Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. When a homeowner bought their new home in December 2023, they thought the hard part was over. Weeks later, they learned that someone had opened a $50,000 home equity line of credit on their property, and it wasn't them. The Discovery Came During A Refinance The homeowner only found out about the fraudulent HELOC when trying to refinance. The title company flagged the lien during the process. “I was comple ...

India’s DMI Alternatives raised $120 million for its inaugural private credit fund and hired former Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System investor Harein Uppal to lead it. The fund’s focus is to invest in sectors that benefit from long-term growth trends driving India’s economic expansion, including health care, technology and financial services, according to the firm. It will provide financing “tailored to Indian companies well-positioned for sustainable growth.”Private credit activity is surging i ...

Core Insights - Hidden costs of homeownership, including maintenance, property taxes, and insurance, total nearly $16,000 annually nationwide, indicating rising expenses for homeowners even after mortgage payments are made [1][2] Hidden Costs Breakdown - The national average for hidden costs is $15,979 per year, which breaks down to $10,946 in maintenance, $3,030 in property taxes, and $2,003 in insurance [2] - Homeowners in major coastal cities face significantly higher hidden costs, with New York City at $24,381, San Francisco at $22,781, and Boston at $21,320 [2] Expense Growth Trends - Hidden costs have increased by 4.7% over the past year, while household incomes have only risen by 3.8%, highlighting a growing affordability challenge for homeowners [3] - Insurance premiums have surged by 48% nationally since early 2020, with Miami homeowners experiencing a 72% increase over five years [4][5] Maintenance Costs - Homeowners spend an average of nearly $11,000 annually on maintenance, which includes essential services such as HVAC, roof repairs, and lawn care [6]

Core Insights - The article discusses the intersection of financial decisions and mental health, highlighting a case where a 24-year-old worker considered cashing out a $13,000 401(k) to pay off $10,000 in credit card debt due to overwhelming stress [1][2] Financial Situation - The worker faced significant financial distress, with maxed-out credit cards and a credit score in the 500s, leading to the consideration of early withdrawal despite the penalties involved [2] - The emotional toll of debt was emphasized, with the worker expressing feelings of suffocation due to their financial situation [2] Community Response - The Reddit community largely advised against cashing out the 401(k), pointing out that the tax penalties and loss of tax-advantaged growth would have long-term negative consequences [3] - A community member shared personal regret over a similar decision, highlighting the frustration of lost compounding interest and the manageability of $10,000 debt for a young individual [4] Suggested Solutions - Recommendations included cutting credit cards in half and setting up autopay to manage debt effectively [4] - Another suggestion was to save $100 weekly and use bonuses to create an emergency fund, with a plan to pay off credit card debt systematically [5] - Following this strategy could potentially allow the worker to clear their debt in two years while establishing good savings habits for the future [6]

Core Insights - Real estate investors accounted for 33% of all single-family home purchases in Q2 2025, marking the highest percentage in five years, up from 27% in Q1 2025 [1] - Despite the increase in percentage, the actual number of homes purchased by investors in Q2 2025 was 16,000 fewer than the same period last year [2] - The overall investor ownership of single-family homes in the U.S. stands at approximately 20% of the 86 million homes [1] Investor Composition - Small investors, defined as those owning between one and five properties, dominate the market, holding 87% of investor-owned single-family homes [3] - Large investors, defined as those owning 1,000 or more properties, only account for 2% of all investor-owned homes and have been selling more homes than they acquire for six consecutive quarters [4] Geographic Distribution - Texas leads with 1.46 million investor-owned properties, followed by California with 1.33 million and Florida with 1.1 million [4] - States experiencing population booms, such as Hawaii and Alaska, have seen significant investor ownership, with 26% and 27% of single-family homes owned by investors, respectively [5] - Other states like Idaho, Vermont, and Wyoming are gradually increasing their number of investor-owned homes due to resident migration [6]