When you buy your future home and take out a mortgage, you will likely be locked into a specific interest rate. However, you can refinance your mortgage to change how much you pay, and for how long.
The main advantage of refinancing is reducing your interest rate. If you have a variable loan rate, refinancing is a great way to get into a fixed rate mortgage.
People also refinance their mortgages to shorten the length of the mortgage term. The market average is a 30-year mortgage. When you refinance you can shorten your term to a 15- or even 10-year term.
Ahead of the release of October's consumer inflation data Tuesday, you may notice changes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. When it comes to how it estimates health insurance costs, the move is expected to give a boost to the U.S. inflation measure which will reverse a trend that has provided some relief.
A handful of retailers will report earnings this week, including Home Depot, Target, Walmart and Macy's, as gas prices peaked in September to the end of this latest quarter while borrowing costs remain at their highest levels in decades.
