Bankrate

This spring, Bankrate employees near and far set out to make a difference in their communities. Together, we spent over 250 hours volunteering for organizations like Cardz For Kidz, Road to Hire, Baby Bundles, Defend the Fatherless, Inc., Girls on the Run Greater Charlotte, Love For Our Elders, Corporación La Fondita de Jesús, Classroom Central, and more! #BankrateGivesBack 💙

Meet Bankrate’s Home Lending Expert, Linda Bell 🌟 With over 26 years of home lending industry experience, Linda is deeply committed to advocating for equal homeownership opportunities for everyone. During the housing boom and bust of the 2000s, Linda appeared on hundreds of local television and radio stations providing insight on the housing industry and the stock market. In her work as a senior writer on Bankrate’s Home Lending team, Linda produces content around HELOCs, home equity loans, and advice for what current and prospective homeowners need to know. Read more of her latest work: https://lnkd.in/ePsJKjgw Give her a follow on social media: https://x.com/lindanbell

It’s easy to forget a major piece of the homeownership puzzle—property taxes. And it might surprise you how quickly your property taxes can rise year after year. After 20+ years of homeownership in New Jersey, I’ve learned some hard lessons (and smart strategies) about assessments, exemptions, and unexpected tax hikes. If you're trying to make sense of your rising tax bill, this article breaks down the key takeaways every homeowner should know and the options you may have. https://lnkd.in/eBSYwUgf

Planning to rent a vacation home this summer? If so, you may see prices vary depending on where you plan to travel, thanks to peak season markups. Bankrate's 2025 Vacation Rental Study reveals which U.S. vacation markets have the biggest rental hikes during peak seasons. For those looking to save where they can while traveling to these vacation spots during peak seasons, Bankrate Analyst Alex Gailey notes, “Travelers may be able to save cash if they pick a spot next door to a popular vacation destination. Being flexible with your travel dates, leveraging credit card rewards and splitting a rental with a group are also tried and true ways to save on travel this year.” For the full breakdown, visit: https://lnkd.in/eWFdxV9D

🌴 With summer travel getting started, our new Bankrate study looked at which popular US destinations experience the biggest price jumps in vacation rentals. We found that short-term rental rates tend to be 1.5 to 2x more expensive in the summertime in many popular vacation spots, like Long Island NY, Yellowstone National Park, Lake of the Ozarks and Myrtle Beach, among others. There is a common thread among the vacation spots with the biggest short-term rental markups during the summertime: They tend to be water destinations or they’re drawing tourists in for a singular event or reason. It’s a similar story for popular fall and winter destinations. Skiing and football season draw big crowds to places like Oxford Mississippi, Vail Colorado, Green Bay Wisconsin, where those places see the biggest markups in vacation rentals during those times of the year. Seasonal short-term rental markups for the 50 most popular vacation spots in the U.S. can range between 59 percent and 178 percent. See the U.S. vacation spots with the biggest seasonal rental hikes 👉 https://lnkd.in/eTM8zSV9 Using 2024 data from AirDNA, Bankrate analyzed the 50 most in-demand U.S. vacation markets to uncover where short-term rental rates spike the most during peak seasons. The vacation markets we analyzed offer some of the most enticing destinations on any tourist's bucket list, from beach getaways to ski resorts, college towns, major sports venues and national parks. That said, you may want to think twice before booking a vacation home in the following spots during the high season. Travel experts say that going to these crowded, pricey locations during peak times, especially with all the economic uncertainty, might not provide the best value for your money. Instead, be flexible with your destination and timing. Skip going to the popular spots in the U.S., and consider alternative destinations that are less crowded and more affordable. Are you budgeting while traveling this summer? How are you making the most of your travel plans while managing costs? ✈️

A new Bankrate survey found that over half of U.S. adults (54%) are planning to tighten their belts when it comes to travel, dining, and live entertainment this year. That’s up from 49% who said they planned to spend less in 2024 versus 2023, as we revealed in a survey conducted around this time last year. The big cutback areas in 2025? Dining out and live entertainment are tied, with 39% of adults planning to spend less in each category. Meanwhile, 38% are scaling back on travel expenses. Interestingly, older generations and those with lower incomes are leading the charge in reducing discretionary spending. On the flip side, Gen Zers and millennials are more willing to take on debt for these experiences, with 39% and 37%, respectively, planning to do so. We should take these figures with a healthy grain of salt, though. Consumer spending has been surprisingly resilient for the past several years, in spite of challenges such as high inflation, high interest rates and low consumer sentiment. Even in March and April, retail sales were remarkably robust. Some of that was a pull-forward in demand as tariff-weary consumers bought things like cars and furniture, fearing they will soon cost more, but we’re also seeing strong demand for dining out, which is typically one of the first categories to be cut when people fret about the economy. Even travel, despite gloomy profit warnings from airlines, has held its own. The Transportation Security Administration has actually processed slightly more passengers year-to-date in 2025 than it did during the same time period in 2024 (which was a record year for air travel). In other words, we need to watch what people do, not just what they say. It’s also worth noting that economic inequality continues to grow. Unfortunately, we know that many households are struggling financially, but we also see the macro numbers propped up by heavier spenders. For a deeper dive, check out the full survey here: https://lnkd.in/eZkX-H2D

Most Americans regard owning a home as akin to the American Dream. Yet a new Bankrate survey finds the top list of regrets focuses on the ongoing costs of the experience. You are likely aware of some of these challenges if you are a current homeowner. And, if you are hoping to buy a home for the first time, you should be aware of some of these "surprises" that owners experience. The good news is that 70% of owners say they'd do the same thing all over again if given the chance. Here's more on what we found, so that you might avoid some other people's missteps. You can see the survey findings in the link below in the comments section. Please let us know what you think and how you have dealt with, or plan to manage these potential challenges.

NEWS: The Fed voted at its May meeting to keep interest rates steady for the third consecutive meeting, a decision that signals officials are more concerned about inflation than the possibility of a recession. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eJQF55B6

It is hard to overstate the impact Warren Buffett, Charlie Munger, and Berkshire Hathaway have had on business and investing. The news that Buffett, at 94 years old, will be stepping down shouldn't be such a surprise. However, I am not alone in feeling like he has been such an institution, its hard to imagine he couldn't just keep going. The next chapter of Berkshire Hathaway will be fascinating as the era of Warren and Charlie winds down, and the era of Greg Abell begin. For more on the takeaways from the Annual Berkshire Hathaway meeting, check out this piece for Bankrate from Brian Baker, CFA. https://lnkd.in/eP3JBRHp

Bankrate’s Ted Rossman explains why credit card debt continues to climb.