Kathleen Howley
Kathleen Howley is a reporter at The Messenger covering personal finance and housing. She previously worked as a senior contributor to Forbes and a senior reporter and columnist for Bloomberg. She has earned the Loeb Award, one of the highest honors in business journalism, and her work has also been recognized by the New York Press Club and the National Association of Real Estate Editors.
- By Kathleen Howley|Social Security’s Top Earners Will Get Close to $5,000 a Month in 2024
To get the biggest monthly payout, you have to pay the maximum amount in Social Security taxes for at least 35 years
By Kathleen Howley| - By Kathleen Howley|New 2024 Tax IRS Brackets Kick In on Jan. 1: Here’s Where You Fall
The IRS raised the income cutoffs for each tax bracket by an average of 5.4%, allowing you to keep more of your money
By Kathleen Howley| - By Kathleen Howley|If You Have a Flexible Spending Account, You May Need to ‘Use It Or Lose It’ By New Year’s Eve
Almost half of all workers have lost FSA funds by not using the pre-tax money they set aside
By Kathleen Howley| - By Kathleen Howley|Get Your Finances in Order — Without Giving Up Your Morning Latte
Here’s what to do with your raise, your savings, and your coffee habit in the new year, according to one retirement expert
By Kathleen Howley| - By Kathleen Howley|Mortgage Rates Fall Again, Ending the Year at a 7-Month Low
The average for a 30-year loan is 6.61% this week
By Kathleen Howley| - By Kathleen Howley|Home Prices Reach a New Record High, Despite High Mortgage Rates
A national home price index rose at the fastest pace of the year in October
By Kathleen Howley| - By Kathleen Howley|Typical Homebuyers Could Afford Less Than 16% of Houses on the Market This Year
Between the spike in mortgage rates and the relentlessly high property prices, most houses are out of reach for a household with a median income
By Kathleen Howley| - By Kathleen Howley|SharkNinja Is in a Feeding Frenzy
The No. 1 seller of kitchen appliances in the US is chomping down market share despite legal wrangles
By Kathleen Howley| - By Kathleen Howley|Why Buy Now, Pay Later Is the ‘Phantom’ Debt
This type of loan is exploding in popularity, but isn’t yet captured by credit scoring systems or even reported to the major credit bureaus in many cases
By Kathleen Howley| - By Kathleen Howley|Mortgage Rates Plunge Further Into 6% Territory, Now the Lowest Since June
The average for a 30-year mortgage fell more than a quarter point in a week, to 6.67%
By Kathleen Howley| - By Kathleen Howley|November Sales Raise Hope for Housing Market Reversal
A slight increase in sales ends five months of declines
By Kathleen Howley| - By Kathleen Howley|30-Year Mortgage Rates Continue Descent, Falling Into 6% Range
Rates have now fallen for seven straight weeks
By Kathleen Howley| - By Kathleen Howley|Mortgage Rates Dip, and That’s Enough to Spark Some Action
Applications for refinancing an existing loan increased the most
By Kathleen Howley| - By Kathleen Howley|Decline in Mortgage Rates Gains Real Steam
The average interest rate for a new 30-year mortgage dropped to 7.03% this week, the lowest since mid-August
By Kathleen Howley| - By Kathleen Howley|As If It’s Not Hard Enough to Find a House, It Could Get Even Worse
Realtor.com is forecasting the fewest listings in decades next year
By Kathleen Howley|
