Markets and Investing

Most Americans have debt. Some debt is good, because you need to establish a line of credit before you can get a loan for a new home or a college tuition. Spending more than you can afford, however, gets you into trouble. Learn how to get out of debt...

No one wants to find themselves in a sticky financial situation. It’s important to have that little extra padding in your checking account, but when you really want a new smartphone or a nice vacation, it’s tempting to take some of that padding...

Higher education is the gateway to success. Attending a college or university enables today’s youth to develop the skills needed to build tomorrow’s future. As the cost of higher education increases, however, so does the need to save for your...

Karl Madsen of OpteonGroup LLC will present what businesses and banks can do to have a deeper understanding of their partners’ interests, and how to work toward success. The workshop will also include common warning signs that if ignored could...

When does it make sense to refinance your home? This is one of the most important mortgage questions to ask if you want to save money long-term. There are several different options, and these options can be beneficial: Debt consolidation If you have...

What is escrow? Escrow is a legal arrangement where one party places funds into an account to be delivered to another individual or business after certain conditions are met. The account is overseen and funds are transferred by a neutral third party....

Many people think that mortgage interest rates move in correlation with the Federal Funds Rate. But what they don’t know is that the Fed’s actions have little or no effect on mortgage interest rates. For example, the Fed has kept the Fed...

Ten years have passed since we bore witness to the first act of terror on American soil in more than a generation. It affected all of us; our families, our businesses, and our national pride. Following the September 11 attacks, everything changed....

Many people have recently considered refinancing their homes, and there is no time like the present. Freddie Mac said last week that the average U.S. 30-year fixed mortgage rate dropped to 4.15 percent, the lowest it has been in 50 years. Rates based...

Remember the Game of Life board game? My favorite part was pretending to be the banker, which meant I counted and distributed the “play” money. That exercise helped illustrate a basic – but crucial – “life” lesson:...