Investing Basics

Chapter 1: Building liquid savings
Why pay penalties to use your own money? Keep some liquid and even earn interest at the same time.

* Develop a savings plan
* How interest rates are determined
* Savings accounts
* Money market accounts
* Money market funds

Chapter 2: Certificates of deposit
Get paid to let someone else use your money! CDs offer a fixed rate of return for a specific amount of time.

* Lock up your money; get higher interest
* Types of CDs
* Certificate of deposit investing strategies
* Early withdrawal penalties

Chapter 3: Investing in bonds
Bewildered by bonds? Troubled by Treasuries? We've got you covered -- from savings bonds and beyond!

* U. S. Treasury securities
* The I-bond
* Series EE Patriot Bond
* TIPS (Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities)
* Corporate bonds

Chapter 4: Fixed-income investing
They're not sexy, but diversifying your portfolio can be: annuities, permanent insurance and bank loan funds.

* Permanent insurance: Whole, universal, variable
* Annuities
* Bank loan funds

Chapter 5: Savings with tax breaks
Uncle Sam wants you -- to save money. And he'll give you a break on your taxes in a tax-advantaged account.

* IRAs
* Education-savings plans
* Penalty-free IRA withdrawals
* 401(k)s

Chapter 6: Banking institutions
Banks, thrifts and credit unions -- here's some information on how to decide where to park your cash.

* Types of banking institutions
* Whom to complain to, and how
* How the FDIC protects your money

Chapter 7: Bankrate's resources
Looking for the safest banks and best rates? Bankrate gives you the tools to make a wise choice.

* Researching savings rates on Bankrate.com
* Criteria used in Bankrate.com surveys
* How safe is your bank?

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Related Links:

* Savings rate could soar
* Ladder to make many CDs
* Banks test small loans

Related Articles:

* CD ladder solves dilemma
* Women and wealth
* Economic tea leaves

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Investment Calculators

* What will it take to reach your investment goal?
* How much money can you save in your 401(k) plan?
* Self-employed 401(k) calculator
* How to maximize the return on your CDs
* Compound interest calculator
* What is your net worth?
* CD ladder calculator
* 401(k) and Roth contribution calculator
* 401(k) or Roth IRA calculator
* 401(k) spend it or save it calculator
* Social Security income calculator
* Traditional IRA calculator

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Compare CDs & Investment Rates

News and expert commentary about savings accounts and investing
Is higher yield worth risk?

Investments offering higher yields can be tempting, but for short-term goals, safety comes first.
Full Story

* Big changes ahead for money funds?
* Building blocks for successful investing
* CD ladder offers best of two worlds

READ MORE - Compare CDs & Investment Rates

Financial Literacy

Families and Finance

Savvy savings strategies
You can set aside money for a car, college and retirement just by planning purposefully.

Investment tune-up»

Low-maintenance investing
Three investing solutions are tailor-made for novice or busy investors: target-date, lifestyle and index funds.

Focus on careers»
How to fireproof your job
Jobs don't come with guarantees, but you can take steps to boost your chances of surviving a layoff.

Juggling debt and savings»
6 steps to eliminate debt
Getting in the debt pit is easy; climbing out, not quite so. These powerful strategies help lessen the pain.

Protect your identity»
8 tips to protect your ID
Keeping crooks in the dark about your birth date, account numbers and mother's maiden name is essential.

Securing a comfortable retirement»
Spot 401(k) abuse
Most of us take for granted our 401(k) contribution will wind up where it's supposed to.

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Mortgage Rates

Today's Mortgage Rates

July 2, 2009
Loans up to $417,000	Rate	APR
30 Year Fixed	4.375	4.723
15 Year Fixed	3.875	4.543
Loans up to $1,000,000	Rate	APR
5 Year ARM	8.625	6.150
5 Year Interest Only ARM	8.750	6.188
FHA Rates	Rate	APR
30 Year Fixed	4.750	5.277
15 Year Fixed	4.250	4.762

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Mortgage Basics: Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Should you buy or rent?
There's no easy answer. Emotions, family and personal reasons all come into play in any home buying decision.

* Should you buy or rent?
* How much house can you afford?

Chapter 2: How mortgages work
You can get a mortgage in many places, but they all share the same characteristics. We explain.

* Fixed-rate mortgages
* Adjustable-rate mortgages
* Deciding between an ARM and a fixed-rate mortgage
* Subprime mortgages
* Other types of mortgages
* Which type of lender is right for you?

Chapter 3: Your mortgage payment
Your monthly payment is determined by the rate and the amount of the loan, but there's much more to it.

* Your credit score
* Down payment
* Low down payments
* Points
* How lenders set rates

Chapter 4: Paperwork and fees
Prepare to gather a lot of paperwork, negotiate your loan terms and make sense of all the fees.

* Prequalified or preapproved borrowers have an edge
* Questions to expect from mortgage lenders
* 10 questions to ask your mortgage lender
* Necessary paperwork for a buyer
* The good-faith estimate
* Other lender paperwork

Chapter 5: Underwriting
You can help speed the verification of your information while the appraisal and inspection are done.

* Underwriting
* Inspection and insurance
* Special circumstances
* Turned down for a mortgage

Chapter 6: Closing
It's your last chance to alter the deal, and the last chance for someone to sneak something past you.

* Understanding the closing process
* Understanding escrow accounts

Chapter 7: Ownership, after closing
You have the keys, but you're not done. Your mortgage needs periodic maintenance, too.

* When your mortgage is handled by a mortgage servicer
* Payment changes
* Paying ahead
* Removing private mortgage insurance
* Refinancing
* Avoiding foreclosure

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Mortgages

Advice about mortgages, home equity loans and line of credit issues.
Mortgage rates drop again

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell to 5.7 percent, according to Bankrate's weekly survey.
Full Story

* 5 tips for buying a foreclosed home
* Use mortgage broker for land refinance
* 2 mortgages haunt home dream

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Equity loan

An equity loan is a mortgage placed on real estate in exchange for cash to the borrower. For example, if a person owns a home worth $100,000, but does not currently have a lien on it, they may take an equity loan at 80% loan to value (LTV) or $80,000 in cash in exchange for a lien on title placed by the lender of the equity loan.

Many lending institutions require the borrower to repay only an interest component of the loan each month (calculated daily, and compounded to the loan once each month). The borrower can apply any surplus funds to the outstanding loan principal at any time, reducing the amount of interest calculated from that day onwards. Some loan products also allow the possibility to redraw cash up to the original LTV, potentially perpetuating the life of the loan beyond the original loan term.

The rate of interest applied to equity loans is much lower than that applied to unsecured loans, such as credit card debt. The reasoning behind this is that equity loans involve collateral, and credit card debt does not.

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