ArcaMax

The median age of first-time homebuyers in the U.S. has climbed to a record of 40 as soaring prices and mortgage rates over the last few years delay homeownership for millions of Americans.

The age at which people purchase their first home has climbed rapidly since 2021, when the median was 33, according to a National Association of Realtors ...Read more

No risk, no return!

How many times have you heard that phrase or something similar?

It’s usually meant to encourage. A rallying cry for entrepreneurship, industry and capitalism, it also alludes to the inverse — that high risk translates into high return. But when it comes to investing, it isn’t quite so simple.

Risk vs. return in ...Read more

It’s cozy season — a time when people keep out the chill by shutting windows, curling up on the couch with a steaming mug of tea and switching on a space heater. But that can invite an unwanted house guest — mold.

Mold is a common problem in Washington, where rainy weather creates the ideal conditions for spores to grow and thrive. If it ...Read more

If you remember the turmoil of the global financial crisis, hearing that foreclosure activity is up might make your knees weak and palms sweaty. I know I can’t help it.

After reading recent reports of climbing foreclosures, I spoke with experts ranging from real estate data companies to non-profit debt counselors to foreclosure auction sites....Read more

The winter holidays are a time for dusting off decorations and observing traditions — but they’re also rife with money decisions.

Americans are choosing how much to spend on travel, gifts and decorations in today’s economy, along with how they’ll make those purchases. Some holiday shoppers and travelers plan to use credit cards, but ...Read more

In a perfect world, no one would need to take out a loan to consolidate and pay off debt. In the real world, however, sometimes borrowing money is the only way to dig your way out.

This is mostly due to high interest rates on credit cards. With the average credit card APR (annual percentage rate) at 20.01 percent as of October 2025, consumers ...Read more

Andy Challenger is the person businesses call when it’s time to let workers go. And for the past year and a half, his phone hasn’t stopped ringing.

A third-generation outplacement consultant at Challenger, Gray & Christmas — the firm his grandfather founded in the 1960s after his own layoff — Challenger has heard a variety of reasons ...Read more

When I can’t listen to a podcast without someone trying to sell me gold, when money managers tell me clients are jonesing for the shiny metal, and when friends call to ask what I think about buying it, I know without looking at a single chart that the price of gold has gone vertical and that FOMO has set in.

And wouldn’t you know, the ...Read more

NEWARK, Calif. — A Newark hotel was seized by its lender due to a delinquent loan, a foreclosure that highlights the wobbly values for the region’s hospitality market.

The Hyatt Place Newark/Silicon Valley hotel at 5600 John Muir Dr. is now owned by an affiliate of lender State Bank of Texas following a foreclosure of an $18 million loan, ...Read more

Mortgage rates fell to the lowest level in more than a year, easing affordability concerns for homebuyers.

The average for 30-year, fixed loans was 6.19%, down from 6.27% last week and the lowest since early October 2024, data from Freddie Mac show.

Falling rates have given house hunters more buying power, but demand has been constrained by ...Read more

The federal government controlling the vast majority of land in Nevada dates all the way back to the 1800s when the territory was first admitted to the United States, according to a former longtime employee.

When Nevada became a state in October 1864, state representatives and stakeholders were only eyeing the northern part of Nevada due to its...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- It's Monday afternoon in Madison Heights, a stately Pasadena neighborhood where the seasonal decor is as tasteful and predictable as a Hallmark movie.

Suddenly, like a strange wind, a U-Haul truck quietly pulls in front of an elegant home. Within minutes, a crew of black-clad workers begin emptying the truck's contents, briskly ...Read more