Oil continues to sit near all-time highs and a slew of inflation-related data crossed the wires this week.When inflation pressures are high, mortgage rates rise. Over the past few months, rising energy costs have pushed indices to record levels, taxing Americans on all fronts. Rising costs are t
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04/17/2008
Did you know... The first income tax was 1 percent on net personal incomes above $3,000. There was a 6 percent surtax on incomes over $500,000. Did you know... The first 1040 form was 4 pages long -- including instructions. Today, the instructions ALONE are 92 pages. Did you know... During Worl
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04/17/2008
Did you know... President Lincoln and Congress enacted the first income tax in 1862 to pay Civil War expenses.Did you know... The Civil War income tax was repealed in 1872, revived by Congress in 1894, and ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1895.Did you know... In 1913, Wyoming was th
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04/17/2008
Getting approved for a conforming home loan is now tougher than before. Again.As home loan defaults mount, government-sponsored financier Fannie Mae has imposed new guidelines on what it will lend and to whom, highlighting the need for a strong credit profile and a downpayment.In other words, Fan
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04/17/2008
Credit scoring is becoming more important to mortgage pricing so now would be a terrific time to brush up on your credit education.If you understand how the system works, after all, you can make it work to your advantage. One terrific place to start your research is at myFICO.com.Published by cre
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04/17/2008
Typically, higher credit scores get lower mortgage rates and access to a wider array of mortgage products. Extent of Indebtedness comprises 30% of a credit score and is the second largest component in the credit scoring model. In plain-speak, Extent of Indebtedness is: "How close is this person
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04/10/2008
For the budget-aware, buying a new home involves calculating how new PITI payments will impact the household budget. For in-town moves, the math is fairly simple -- consider your existing budget and replace your old housing cost with your new housing cost. For non-local moves, however, the budget
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04/10/2008
Every two years, the Jump$tart Coalition issues a "personal finance" exam to high school seniors. The test highlights the importance of personal financial literacy among America's youth and comes at an especially important juncture. Many experts -- including Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke -- believe
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04/10/2008
In three weeks, the Federal Open Market Committee will meet again and markets anticipate another cut to the Fed Funds Rate. Based on data compiled by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland at the close of business yesterday, traders put the probabilities of the Fed's next move at: 62 percent chan
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04/10/2008
News sources like to use the term "credit crunch" in describing the U.S. economy, but they rarely define what a credit crunch is and what it means for Americans. A credit crunch is when the amount of available loans suddenly decreases over a very short period of time. Usually, it follows a perio
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04/10/2008
