Popular finance advice often says to get out of debt. That message helps people who struggle with consumer loans, but it ignores a key truth. Debt can be one of the most powerful tools for building wealth when you use it correctly. The first step is understanding the difference between good debt and bad debt....
For the first time in years, renters, not landlords, have the leverage. Apartment owners across the country are offering months of free rent, slashing asking prices, and throwing in incentives just to keep occupancy up. According to The Wall Street Journal, the national average rent fell 0.3% last month, the biggest September drop in over...
Dead Money vs. Living Money Millions of Americans are sitting on record amounts of home equity right now. The problem? Equity looks great on paper, but by itself it does not pay the bills. That is why I call it dead money. The good news is that there are safe, strategic ways to put that...
On paper, the U.S. economy looks strong. Unemployment is low, inflation has cooled from its 2022 peak, and GDP continues to expand. But if you ask the average American how they feel, the answer is very different. Consumer sentiment today is nearly as pessimistic as it was during the 2008 financial crisis or the stagflation...
The Corporate Default Wave Is Here, And It’s a Warning to Real Estate Investors Moody’s just dropped a bombshell: 241 companies are now on their highest-risk default list, the most we’ve seen in almost a year. And no, this isn’t just about overextended tech startups. We’re talking about recognizable names in consumer goods, manufacturing, and...
The Federal Reserve is meeting again, and investors everywhere are watching one thing: Will a Fed rate cut mortgage interest rates have any impact on the housing market? If you’ve been waiting for mortgage interest rates to finally come down, you’re not alone. For nearly two years, high rates have sidelined homebuyers, frozen deal flow,...
