If building a down payment fund keeps getting harder instead of easier, the data backs that up. The typical first-time homebuyer is now 40 years old, up from 38 just the year before, according to the National Association of Realtors — a clear sign that getting the money together is taking people longer than it … Read more
Average savings account interest rate data from the FDIC tells a blunt story this month: the typical account is paying just 0.38% APY, while the best high-yield accounts are paying more than ten times that. If your money has been sitting in the same account for a while, there’s a good chance you’re one of … Read more
Should you lock in a CD rate now, before it potentially disappears? A jobs report released this week just made that question a lot more urgent. August payrolls came in at 162,000 jobs added, more than triple what economists expected, and the surprise strength pushed the odds of a September rate hike to 63%, according … Read more
What is a CD ladder, and why do people bother splitting their money into pieces instead of just picking one certificate of deposit and being done with it? The short answer is that a single CD forces a trade-off you don’t actually have to make: lock your money away for years to get the best … Read more