Inflation continues to dominate this month's media headlines and contribute to consumer stress. More Americans are using their savings to pay for groceries and utility bills, while others are postponing essential spending like medical and dental care. In addition, the Federal Reserve announced a rise in baseline interest rates. But the news wasn't all bad: the NFL season officially began September 9th, a day earlier than usual.
Have you ever thought about using the equity in your home, then put it off because you knew what came next? Weeks of waiting. An appraiser scheduling a visit to walk through your house. A stack of paperwork to track down. For a lot of homeowners, that process is enough of a hassle that they never follow through, even when accessing that equity could genuinely help.
Our Digital HELOC was built to solve that specific problem.
The entire application is online, and for loans under $400,000, no in-person appraisal is required. Instead of waiting weeks to find out where you stand, you can get a decision in as little as 5 minutes. And for many borrowers, funding follows in as few as 5 days.
This isn't a small line of credit either. You can access up to $750,000, and it works whether the property is your primary home, a second home, or an investment property.
So what changes for you? Instead of wondering whether tapping into your equity is worth the hassle, you can actually find out what you qualify for in the time it takes to finish a cup of coffee. No appraiser visit to schedule. No waiting weeks to hear back.
People use it for a lot of different things: combining other debts into one simpler payment, tackling a home improvement project, building a cushion for the unexpected, or covering a higher cost without draining savings. There's no single right reason. It depends on what's useful for your situation right now.
Every situation is different, and rates and terms depend on your specific circumstances. There's no obligation to move forward just because you check your options. We're happy to walk through the numbers with you.
Ready to see how much you qualify for? Apply today!
When shopping for homeowner's coverage, it's easy to assume it will pay 100% of the cost of any covered damage, minus your deductible. But if you aren't familiar with the 80% rule, you could end up paying some of those costs out of pocket.
The 80% rule means that to receive full coverage on a claim, you need coverage worth at least 80% of your home's total replacement cost. Replacement cost is not your home's market value. It's the cost of rebuilding the property from the ground up, which can be higher.
If your coverage isn't at the 80% level, the outcome of a claim will depend on your policy. Some insurers reduce the payout proportionally, based on how much coverage you actually carry. Others settle the claim at actual cash value, meaning depreciated value, instead of full replacement cost. Either way, the difference becomes your responsibility.
Here's an example of how the math works. Say the replacement cost of your home is $600,000. To qualify for full coverage, your policy needs a limit of at least $480,000. If you're carrying $400,000, you're under the threshold — and on a $100,000 kitchen fire, you could owe thousands beyond your deductible.
If you're concerned about your own coverage, take a few minutes to review your current policy. Your coverage needs may change; construction costs rise, and renovations may add value. Some, but not all policies include an inflation adjustment. Contact your insurance company or agent if you have questions or concerns.
This article is provided for general information. Before making any coverage decisions, consult a licensed insurance professional and review your policy documents to determine what's appropriate for your individual situation.
Source: kiplinger.com
Wondering what the couch economy is? It's not what you just spent on that new sofa. It describes our current spending habits and how they've evolved.
Years after pandemic restrictions lifted, consumers are still ordering from home — and in some cases, saving money doing it. Higher gas prices and summer heat have made a night in more appealing than a trip to the grocery store or the movies.
Visa Business and Economic Insights recently analyzed cardholder usage at home. The share of domestic payment volume happening both online and via mobile apps rose from 48% in 2019 to 58% in 2026. Frequent online and in-app buyers — those making 10 or more transactions a month, measured as a share of active cards — grew from 13.1% in 2018 to 25.4% in 2026.
Entertainment is staying home, too. More than 17% of U.S. Visa cards now carry a streaming subscription, compared with roughly 6% showing spending on movie theaters and concerts. About 10% of card users ordered from a food delivery service in 2026.
In a separate analysis, the Bank of America Institute found that subscription spending, including streaming services, rose 7.7% in July 2026 compared with July 2025 — even as consumers stayed more cost-conscious overall. Our furry couch companions are making an impression too: Visa found regular pet-related spending on 8% of U.S. credit cards.
Keep in mind that recurring subscriptions are easy to lose track of, especially as many are below $20.00 a month. Also, upgrading a streaming service to "no commercials" or paying a membership fee for discounted food deliveries can add up without being noticed.
Source: finance.yahoo.com
Americans reported losing about $15.9 billion to fraud in 2025 — the highest total on record and roughly 25% more than the year before. New scams appear constantly, and some target people under 18. If you have children at home, freezing their credit file is worth considering.
Here's why minors are appealing targets: identity theft in a child's name often goes undetected for years, surfacing only when they apply for credit of their own. Minors typically don't have credit reports, so there's nothing to monitor and no warning signs appear until the damage is done.
The freezing progress depends on your child's age and other factors. Experian allows children 14 and over to freeze their own credit, while TransUnion and Equifax limit credit freezes for children to mail-in requests. It's best to visit each credit bureau's web site before proceeding.
Contact the "big three" credit bureaus Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion individually. Be ready to provide documents verifying your own identity, and your child's identity. If a bureau doesn't already have a file on your child, it will create one solely so it can be frozen.
If you want to give a teenager access to emergency funds, check whether your credit card issuer allows you to add an authorized user. You'll be able to see their spending, which puts you in a good position to talk about budgeting and other smart money habits.
Source: empower.com
When mortgage rates make the news, the U.S. government's 10-year Treasury note is often mentioned at the same time. If you're wondering what role it plays in consumer finance, here's some background.
A 10-year Treasury note, sometimes called a T-note, is a type of investment called a debt security. It's essentially a loan to the U.S. government, and the note's yield is the interest rate the government pays buyers.
Because it's backed by the federal government, the 10-year Treasury note is considered a safe investment. That's one reason it serves as a benchmark for pricing a variety of loan products, including mortgages. Another reason: pricing for 30-year mortgages has become linked to the 10-year yield because most mortgages are refinanced or paid off when the home sells, well before the end of their 30-year term.
The yield also tells us a lot about investor confidence. When investors feel good about the economy and expect better returns elsewhere, demand for Treasuries falls and yields rise. When war or another global crisis creates uncertainty, investors head to safety and yields fall.
Inflation works differently — when investors expect prices to climb faster, they demand a higher yield to make up for the lost purchasing power, which pushes yields up. Expectations about the Federal Reserve's future rate decisions move the yield as well.
When yields climb over a few weeks, mortgage rates usually follow. Keep in mind that there are other factors affecting mortgage rates, such as lender costs, investor appetite for mortgage-backed securities, and market volatility.
Source: investopedia.com