Expert's Commentary

Rates are rising slowly, but are your finances prepared to handle a return to historically normal interest rates? The numbers may surprise you.

Stocks and real estate appear to be doing well, but are these appearances to be trusted?

The stock market is set to continue upward, according to new projections by economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, but that doesn't mean stocks are a safe bet.

Americans are constantly bombarded with offers to borrow money, so learning to say no is an essential survival skill.

Fed policies have put the economy on a tight-rope between recovery and speculation. Find out what the dangers could be.

There is no shortage of financial news today, but not all of it should be weighed the same.

How long will mortgage rate continue to rise? Will deposit rates soon follow suit? History may hold some clues.

Never in the past 50 years has a stock market peak been accompanied by such low interest rates. This gives investors a tough decision between safety and returns.

January left those hoping for better signs for the U.S. economy feeling like frustrated sports fans.

A decisive upward trend in bond yields could be a sign that bank rates will head higher soon as well.

With the fiscal cliff deal only adding to the federal deficit problem, Americans should build personal savings as protection.

Rates are at historic lows, but banks may be getting a better deal than consumers in today's environment.

You may not have believed the world would end with the Mayan calendar, but this myth can serve as a useful reminder to plan for the future.

A new survey highlights some of the rational and irrational ways that American workers are addressing their retirement concerns.

About 2 million Americans quit their jobs every month, but the smart ones make the right financial preparations first.

Hurricane Sandy reminded Americans about the importance of disaster preparedness, and no disaster plan should lack provisions for your finances.

A new T. Rowe Price study shows that even people who have started saving for retirement have significant room for improvement. Learn what their strategies lack.

Imparting strong financial skills to your children may be even more important than providing them with an inheritance. Find out how to achieve it.

An August spike in inflation creates new problems for the economy, and both borrowers and depositors might pay the price.

A new survey found weak payroll activity and fading optimism at small businesses, which doesn't bode well for the economy or savings account rates.

The fate of interest rates and other economic conditions is likely to hinge on the outcome of these upcoming events.

The tide of falling deposit interest rates can't last forever. Read why a turnaround might finally be in the works.

Sanford Weill's vision of banking helped bring on the financial crisis, but he has a different take on things today.

Direct victims of the LIBOR scandal may be hard to trace, but everyone in the financial system could be hurt by the fallout.

Waiting for higher savings account rates has been an exercise in frustration -- much like being at the back of a long traffic jam.

The bank's recent $2 billion loss could impact consumers in several ways.

Here are four tips for finding the "just right" bank for you.

Calls for QE3 reflect a certain short-sightedness on the part of investors. Read what another round of quantitative easing could mean for deposits.

Regional differences in deposit rates are significant, but they can be overcome with the right approach.

A new study illustrates how a comfortable retirement is not one goal, but the culmination of a series of financial goals.

An automated asset allocation model and Exchange-Traded Funds help Betterment keep costs down for investors.

You can't always avoid financial trouble, but these six tips may help you handle it more gracefully.

Mortgage companies deserved to be punished for the practice of robo-signing, but whether the settlement money is being applied fairly is another question.

This simple tally can help you process economic events as they unfold in 2012 and see if they are good or bad for your savings account.

Stocks may be much riskier than savings accounts, but they've actually been more stable in recent years when it comes to income production.

Take these five steps toward a check-up that will strengthen your financial plans.

People are all too familiar with the recent adversity facing investors, but here are four reasons why 2012 could be better for retirement savings.

While returns were agonizingly low in 2011, the right tax approach can help ease the pain.

Read four tips for keeping your gift-buying from getting out of hand this holiday season.

The latest estimate of GDP for the third quarter isn't a home run, but it's at least a hit.

In today's environment, emphasizing debt reduction over saving may make sense.

There is still plenty of bad news about the housing market, but from a buyer's perspective, good news predominates.

Banks could ease the transition to fee-based checking accounts by bundling in additional services.

Rebuilding your emergency fund should be a priority as soon as you've weathered the crisis that forced you to tap into it.

Analysis finds that neither has much room to fall.

Waiting for mortgage rates to fall even farther could be a fool's game, because current mortgage rates are barely above inflation.

New ATM fees for non-customers make a bank's ATM locations an even more important consideration in choosing a checking account.

For all the hype associated with the real estate market, one thing is very true: current mortgage rates represent an extraordinary opportunity for borrowers.

Find out what you should do to address the retirement income gap that many Americans are facing.

Find out why you should manage your asset allocation like a basketball coach by having defined roles, but the flexibility to make substitutions.

The Federal Reserve offers five important tips for avoiding mortgage foreclosure scams.

Find out why the proposal to cut the mortgage interest deduction may hurt less than you think.

Find out what you can do to make the best of a highly unusual year for money market rates and mortgage rates.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis released data today which showed the personal savings rate in the U.S. climbed from 4% to 5% during the second quarter of 2009.

CD rates and yields on money market and savings accounts may lose if inflation rises, but they also retain the flexibility to capture rising interest rates.

Treasury interest rates have risen, largely on concerns about an eventual return of inflation, but CD rates have barely moved, meaning you must shop around for the highest CD rates

Richard Barrington, CFA, is the primary spokesperson and personal finance expert for MoneyRates. He is a 20-year veteran of the financial industry, including having served for over a dozen years as a member of the Executive Committee of Manning & Napier Advisors, Inc. Richard has written extensively on investment topics, including investments, money market accounts, Certificates of Deposit's and personal finance as it relates to retirement. Richard has been quoted by numerous media publications such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Pensions & Investments magazine.