Here’s how to find out how much can you make and still qualify for affordable conventional loans. Ground Picture / Shutterstock.com
Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on MortgageResearch.com. You may have heard that conventional loans from federally backed mortgage institutions Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac require 20% down. But these agencies offer home loans with as little as 3% down. However, many of these come with income limits. How much can you make and still qualify?
This unconventional idea is actually a great way to better secure your future and retirement. AlessandroBiascioli / Shutterstock.com
Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on NewRetirement. Making friends with your future self may seem like an odd idea. It is certainly abstract. However, it is one of the surest ways to make sure that you are taking the steps you need to take now for the life you want in the future. Getting to know your future self offers immense benefits for personal growth and fulfillment.
A super-hot summer doesn’t have to mean super-high energy bills — follow these tips to save while staying cool. Andrey_Popov / Shutterstock.com
Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on Living on the Cheap. As the temperature exceeds triple digits in many locations this summer, our electric bills are spiraling upward with the heat index. Except for a hardy few, going without air conditioning is probably not a practical cost-cutting measure. Still, there are ways to save energy and cut your electric bill.
Before you upgrade your TV, take a look at the prices at Costco. You can get a deal on a quality TV. Find out which TVs sold at Costco are worth the money.
Image source: Getty Images
Costco sells various products like groceries, clothes, furniture, personal care items, and appliances at affordable prices. The popular warehouse club also sells electronics. If you’re ready to upgrade your TV, you may want to see if you can get a good deal at Costco. By getting a discount on this living room upgrade, you can keep more money in your checking account. I’ll outline some of the top-rated TVs available at Costco below to save you time as you shop.
If you’re searching for an affordable upgrade, this might be the product for you. Costco sells the Samsung 55″ Class Q70C Series 4k UHD QLED LCD TV, which features quantum HDR, ultimate UHD dimming, and 4K resolution. This budget-friendly TV is compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant and has four HDMI inputs and two USB ports. One shopper noted this TV has a great picture and is the perfect size. This TV can be purchased at Costco for just under $800 — an excellent price to pay for a top-rated TV.
For those with a bigger budget who also want a slightly bigger screen, the LG 65″ Class OLED C3 Series 4K UHD OLED TV is a solid choice, and it’s available at Costco. This OLED TV features AI 4K Upscaling and is compatible with Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and Google Assistant. It has one digital optical audio input, four HDMI inputs, and three USB ports. One happy shopper said in a review, “The picture is gorgeous, and for a flat-screen TV, I’m also very impressed by the sound.” While this model is pricier than some other TVs at Costco, the quality matches the price tag. You can buy it for just under $2,100.
Here’s another winner if you want to buy a quality TV for around $1,000. The LG 55″ Class OLED B2 Series 4K UHD OLED is ready to stream all your favorite shows and movies. It has an OLED display and includes an NFC magic remote. This TV features one digital optical input, two USB ports, and four HDMI inputs. Costco is selling this TV for just under $1,000 — so you won’t ding your savings account balance much if you choose this model. A satisfied Costco member noted in a review, “I went from a 10+ yr old LED TV to this beast of an OLED, and I feel like my life has been propelled into the future!” It sounds as if this is a worthwhile buy.
The Sony 65″ Class X90CK Series 4K UHD LED LCD TV is another winner. Sony’s Cognitive Processor XR powers this Full-Array LED-LCD TV. A 65″ TV would make for the perfect addition to your living room to watch your favorite sports team or hold movie nights at home. It has two USB ports, four HDMI inputs, and one digital optical audio input. One Costco member left the following comments in a review, “Family movie night was wonderful, and full picture blackout created noticeable dramatic emphasis.” You can buy this smart TV at Costco for $1,199.99.
If you’re not already a Costco member, you may want to consider joining — especially if you’re a fan of shopping deals. Many people join warehouse clubs as part of their personal finance strategy to take advantage of deals that allow them to save money on everyday expenses. The more money you save, the more you’ll be able to focus on your financial goals, like building a plentiful emergency fund and investing so you’re well-prepared for your retirement years.
If you’re using the wrong credit or debit card, it could be costing you serious money. Our experts love this top pick, which features a 0% intro APR for 15 months, an insane cash back rate of up to 5%, and all somehow for no annual fee.
In fact, this card is so good that our experts even use it personally. Click here to read our full review for free and apply in just 2 minutes.
We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Natasha Gabrielle has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Crypto platforms can look like banks and even act like banks, but they are not banks. Find out why it’s dangerous to use a crypto platform for your day-to-day banking.
Image source: Getty Images
One of the great promises of Bitcoin (BTC) and cryptocurrency is that they might one day replace the traditional banking system. The thinking is that blockchain technology lets us cut the middleman out of many transactions. That could, for example, mean taking banks out of your day-to-day finances. Not only that, but Bitcoin also doesn’t need the backing of a government or central bank to keep it secure.
So far, crypto hasn’t really lived up to that promise. It still might. It is early days and we don’t know how this industry will develop. But if you’re considering using a crypto platform instead of a bank and you plan on depositing large sums of money right now, bear in mind there are limited consumer protections in place.
Here are three things that happen when you use a crypto platform instead of a bank.
During the cryptocurrency frenzy of 2021, prices soared and millions of Americans flocked to the industry. Then prices fell dramatically. Many investors saw their portfolios decimated. And then FTX and other crypto platforms collapsed, taking people’s money with them.
One issue is that a lot of new crypto investors bought via centralized crypto exchanges and left their assets on the platform where they bought them. It’s understandable, because these platforms have positioned themselves as similar to banks. The trouble is that by using centralized exchanges in this way, we’re essentially substituting one middleman with regulations that have evolved over decades for another. The new one is much less regulated and much less transparent about what it’s doing with your money.
We discovered the hard way that there’s limited protection in place for customers if a crypto platform fails. FDIC insurance covers traditional bank accounts against bank failure. SIPC insurance protects brokerage accounts. Aside from some third-party insurance, there’s very little in place to help if your crypto exchange goes bankrupt. Particularly if, as appears to be the case with FTX, the way it handled customer funds was at best chaotic and at worst fraudulent.
Popular crypto exchanges offer a range of traditional banking services. For example, you can deposit money, including your paycheck. You can also make payments from the crypto platform or through a crypto credit card or crypto debit card, move money internationally, and earn interest on your funds.
That said, a lot of the time, you’ll need to convert your crypto into traditional money such as U.S. dollars when you, for example, use it to make a payment. This can have tax implications because converting your crypto into dollars to buy something means you’re selling the crypto. If your crypto is worth more than you bought it for, this is a taxable event.
Some crypto platforms also make it easy to borrow money without requiring a credit check. However, several crypto lending platforms collapsed in the wake of the FTX failure, leaving clients unable to access their funds. It’s worth knowing the difference between centralized finance (CeFi) and decentralized finance (DeFi) and understanding the risks involved in both.
There are many different ways to invest in and use cryptocurrency. If you want to avoid centralized platforms, you could use only DeFi and conduct your transactions from a crypto wallet that you control. In this scenario, your funds won’t be exposed if your crypto exchange fails. However, it’s a very steep learning curve and you may not know who you’re doing business with.
Unlike many top cryptocurrency exchanges, which have introduced know your customer (KYC) and other anti-money laundering processes, many DeFi platforms are pseudonymous. Some see that as a good thing — avoiding financial censorship is a core part of crypto’s ethos. But if you’re using DeFi for your everyday banking, you may unintentionally be interacting with criminals.
To be fair, money laundering exists in the non-crypto world as well. But one of the risks of becoming your own bank is that you need to think about compliance as well as security, and a host of other checks and balances.
It’s one thing to invest a small amount of your portfolio in cryptocurrency. It’s quite another to deposit your monthly paycheck and put all your savings on a crypto platform. Broadly speaking, the system isn’t ready to safely replace your bank.
There are hundreds of platforms around the world that are waiting to give you access to thousands of cryptocurrencies. Our experts have done the research to pick out the select few top crypto exchanges today.
To help you get started, we’re sharing one of our expert’s top picks for free — simply click here to start your crypto journey today.
We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Discover Financial Services is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. Emma Newbery has positions in Bitcoin. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin. The Motley Fool recommends Discover Financial Services. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The average annual cost to maintain a house is $6,000. Read on to find out why there may be better ways to make money than owning a home.
Image source: Getty Images
As the last few years have shown, a house can be a smart place to put your money. The median sales price for a new home is up 33% over the past four years, according to Federal Reserve data, giving many homeowners a significant rate of return.
But the rise of home values over the past few years is different from the normal pace of growth. According to data from the Federal Housing Finance Agency, home values typically increase by an average of 4.4% annually.
Most home buyers are looking for something other than an investment opportunity. The top reason — accounting for 22% of buyers — why people purchased a house last year was because they want to own a home, according to a recent report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Meanwhile, just 2% of buyers purchased to seek financial security.
And some recent data shows that there are still a few reasons why a home isn’t always a good investment.
I was house hunting at the peak of the housing boom during the pandemic and looked at a house a seller had purchased just a few months earlier. The real estate agent told me the owner had just received a job transfer and was looking to recoup the money they paid for the home, plus cover the agent fee.
Even during the very competitive housing market at the time, the idea seemed odd to me that the owner expected to sell the house for more than they bought it for just several months before.
It turns out I was technically right. According to Quicken Loans, the standard recommended time to stay in a home before you can sell it for a profit is about five years. While that wasn’t always true during the past few years, we may move back to the previous timeframe if home prices decline.
So if you’re looking to buy a home and then sell it quickly later for a profit, it may be best to temper your expectations.
While a lot of attention is paid to how much it costs to buy a house, it’s the ongoing repair and maintenance costs that can eat into a homeowner’s savings account. According to homeowners insurance company Hippo, owners spent an average of nearly $6,000 on home repairs and maintenance last year.
The report also noted that more than two-thirds of homeowners regretted buying. And of those who had regrets, nearly half said that homeownership was more expensive than anticipated.
For homeowners who want to stay on top of these expenses, setting aside the money ahead of time takes some commitment. Wells Fargo recommends saving 1% to 2% of your mortgage price to cover maintenance costs. Considering that the median selling price of a house was $416,300 in May, per the Federal Reserve, the average owner needs to set aside $4,163 to reach that 1% goal.
A recent Gallup poll found that 34% of survey respondents — the largest group in the study — said that real estate is the best long-term investment. Owning property beat out other investments, including gold, stocks, savings accounts, and bonds.
But while people may assume owning a home is a better investment, the data doesn’t match that theory. The S&P 500 — a stock market index of America’s 500 largest publicly traded companies — has an annual average rate of return of about 10% before inflation.
But looking at some of the latest data on home price increases shows that real estate gains don’t always keep pace with stocks. The average annual home price increase since 1991 has been just 4.4%.
Of course, stocks and home prices can go up or down by more or less than their historical averages in any given year. The rapid rise of home prices during the pandemic proved that the housing market can sometimes experience quick returns.
But over the long term, stock values typically grow much faster than home prices. Additionally, if you invest in a low-cost index fund, you may pay less in annual fees than the cost of keeping up your house.
If you’re looking to get a mortgage loan and buy a house, it’s probably best to do so based on your personal needs rather than financial ones. And, you never know, another housing boom may come along that skews the rate of return in your favor.
Our experts vetted the most popular offers to land on the select picks that are worthy of a spot in your wallet. These best-in-class cards pack in rich perks, such as big sign-up bonuses, long 0% intro APR offers, and robust rewards. Get started today with our recommended credit cards.
We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Wells Fargo is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. Chris Neiger has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
© 2026 Madam Money®. All Rights Reserved. | Designed by SRJWebsites.com
