Toucanstudios | E+ | Getty Images Single women have long outpaced single men as homebuyers — and they may be pulling ahead financially as well. Among first-time buyers, single women have a median income of $73,000 compared with $66,400 for single men, according to the National Association of Realtors’ 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and…
Home sales made a small gain to start the year, but higher mortgage rates now could throw cold water on the spring season. Existing home sales in February rose 1.7% from January to a seasonally adjusted, annualized rate of 4.09 million units, according to the National Association of Realtors. Sales were down 1.4% from February of…
It’s difficult to describe the U.S. economy in black and white terms like “good” or “bad.” On several fronts, the data says the economy is healthy. But surveys show American consumers don’t feel that way. “There’s no doubt right now that different data can show slightly different narratives,” says Heather Long, chief economist at Navy…
Morsa Images | Digitalvision | Getty Images There’s a line item in homebuyers’ closing costs that’s causing a clash in the mortgage industry: the fee for lenders to check borrowers’ credit. While the charges — typically in the tens or hundreds of dollars — represent a tiny slice of the amount that buyers pay when…
Alexander Spatari | Moment | Getty Images If you’ve fallen behind on your student loans, it may be more challenging to get a property manager to approve you for rental housing, financial experts say. “Delinquency is a bad sign for creditworthiness, and landlords may choose not to rent to potential tenants who are having a…
A person walks down a street with shopping bags in New York City on Nov. 29, 2024. David Dee Delgado | Getty Images American consumer wallets will be billions of dollars lighter this holiday season because of President Donald Trump‘s tariffs, according to LendingTree. Sunday marked six months since Trump announced his broad “liberation day”…
Shoppers carry Macy’s and Nordstrom bags at Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek, California, US, on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. The Bureau of Economic Analysis is scheduled to release personal spending figures on December 20. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images While the impact so far this year has been muted, tariffs are expected…
Buy now, pay later plans offer an attractive alternative to credit cards for consumers: They allow purchases to be split into short-term, typically interest-free installments. “Credit isn’t new. Credit’s been around for thousands of years and credit cards aren’t new. But they’ve had a hard time adapting to consumer needs,” said Michael Linford, chief operating…
No matter how they define it, many Americans want to consider themselves wealthy. Over half — 57% — of Americans believe they’ll be wealthier than their parents, according to a recent LendingTree survey of 2,000 U.S. adults. But more than 20% aren’t currently utilizing common strategies to build wealth, the financial services company found. Here…
