Personal Finance
Use Bankrate's advice and tools to help make all of your personal finance decisions.
Latest Articles
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Pros and cons of debt consolidation: Is it a good idea?
Weigh the pros and cons to decide if debt consolidation is right for your situation.
6 min read Oct 22, 2025 -
When to use a personal loan to pay off credit card debt
Taking on still more debt in pursuit of a goal can sometimes make sense. Here’s when.
5 min read Oct 22, 2025 -
7 reasons your credit card was declined — and how you can respond
Prevent rejection at the register by looking out for these common reasons credit cards are declined.
7 min read Oct 22, 2025 -
Current credit card interest rates
View current credit card rates based on Bankrate.com’s weekly national survey of large banks and thrifts.
5 min read Oct 22, 2025 -
How to see more Bankrate results in your Google searches
Here’s how to tell Google which sources your trust and want to see first in search results.
2 min read Oct 21, 2025 -
What debt should you pay off first?
The decision of which debt to start paying off first is a personal one, but starting with high-interest debt is generally considered the most beneficial. This includes credit cards, which often have the [...]
3 min read Oct 21, 2025 -
Do medical bills affect your credit? New federal rules may cause changes, but you can still protect yourself
Medical debt under $500 is now off your credit reports, even if it goes into collections.
8 min read Oct 10, 2025 -
You’re debt-free, now what? Turn your money habits into financial freedom for life
Congratulations! Becoming debt-free is a game-changer. Making that last payment on credit cards, student loans or whatever debt burden you carried must have been a huge weight off your shoulders. After [...]
4 min read Oct 09, 2025 -
Protect your health and your wealth: 5 tips to beat medical debt
Even though I have enough saved for early retirement, I still worry. As someone with lifelong chronic conditions, I know all too well how healthcare costs can creep up, even when everything else seems [...]
5 min read Oct 08, 2025 -
Sure, Prime Day has good deals. But here’s what Amazon doesn’t want you to know
There’s more to Prime Day than meets the eye, like “discounts” and fake reviews.
5 min read Oct 07, 2025