Author: Press Room

Mortgage rates were mixed this week with the standard 30-year note declining slightly for the fourth consecutive reading, while shorter-term rates ticked up a bit. Freddie Mac’s latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey, released Thursday, showed that the average rate on the benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage ticked down to 6.86% this week from 6.87% last week. The average rate on a 30-year loan was 6.71% a year ago.  The average rate on the 15-year fixed mortgage, on the other hand, actually increased to 6.16% from 6.13% last week. One year ago, the rate on the 15-year fixed note averaged 6.06%. Read the…

In this mobile world, we have more choices than ever about where to live. Companies in search of skilled workers know this, especially when there are far more open positions than there are workers available to fill them. That is why they consider quality of life when deciding where to locate. CNBC’s annual ranking of state business climates, America’s Top States for Business, considers it too. Under this year’s methodology, the Quality of Life category makes up 13% of a state’s overall score. We rate each state on multiple aspects of livability including crime rates, health care, air quality and child care.…

The job market may have cooled a bit, but there are still far more job openings nationwide than there are people available to fill them. That means qualified workers are still a precious commodity.So, companies seeking to attract great employees like to set up shop in states that offer a great quality of life. While some states are more than happy to oblige, these are not those states. They are America’s worst states to live and work in. Each year, CNBC’s America’s Top States for Business study considers quality of life among ten categories of competitiveness used to rank the states.…

On Sunday, the cost of a stamp is going up for the second time this year, jumping 5 cents for first class postage to 73 cents. You probably didn’t notice. And truthfully, you may not care. But you should. Most people don’t use mail the way they used to – if they send out mail at all. But the price of postage is a big deal to millions of businesses and organizations that spend most of the $40.8 billion a year spent on mail, including letters, bulk mailings, junk mail and periodicals. And higher prices are making them cut back –…

Watch full video on YouTube

Watch full video on YouTube

Armada Hoffler Properties, Inc. (NYSE:AHH) is a relatively small-cap real estate investment trust, or REIT, with a market cap of just below $1 billion. AHH is classified as a diversified REIT due to its exposure to several property types such as office, retail, and residential. While having a mix of different real estate segments in a portfolio is not that uncommon, what is quite unique about AHH is that it is a vertically integrated enterprise providing also general construction and development services to third-party clients. The underlying portfolio breakdown indicates a rather notable bias towards office properties, as almost 59%…

Unlock the US Election Countdown newsletter for freeThe stories that matter on money and politics in the race for the White HouseMeta has decided to lift restrictions on Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts, even as the Republican presidential candidate has escalated his rhetoric against its chief executive Mark Zuckerberg. The social media company said in a post on Friday that Trump would “no longer be subject to the heightened suspension penalties” as it believes “that the American people should be able to hear from the nominees for president on the same basis”. Trump used social media as a megaphone to secure…

If you follow my work, you know that I’ve tended to be pessimistic about President Joe Biden’s chances of reelection. There are plenty of reasons for that – for instance, he’s trailing in the polls both nationally and in swing states, and has an approval rating south of 40%. But sometimes it’s worth taking a step back and looking at the counterargument. Biden’s been through arguably two of the worst weeks for a president running for reelection that I can recall, and he’s still within earshot of former President Donald Trump. If you average the national polls since the debate…

Retirement decisions are always complex and rarely easy. As a veteran retirement researcher who has written books on the subject, I find myself sympathetic to President Biden’s reluctance to “step aside” and retire. While this is a unique situation, his response is in fact quite normal. It makes perfect sense that President Biden is “defiant,” as many have called him. Most people in his situation would be. Given the psychological and social factors involved here, President Biden would have to be extraordinary to give into pressure and voluntarily give up working, despite being well beyond the traditional retirement age –…