The last few weeks have seen some of the highest interest rates for mortgages seen in almost 15 years. Rates jumped from the low 5.00% on a 30 year fixed rate mortgage to about 6.50% before settling back closer to 6.00%. With rates jumping so much, where does the housing market go from here? There are already some signs.

Consumers are under pressure like never seen in almost 40 years. I am seeing it more and more, and it is very concerning for millions. To combat high levels of inflations, many consumers have resorted to credit card and other consumer debt trying to navigate through these record inflation rates. Every person has an opinion. What can you do more? Here are some ideas that I have helped out many others over the last 30 years.

Everyone knows a friend or two that have invested into cryptocurrency. For the last couple on years, many investors have made some money. That has all changed recently when such investments have lost lots of value. Many young investors, dreaming of early retirement, face the recent prospects of losing all their savings from recent declines in cryptocurrencies. Finances can be very brutal.

Everyone is impacted from higher gas, food and other commodity prices. How is each consumer responding to this pressure on their finances? A number just came out that will have longer term implications for many into the future.

Federal rent assistance for millions of Americans comes to an end starting May 1, 2022. For many, the challenges of affordability and of having to start making payments that have increased exponentially since the start of the pandemic, are way beyond reach. So, what is going to happen?

The three major credit bureaus, Experian®, Equifax®, and TransUnion® have marketed different credit monitoring tools to help you track the credit information in your credit report – as long as you pay something. But, why don’t the credit bureaus do it? It is their information. I’ll explain.

Over the last 15 years, the credit score has become a vital part of every consumer’s financial life. Good or bad, politicians have recently got more involved to have their impact on consumer’s credit scores. As one observer correctly pointed it out, those with higher credit ratings are losing out while those with lower credit scores are benefitting. Let's take a look.

Why would an active duty soldier or veteran pay almost $20,000 more than necessary on a mortgage? One mortgage company, NewDay USA, advertises that servicemen and women may want to add a pool for the grandkids, or consolidate some expenses. They advertise to those with VA benefits (soldiers and veterans) to utilize NewDay USA VA 100 Cash Out loan “…to help more veterans.” When a potential applicant looks at the numbers however, there are several costly red flags to what NewDay USA is proposing.

More and more consumers are realizing that their credit impacts their insurance premiums on auto, home, life, and renter’s insurance. However, most consumers do not know how insurance companies utilize credit for their analysis. This is where you can save some money if you do some follow up.

Millions of consumers have been surprised to pull up their credit report and find a collection from a doctor showing up on their credit report. In a historic change, many of these past due bills will no longer show up on a credit report.