Financial News from Bankrate.com

Anchor intro: Consumer confidence, job security and gas prices all correlate to how positive or negative Americans are feeling about their overall financial security. For the first time since December ...

Dear Dr. Don,I just read an article today on the Web. The writer suggested buying a consumer price indexed life annuity. I am 64 years old and moving out of the country. Can you tell me what a CPI is and ...

Financial Security Index Charts » When Gas Prices Rise, Consumers Cut BackGas has been pricey this spring and the pain at the pump has caused some consumers to change their spending patterns, a new survey ...

Dental insurance premiums can be more expensive than simply paying out of your own pocket for routine checkups and cleanings. So if you're one of the millions of Americans with no dental coverage, is a ...

Financial Security Index Charts » Consumers Say Financial Security ImprovesWhile it's too early to proclaim that Americans are in a festive mood about their personal finances, they have finally crossed ...

Dear Debt Adviser,I was operated on in an emergency room in 2010 for a burst appendix. I was shopping for insurance at the same unfortunate time and had no insurance when I had the operation. The hospital ...

Boutique hotels and cheap rates aren't mutually exclusive. Smaller, independently run hotels that offer charm and luxury amenities are subject to the same forces of supply and demand as their big-chain ...

Marina Orlova of Hot for Words: Hello my dear students! I'm trying to buy a house, and I just entered into escrow! [piles of papers spring up everywhere] I can't believe how much paperwork this is, it's ...

Hot for words » Educate Yourself On Escrows Download PDF More From Bankrate.com Did Dad leave a tax snag? Worst home values Homebuyer's regret

Do you need an excuse? 1 of 8Like the proverbial grasshopper, some people neglect to save for retirement and have plenty of excuses to justify their lack of foresight.Every year, the Employee Benefit Research ...

Intro: Becoming a first time home buyer is a dream come true. But a home buyer's inexperience can cause them to make some pretty big mistakes.Take VO: The number one, most common mistake first time homebuyer's ...

Interest Rate Roundup Mortgages CDs Auto Loans Home Equity Credit Cards Find the best mortgage rates in your area. Mortgages 3.97% (30-year fixed) 0.44 (average points)Mortgage rates reached record lows, ...

Interest Rate Roundup Mortgages CDs Auto Loans Home Equity Credit Cards Find the best home equity rates in your area. Home Equity 5.26% (line of credit) 6.45% (loan)Rates on loans backed by home equity ...

Interest Rate Roundup Mortgages CDs Auto Loans Home Equity Credit Cards Find the best credit card offers available. Credit Cards 13.81% (all fixed) 14.45% (all variable)Credit card rates remained unchanged ...

Interest Rate Roundup Mortgages CDs Auto Loans Home Equity Credit Cards Compare CD rates nationally and in your area. CDs 0.33% (1-year CD yields) 1.13% (5-year CD yields)CD rates are unchanged from last ...

Interest Rate Roundup Mortgages CDs Auto Loans Home Equity Credit Cards Find the best auto rates in your area. Auto Loans 4.47% (60-month, new car) 5.13% (36-month, used car)Auto loan rates were mixed ...

Dear Dr. Don,I am halfway to paying off my mortgage. It is a 15-year 5.5 percent fixed-rate mortgage obtained in 2004 for the amount of $90,000. It has an outstanding balance of $47,000, and the monthly ...

Auto » 5 Electric Cars That Stretch Your Mileage Cars with superior gas mileage 1 2 3 4 5 6 >Car technology has come a long way. In the fight to decrease dependency on oil and avoid high gas prices, ...

Debit Cards » Best Prepaid Debit Cards » 3 Reasons To Use A Prepaid Debit Card The plus side of prepaid cardsDon't believe everything you hear when it comes to prepaid cards. Taking advantage of customer ...

Dear Debt Adviser,I am a first-time homeowner and just received a $5,000 tax refund. Is there a way to use it to lower my mortgage payment (not the length of time I pay)?-- Marci Dear Marci,As a first-time ...

Intro: With gas prices inching past $4 per gallon, you might be wondering if a hybrid vehicle is the answer to rising fuel costs. Depending on the age of your current car, how far you drive, and where ...

Investing » Top 10 Biggest US IPOs Previous 1 of 11 Next Photo by Roland zhFacebook's IPO, or initial public offering, has been reported to raise about $16 billion for the social networking site, but the ...

Dear Tax Talk,I rolled over my traditional individual retirement account into a Roth IRA in 2010. It was $19,000. Do I have to pay taxes on that, or can I get around not paying taxes? Can I change it back? ...

Retirement » Maximizing Workplace Retirement PlansPeople are not entirely rational. If they were, everyone would have fully funded retirement accounts and no debt.To get around the inherently irrational ...

Retirement » 7 Things To Know About The ‘New Retirement’ The new rules for retirementThis isn't your daddy's retirement. And it's not for the faint of heart.Do-it-yourself 401(k)s, IRAs and multiple-choice ...

Intro: For the past 25 years, the number of people ages 65-69 in the workforce has gone up a whopping 74 percent. If that trend keeps climbing you might be asking yourself if you'll ever get to retire. ...

Hot for words » Etymology Of The Word Tax Download PDF More From Bankrate.com Refi home to buy rental The tax joys of parenthood Inheritance from India

Marina Orlova for Hot for Words: Today, we're going to take a look at one of the scariest and most dreaded words in the English language ... Can you guess what it is? If you're anything like me, you probably ...

Dear Dr. Don,I have an existing 5/1 adjustable-rate mortgage, and my house is underwater. My loan adjusted three years ago. Although my rate is low now, I want to refinance to a fixed rate, but I don't ...

Retirement » 3 Ploys Of Unscrupulous Financial AdvisersAre you saving enough for retirement? If not, you need a financial adviser -- if you believe the mantra repeated day in and day out in the financial ...

Investing » Expand Horizons With International InvestingLook around you. The computer on which you are reading this was made in China. The wooden chair you're sitting on was crafted in Brazil. The foreign ...

Retirement » Planning Retirement For Married CouplesWhen planning retirement, the way men and women differ in their approach can be as far apart as the proverbial planets Mars and Venus. Traditionally, ...

Investing » Investing For Success In Your 401(k) PlanIf you work at a company providing a 401(k) plan, it behooves you to understand your fund options. Most plans offer three types of investment alternatives: ...