Unlock Insights

Thanksgiving might kick off the holiday season, but it can also be the start of a season of overspending. Yet hosting the holiday meal doesn’t have to be hard on the wallet. Here are eight ideas to help you host a delicious, enjoyable dinner that celebrates family and friends with some smart spending.  With careful […]

Key Takeaways: The Federal Reserve concluded its November meeting with yet another wait-and-see stance on interest rates. The good news: rates aren’t going up. The bad news: they’re already pretty darn high. This was the second meeting in a row in which the central bank decided to stay on hold, after over a year of […]

Key takeaways:  It may seem like an odd problem to have: if you’re one of the many Americans who are “house-rich,” you have a home or a property that’s worth a lot, at least on paper. But it’s usually coupled with “and cash-poor,” which suggests you don’t have a lot of money coming in to […]

Pandemic or not, staying home is the new “in” thing – at least for seniors. According to an AARP Home and Community Preferences survey, about 75% of people over age 50 want to stay in their homes or communities for as long as possible.  Aging in place requires having a home that can accommodate potential […]

Key takeaways:  Thinking about the end of year may not be on the top of your mind. But if you have a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) to help pay for healthcare costs, now is the time to think about using your funds.  How FSAs work  If you have a healthcare plan through an employer, you […]

Key takeaways  Staying safe online has never been harder — or more critical. Just when we get used to doing things one way, it seems, a new threat pops up. The good news is that there are a few solid steps you can take easily and inexpensively that will minimize nearly all the threats out […]

Open enrollment – the period when many Americans sign up for healthcare coverage or change an existing healthcare plan – begins soon.  As inflation persists, and new surges of COVID-19 highlight the need for adequate and health insurance, many consumers are seeking more affordable insurance options, or coverage with more or different benefits. The open-enrollment […]

Key takeaways: In today’s real estate market, more homeowners are turning to remodeling, addition, and/or repair work in lieu of selling and purchasing a new house. Add in the tight labor market, and finding and hiring a contractor can be fraught with frustration, confusion and even scams.  Whether you are planning an addition, getting new […]

Key takeaways: The Federal Reserve concluded its September meeting Wednesday by holding interest rates steady, while suggesting that it would likely hike them again one more time in 2023. Most analysts had expected that outcome, but the central bank threw many for a loop with its comments about what the future might hold.  On Wednesday, […]

Credit matters.  Just ask Joel, an Unlock customer in southern California.  “I was in trouble with my credit card utilization* – to the point that it was nearing 100%,” he says. Over the past few years, with living expenses rising, and dealing with an overall high cost of living in California, Joel explains that he […]

In August, real estate data provider Zillow made a splash by forecasting that home prices would gain 5.8% in 2023. That’s a big shift from earlier forecasts, and it makes the Zillow team much more bullish than other experts, many of whom are still calling for a decline in prices. Here’s what’s going on. The […]

Key takeaways Grandparents may be known for spoiling their grandchildren, but they can also offer valuable life lessons – particularly when it comes to finances. Some grandparents have lived a fiscally conservative life, saving for a rainy day and paying for purchases with cash, not credit. Many lived through recessions, periods of unemployment and excessive […]