Archive for Banking
When considering refinancing your home mortgage, the first step is to get all of the details on what you have now. Sure, you have vague numbers in your head, but that won’t help you answer all of the loan application questions, or make a real hard-numbers based calculation about the value of refinancing. What exactly do you need to know before you dive into looking for low interest rates and... Read more→
Ok, it’s time to look at refinancing the old homestead’s mortgage. I’ve been putting it off because of holidays and the fact that rates can still go lower even though the Fed recently cut rates to zero. Now, it’s time to take a serious look at refinancing and how it might work out for my family. I’ll be posting a series of articles here on Finance Gourmet to help guide... Read more→
Days like yesterday and today are why I write the Finance Gourmet. For those of you who didn’t see it, the Federal Reserve, or Fed cut interest rates to between 0% and 0.25%. All day today, the media has been droning on about what it means for consumers, homeowners, and the economy. Unfortunately, they are in such a hurry to do so, that they skip over all the details. So,... Read more→
Best Online Bank Rates
CommentsOk, I get asked all the time about where to get the best rates for a savings account. First off, you want a money market account, not a savings account. Money market accounts pay better rates in exchange for restrictions that should be very easy for you to meet. The Online Banks Next, if you are purely interested in rates, then online banks are the way to go. There is a catch, but it isn’t... Read more→
Credit Counseling Scams
CommentsNot too long ago, I wrote about monitoring your credit report on the non-blog Finance Gourmet site. In it I included a warning about the various services offering to “fix” your credit and lower you monthly payment. Now a much bigger site has an “insider” confession from just such an outfit. A little independent confirmation always is good. Read More →
