Financial News from Bankrate.com

Dear Dr. Don, I am making payments on a Parent Plus loan that is under my mother's name. Unfortunately, I will be the only one continuing to pay for this loan. Since the loan is under my mother's name, ...

If you invest $10,000 in a good stock and get a 20 percent return, you'll make $2,000. But what if you could have borrowed another $10,000 to buy more stock and doubled your profits? When investors borrow ...

Taxes Employment Taxes Tax Help For Business, Pleasure Trips You really need a break, but it's been a tough year for your business and you're not comfortable spending money on vacation travel. Let Uncle ...

Dear Credit Card Adviser, About eight years ago, I refused to pay charges on two separate small bills (less than $100 each). Both went to collections, which I have never paid and refused to settle. It ...

Dear Dr. Don, I recently purchased a new home with a 30-year mortgage fixed at 3.375 percent. I hate the idea of paying for a home for 30 years, not to mention the added interest over time. So, I have ...

Dear Tax Talk, Is a mortgage for a house rental tax-deductible? I know mortgage interest is, but how about the monthly payment I make? I report the rental income as income; why not the mortgage as expense? ...

Dear Bankruptcy Adviser, I filed for Chapter 7. I received a deficiency notice to file a Chapter 7 Individual Debtor's Statement of Intention, but I do not have any secured debt. Do I still have to file ...

Insurance Tornadoes Will Your Home Insurance Take On A Tornado? It seems to appear out of nowhere and is gone within minutes, but in that short time a tornado can devastate a home. The vital question is: ...

Financial Security Index Charts Americans' Spending Guarded But Optimistic The slowness of the recovery is keeping Americans' optimism in check, according to mixed indicators from Bankrate's May 2013 Financial ...

Bankrate's monthly survey of six questions measures how secure Americans feel about their personal finances compared to 12 months ago. From May 2-5, 2013, telephone interviews (on landlines and cellphones) ...

Dear Dr. Don, A recent column said that a $250,000 annuity would generate a monthly payment of $2,268, which would be a return of 1.7 percent. However, I calculate that $2,268 monthly would be $27,216 ...

Financial Security Index Charts Financial Security Index Riding Positive Waves Americans are feeling positive about their financial security -- and that's a good thing for the slowly recovering economy. ...

Dear Insurance Adviser, I'm in my late 20s. Because of my ignorance on the matter and despite the fact that I'm a single adult with no dependents, I selected term life insurance as one of the benefits ...

Dear Debt Adviser, I'd like to pay off about $5,000 in credit card debt over the next one to two years. This is an old debt, and I will not be incurring other charges in that time. I have recently received ...

Dear Driving for Dollars, Will my credit score go up if I pay off the remaining balance on my car loan? -- Stacey Dear Stacey, Paying off an installment loan -- a loan that is for a fixed amount for a ...

Money may not be able to buy you happiness, but happy children are more likely to grow up and earn more than their unhappy peers, according to a new study. The multiyear study, which was published in November ...

Dear Dr. Don, I got a reverse mortgage on my home, but my wife was not on the loan. I was hoping to add her name through refinancing the reverse mortgage. But, I've called some places and have been told ...

Once you negotiate the price of your new car, you may be surprised when you're presented with a final sales number that is hundreds, perhaps even thousands, higher than you originally negotiated. The bulk ...

Dear Retirement Adviser, I typically make about $55,000 a year. I will turn 66 years old in September 2014 and will retire the following year. Can I get Social Security starting in January 2014 and avoid ...

Interest Rate Roundup Mortgages CDs Auto Loans Home Equity Credit Cards Find the best mortgage rates in your area. Mortgages 3.71% (30-year fixed) 0.34 (average points) Mortgage rates climbed for the second ...

Dear Tax Talk, I withdrew $38,000 from my Roth IRA last year due to unemployment to pay living expenses, medical premiums and bills. Is there a way to avoid paying an early withdrawal penalty? -- Janet ...

Interest Rate Roundup Mortgages CDs Auto Loans Home Equity Credit Cards Compare CD rates nationally and in your area. CDs 0.25% (1-year CD yields) 0.78% (5-year CD yields) Rates on certificates of deposit ...

Interest Rate Roundup Mortgages CDs Auto Loans Home Equity Credit Cards Find the best credit card offers available. Credit Cards 13.02% (all fixed) 15.24% (all variable) Credit card rates were unchanged ...

Interest Rate Roundup Mortgages CDs Auto Loans Home Equity Credit Cards Find the best auto rates in your area. Auto Loans 4.12% (60-month, new car) 4.69% (36-month, used car) Auto loan rates were flat ...

Life Insurance How To Track Unclaimed Life Insurance Money While some people leave records behind in a superbly organized "in case of my demise" file, it's not unusual for others to pass away ...

Mortgage interest rates popped up again this week. 30 year fixed rate mortgage 3 month trend The benchmark 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to 3.71 percent compared with 3.6 percent last week, according ...

Dear Debt Adviser, I make pretty good money, but my credit score is low. What's the fastest way to raise my score? I've looked for help through credit repair places, but I haven't decided whether they're ...

Interest Rate Roundup Mortgages CDs Auto Loans Home Equity Credit Cards Find the best home equity rates in your area. Home Equity 5.12% (line of credit) 6.1% (loan) Rates on loans backed by home equity ...

One of the most frequently cited admonitions to individual investors is, "Don't try to time financial markets." To time the market means trying to buy assets in it near the end of a slump and ...

Taxes Investment Taxes When It's Ok To Tap Your IRA You've been saving diligently for your retirement, but now you need some of that cash to cover today's expenses. Can you get to it without incurring ...

Dear Dr. Don, Do employer contributions to a 401(k) plan count against the maximum limits you can contribute to the plan? Do they affect the amount you can put into a traditional or Roth IRA? -- Pat Plans ...

Good manners are at the root of our civilization, yet they're often viewed as overly restrictive, involving old-fashioned notions such as charm school and ballroom dancing classes. In fact, your behavior ...

President Barack Obama's historic Affordable Care Act is bringing sweeping changes to your health care. Insurers can no longer deny you coverage due to pre-existing conditions. Preventive care and wellness ...