banks

6 Important Questions To Ask Yourself Before Buying A Home

The spring and summer months are usually the most popular months for buying a house. And, buying a house is probably the largest purchase a person will ever make. According to Zillow, the median U.S. home value is $195,300 and the median price of homes currently listed is $234,900. Nearly everyone says that a house […]

The post 6 Important Questions To Ask Yourself Before Buying A Home appeared first on Making Sense Of Cents.

How (and where) to donate unwanted Christmas presents

If you give (or receive) a gift that misses the mark, returning the item is the natural thing to do. After all, return policies are pretty awesome these days.

However, if you decide to make a bigger impact with your gift — an item that you’ve probably survived without just fine for the last year anyway — why not donate it?

Why You Should Think About Donating an Unwanted Christmas Gift

  • If you donate your unwanted gifts, you’ll decrease clutter. Cutting clutter has emotional benefits that I don’t understand, but I feel better when my life and environment are clear.
  • Your item might be useful to someone else. Many times, I have kept items I didn’t really need because I might need them sometime. But I find it easier to donate or sell items if I imagine those items making someone else’s life easier or better … you know, instead of taking up space in my spare closet.
  • Improve your community. Along with being useful to someone else or an organization, your donation may improve your community. How? By giving your fellow community members something they really need or letting a community organization raise money with your gift that could help them operate other community-boosting programs.
  • You may be able to deduct donations on your taxes. According to the IRS, you may deduct certain donations if you’ve given to qualified organizations. You must maintain documentation of this donation, however.
  • You’re giving something. If you weren’t able to donate as much as you wanted to in 2015, this is an opportunity to give a little something without, shall I say, much of an investment from you. If the gift had been given to you, you didn’t invest anything at all. But, I still think it counts as giving because you could have returned the item for cash or returned it for another item.

Ginnie Mae reduces minimum size for securitized HECM pools by 75%

Ginnie Mae announced changes to the minimum size for loan pools backing reverse mortgage securitizations, as it attempts to reduce liquidity risks facing lenders. The government corporation, which backs securitizations of loans insured or guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration and other public entities, reduced the required minimum size of securities pools by 75% from … [Read more…]

Best Investments for Teenagers

It would be great if there were investment apps that would allow teenagers to begin investing with just a few dollars, and make all their own investment decisions. Investment options for teenagers are extremely limited due to legal restrictions. That doesn’t mean you have to sit around and wait until you’re 18 or 21 to […]

The post Best Investments for Teenagers appeared first on Good Financial Cents®.

Commerce Home Mortgage Rates Review: Today’s Best Analysis

Commerce Bank was founded in 1865 under the name Kansas City Savings Association and has significantly expanded over its 154 years of business. While the bank is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, it operates branches in several neighboring states, including Colorado, Kansas, Illinois, and Oklahoma. This lender is owned and operated by Commerce Bancshares, Inc., […]

The post Commerce Home Mortgage Rates Review: Today’s Best Analysis appeared first on Good Financial Cents®.

AmeriSave Mortgage Review

AmeriSave at a glance APR Range Available products Fixed-rate loans Adjustable-rate loans FHA loans VA loans USDA loans Refinance loans Cash-out refinance loans Application fees $500 Loan terms 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 years Loan limits $1.5 million What we like about AmeriSave  Available nationwide AmeriSave mortgages are available nationwide, in 49 states and […]

The post AmeriSave Mortgage Review appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

How to prepare for a recession

A recession can put your finances out of whack. But here are a few steps you can take to protect yourself against that financial turmoil.A recession can put your finances out of whack. But here are a few steps you can take to protect yourself against that financial turmoil.

The post How to prepare for a recession appeared first on Money Under 30.