t’s finally happening – your child is all grown up. They just walked across stage to receive their high school diploma, and, in the fall, they’ll begin a new adventure as they enter college. It’s a big life change – for you, and for them – and a smooth transition requires a bit of preparation.

Another positive week for the market as the S&P 500 closed up 2.6% for the fifth consecutive week of gains, Nasdaq up 3.3% for the eighth consecutive week, and Dow Jones up 1.3%. Federal Reserve officials agreed to hold interest rates steady last week for the first time since March 2022 after 10 consecutive increases, but signaled they were prepared to raise rates next month if the economy and inflation aren’t showing signs of slowing. New economic projections suggested officials were leaning toward slowing down their increases rather than stopping them altogether. During the press conference, Federal Reserve chair Powell suggested two more rate increases this year, which would lift rates to a 22-year high

Following another week of modest market gains, the S&P 500 has officially rebounded over 20% off its October lows, an encouraging milestone for investors labeled as the beginning of a new bull market, though several hurdles remain in maintaining that momentum into the second half of the year.

The housing market and mortgage process can be a complicated one for first-time home buyers. In addition to high financial stakes, the homebuying process is full of strict timelines, jargon, and acronyms.

The riveting debt ceiling story last week had the world watching to see if the U.S. could find compromise within its government leaders and avoid default on its debt. While both sides of the aisle had to make concessions ...