Miles Business Blog

As volatile as the lending market has been for the last year it's pretty important that if you haven't refinanced into a lower mortgage rate at some point over the last year you need to go ahead and get it done. Just the savings alone on a refinance could help offset what you are paying in gas prices right now.

4MortgageRateQuotes.Com has quite a bit of useful information, whether you are are looking to refinance second mortgage and get better terms or just take out a second mortgage. You can also lock in a low rate by getting a mortgage rate quote for free right now. Just check out the links on the main page over there.

My Aunt moved back to Georgia a few years back and one of the things she found that was really amazing was the cost of real estate here versus that of California, where she had loved before. Real Estate out west is so much more expensive than where I live. Even the financing terms seem better. Had she had to refinance California mortgage terms for her house out there it would have been much more expensive than what she's currently paying.

Anyway, while you are over there check out the learning center. It has quite a bit of useful information whether you want to compare Mortgage Lenders, get a free credit report, use mortgage calculators, get a home equity line of credit or maybe you are a first time buyer just looking for information. They have it all for you.

The Wall Street Journal's David Wessel says U.S. universities are atop the global heap today, though competition from abroad is looming. Here's how one school -- Yale -- is gearing up.

I am in the process of running an upgrade on the site, things may not work for the next few hours.

The Justice Department's Antitrust Division approved the merger between XM and Sirius Satellite Radio companies.

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Quote of the Day:

"..the Bill of Rights does not come from the people and is not subject to change by majorities. It comes from the nature of things. It declares the inalienable rights of man not only against all government but also against the people collectively."
-- Walter Lippmann

Subject: Ron Paul's "American Freedom Agenda Act"

Please ask your Congressperson and your two Senators to co-sponsor Ron Paul's "American Freedom Agenda Act."

This bill would . . .

• Repeal the "Military Commissions Act of 2007" and thereby restore the ancient right of habeas corpus and end legally sanctioned torture by U.S. government agents
• Give Congress standing in court to challenge the President's use of "signing statements" as a means to avoid executing the nation's laws
• Make it illegal for government agents to kidnap people and send them abroad to be tortured by foreign governments
• Provide legal protection to journalists who expose wrong-doing by the Federal government
• Prohibit the use of secret evidence to label groups or individuals as terrorists for the purpose of criminal or civil sanctions

This one simple 3-page bill will . . .

• Restore basic Constitutional protections
• Empower Americans to support human rights, democracy, and the rule of law in the world at large free from the stink of hypocrisy
• Protect Americans and American soldiers from blowback by foreign powers in retaliation for our government's transgression of America's most hallowed principles

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Financial Expert Ray Martin offers advice on how concerned investors should be in the current economy.

Janet Bodnar, the author of "Raising Money Smart Kids," tells Harry Smith from CBS News how to raise children who will know how to manage their finances.

Having three children of my own, I know just how important it is to make sure that your children know what they are doing with there money and how to take care of it.

Zillow.com's newest report shows that home values dropped nationally by 3%. CFO Spencer Rascof discusses in the video the results of the newest survey as well as which cities saw the largest declines in value.

With the housing market in the tank right now there are actually some really good opportunities to refinance right now. Rates on 15 year fixed loans are actually under 5% if your credit is decent. Even if it's not you are bound to be able to work something out with a lender to actually get a good rate. Refinance.Com has some really good information on refinancing and getting a low rate mortgage  even if you are looking at a bad credit mortgage refinance.

There are also some pretty good tools at the web site in order to see if you qualify for a home refinance bad credit notwithstanding. There is an easy refinance calculator, an amortization calculator, bi-weekly payment calculator and one just to see how much of a loan you can afford. Don't be fooled by your lender with the bi-weekly scam they try and pull though. Some lenders will let you set up a bi-weekly plan but often there are service fees tucked in that you aren't aware. Generally if you just send them a payment every two weeks, or tack on an extra $100 a month onto your mortgage payment you can pay the loan off several years early and avoid quite a bit of interest just by making one extra payment a year spread out over twelve of them.

If you are interested in refinancing, even if it's a bad credit home refinance you owe it to yourself to get as much information as possible. Go check out Refinance.Com and see what kind of info you can gain.