Dragana Gordic / Shutterstock.com Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on NewRetirement. Home equity (how much you owe on your mortgage subtracted from how much your home is worth) can be a useful and often overlooked retirement asset. If you have holes (things you want or need to fund) in your retirement plan, they can … Read more

Not all bank accounts are the same, especially when it comes to promotions. While the basic process of opening a bank account remains similar across the board, sometimes eligibility for corresponding promotions requires a direct deposit. For anyone who doesn’t have access to this, it can be difficult to find a bank account that doesn’t … Read more

Prostock-studio / Shutterstock.com Discounts on gym memberships can be tempting, but working out at home can be as easy as pulling out your smartphone. A host of fitness apps can spare you the cost of a gym membership — not to mention the time and cost of driving to the gym. In fact, they enable … Read more

It can seem daunting to open a bank account if you don’t meet the basic requirements of most banks. We all fall on hard times at some point in our lives, but getting back on track financially can be more difficult than it seems. This is especially true if you don’t have much money to … Read more

How long do you expect to live? If you are like many Americans, there’s a good chance your estimate will not conform to the actual reality, according to new research. A survey of more than 3,500 U.S. adults found that a majority of them — 53% — either did not know or underestimated the typical … Read more

Nutlegal Photographer / Shutterstock.com Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on NewRetirement. If you aren’t retired yet, you can’t possibly know what your future will really look and feel like. As with previous life transitions (getting married, having kids, switching jobs), there are more unknowns than knowns. And, there are probably quite a few assumptions … Read more

fizkes / Shutterstock.com This is an unsettling moment for the national real estate market. Prices are dropping. The median national home price last November was $370,700. That’s down from a peak of $413,800 in June last year, according to Bankrate.com. Home sales are down, too. November marked the tenth straight month of shrinking sales for … Read more

ESB Professional / Shutterstock.com Some professions just naturally seem to be full of honest and ethical people. From teachers to doctors, we expect good people to be working in careers that allow them to help others, for example. But in the the eyes of many, other professions seem more likely to attract the ne’er-do-wells among … Read more

Ground Picture / Shutterstock.com The next tax season will bring a rude awakening for many Americans. Several tax breaks that led to bigger refunds or smaller bills during the last tax season — if not also during the season before that — won’t be available any longer. That’s because they were temporary changes intended to … Read more

gpointstudio / Shutterstock.com Books and websites are filled with lists and quizzes to help you choose a new location for retirement. But when it comes to making your own decisions, things get personal. The wrong choice could tarnish your golden years. If the following factors describe your city — or another place you want to … Read more