HomeEquityLoan

Getting into debt is easy. It's getting out of debt that's the tricky part. Unfortunately, many people who would like to eliminate their debt shoot themselves in the foot by making bone-headed mistakes that actually compound their debt problems. Here are the four dumbest things you can do if...

Debt consolidation sounds like a good thing to do, right? You've got all your credit cards lined up, and keeping track of the bills and their payment dates is no fun. How much do you pay on this card? What about that one? Did you miss the other one?So consolidating that debt, either with a home...

In a Wall Street Journal (subscription required) story yesterday, it was reported that lenders are starting to audit equity lines of credit. If they see that a person is behind on their credit card payments or that their home value has dropped, the lender may freeze access to an equity line or...

Experts will tell you not to run up the balance on your credit cards because you will pay dearly when it comes time to calculate the interest. But the fact is that many consumers do have credit card debt that is carried over from month to month.Here's a way to reduce your taxes and probably save...

A friend e-mailed me with a question about a home equity loan her family is considering. They're going through a credit union, and weighing whether to get a loan at a 15-year term, with 6.75% or Prime minus 50 bps, or a 30-year term with 7.00% or Prime minus 25 bps. "But we'll probably be selling...