There’s no universal formula for winning approval of a personal loan application. Requirements such as credit score and income vary by lender, and some online lenders consider nontraditional data, like free cash flow or education level.But loan companies have one thing in common: They want to get paid back on time, which means they approve only borrowers who meet their […]

How do you psych yourself up to save money for a goal that’s decades away, like retirement? With a little mental trickery.Amassing the high dollar amounts needed for your golden years takes a long-term commitment. Sticking to your resolve — both financially and emotionally — requires strategies for dealing with a steady stream of near-term spending temptations and other expenses […]

Pop quiz: How much home equity do you have? If you haven’t done the math in a while, that number may be bigger than you think.“There’s a record amount of equity out there right now,” says Molly Boesel, a principal economist at CoreLogic, a property information and analytics provider.U.S. homeowners with a mortgage gained an average of $16,200, or 12.3%, […]