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Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

CD ladder: What it is and how to build one

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

A CD ladder spreads your savings across multiple certificates of deposit (CDs) with staggered maturity dates, so you capture the higher rates of longer-term CDs while still getting access to part of your money every six to 12 months. It’s a solution to the classic CD dilemma of choosing between better rates and flexibility.

That said, top ...Read more

Alexandra Wimley/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS

College is still worth it, parents say. They just want more options

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

For parents looking at the rising cost of college, there’s a reality that keeps some of them up at night: 71% expect to take on debt to help their children pay for higher education.

Nearly half — 46% — expect to use education loans. Another 21% of parents say they may turn to credit cards or cash advances. Eleven percent of parents ...Read more

Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/TNS

With gas prices back on the rise, some Chicagoans are reconsidering how they get around

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

CHICAGO — Forty hours a week used to be enough for Christopher Dever, 42, to make a living as a Lyft driver. But as the cost of a full tank of gas crept up from $60 to $80, he found himself living in what he calls “a cycle of scarcity,” working 60-hour weeks to scrape by.

Although Lyft offered a temporary fuel relief program for eligible ...Read more

Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group/TNS

'How can you not build an Asian mall?' He saw the Bay Area shift and launched a trend

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Perhaps no one has done more to bring Asian shopping centers to communities across the Bay Area than John Luk.

Luk launched his career in commercial real estate years after arriving in the South Bay from Hong Kong for a career in nursing. But noticing the lack of Asian grocery stores and banquet halls as demographics shifted in the South Bay, ...Read more

Kara Gildea @karagildeaphoto/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

Luxury homes prices have increased 60% in Las Vegas since 2019, report says

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The median price for a luxury home in Las Vegas has increased almost 60 percent since the beginning of the pandemic, according to a new report.

According to May statistics from Realtor.com, the median price for a luxury home in the Las Vegas Valley (within the top 10th percentile of all sales) was $752,891 in December 2019. By the same month in...Read more

Real estate Q&A: Should I add my daughter's name to deed of my house to avoid probate costs?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: I am a widow in my 70s, and I want to make things easier for my daughter after I am gone. A friend told me I can simply add her name to the deed of my house so it passes to her without probate. It sounds simple and inexpensive. Is there any reason I should not just do it? — Eleanor

A: Your heart is in the right place, and the goal is a ...Read more

Amanda Snyder/The Seattle Times/TNS

Seattle City Council bans 'junk' rental fees

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The Seattle City Council voted to ban most types of rental fees this week — a move welcomed by tenants' advocates, who argue that tacked-on charges make housing more expensive and obscure its true costs to renters.

The bill requires landlords to disclose all mandatory and optional fees upfront in home listings or ads. The ordinance will take ...Read more

Seattle's 'shaky tech market' hits home sales

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Housing markets across the country slowed this year as Americans struggle with high costs and worry about the economy, but Seattle’s market stands out as particularly muted.

Pending home sales took a steeper dive in the Seattle area in July than in any other region, a sign of Seattle’s “shaky tech market” where layoffs at major tech ...Read more

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/TNS

How Anaheim, California outpaced Silicon Valley in income growth

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Despite the economic angst and billionaire exodus, California has been recording some of the highest income growth in the country.

Surprisingly, a recent survey of metropolitan areas showed that Silicon Valley didn't lead the state, but Anaheim, Irvine and Santa Ana were near the top.

A study by financial advising company SmartAsset of the 94 ...Read more

Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

Home insurance rates in Nevada have shot up 22% since 2023, report says

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Home insurance rates in Nevada have risen close to a quarter since 2023 up until the end of last year, according to a new report.

Data from Insurify, an online insurance comparison platform, showed that the average price for home insurance in 2023 was $1,407, then jumped to $1,672 two years later. This year, according to the review, home ...Read more

Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

SEC exempts data-center bonds from key securitization rules

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The Securities and Exchange Commission has made it easier for data center owners to sell asset-backed securities, potentially opening the door for more debt sales as tech firms scour Wall Street for ways to pay for artificial intelligence.

The SEC said a major subset of data-center securitizations don’t need to have disclosures and investor ...Read more

Mandel Ngan/AFP/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/TNS

Millions sign up for Trump Accounts, but are they wise investment?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Karla Perez and her husband are supporters of President Donald Trump, so when they learned this summer about new investment accounts his administration designed for children, they quickly signed up their one-year-old son.

“What we hope is that when he’s 18 and he can access it, that he has money to set up his future, whatever he wants to do...Read more

Renée Jones Schneider/The Minnesota Star Tribune/TNS

A house, a car, a little breathing room: Why middle-class life feels increasingly out of reach

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

It’s a good time to be a middle-class American. And yet it’s never felt worse.

By many traditional measures, the economy is strong. Unemployment remains near historic lows, and middle-income Americans are making more than they were 50 years ago.

Yet millions of Americans who have followed what was long considered the formula for a middle-...Read more

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7 Tips for Getting Out of Your Rental and Into a Home

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

For many renters, homeownership can feel less like a financial milestone and more like a moving target. Prices rise, interest rates change, rents increase and saving a down payment can seem painfully slow.

That is especially true for younger adults. People under 30 may be dealing with student loans, early-career salaries, high rents and limited...Read more

7 tips for reining in an out-of-control bill

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

When an electric bill suddenly jumps, it can feel as though the house has developed an expensive habit while nobody was looking. Sometimes the culprit is obvious — a heat wave, a cold snap or guests staying for several weeks. Other times, seemingly small changes in everyday energy use quietly add up.

The good news is that lowering a power ...Read more

5 things you'll love about LVP, and 2 that you might not

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Luxury vinyl plank flooring has gone from a budget-minded alternative to hardwood into one of the most popular flooring choices for busy homes. Known as LVP, the material combines realistic wood looks with durability, relatively easy installation and low-maintenance care.

For households with pets, children, muddy shoes or the occasional spilled...Read more

Kristian Carreon/The San Diego Union-Tribune/TNS

Study: All the ways San Diego homeownership is cheaper than other US cities

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

If you take away the substantial purchase price of a San Diego home, a new study claims that the rest of the cost associated with owning a home here is less than many cities.

An index from the University of San Diego, which launched in April, says the overall cost of owning a home in the county is lower than many areas in terms of energy bills,...Read more