Rates

Trump GOP Tax Plan, Cuts and Changes in 2017, 2018 and Beyond – Latest Updates and Final Bill

[Latest update] Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate have now passed a combined tax reform bill along party lines for President Trump’s Tax Reform measures under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. See the table below that contrasts changes from earlier versions in each chamber versus what is in the final bill that goes to the […]

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How Much Higher Will Mortgage Rates Go This Year

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With the tapering of the Fed’s Quantitative Easing (QE) program, economists are predicting that rates will continue rising for the remainder of 2013. This is based on the dramatic rise of the 10 year Treasury yield over the last month to which mortgage rates are loosely tied. The 30-year, fixed rate loan recently went above […]

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Why Rising Rates Will Boost Rather Than Lower Home Prices and Purchases

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Thanks to recent announcements by the Federal Reserve around cutting back on quantitative easing (QE) stimulus measures interest rates have been rising, with the forecast for even higher rates by year end. Based on data from Quicken, America’s #1 Online Lender, rates have been rising consistently of late with the 30-year fixed rate averaging over 4.1%. That’s up […]

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Your 2013 Tax Rate – Understanding Your IRS Marginal and Effective Tax Bracket

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With the 2012 tax season in the rear view mirror, its time to start thinking about 2013 taxes and strategies that you can put in place to minimize taxes owed in 2014. But before that take some time to familiarize yourself with the new 2013 tax brackets shown below. But, be careful in reading the table below […]

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College and University Tuition Rates Increasing

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As a part time MBA student, with a single income and young family, I am particularly sensitive to rising education costs. So I was dismayed to see that my university’s (already expensive) tuition costs were again rising. This is the third year in a row and my degree will end up costing roughly 10% more […]

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Saving $95,000 by Refinancing into a Lower Rate and Shorter Duration Mortgage

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Many homeowners with good credit are ditching their old 30-year fixed rate mortgages for the 15-year or 20-year versions. This is primarily to leverage historically low rates for these shorter duration loans and benefit from the significant interest savings over the life of the loan. In fact, a friend of mine did exactly this when […]

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2012 Tax Brackets and Federal IRS Rates, Standard Deduction and Personal Exemptions

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2012 and 2011 tax rates stayed the same as 2010 levels thanks to an extension of the Bush-era tax cuts. This has been confirmed by the IRS with the release of 2012 tax tables. There was also good news in that the 2012 standard deduction and tax brackets will increase due to higher inflation, which […]

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15 Year Versus 30 Year Fixed Rate Mortgages – How to Determine Which is the Better Option

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As mortgage rates continue to hover at 30 year lows, many people are wondering whether a 15-year or a 30-year mortgage term is a better option. After all, even though payments on the 15-year option would be higher, the lower interest rates on the shorter term loan are keeping payments, in many cases, at very […]

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