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Archive for the ‘Back to School’ Category

The Recession: 10 Years Later

Posted on December 08, 2017 by Laura Lam

In December 2007, employment peaked and started to head south – for two long years. What followed: The loss of more than 8 million jobs, half the value of the Dow and the S&P 500, and trillions of dollars in retirement accounts and household wealth. Lives and businesses were ruined and whole neighborhoods emptied out, as banks took back homes bought on badly underwritten credit. A decade later, the American economy has recovered in many ways. Employers have been steadily adding jobs since early 2010, the stock market is booming and home prices have reached new all-time highs. But in…

Sales to First-Time Home Buyers Fell 34% in 2017

Posted on November 16, 2017 by Laura Lam

First time homebuyers continue to struggle to enter the housing market amidst limited housing inventory, falling to the fourth lowest level since 1981, according to the National Association of Realtors’ 2017 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers report. The share of first time homebuyers in the housing market decreased from 35% in 2016 to 34% in 2017. In the 36-year history of NAR’s report, the long-term average of first-time homebuyers rests at 39%. “The dreams of many aspiring first-time buyers were unfortunately dimmed over the past year by persistent inventory shortages, which undercut their ability to become homeowners,” stated NAR…

Millennials are saving more for retirement

Posted on November 10, 2017 by Laura Lam

In the race to save for retirement, one group is doing surprisingly well: millennial parents. That’s according to a new NerdWallet survey, which found that 38% of millennial parents (ages 18-34) save more than 15% of their income for retirement. All told, millennial parents reported a median retirement savings rate of 10% of income, compared with 8% for Generation X parents (ages 35-54) and just 5% for baby boomer parents (ages 55+). Given the picture typically painted of this age group, you might be shouting “fake news” right now. There’s one caveat: The results include only those currently saving for…

Student Loan Debt Delays Homeownership by 7 Years

Posted on September 22, 2017 by Laura Lam

An overwhelming majority of Millennials with student debt do not own a home, and believe this debt is the cause for the delay. These are the findings of the 2017 Student Loan Debt and Housing Report from the National Association of Realtors and nonprofit American Student Assistance. The study revealed the typical delay is about 7 years. But home buying isn’t the only factor affected by student debt. The study showed student debt is holding Millennials back from financial decisions and personal milestones such as saving for retirement, changing careers, continuing their education, marrying and having children. “The tens of thousands of dollars…

2017 Back-to-School Spending to Reach $83.6 Billion

Posted on August 18, 2017 by Laura Lam

With consumer confidence rising and more young people in school, back-to-college spending is expected to hit an all-time high this year while back-to-school spending is expected to see its second-highest spending level on record, according to NRF’s annual survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics. Total combined spending is expected to reach $83.6 billion, an increase of more than 10% over last year’s $75.8 billion. U.S. parents are expected to spend an average of $688 on back-to-school items this year, an increase over 2016 spending of $674. The best deals will be available to parents who shop either very early…

The Top 10 Careers for First-Time Home Buyers

Posted on May 26, 2017 by Laura Lam

Although home prices continue to rise, one degree stands above the rest as being the best for those who wish to buy at home closer to the start of their career. Of the top 26 degrees that would allow graduates to purchase a home in four years, 22 of them involve engineering, according to a recent study from Realtor.com. The top degree enables buyers to purchase a home within 2.5 years of graduation. “When it comes to homeownership, degrees in engineering really pay off,” realtor.com Senior Economist Joe Kirchner said. “It shows just how powerful a high starting salary can…

Fannie Mae Changes Affect Borrowers With Student Loans

Posted on May 11, 2017 by Laura Lam

Fannie Mae has recently outlined changes in the way lenders can qualify potential borrowers who have student loan debt. The policy change is designed to make it easier for more consumers to qualify for mortgages, in part by excluding some non-mortgage debt for income-to-debt calculations. These debts can be things like installment loans, student loans, and other monthly debts as defined in the company’s mortgage lending guide. According to the Fannie Mae web site, “If the lender obtains documentation that a non-mortgage debt has been satisfactorily paid by another party for the past 12 months, then the debt can be excluded from…

Millennials’ Debt Load Could Weigh Down Economy

Posted on May 09, 2017 by Laura Lam

Millennials — 21 to 34-year-olds — hold an estimated $1.1 trillion of the country’s $3.6 trillion in consumer debt, according to UBS, as rising student and auto loans outweigh a drop in mortgages. All that rising debt is coming with rising default risks. A UBS evidence lab survey found that 52% of people worried about defaulting on any loan over the next 12 months were in the 21 to 34 age group. That’s not good news considering those same individuals are meant to be the largest source of spending on big-ticket purchase items like houses and cars over the next year. There is already…

Subprime Student Loans Resemble Pre-Crisis Mortgage Loans

Posted on April 28, 2017 by Laura Lam

Millions of U.S. parents have taken out loans from the government to help their children pay for college … now a crushing bill is coming due. Hundreds of thousands have tumbled into delinquency and default. In the process, many have delayed retirement, put off health expenses and lost portions of Social Security checks and tax refunds to their lender, the federal government. Student loans made through parents come from an Education Department program called Parent Plus, which has loans outstanding to more than 3 million Americans. These loan applications ask almost nothing about its borrowers’ incomes, existing debts, savings, credit…

Over 40% Students Don’t Make School Loan Payments

Posted on April 26, 2017 by Laura Lam

More than 40% of Americans who borrowed from the government’s main student-loan program aren’t making payments or are behind on more than $200 billion owed, raising worries that millions of them may never repay. The new figures represent the fallout of a decade-long borrowing boom as record numbers of students enrolled in trade schools, universities and graduate schools. While most have since left school and joined the workforce, 43% of the roughly 22 million Americans with federal student loans weren’t making payments as of Jan. 1, according to a quarterly snapshot of the Education Department’s $1.2 trillion student-loan portfolio. About 1…

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