Homeowners are acquiring record amounts of home equity, thanks to fast-rising values in the housing market. People are starting to tap into that cash, mainly to make their homes even more valuable.
Spending on home renovations topped $152 billion in 2017, and is expected to increase almost 5% this year. According to the National Association of Home Builders, projects included regular updates and repairs, as well as large remodeling requests.
Homeowners are using that cash for education expenses and paying down other debt. Additionally, owners are borrowing against their homes and putting cash into other investments such as as stocks and additional real estate.
They are playfully called the “forgotten five”: A handful of toys — the pogo stick, the Fisher-Price Corn Popper, My Little Pony, PEZ dispensers, and Transformers — that regularly approach toybox royalty as finalists for the National Toy Hall of Fame, only to be tossed back on the pile.
Rite Aid’s plan to close more stores as part of its bankruptcy process could hurt access to medicine and care, particularly in some majority Black and Hispanic neighborhoods and in rural areas, experts say.
Taylor Swift's concert tour has dominated the box office in recent days and it's also the top-grossing concert film of all time here in the U.S. But a conversation on social media raised questions about movie etiquette and videos shared show film audiences singing, shining their phone flashlights and dancing in the aisles.
