Author: troyashbacher

Mortgage rates rose a little today, but we’re still holding steady below 6.25%. The average interest rate on a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage rose to 6.16% APR, according to rates provided to NerdWallet by Zillow. This is two basis points higher than yesterday but one basis point lower than a week ago. (See our chart below for more specifics.) A basis point is one one-hundredth of a percentage point.A potential government reopening could buoy markets and get economists feeling better about the chances for a third consecutive rate cut from the Federal Reserve in December. That could push mortgage rates lower.Note:…

Warren Buffett laid out a plan to “step up” the pace of giving away his $149 billion estate to his children’s foundations, while still allowing for a short period that lets Berkshire Hathaway shareholders gain confidence in incoming CEO Greg Abel.Buffett, in a Thanksgiving letter that will become an annual tradition, said he needs to accelerate the disbursement of his Berkshire stock to his three children’s foundations because of their own advanced ages and that by doing so it will “improve the probability that they will dispose of what will essentially be my entire estate before alternate trustees replace them.”Abel,…

[EDITOR’S NOTE: With interest rates dropping, is real estate investing a good fit for you? WCI founder Dr. Jim Dahle will answer that and all of your other questions on Thursday, November 20, at 6pm MT during our free online session, What Doctors Must Know About Real Estate Investing. He’ll talk about how to boost returns, lower taxes, and build wealth and how all of that can expedite your financial independence. If you want to learn how to pick the right investments for your portfolio, maximize tax deductions, and avoid common real estate investing mistakes, WCI and Dr. Dahle are…

A new car loan interest deduction is hitting the road in tax year 2025, and it could mean extra tax savings for tons of car buyers. Part of the Working Families Tax Cuts (also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill), this temporary tax break lets you deduct interest paid on certain new vehicle loans. You just have to meet specific eligibility rules to claim it. Let’s walk through how the car interest deduction works, who qualifies, and how to claim this new tax benefit when you file your tax return with TaxAct®. What is the car loan interest tax…

Editor’s note: This is the first article in a series about financial and/or estate planning issues that we all should know but might be too embarrassed to ask about. First up: life insurance trusts.As a lifelong baseball fan, I have always appreciated knowing that certain players — Hank Aaron, Cal Ripken and Joe DiMaggio, for example — held some amazing records.But as the years have gone on, and more baseball data points get thrown around with new names, I often find myself nodding along without really knowing what all of the new sabermetrics mean. From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger…

Brian Waters was destined to work until he was at least 63 years old. Now, just five years after starting to invest intentionally, he’s got 16 rental units that can retire him a decade earlier! How’d he do it? A combination of easy, done-for-you out-of-state investment properties and the ever-profitable BRRRR method.Brian’s work isn’t sitting at a desk or crunching numbers. He’s a firefighter and is routinely one serious injury away from his career being over. With a family to support, losing his work wasn’t an option. So, in his 40s, he decided to pivot and go all-in on building…

Key Takeaways Shares of health insurers tumbled after President Donald Trump called on Congress to change the way the federal government helps Americans pay for health insurance.A Washington think take estimated this year health insurers received $138 billion in federal payments. Centene (CNC), HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Molina Healthcare (MOH) are among the worst-performing stocks in the S&P 500 Monday after President Donald Trump suggested federal health care money should circumvent insurers and go directly to people. Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social over the weekend that he’s recommending the Senate and House change funding covered by…

Hiring in a financial planning firm often represents an important inflection point, where the decision to expand headcount can temporarily strain profit margins in the pursuit of long-term growth. But the investment of time, training, and onboarding resources often only pays off if the newly hired employee stays for the long-term. Firms dedicate an immense amount of time and resources to the hiring process, often focusing on ascertaining an employee’s technical and communication skills. However, technical competency and enthusiasm for the day-to-day work may not be enough to guarantee a long-term fit. In fact, when it comes to long-term retention,…

Old Navy has pj pants on sale today for just $8 each.   There are a bunch of seasonal prints, plaid styles that can be worn all winter, some Mickey themed and more.  There are kid styles and adult styles, normal pants and joggers.  Click here to see all the pj pants.   There are cozy socks on sale as well for $2.00 each.  Click here to see those options.

Key Takeaways A new study found that more than half of 401(k) plans from 2009 to 2013 offered consumers at least one investment fund option that shared revenue with the plan’s administrator.That means higher hidden costs, which can add up to thousands in lost value by the time you retire. Do you really know how your 401(k) plan is invested? If not, you might be putting your money in costlier mutual funds and not know it, new research suggests. Researchers analyzed the 1,000 largest 401(k) plans between 2009 and 2013—the only years when the Department of Labor required detailed public…