MyBankTracker Blog

What Are Advantages and Disadvantages of FHA Mortgages Learn how FHA mortgage is great for first-time home buyers and those with marginal credit, but it's not for everybody. See here if an FHA loan is right for you. Paul M.J. Suchecki Shirley Pulawski When to Consider an Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) Adjustable-rate mortgages, or ARMs, are generally unpopular compared to fixed-rate... Simon Zhen Your Post Office Could Become More Like a Bank Facing dire financial straits and staving off bankruptcy, the United State Postal... Navigating Insurance as a Condo Owner Learn about the types of condo insurance and how to save money buying condominium insurance and what kind of condo insurance coverage to buy. Shirley Pulawski 6 Easy Ways to Declutter Your Digital Life Do you have a messy digital life? A disorganized digital life can slow productivity and hurt your personal finances. Tips on decluttering your digital life. Daryl Paranada Paul M.J. Suchecki 15-Year vs. 30-Year Mortgage: Which Is Right for You? There are trade-offs in a 15- vs. 30-year mortgage. On a 30 you get lower... Katherine Muniz 5 Investments You Should Never Make Investing can be tricky, and there's always the the lure of making a fortune, or the... Builder Confidence Proves Positive The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (NAHB/Wells Fargo HMI) gauges housing demand by builder confidence. Shayla Mars Should You Pay the Mortgage If Your House Is Destroyed? If your home is destroyed the last thing you want to think about is paying off your mortgage. Here's how to assess your options. Paul M.J. Suchecki Paul M.J. Suchecki What Should You Know About 'Undead' Property Foreclosures Zombies are soulless corpses, the undead; an apt metaphor for abandoned homes that... Katherine Muniz Make the Most of Social Security, Test Your Retirement Readiness The one essential rule of thumb to abide by when attempting to maximize on your... Factors Hindering Retirement At 65 Katherine Muniz Pros and Cons of a Reverse Mortgage A reverse mortgage Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) can be a welcome supplement to Social Security and pension incomes. There are pros and cons: Paul M.J. Suchecki Paul M.J. Suchecki Buy or Rent, Which Is Better? There are several factors that will determine whether or not it is better to buy or... Daryl Paranada 6 Dumb Mistakes to Avoid When Saving No one said saving was easy -- at least no one at MyBankTracker -- but it must be... 5 Money Management Techniques to Help Ease Worry From Debt Debt can induce a lot of painful feelings. However, there are positive debt management techniques to help you deal and have good habits in the future. Katherine Muniz 5 Projects That Lower Your Home's Value Home renovations can be ideal for increasing resale value. The wrong ones, however, can actually decrease a home's value. Here are some projects to avoid. Erik Neilson Paul M.J. Suchecki Should You Refinance to a 15 Year Mortgage? From most lenders today, there is a full point difference in mortgage interest... Paul M.J. Suchecki Must Dos for Home Buyers Half a dozen years ago, loan officers joked that the only qualification for a mortgage... Filing Taxes: Why You Should Start Now Why you should start working on filing taxes now and not later. How to get started working on your taxes. How to learn about tax deductions Shirley Pulawski The Basics of Series I Savings Bonds Learn how fixed rates and inflations rates work to determine your composite rate and affect your returns on Series I savings bonds. Simon Zhen Paul M.J. Suchecki Key Problems That Can Kill a Home Loan Mortgages aren't as easy to get as they were just half a dozen years ago when the real... Shayla Mars Buying a Home During the Winter: What You Need to Know The American housing market has changed drastically since its collapse in 2007. Now,... No to Low Money Down Mortgages No to low money down mortgages can fund your dream of owning a home. Now no to low money down mortgages can be found in both the private and public sector: Paul M.J. Suchecki Is it Bad Idea to Use HELOC to Pay Off Student Loans? Student loans are such a financial burden that you may consider transferring the debt to a HELOC. Here are the dangers of doing so. Simon Zhen Daryl Paranada 5 Tips for Millennials to Buy a Home Facing high student debt and a tough job market, studies show that Millennials are... Paul M.J. Suchecki When Is the Best Time to Buy a Home? The best time to buy a home is when the market is slow. There are selling cycles... 9 Simple Ways to Protect You from Fraud According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, from 2005-2013 there have been 4,253 breaches. Don't be a victim. Take these steps to protect yourself. Daryl Paranada Do Real Estate Gimmicks Bring in New Clients? Being a real estate salesperson is a hard job. Determined to stand a part, some agents develop crazy real estate gimmicks. Shayla Mars