Cash and Carry in the Housing Market

Interest rates that continue to run low and rising prices make the housing market pretty hot right now. Banks are offering attractive mortgage packages, too. But, say some market watchers, it’s hotter still for buyers who can pay cash. To compete in the cash wars,...

Credit Cards? Not for Everybody

Is plastic a thing of the past? After the economic shakeups of the last few years, new financial realities may be changing traditional patterns of managing money and handling debt. And for many Americans, that means rethinking their relationship to credit. A new...

Can an IRA Launch an Investing Career?

Housing prices are rising and so, to some extent, are interest rates, but it’s still a good time to start investing in property. The appeal o building wealth in real estate has hopeful investors looking for startup funds in some odd – and potentially risky – places....

New College Grads: A Lost Generation?

New labor statistics are out for May 2013: 175,000 new jobs added. That’s good news for an employment picture that’s remained stagnant for some time. But some economists fear that this upturn is far from the numbers needed to jumpstart the economy, particularly since...

The Qualified Mortgage Rule: What Does it Mean for Investors?

As the housing market continues its rebound, the mortgage lending industry is still a work in proeress after the string of lawsuits, settlements and new legislation put in place to protect consumers after the well-publicized abuses of the past. More regulation is...