End of Fed MBS purchases will likely drive up ratesBy Inman News, Friday, April 30, 2010.Inman News
Mortgage rates are holding steady despite last month's wind-down of a $1.25 trillion Federal Reserve program to buy up mortgage-backed securities.
Rates for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 5.06 percent with an average 0.7 point for the week ending April 29, down slightly from 5.07 percent last week but up from 4.78 percent a year ago, Freddie Mac said in releasing the results of its weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey.
Rates on 30-year fixed loans have averaged about 5 percent over the first four months of this year, staying within a band of roughly a quarter percentage point and virtually matching 2009's annual average, said Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac's chief economist.
The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.39 percent with an average 0.7 point, unchanged from last week but down from 4.48 percent a year ago.
The 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) averaged 4 percent, with an average 0.6 point, down from 4.03 percent last week and 4.8 percent a year ago.
The 1-year Treasury-indexed ARM averaged 4.25 percent with an average 0.5 point, up from 4.22 percent last week but down from 4.77 percent a year ago.
Looking back to the week ending April 23, the Mortgage Bankers Association said demand for purchase loans was up a seasonally adjusted 7.4 percent from one week earlier as the end of the homebuyer tax credit approaches. Applications for loans backed by FHA and the VA accounted for nearly 49 percent of demand.
Demand for refinancings was down 8.8 percent, the MBA said. Applications for refinancings accounted for 55.7 percent of all applications -- the lowest share since August 2009.
Although the Federal Reserve on Wednesday restated its intention to hold short-term interest rates at historic lows for "an extended period," mortgage rates are expected to rise gradually because the Fed has discontinued its purchases of mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (see story).
In a forecast published April 12, MBA economists projected that rates on 30-year fixed-rate loans will rise for the next 10 consecutive quarters, to an average of 5.8 percent in the final quarter of 2010, 6.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011, and 6.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
A Financial Planner may be your Best Gift to Yourself
There are many ways in which you can plan for your financial retirement. The first step in making the right moves is always the step that involves actually creating a plan of action that you can follow as a family. Many people focus too much on the now or too much on the later and have a great deal of difficulty when it comes to creating a happy medium for savings and investing.
Throughout our lives we will have both long and short-term goals that need to be assessed, addressed, and often revisited. Whether you need to find a way to pay for your children to attend college, home improvement projects, or a method for saving for your retirement you can find information and assistance for all these things and so much more if you seek the services of a qualified financial advisor.
A good financial advisor will help you find that balance that so many people and families lack. He or she will also help you assess your means in comparison with your long and short-term needs in order to see where your funds would experience the greatest return in order to suit your specific needs with minimal risk. It is important to remember that going with a financial planner or advisor does not eliminate the risks that are an integral part of investing but it does help you learn to better calculate those risks.
Investing is a risky business. Learning how to weigh the odds and go for the prize is the best way to earn the biggest possible return on your investment no matter how modest your investment may be. We are all starting from different means, isn't it amazing to know that we could all end up with very similar abilities when all is said and done and we are living out our 'golden years'?
Good financial planning is the key to success when it concerns your financial retirement. With so few people around the world adequately prepared to retire it is great to know that there are options and assistance that is available to help you get started on your retirement no matter how late in the game it is. Even better is the knowledge that limits are lifted a little once you reach the age of 50 and retirement is much more eminent. This allows those who got a late start on their retirement planning or who have hit a speed bump or two along the way the opportunity to 'catch up' on their investing and work up to the place they need to be in order to establish a more comfortable retirement for themselves and those they love.
401 (k) plans offer some of the best retirement benefits your money can buy at the moment. They certainly allow you to make the maximum possible investment for your money. If you aren't taking your company up on their offer to match your investment in a 401(k) then you should seriously rethink that thought. Seriously, you're throwing away free money.
When it comes to the murky water of retirement investing it helps to have a guide to get you through. Utilizing the services of a financial planner may be the best move you've ever made in your life when it comes to the financial health of your family and your retirement.
Throughout our lives we will have both long and short-term goals that need to be assessed, addressed, and often revisited. Whether you need to find a way to pay for your children to attend college, home improvement projects, or a method for saving for your retirement you can find information and assistance for all these things and so much more if you seek the services of a qualified financial advisor.
A good financial advisor will help you find that balance that so many people and families lack. He or she will also help you assess your means in comparison with your long and short-term needs in order to see where your funds would experience the greatest return in order to suit your specific needs with minimal risk. It is important to remember that going with a financial planner or advisor does not eliminate the risks that are an integral part of investing but it does help you learn to better calculate those risks.
Investing is a risky business. Learning how to weigh the odds and go for the prize is the best way to earn the biggest possible return on your investment no matter how modest your investment may be. We are all starting from different means, isn't it amazing to know that we could all end up with very similar abilities when all is said and done and we are living out our 'golden years'?
Good financial planning is the key to success when it concerns your financial retirement. With so few people around the world adequately prepared to retire it is great to know that there are options and assistance that is available to help you get started on your retirement no matter how late in the game it is. Even better is the knowledge that limits are lifted a little once you reach the age of 50 and retirement is much more eminent. This allows those who got a late start on their retirement planning or who have hit a speed bump or two along the way the opportunity to 'catch up' on their investing and work up to the place they need to be in order to establish a more comfortable retirement for themselves and those they love.
401 (k) plans offer some of the best retirement benefits your money can buy at the moment. They certainly allow you to make the maximum possible investment for your money. If you aren't taking your company up on their offer to match your investment in a 401(k) then you should seriously rethink that thought. Seriously, you're throwing away free money.
When it comes to the murky water of retirement investing it helps to have a guide to get you through. Utilizing the services of a financial planner may be the best move you've ever made in your life when it comes to the financial health of your family and your retirement.
When should you Retire
Once you have all the wheels in motion for your financial retirement it is often difficult to wait for that great and liberating day but you must take the time to make sure that there is no detail that hasn't been covered or has been overlooked in the planning process. Most of us worry over whether we'll be able to maintain a certain level of income when we retire and little else. The problem is that maintaining the same level of income during retirement is often not enough to keep things going and take care of all your family's needs during your retirement.
Have you checked out your insurance expenses? You should make a point of checking that all of your current insurance plans will either cover you during your retirement or at least that you have something in order until your Medicaid benefits kick in. This isn't only about medical insurance. There are all kinds of insurance coverage that we need in order to avoid potentially huge amounts of debt during our retirement. Some of the common types of insurance you will need include the following: homeowner's insurance, auto insurance, health insurance, dental insurance, long-term care insurance, and life insurance.
Once you've taken care of your insurance for your financial retirement. Have you established a budget that you and your partner can live with during your retirement? You need to be absolutely sure that you are in agreement on the budget or hard feelings could develop over time. Talking about things can accomplish so much and smooth many ruffled feathers you didn't even know existed.
Have you mapped out plans for things to do both together and individually? This is another thing that is important. While you are a couple you are still individuals with independent needs and desires. Make sure that you both have time and funds set aside to pursue interests that appeal to you as individuals as well as those that appeal to you as a couple.
Do you have any special needs that should be addressed in the budget or in your planning? Do you need a vehicle with handicap access (these cost a lot of extra money in many cases and should be strictly budgeted when making retirement plans) and do you have a little tucked away into your budget for emergencies that may arise?
Other important considerations include what bills you have. Are your student loans paid off? How about those pesky high interest credit cards? Those can add up over time and you need to eliminate as many of these as possible along the way. You should also take great care to make sure that your home is paid for and all the taxes are caught up. You do not want any surprises that might jeopardize your security once you retire.
The list may seem endless but each question is very important in the grand scheme of things. You will want to take every effort to make sure that there are no nasty surprises along the way. Those surprises could mean the difference in you enjoying your retirement and facing the need to return to work at some point during your retirement in order to replace funds that must be spent for emergencies that were unexpected. Once you have all the answers to these questions and the answers are good, then you are ready to retire.
Have you checked out your insurance expenses? You should make a point of checking that all of your current insurance plans will either cover you during your retirement or at least that you have something in order until your Medicaid benefits kick in. This isn't only about medical insurance. There are all kinds of insurance coverage that we need in order to avoid potentially huge amounts of debt during our retirement. Some of the common types of insurance you will need include the following: homeowner's insurance, auto insurance, health insurance, dental insurance, long-term care insurance, and life insurance.
Once you've taken care of your insurance for your financial retirement. Have you established a budget that you and your partner can live with during your retirement? You need to be absolutely sure that you are in agreement on the budget or hard feelings could develop over time. Talking about things can accomplish so much and smooth many ruffled feathers you didn't even know existed.
Have you mapped out plans for things to do both together and individually? This is another thing that is important. While you are a couple you are still individuals with independent needs and desires. Make sure that you both have time and funds set aside to pursue interests that appeal to you as individuals as well as those that appeal to you as a couple.
Do you have any special needs that should be addressed in the budget or in your planning? Do you need a vehicle with handicap access (these cost a lot of extra money in many cases and should be strictly budgeted when making retirement plans) and do you have a little tucked away into your budget for emergencies that may arise?
Other important considerations include what bills you have. Are your student loans paid off? How about those pesky high interest credit cards? Those can add up over time and you need to eliminate as many of these as possible along the way. You should also take great care to make sure that your home is paid for and all the taxes are caught up. You do not want any surprises that might jeopardize your security once you retire.
The list may seem endless but each question is very important in the grand scheme of things. You will want to take every effort to make sure that there are no nasty surprises along the way. Those surprises could mean the difference in you enjoying your retirement and facing the need to return to work at some point during your retirement in order to replace funds that must be spent for emergencies that were unexpected. Once you have all the answers to these questions and the answers are good, then you are ready to retire.
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