Q: We were in the middle of buying our new home when Hurricane Irma arrived. We still want to buy the home. What happens now? -- Joan

A: When a hurricane is approaching, it becomes impossible to get homeowner's insurance, causing most closings to be delayed.

The standard real estate contract used in most closings will contain a clause dealing ...Read more

HONG KONG -- Bitcoin is looking increasingly likely to splinter off again in November, creating a third version of the world's largest cryptocurrency as miners and developers pursue separate visions to scale its rapidly growing marketplace.

Major industry players, including the bitcoin investor Roger Ver, known as "Bitcoin Jesus" for ...Read more

Growth in home equity during working years is important because home equity is a potential source of spendable funds after retirement. In a recent article, I suggested that mortgage borrowers might develop an extra payment plan that would pay off their loan balance before term using calculator 2a on my website, which was developed solely for ...Read more

Growth in home equity during working years is important because home equity is a potential source of spendable funds after retirement. In a recent article, I suggested that mortgage borrowers might develop an extra payment plan that would pay off their loan balance before term using calculator 2a on my website, which was developed solely for ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- Bret Parsons is a real estate agent and director of the architectural division at Coldwell Banker Beverly Hills North. The office is the highest-grossing residential real estate office in the country.

A decade earlier, as a residential loan agent, Parsons wrote millions of dollars' worth of residential mortgages.

In addition to ...Read more

What if every time you ordered a spicy tuna roll or tried a new craft beer, you could set aside an extra dollar or so to put toward your student loan debt?

It's a strategy that might work for many millennials. A new app, for example, allows Fifth Third banking customers to link their debit cards to student loans held by more than 30 major loan ...Read more

When your Social Security number has been exposed, you're vulnerable.

When the bad guys know your address, driver's license number and age along with your Social Security number, the risk is even worse.

Now that a massive data breach at Equifax has compromised that data for nearly half of Americans -- essentially giving away the keys to their ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- The longtime family ranch and a North Hollywood dance studio of late singer-actress Debbie Reynolds will be among property up for auction next month.

The ranch-estate in Creston, Calif., had been offered for sale before Reynolds' death last year for $4.8 million but was taken off the market in June. The studio on Lankershim ...Read more

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. is investigating lenders for allegedly pressuring veterans and members of the military into unneeded mortgage refinances -- unsavory conduct that not only leads to higher consumer costs but has consequences for one of the world's largest bond markets.

The probe is being conducted by Ginnie Mae, a government-owned ...Read more

Most people agree that higher education is worthy of philanthropic support. In 2016, nearly half of all donations from the largest 50 donors in the United States went to colleges and universities. That same year, U.S. colleges and universities accepted $41 billion in contributions.

In early 2015, higher education endowments totaled more than $...Read more

NAGS HEAD, N.C. -- All along the coast of the southeast United States, the real estate industry confronts a hurricane. Not the kind that swirls in the Atlantic, but a storm of scientific information about sea-level rise that threatens the most lucrative, commission-boosting properties.

These studies warn that Florida, the Carolinas and other ...Read more

It's no secret that U.S. infrastructure is crumbling, but is your home's infrastructure in good shape?

Maintaining key features that make a home livable will save money down the road and may even fall under critical life-safety issues. These home maintenance checkups aren't sexy or fun, but they are necessary to keep a house in top shape.

...Read more

Q: I have owned my home for more than 20 years and now want to sell it. When I did a simple divorce from my husband a decade ago, he never deeded his half of the house back to me. I haven't seen or heard from him since we split up. How can I sell my house?

-- Susan

A: I see this problem often in my practice. I can't emphasize enough the ...Read more

Seniors can begin receiving Social Security at 62 or wait before applying in order to draw a larger amount. For example, a Social Security payment of $910 a month starting at age 62 becomes $1,300 starting at age 67. If a homeowner can't afford to wait before drawing more funds, she can take out a home equity conversion mortgage -- the federal ...Read more

Seniors can begin receiving Social Security at 62 or wait before applying in order to draw a larger amount. For example, a Social Security payment of $910 a month starting at age 62 becomes $1,300 starting at age 67. If a homeowner can't afford to wait before drawing more funds, she can take out a home equity conversion mortgage -- the federal ...Read more