Put 20% down when buying a home. Don’t spend more than 30% of your income on housing costs. Keep child care expenses below 10% of your annual household income. These money rules of thumb can be useful guardrails, helping you allocate spending and determine what’s affordable. They can also be incredibly defeating when they feel unattainable. If money “rules” feel … Continue reading →

No analyst or economist (or journalist) can know the future for certain. But if the past several months are any indication, it looks like we’ll continue to see a healthy increase in interest rates throughout the rest of 2022. There are quite a few macroeconomy mechanisms that can affect interest rates. Let’s break down how these different factors affect whether … Continue reading →

Amid rising inflation, interest rates and recession worries, money is getting tighter for many folks — and probably for you. Yet there may be charitable organizations you want to support, friends or family asking for financial help and things you want to buy for yourself. It’s possible to do these things even on a limited budget. But if you want to … Continue reading →

If you’re a homeowner and haven’t faced a big repair bill yet, just wait. Even in the best-maintained homes, stuff will wear out or break. Budgeting for these inevitable bills isn’t always easy. One commonly cited rule of thumb — to save 1% to 4% of your home’s value each year for maintenance and repairs — can give homeowners sticker shock … Continue reading →

Savvy consumers consider price, performance and reliability when making a major purchase, such as a car or home appliance. The greatest of these is reliability — particularly lately. Supply chain disruptions can mean long waits for parts or replacements if something breaks. Getting a new refrigerator, dishwasher or other major appliance now often takes weeks or even months, says Paul Hope, … Continue reading →

Just as school-aged kids ease into summer break, the state of the economy forces many parents to put back-to-school shopping on the radar early. In fact, 87% of shoppers for kids K-12 say current economic conditions will impact the way they shop this year, up from 80% in 2021, according to recent data collected by the National Retail Federation. The … Continue reading →

My family didn’t travel much when I was a kid, but when we did, my parents jumped through hoops to cut costs. On a trip to Disney World, for example, our family of six switched hotels. Every. Night. My mom worked for a hotel chain and could get one free night per property. Did my parents save money? Yes. Did … Continue reading →

Consumers face rising prices almost everywhere they turn, including on basics like gas and food. At the same time, rising interest rates can translate into higher credit card payments for people carrying debt month to month. That double whammy of higher costs for both everyday spending and debt translates into greater financial strain on people’s budgets. While there’s not much … Continue reading →

So you’re expecting a tax refund this year. With inflation driving up the price of gas, food and nearly everything else, that extra money can’t come soon enough. The hard part is deciding how to spend it. Should you invest the money? Book a trip? If you really want to do yourself a favor, use your refund to pay off … Continue reading →