Illustration by Grant Crowder/Bankrate Key takeaways First, take a look at your finances and decide what type of mortgage you need — loan programs vary widely. Next, find a few different lenders who offer the…

Americans are facing a tale of two grocery lists. While some prices are cooling, the items families rely on most for energy and nutrition — meat and coffee — are seeing sharp increases that wipe out any savings in the bread aisle.Fourteen of the 25 most common grocery store staples…

This story about the fourth-quarter GDP report is developing and will be updated with more details. The U.S. economy grew at a slightly slower pace than expected in the fourth quarter, according to the Commerce Department’s estimate.The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) on Thursday released its final reading of fourth-quarter GDP, which…

Does your grocery store hike the price of milk during your hurried commute home? Is it raising the cost of ice cream during a July heat wave? Are you seeing “personalized” prices based on your income or shopping history? As technology advances, these scenarios are becoming increasingly realistic. Put simply,…

Images by Getty Images; Illustration by Issiah Davis/Bankrate Key takeaways Contrary to popular belief, you don’t actually have to put down 20% of a home’s price to get a mortgage. Some mortgages don’t require any down payment at all, and you can get a conventional mortgage with as little as…