector. Mortgage applications dropped a seasonally-adjusted 2.3% in the week ended Aug. 12 from… Continue reading Housing Slump Apace: Mortgage Applications Drop

Thanks to sharp inflation, U.S Social Security recipients should be getting a big raise in 2023. According to the Senior Citizens League, which regularly tracks Social Security cost-of-living adjustments, next year’s figure will likely come in at 9.6%.  The league estimates the increase should average $159 a month, a substantial funding increase for Social Security… Continue reading Taking Social Security? Retirees May Get a Big Bump Up in 2023.

Americans seem to have a love-hate relationship with their credit scores. They love it when the system hums on all cylinders and hate it when credit-scoring models ding them unfairly. Why? Because a lower credit score leads to higher interest rates on approved credit and outright rejections from creditors on major household financial initiatives like mortgages,… Continue reading Credit-Score Errors Hit Consumers; Here’s How to Lift, Fix Your Score

The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Amazon and B&H Photo are each taking $100 off the entry-level MacBook Air in Starlight, bringing it to the lowest price we’ve seen at $1,099. And it’s one of the… Continue reading Save $100 on Apple’s Brand New MacBook Air

The housing market just can’t catch a break. Soaring interest rates and home prices have put a damper on home sales. Now comes news that housing starts dropped 9.6% in July from June to an annual rate of 1,446,000. That’s down 8.1% from July 2021 and represents the lowest level since February 2021. Meanwhile, about… Continue reading Housing Slump Continues Apace: Starts Fall, Cancellations Rise

Americans seem to have a love-hate relationship with their credit scores. They love it when the system hums on all cylinders and hate it when credit-scoring models ding them unfairly. Why? Because a lower credit score leads to higher interest rates on approved credit and outright rejections from creditors on major household financial initiatives like mortgages,… Continue reading Credit-Score Errors Hitting Consumers Where It Hurts

amazon.com If your child has already started school, is about to head back to the classroom, or you have a college student preparing for the Fall semester, it’s never too late to snag some last-minute back-to-school sales. We’ve sorted out the best back-to-school sales by category, including tech, home and dorm décor, school supplies, and… Continue reading Back-to-school Sales: Laptops, Headphones, Backpacks and More