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How to avoid ticket scams during concert and holiday show season

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How to avoid ticket scams during concert and holiday show season – CBS News


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Americans lost over $2.3 million to online ticket scams this year, according to the FBI. Lucas Gutterman from U.S. Public Interest Research Group shares tips to protect yourself.

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Will a HELOC be worth opening in 2025?

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A HELOC offers homeowners a key (and affordable) way to access their home equity.

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When inflation surged in 2022 and interest rates rose in tandem, borrowers were left with limited options. One attractive alternative for homeowners was to access their home equity. And with a rise in home values during the same time frame, there has been plenty to utilize. With the average home equity amount hovering near $320,000 now and with interest rates on home equity loans and home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) materially lower than popular alternatives, it’s made sense for borrowers looking for extra financing to turn to their home equity.

But will it remain advantageous to do so in 2025? And will a HELOC, in particular, be worthy of opening in the new year? While the answers to these questions are specific to each homeowner, there’s a strong case supporting the value of a HELOC in 2025. Below, we’ll break down three reasons why it could be a smart move.

Start by seeing how low of a HELOC interest rate you’d be eligible for here.

Will a HELOC be worth opening in 2025?

Here are three reasons why a HELOC could remain the smart borrowing move in the new year:

Rates are expected to decline further

Unlike a home equity loan, which will require users to refinance to a new, lower rate (and to pay the refinancing costs to do so), a HELOC will adjust independently each month due to its variable rate structure. So if rate cuts continue to be issued in 2025, your HELOC payments will continue to decline as well. The reduction in the federal funds rate won’t impact your HELOC rate by an identical amount, but it will keep rates on these products on their downward trend, keeping them a cost-effective way to borrow next year.

Start exploring your HELOC options online now.

Home prices could rise

Any number of home price scenarios could arise in 2025. But, in many parts of the country, prices are expected to rise, not fall. This means you could potentially have even more equity to utilize than you currently have. Home equity is calculated by deducting your current mortgage balance from your total home value. And if home values rise, that means that $320,000 could, too. With a HELOC, then, you’ll be able to gain access to that new, higher amount via a product with a declining interest rate.

Your alternatives could remain costly

Have you checked your credit card statement lately? Or have you looked at options like personal loans? Interest rates on both products remain significantly more costly than HELOCs. Personal loan interest rates are averaging close to 13% now – around five points higher than today’s average 8.55% HELOC rate. Credit cards, meantime, just surged to just under 24%, on average. That’s almost four times the rate of a HELOC, all for a product that will likely offer you much less financing than your home can. When stacked against these alternatives, then, and with the dim likelihood that credit card interest rates will fall in 2025, a HELOC becomes even more attractive for homeowners.

The bottom line 

A HELOC, with a declining interest rate, a pathway to access rising home equity amounts and clear advantages compared to the alternatives, can be valuable for many homeowners now and in 2025. That said, borrowing from your home equity is risky if you’re unable to pay all that you’ve withdrawn. Be sure, then, to only apply for an amount that you can afford to pay back with ease. And, first, make sure your credit is in as good a shape as possible to position yourself for the best rates and offers.

Learn more about opening a HELOC for 2025 here.



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McConnell suffers fall on Capitol Hill, prompting medical treatment

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Thune elected Senate Republican leader


John Thune elected Senate Republican leader as Mitch McConnell steps down

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Washington — Sen. Mitch McConnell, the outgoing Republican leader in the Senate, suffered a fall on Capitol Hill after a lunch with colleagues and suffered minor injuries, his office said Tuesday.

“Leader McConnell tripped following lunch. He sustained a minor cut to the face and sprained his wrist. He has been cleared to resume his schedule,” a McConnell spokesman said.

The 82-year-old Kentucky Republican is set to step aside from his leadership role next month when the new Congress convenes, clearing the way for Sen. John Thune of South Dakota to take the reins as the GOP assumes the majority. 

McConnell did not join Senate Republican leadership for their weekly press conference on Tuesday. Thune said McConnell was “fine” and in his office, and referred further questions to McConnell’s staff. Medical personnel were seen leaving McConnell’s office, and a photographer said he saw a cut on McConnell’s face. 

This isn’t the first health scare that McConnell, a childhood polio survivor, has had in public. 

McConnell was hospitalized in March 2023 after a fall that left him with a concussion. McConnell was attending a private dinner when he tripped, and he was in the hospital for multiple days before completing in-patient rehab.

Later in 2023, McConnell appeared to freeze in two separate instances that stirred concerns about his overall health. But McConnell and his team dismissed the incidents as isolated, and he told “Face the Nation” in October 2023 that he was “completely recovered.”



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More on Luigi Mangione after his arrest in the UnitedHealthcare CEO murder case

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More on Luigi Mangione after his arrest in the UnitedHealthcare CEO murder case – CBS News


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Authorities in New York are awaiting the extradition of Luigi Mangione, the person charged in connection to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. CBS News’ Lilia Luciano reports.

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