Editor’s Note: This story was written byLauren Toms from partner site MoneyCrashers.
If you’ve been following the news this year, you might have heard about bank runs: Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and First Republic in the U.S. and Credit Suisse internationally. And it’s understandable if you’re spooked.
A bank run happens when many — if not most — of a bank’s customers try to withdraw their money all at once, either because they’re worried the bank might go out of business or they’ve heard rumors about the bank’s financial health. Bank runs can be very stressful for both the bank and its customers and can have big effects on the economy as a whole.
Fortunately, there are things you can do to protect your money now so a bank run doesn’t ruin your day or your net worth.
Keep your money in a federally insured bank
One of the best ways to protect your money during uncertain times is to keep it in a federally insured bank. That means your deposits are insured up to $250,000 per depositor by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (aka FDIC) or National Credit Union Administration (for credit unions).
If the bank fails, you won’t lose your money so long as you don’t have more than the insured amount in all your accounts with that bank.
To find out if your bank is federally insured, you can look for the FDIC or NCUA sign at your bank or credit union or ask a representative. You can also check the FDIC’s online database, BankFind, to verify if your bank is insured.
Don’t make assumptions. Some banks are uninsured, so it’s important to do your research and ensure your money is protected. Some banks or credit unions may also have private insurance. But it’s not backed by the U.S. government and is subject to the rules of the bank’s underwriter.
In addition to providing insurance for your deposits, using a federally insured bank also comes with other benefits. For example, federally insured banks must comply with certain regulations that protect consumers and promote stability in the financial system. Theoretically, that means that your money is more secure and less likely to be at risk in the event of a bank failure.
Diversify your wealth
Diversifying across different banks and credit unions is an important step to protect your money during uncertain times. That means spreading your money across different FDIC- and NCUA-insured institutions, with no more than $250,000 in each account.
That serves two purposes. One, the more banks you have, the more likely you are to have at least one unaffected by bank runs. They tend to spread, meaning that if one bank starts to fail people start worrying about others, which results in a run on others.
Two, it ensures that if the worst does happen and the bank becomes insolvent, you have a better shot of having at least one bank remain unscathed — meaning you still have money in at least one account to keep paying bills and living life.
And diversification doesn’t just apply to the rich and powerful. Even if you only have a few thousand dollars in the bank, keep it in at least two different institutions. Otherwise, you could temporarily lose access to all your cash between the moment the bank stops processing withdrawals and the moment the FDIC steps in — which can take a few days.
For example, maybe keep half in a longstanding bank like Chase and the other in a neobank like Chime (which importantly has no connection to Chase). By diversifying across different banks, you reduce the risk of losing access to all your money at once.
Stay informed and be prepared
Staying informed about your bank’s financial health is a key part of protecting your money during uncertain times. Regularly check your bank’s financial statements and reports, which are usually available online or in-branch. These reports can give you insight into your bank’s financial performance and stability.
Another way to stay informed is to pay attention to the news and any announcements your bank makes. That can help you stay up to date on any changes or developments that may affect your bank’s stability. But if you hear any rumors or concerns about your bank’s financial health, it’s important to verify them before taking any action.
In addition to staying informed, it’s important to be prepared in case of a bank run. That means creating a plan to protect your money and ensure you have access to funds when you need them.
One way to do that is to keep a small amount of emergency cash on hand at all times. How much you keep depends on what you think you might need, how big an emergency you’re planning for, and whether you have a safe place to keep it.
Some people, especially those with several banks, may just want a few hundred dollars on hand in case there’s an immediate issue. Others may want an entire month’s worth of money in case the worst happens.
But neither of those is a good idea if you don’t have a safe place to store it. Technically, you could use a safe deposit box. But bank branches might close if the bank goes under, severing your access to those funds.
In lieu of that, think of a safe place in your home where you can keep it away from the prying eyes of houseguests and burglars alike. Ideally, it would be inside a fireproof, waterproof safe in case of natural disaster.
Keep calm and don’t panic
During a bank run, it’s natural to feel scared and uncertain. However, panicking can actually make the situation worse and put you at greater financial risk.
One danger of panicking is that you may withdraw too much money too quickly, leaving you without enough funds to cover your expenses and causing any automatic payments to bounce. Additionally, withdrawing large amounts of money can contribute to the bank’s instability and potentially make the situation worse for everyone involved.
To stay calm and make rational decisions during uncertain times, go back to your plan — and maybe even have a backup plan in case it’s worse than you thought or happens faster than you predicted.
One way to stay calm is to focus on the things you can control, such as your own finances and your own actions. That means avoiding rumors and speculation, and instead relying on verifiable facts and information.
Another way to stay calm is to remember the importance of having a long-term financial plan. By focusing on your goals and priorities, you can avoid making hasty decisions.
Final word
Bank runs can be a scary and uncertain time for both banks and their customers. However, by taking proactive steps to protect your money, you can minimize your risk and safeguard your finances.
By taking action now, you can protect yourself and ensure you have access to funds when you need them. Remember, it’s always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to your money.
Can a simple breathing exercise reduce your risk of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease?
Researchers at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology recently found that participants who used a breathing technique for 20 minutes a day twice a day over four weeks had lower levels of compounds known as amyloid-beta peptides circulating in their blood.
Higher levels of such compounds in the brain have been linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s. So, the breathing exercise might reduce the presence of a major threat to your brain’s health.
The breathing technique itself couldn’t be easier: You simply inhale for a count of five, then exhale for a count of five.
The researchers who led the study, published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports, offered some theories as to why the breathing technique is associated with a decreased presence of amyloid beta.
They note that it is unclear whether the breathing exercises decrease the production of amyloid beta, or increase the clearance of amyloid beta. However, they say the former is more likely.
In a Healthline recap of the study, Dr. Susan Kohlhaa — executive director of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK — said the researchers appeared to find that the breathing exercises lowered heart rate, and this in turn helped reduce the accumulation of the amyloid-beta peptides.
As Kohlhaa told Healthline:
“This research suggests that a system called the noradrenergic pathway, involved in the ‘fight or flight’ response, could be involved but more investigation is needed here.”
Kohlhaa says additional studies might help determine “what specific mechanisms are involved and how they influence overall risk of dementia.” She added that more research is needed before experts can determine how breathing exercises might help people over the long run.
For more on reducing your dementia risk, check out:
What to learn how to start investing for beginners? Here’s my tips on where to start investing, even if you have little money.
I always say the first thing you need to do if you want to start investing is to just jump in. However, what if you don’t really even know how to start investing?
In addition to not knowing how to start investing, it can be scary, stressful, and overwhelming to begin.
Even though it can be scary, it will probably be one of the best decisions you make when it comes to being prepared for retirement.
With today’s post, I hope to make it easier than ever with my beginner investing tips so that you can start investing your money and build a retirement fund as soon as possible.
Just as a refresher, you want to invest because:
It can help make sure you aren’t working for the rest of your life.
You can retire sooner rather than later.
You can lead a good life well after you finish working – traveling, pursuing your hobbies, volunteering, or whatever you choose!
Compound interest means the earlier you save the more you earn.
You won’t have to rely on your children or others in order to make ends meet.
Investing is important because it means you are making your money work for you. If you weren’t investing, your money would just be sitting there and not earning a thing.
This is important to note because $100 today will not be worth $100 in the future if you just let it sit under a mattress or in a checking account. However, if you invest, you can actually turn your $100 into something more. Investing for the long term means your money is working for you, potentially earning you an income.
For example: If you put $1,000 into a retirement account that has an annual 8% return, 40 years later that would turn into $21,724. If you started with that same $1,000 and put an extra $1,000 in it for the next 40 years at an annual 8% return, that would then turn into $301,505. If you started with $10,000 and put an extra $10,000 in it for the next 40 years at that same percentage rate, that would then turn into $3,015,055.
Related content:
I’ve talked a lot about savings here on Making Sense of Cents, and in my post 56% Of Americans Have Less Than $10,000 Saved For Retirement, I stated that 56% of Americans have less than an average of $10,000 in retirement savings and 33% have no retirement savings at all. This is something incredibly important to address! And, some of those statistics are because many don’t know how to start investing.
Other interesting statistics mentioned in this article include:
42% of millennials have not begun saving for retirement.
52% of Gen Xers have less than $10,000 in retirement savings.
About 30% of respondents age 55 and over have no retirement savings whatsoever.
Nearly 75% of Americans over 40 are behind on saving for retirement.
One of the biggest reasons I’ve noticed is that people don’t realize that they should be saving more or, like I said, they don’t know how to start investing. Again, investing for beginners can feel daunting, so don’t feel like you are alone. And, the reality is that you don’t need much to get started.
If you have never invested before and are wondering how to start investing, I have broken down the steps to make easy to start investing for beginners, even those who feel like they don’t have much money to invest.
How to start investing for beginners:
1. Start saving your money.
“The best time to invest was yesterday; the second best is today!”
That’s one of my favorite investment quotes, and it explains why starting to save for investing should happen right now.
And, my top investing tip goes right along with it: start setting money aside today.
In order to invest your money, you need to actually set aside money for investing. How much you set aside is entirely up to you, but I think more is always better if you can manage it.
Okay, you may be thinking “How much money should I save if I don’t have much money?!”
The key here is saving as much for investing as you realistically can. This may be nowhere near 20% at first, heck, this might not even be 5%, but any little bit will help. If you are not able to save that much, just save something! Investing for beginners can be as little as $25 a month – seriously, every little bit does help.
Even if it’s just $1 a day, set that amount aside and start saving even more.
You may want to look into Acorns, which is a cell phone app that rounds up your credit card and debit card purchases, and then invests your spare change. Acorns automatically invests for you, and you can get started in under 5 minutes. This app is amazing!
You can always work your way up to saving a higher and higher percentage of your income to put towards investments. Starting small is an easy way for beginners who are wondering how to start investing. I understand that some people have financial situations in which they may not be able to save as much money as they would like. Living paycheck to paycheck, being in medical debt, or having a major unexpected expense can wreck a person’s financial situation and their goals, and I understand that.
However, there are options to getting out of those negative financial situations. Cutting your spending is an obvious one, but you can also find more ways to make extra money. It may be a challenge, but you are worth the work it takes to reach your financial goals.
Even if you are working towards day-to-day financial stability, you can still start investing. Like I said, even the smallest amount of money can be put towards investing. Not only does investing now help you reach retirement sooner, it may help you prevent negative financial situations from happening the in future.
2. Find an online brokerage or an expert to manage your investments.
So, now that you have actually started to set aside money, you will want to decide how you will invest it.
There are two main things you could do with your money. Either invest your money yourself, such as through an online brokerage, or find an expert to manage your investment portfolio. Part of learning how to start investing includes determining the company, platform, or person you will use to invest your first dollar.
There are many online brokers and brokerage accounts for you to choose from. My favorites include:
Ally Invest – This is a full service discount broker that doesn’t have a minimum amount, so you can start investing with them right away.
Betterment – Betterment offers an affordable way to invest your money. They have over 400,000 customers and over $14 billion has been invested through their service. With Betterment, you can invest with as little money as you want each month, which is great for a new investor!
Vanguard – I absolutely love Vanguard, and I recommend that you check them out. This is a great way to introduce both new and old investors to the stock market.
Also, if your employer has a retirement plan, then you will definitely want to look into that as well. If your company offers a retirement plan match, then this is where you will want to start as their retirement match is pretty much free money!
Also, in case you are wondering, a 401(k) is a type of retirement account that you get through an employer.
3. Decide where to put your money.
After you open your brokerage account, you will want to decide how exactly you will invest your money in the stock market. I think this might be one of the biggest hurdles for those wondering how to start investing and how to invest in stocks. There are a lot of what ifs in the investment world, and a good brokerage or expert will help you navigate as you decide where to put your money.
Basically, where you invest your money depends a lot on the level of risk tolerance you are willing to take and the time you have to watch your funds mature. A simple way of explaining this is that more time equals more risk and less time equals less risk.
For example: if you are in your 20’s and are using your investments for retirement, you have 30-40 years worth of investing ahead of you. You will likely be able to make some riskier investments knowing that the market will bounce up and down over time. If you are closer to retirement, you will probably want your funds in something that you are confident will make small but steady gains.
Choosing the stocks, mutual funds, etc. that you invest in is not the easiest thing because no one knows what will happen in the future. This is why it’s important to have a diverse portfolio.
When learning how to start investing for beginners, a professional will help you determine your goals, your risk level and how to diversify your investments in a way that will benefit you.
Even if you do have a professional helping you, it’s always important to do your own research on the types of investments available and which ones interest you.
Please remember that I am not an investment professional and that you should do your research when choosing who/what to invest in.
Related: How To Start An Emergency Fund
4. Monitor your investment portfolio.
So, you finally have invested your money, congrats!
The next step is to regularly track your investments. This is important because you may eventually have to change what you are invested in, put more money towards your investments, and so on.
Now, the key here is to not go crazy, and checking on your portfolio can be an exciting thing when investing for beginners. But, you do not want to become a person who checks their investments every hour of the day. That won’t help you at all as small changes in the stock market most likely won’t matter to you, especially if you are investing for your long-term future.
However, you do want to occasionally check your progress as things may change in the market, your investment interests may change, and you may even alter your goals.
A free tool that I recommend using to monitor your investments is Personal Capital.
You can see your investment portfolio all in one place so that you can easily track your performance, see your investment allocations, and easily analyze everything related to your investments. The Personal Capital Retirement Planner will also tell you if you have saved enough for retirement.
To protect my privacy, this image is not mine – it was provided by Personal Capital.
5. Continue the steps above over and over again.
Learning how to start investing is the first step, but the final one is to continue investing well into the future, and you will want to continue these steps over and over again. Now that you know what steps to take, it only gets easier from here.
The hard part is done!
How much money should a beginner invest for the first time?
Even if you think you don’t have much, you can still start!
If you want to start with just a few dollars, I recommend reading A Beginner’s Guide to Micro-Investing.
How can I start investing with little money?
As a recap, you can start investing with little money by following these tips:
Start saving your money.
Find an online brokerage or an expert to manage your investments.
Decide where to put your money.
Monitor your investment portfolio.
Continue the steps above over and over again.
What questions do you have when it comes to how to start investing for beginners? What investment tips do you have to share?
In order to get life insurance from any long term illness it is necessary to work with doctors and try to get any condition under control. The better that your health is and the better that you follow your doctor’s orders, the higher chance you have of getting a life insurance policy at an affordable rate.
This includes listening carefully to doctor’s instructions and making the necessary lifestyle changes to gain control of the problem.
If insurers see that a condition is being properly managed then there is a chance that policy seekers can attain a lower premium. Patients may want to wait a while and make sure they are in good health before applying for a low cost term life insurance policy.
Always have the doctor write down a patient’s progress as time goes by. This will be a good record for life insurance companies.
Having life insurance is very important, especially for those with families. Those who are head of the household should not have to worry about leaving behind massive debt for their loved ones should the worst happen.
Every person with a family should have life insurance to protect loved ones from the added burden of dealing with financial stress. It is already hard dealing with the loss of a loved one, but dealing with financial stress should not be something that anyone has to go through during times of mourning.
The first thing that you need to add up is your debts. Those debts are going straight to your family when you die. This can overwhelm your family and leave them under a mountain of debt. Add up your mortgage payment, car bills, and any other unpaid expenses that your family members would have to pay off. You not providing them the insurance protection that they need.
Another factor that you should think about is your annual salary. They will inherit your debt, but lose your salary. Get enough coverage to replace the paychecks.
Life Insurance For High Risk Conditions
Life insurance may include higher premiums for those who have illnesses, especially when dealing with Cardiomyopathy. It is always best to work with insurance companies and let them know about any condition. As long as underwriters see that patients are doing their best to manage any disease then chances are that they will receive a favorable outcome in their policies.
There are various reasons why life insurance companies will increase rates for policy holders with illnesses; one of them includes viewing the sick as a potential liability. Let’s face it. If you have a high risk condition, then the insurance company will rate you as such. Does that always mean you should pay the highest rate? Not necessarily. That’s one perk in working with an independent life insurance agent that has the ability to work with high risk companies.
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Term Insurance with Cardiomyopathy
In order to get the right policy, it is best to shop around and compare rates. Get an upfront quote and ask directly how much a policy will cost for someone with Cardiomyopathy. Doing some research will increase the chances of getting a life insurance policy. There are even some insurance companies that will work with those who are suffering from long term illness. Others will not help with a standard policy but will approve those with long term illness on a no exam term life policy.
Keep options open and keep looking until a policy fits within budget range. Life insurance should not be an overly expensive pursuit, even for those who have long term illness. If a higher rate is quoted then try looking elsewhere. Life insurance seekers are consumers, and they do not have to settle for a higher rate if it something they are not comfortable with.
Not every insurance carrier is the same. Some specialize in working with clients with serious health problems, event those with cardiomyopathy. Finding the right company could mean the difference between getting an affordable plan or getting declined for coverage.
There are options for those dealing with Cardiomyopathy. As long as insurance companies see that a person’s health is being managed properly then they have a chance of getting a lower premium policy. Always consult with a doctor when dealing with any illness and take the necessary measures to become healthier.
Questionnaire When Applying For Life Insurance
As mentioned above, it’s important to be upfront with your independent life insurance agent when you have a health condition such as cardiomyopathy. Before we even apply, we want to make sure we get all the appropriate info to make sure we get you with the right company. The below is a questionnaire that the underwriters will want before they will insure you. Make sure you have all the info before you apply.
3. Provide dates if any of the following tests or procedures that have been done to evaluate the condition.
a) Resting EKG b) Thallium stress EKG c) Holter monitor d) Stress EKG e) Echocardiogram f) Chest x-ray
4. Is there any family history of heart disease or premature death due to heart disease?
5. Name of medications, prescription or otherwise, taken. Please identify dates used, quantity taken, and frequency taken.
6. Are there any other conditions that may impact life insurance underwriting?
All of these questions (and your answers) are going to change the premiums you get and how the company looks at your application. After you’ve answered these questions, the insurance carrier can get a completed picture of your health and they can decide how much to charge you.
Even if you have a pre-existing condition, there are plenty of life insurance options for you. Nobody should ever have to go without the coverage that they need.
Meet this week’s employee spotlight – Juan Santana!
What motivates you to wake up and go to work? I’m motivated every single day by my daughter and love of my life, Penelope.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time? love to read and draw, but who really has free time?.
What would you do for a career if you weren’t doing this? I would probably be a starving author somewhere
If you could have any superpower what would it be and why? I would love the power to make food appear at the snap of my fingers. I’m always hungry.
What’s your favorite food? Anything saucey-cheesey, I love Italian. If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would do? I would give half of it away for Karmic reasons…..and then disappear.
If you could learn to do anything, what would it be and why? 3 would learn to practice law. In this day and age we should all know how to protect our freedoms and liberties If someone was going to visit your hometown, what is one local spot you’d suggest they visit and why? Frank’s pizza. Best in the valley
What’s your favorite thing about working at Total Mortgage? Definitely the people. It’s a completely different world when you actually enjoy going into the office, regardless of what you do.
Inside: This guide will teach you about the different factors you need to consider when purchasing a home with a 70k salary.
There are a lot of factors to consider when you’re trying to figure out how much house you can afford. Your income, your debts, your down payment, and the interest rate on your mortgage all play a role in determining how much house you can afford.
Your situation will be different than the person next-door or your co-coworker.
Making 70000 a year is a great salary. You are making the median salary in the United States.
It’s enough to comfortably afford most homes and gives you plenty of room to save money each month.
But how much house can you actually afford?
It depends on several factors, including your down payment, interest rate, income, and credit score.
In this ultimate guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about how much house you can afford making 70000 a year.
how much house can i afford on 70k
In general, you can expect to spend 28-36% of your income on housing.
Generally speaking, if you make $70,000 a year, you can afford a house between $226,000 and $380,000.
How much mortgage on 70k salary?
In general, you should expect to spend no more than 28% of your monthly income on a mortgage payment.
Thus, you can spend approximately$1633-2100 a month on a mortgage.
Just remember this is relative to the interest rate, term length of the loan, down payment, and other factors.
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28/36 Rule
But there’s one factor that trumps all the others: The 28/36 rule.
Also known as the debt-to-income (DTI) ratio.
The 28/36 rule is a guideline that says that your housing costs (mortgage payments, property taxes, homeowners insurance, and HOA fees) should not exceed 28% of your gross monthly income.
And your total debt (housing costs plus any other debts you have, like car payments or credit card bills) should not exceed 36% of your gross monthly income.
You must follow the 28/36 rule.
How to calculate how much mortgage you can afford?
If you’re like most people, you probably don’t know how to calculate how much mortgage you can afford.
This is actually a really important question that you need to ask yourself before beginning the home-buying process.
The answer will help determine the price range of homes you should be looking at. Plus know how much money you’ll need to save for a down payment.
Step #1: Check Interest Rates
Research current mortgage rates to get an accurate estimate. You can also check your credit score and search for average mortgage rates based on your credit score.
Right now, with sky-high inflation, you are unable to afford a bigger house when interest rates are hovering around 6% compared to ultra-low interest rates of 2.5%.
With a 70k salary, this can be the difference between $50-100k on the total mortgage amount you can afford.
Step #2: Use a Mortgage Calculator
Use a mortgage calculator to get an estimate of the home price you can afford based on your income, debt profile, and down payment.
Generally, lenders cap the maximum amount of monthly gross income you can use toward the loan’s principal and interest payment to not more than 28% of your gross monthly income (called the “Front-End” or “Housing Expense” ratio). Then, limit your total allowable debt-to-income ratio (called the “Back-End” ratio) to not more than 36%.
You can use a mortgage calculator to a ballpark range of what house you can afford.
Step #3: Taxes, Insurance, and PMI
When planning for a home purchase, it’s important to factor in all of your monthly expenses, including taxes, insurance, and PMI.
This will ensure that you get an accurate estimate of your home-buying budget based on your household annual income.
Don’t forget to include these payments to get a realistic understanding of your monthly budget.
Step #4: Remember your Living Expenses
When considering how much house you can afford based on your $70,000 salary, you must consider your lifestyle and current expenses.
It is important to factor in other monthly expenses such as cell phone and internet bills, utilities, insurance costs, and other bills.
More than likely, you will be approved for a higher mortgage amount than you would feel comfortable with. This is 100% what lenders will do.
They want to provide you with the most you can afford – not what you should afford.
Step #5: Get prequalified
Prequalifying for a mortgage is an important first step to take when estimating how much house you can afford.
It gives you a more precise figure to work with and helps you make a more informed decision based on your personal situation.
Remember that your final amount will vary depending on a number of factors, especially your interest rate, which will be based on your credit score.
Taking the time to research current mortgage rates helps you secure a better mortgage rate, giving you more buying power.
Home Buying by Down Payment
How much house can you afford?
It’s a common question among home buyers — especially first-time home buyers. Use this table to figure out how much house you can reasonably afford given your salary and other monthly obligations.
The assumption is 30 year fixed mortgage, good credit (690-719), no monthly debt, and a 4% interest rate.
Annual Income
Downpayment
Monthly Payment
How Much House Can I Afford?
$70,000
$9,552 (3%)
$1,750
$318,412
$70,000
$16,215 (5%)
$1,750
$324,316
$70,000
$34,058 (10%)
$1,750
$340,581
$70,000
$53,573 (15%)
$1,750
$357,152
$70,000
$75,094 (20%)
$1,750
$375,468
$70,000
$98,933 (25%)
$1,750
$395,731
**Your own interest rate, monthly payment, and how much house you can afford will vary on your personal circumstances.
Mortgage on 70k Salary Based on Monthly Payment and Interest Rate
How much house can you afford on a $70,000 salary?
This largely depends on the current interest rate of the mortgage loan you’re considering. When interest rates are high, people aren’t actively buying as when interest rates are low.
By understanding these factors, you can better gauge how much house you can afford on a $70,000 salary.
The assumption is 30 year fixed mortgage, good credit (690-719), no monthly debt, and a 20% downpayment.
Annual Income
Monthly Payment
Interest Rate
How Much House Can I Afford?
$70,000
$1,750
3.25%
$406,796
$70,000
$1,750
3.5%
$396,231
$70,000
$1,750
3.75%
$386,101
$70,000
$1,750
4%
$375,994
$70,000
$1,750
4.5%
$357,554
$70,000
$1,750
5%
$339,954
**Your own interest rate, monthly payment, and how much house you can afford will vary on your personal circumstances.
Home Affordability Calculator by Debt-to-Income Ratio
Around here at Money Bliss, we always stress that debt will hold you back.
In the case of buying a house, debt increases your DTI ratio.
Here is a glimpse at what monthly debt can cause your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio to increase. Thus, making the house you want to buy to be more difficult.
Annual Income
Monthly Payment
Monthly Debt
How Much House Can I Afford?
$70,000
$2,100
$0
$440,085
$70,000
$1,900
$200
$404,584
$70,000
$1,800
$300
$382,334
$70,000
$1,600
$500
$337,883
$70,000
$1,350
$750
$282,208
$70,000
$1,100
$1000
$226,582
**Your own interest rate, monthly payment, and how much house you can afford will vary on your personal circumstances.
Increase your Home Buying Budget
Here are a few ways you can increase your home buying budget when buying a house on a $70k annual income.
By following these steps, you can increase your home buying budget and find a more suitable house for your income.
1. Pick a Cheaper Home
Home prices vary significantly in different parts of the country.
Moving out of a major metropolitan area with notoriously high housing costs can help you find more affordable homes.
There are plenty of ways to find a home that is cheaper than you would normally expect.
Look for homes that are for sale in less desirable neighborhoods.
Find homes that are for sale by owner or have not been listed yet.
Check for homes that are for sale outside of your usual price range and haven’t sold as they may drop their price.
Move to a lower cost of living area.
2. Increase Your Down Payment Savings
A larger down payment can reduce the amount you have to finance, which lowers your monthly payment.
Plus help you get a lower interest rate and avoid paying PMI.
Putting down at least 10-20 percent of the home sale price can help boost your home buying power. You can also take advantage of down payment assistance programs in your area.
3. Pay Down Your Existing Debt
Paying down your debts such as credit card debts or auto loans can help raise your maximum home loan.
Paying down your debts can help you qualify for a higher loan amount.
This is because when you have lower amounts of debt, your credit score is higher and your debt-to-income ratio is less. This means you are less likely to be rejected for a home loan.
4. Improve Your Credit Score
A higher credit score can lead to lower rates and more affordable payments.
You can improve your credit score by:
Paying your bills on time
Paying down your credit card balances
Avoiding opening new credit before applying for a mortgage
Disputing any errors on your credit report
This is very true! We had an unfortunate debt that wasn’t ours added to our credit report right before closing. While the debt was an error, it still cost us a higher interest rate and forced us to refinance once the credit report was fixed.
5. Increase Your Income
Asking for a raise, seeking a higher-paid position, or starting a side gig can help you increase the amount of home you can afford.
While you need two years of income from a side gig or your own online business to count as income, the extra cash earned helps you to increase the size of your downpayment. Plus it lowers your debt-to-income ratio with the savings you are setting aside.
What factors should you consider when deciding how much you can afford for a mortgage?
How much house can you afford on your current salary and with your current monthly debts?
This is a question that we are often asked, and it’s one that we love to answer.
We’ll walk you through all the different factors that go into this decision so that you can make an informed choice.
1. Loan amount
The loan amount is a key factor that affects the total cost of a mortgage.
If you have no outstanding debt, a 20% down payment, a high credit score, and a 3.5% interest rate from an FHA loan, you could be able to afford up to $508,000.
However, if you have debt, a smaller down payment, or a lower credit score, the loan amount you can qualify for will be lower.
Similarly, if you choose a 15-year fixed-rate loan, your monthly payments will be higher, but you will end up paying less in interest over the life of the loan than with a 30-year fixed-rate loan.
Ultimately, your loan amount will affect the total cost of your mortgage, so it’s important to consider all the factors when making your decision.
2. Mortgage Interest rate
Mortgage interest rates can have a significant impact on the cost of a mortgage. The higher the interest rate, the more expensive the loan will be.
For example, a difference between a 3% and 4% interest rate on a $300,000 mortgage is more than $150 on the monthly payment.
Remember, in the first few years of a mortgage, the majority of the payment goes toward interest rather than trying to reduce the principal amount.
3. Type of Mortgage
The primary difference between a fixed and variable mortgage is the interest rate and the amount of your payment
Fixed-rate mortgages offer the stability of having the same interest rate for the life of the loan.
Adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) come with lower interest rates to start, but those rates can change over the life of the loan. ARMs are often a riskier choice, as if the economy falters, the interest rate can go up.
Fixed-rate loans are typically the most popular choice, as the monthly payment amount is more predictable and easier to budget for. The terms of a fixed-rate loan can range from 10 to 30 years, depending on the lender.
Adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) have interest rates that can increase or decrease annually based on an index plus a margin. ARMs are typically more attractive to borrowers who plan on staying in the home for a shorter period of time, as the lower initial interest rate can make the payments more manageable.
The Money Bliss recommendation is to choose a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage.
4. Property value
Property value can have a direct effect on how much you can afford for a mortgage.
As the value of the property increases, so does the amount of money you will need to borrow to purchase it. This, in turn, affects the monthly payments and the amount of interest you will pay over the life of the loan.
This is especially important as many people have been priced out of the market with the rising home prices.
Additionally, higher property values can mean higher taxes, which will add to the amount you need to budget for your mortgage payments.
5. Homeowner insurance
Homeowner’s insurance is a requirement when securing a loan and it can vary depending on the value and location of the home.
Additionally, certain areas that are prone to natural disasters or are located in densely populated areas may have higher premiums than other locations and may require additional insurance like flood insurance.
As a result, lenders typically require that you purchase homeowners insurance in order to secure a loan, and may have specific requirements for the type or amount of coverage that you need to purchase.
Before committing to a mortgage, it is important to consider the cost of homeowner’s insurance and make sure it fits into your budget.
This is something you do not want to skimp on as the cost to replace a home is very expensive.
6. Property taxes
Property taxes are calculated based on the value of a home and the tax rate of the city or county where the property resides.
The higher the property taxes, the more you will have to pay in your monthly mortgage payment.
In states with high property taxes, the property tax bill can be a large sum of the mortgage payment.
It is important to consider these costs when comparing different homes and locations to ensure you can afford the home without stretching your budget too thin.
7. Home repairs and maintenance
It’s important to also consider other factors such as the age of the house, since some properties may require renovation and repairs that can cost more than the house price itself.
Beyond the cost of purchasing a home, homeowners will likely have other expenses related to owning and maintaining the property.
Also, many homeowners prefer to do significant upgrades to the home before moving in, which comes at an additional expense.
These can include ordinary expenses such as painting, taking care of a lawn, fixing appliances, and cleaning living spaces, which can add up.
Additionally, it’s advisable to buy a home that falls in the middle of your price range to ensure you have some extra money for unexpected costs, such as repairs and maintenance.
8. HOA or Homeowners Association Maintenance
This is often an overlooked factor by many new homebuyers, but extremely important as some HOAs add $500-800 per month to the total housing budget.
The purpose of a homeowners association (HOA) is to establish a set of rules and regulations for residents to follow as well as maintain the community or building.
These fees are typically used to pay for maintenance, amenities, landscaping, and concierge services.
HOA fees are used to finance community upkeep, including landscaping and joint space development, and can range from $100 to over $1,000 per month, depending on the amenities in the association.
9. Utility bills
When switching from renting to buying a home, you will have to factor in the costs of your monthly utility bills such as electricity, natural gas, water, garbage and recycling, cable TV, internet, and cell phone when calculating how much mortgage you can afford.
In addition, the larger the home, the higher the costs to heat and cool your new home.
Make sure to ask your realtor for previous utility bills on the property you are interested in.
10. Private Mortgage Insurance
The purpose of private mortgage insurance (PMI) is to protect the lender in the event of foreclosure. It is typically required when a borrower is unable to make a 20% down payment on a home purchase.
PMI allows borrowers to purchase a home with less upfront capital, but also comes with additional monthly costs that are added to the mortgage payment. These fees range from 0.5% to 2.5% of the loan’s value annually and are based on the amount of money put down.
PMI can also be canceled or refinanced once the borrower has achieved 20% equity in the home or when the outstanding loan amount reaches 80% of the home’s purchase price.
11. Moving costs
Moving is expensive, but also a pain to do. So, consider the moving costs associated with relocating from one location to another.
Typically fees for packing, transportation, and possibly storage, and can vary depending on the size of the move and the distance the move needs to cover.
Also, consider if by buying a home, you will stop having moving costs associated with moving from rental to rental.
FAQ
When determining how much house you can afford, it’s important to consider several factors.
These include your income, existing debts, interest rates, credit history, credit score, monthly debt, monthly expenses, utilities, groceries, down payment, loan options (such as FHA or VA loans), and location (which affects the interest rate and property tax). Also, think about the costs of maintaining or renovating a home.
Additionally, you should also evaluate your own budget and assess whether now is the right time to purchase a home. Taking all of these factors into account can help you set the maximum limit on what you can realistically afford.
A mortgage calculator can help you determine your home affordability by providing an estimate of the home price you can afford based on your income, debt profile, and down payment.
It works by inputting your annual income and estimated mortgage rate, which then calculates the maximum amount of money you’re able to spend on a house and the expected monthly payment.
Additionally, different methods are available to factor in your debt-to-income ratio or your proposed housing budget, allowing you to get a more accurate estimate of your home buying budget.
The debt-to-income ratio or DTI is used by lenders to assess a borrower’s ability to make mortgage payments.
This ratio is calculated by taking the total of all of a borrower’s monthly recurring debts (including mortgage payments) and dividing it by the borrower’s monthly pre-tax household income.
A high DTI ratio indicates that the borrower’s debt is high relative to income, and could reduce the amount of loan they are qualified to receive.
Generally, lenders prefer a DTI of 36% or less, which allows borrowers to qualify for better interest rates on their mortgages.
To calculate their DTI, borrowers should include debt such as credit card payments, car loans, student and other loans, along with housing expenses. It is important to note that the DTI does not include other monthly expenses such as groceries, gas, or current rent payments.
Closing costs can have an enormous impact on how much home you’re able to afford.
From application fees and down payments to attorney costs and credit report fees, these costs can add up quickly and affect your overall budget. Unfortunately, most of these closing costs are non-negotiable, but you can ask the seller to pay them.
When buying a house, it is important to research the different mortgage options available to you.
You can typically choose between a conventional loan that is guaranteed by a private lender or banking institution, or a government-backed loan. Depending on your monthly payment and down payment availability, you may be able to select between a 15-year or a 30-year loan.
A conventional loan typically offers better interest rates and payment flexibility.
While a government-backed loan may be more lenient with its credit and down payment requirements.
For veterans or first-time home buyers, there may be special mortgage options available to them.
Ultimately, it is important to talk to a lender to see which loan type is best for your personal circumstances.
When it comes to saving for a down payment, it’s important to understand how much you’ll need and how much it will affect your budget.
Generally, you’ll need 20% of the cost of the home for a conventional mortgage and 25% for an investment property. When you put down more money, it gives you more buying power and may help you negotiate a lower interest rate.
For example, if you’re buying a $300,000 house, you’ll need a down payment of $60,000 for a conventional mortgage. On the other hand, if you put down 10%, you can still afford a $395,557 house. But, you will have to pay for private mortgage insurance.
In addition, there are other ways to help you cover these upfront costs. You can look into down payment assistance programs.
Ultimately, the size of your down payment will depend on your budget and financial goals. You should never deplete your savings account just to make a larger down payment. It’s important to factor in emergency funds and other expenses when deciding on the best option.
Eligibility requirements for loan lenders can vary, but in general, lenders are looking for borrowers with a good credit score, a reliable income, and a history of employment or income stability.
For most loan types, borrowers will need to show a history of two consecutive years of employment in order to qualify. However, lenders may be more flexible if the borrower is just beginning their career or if they are self-employed and do not have W2 forms and official pay stubs.
Income verification also needs to be done “on paper”, meaning that cash tips that do not appear on pay stubs or W2s can not be used as income. The lender will look at the household’s average pre-tax income over a two-year period before determining the amount that can be borrowed.
In order to make sure that the borrower is financially secure, lenders will also pull the borrower’s credit report and base their pre-approval on the credit score and debt-to-income ratio. Employment verification may also be done.
For certain government-backed loan types, such as FHA, VA, and USDA loans, there may be additional or different requirements for eligibility. For instance, for FHA loans, the borrower must intend to use the home as a primary residence and live in it within two months after closing. VA loans are more lenient, and may not require a down payment.
The qualifications for VA loans vary based on the period and amount of time the borrower has served. There are many ways to qualify, whether the borrower is a veteran, active duty service member, reservist, or member of the National Guard. For more information on eligibility requirements for VA loans, borrowers can visit the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
A good credit score will mean you have access to more lending options, better interest rates, and more purchasing power.
On the other hand, a poor credit score could mean you are approved for a loan, but at a higher interest rate and with a smaller house.
This means your budget will be more limited and you may not be able to buy as much home as you had hoped for. Additionally, lenders will also look at other factors, such as your debt-to-income ratio, employment history, and loan term, in order to determine your overall affordability.
What House Can I Afford on 70k a year?
As a borrower, you need to consider the interest rate, down payment, credit score, debt-to-income ratio, employment history, and loan term when determining how much house you can afford.
A higher credit score can often mean a lower interest rate, and a larger down payment can bring down the monthly payments.
All of these factors can have an effect on the amount of money you can borrow and the home you can afford.
Ultimately, understanding the impact of different factors can help borrowers make the best decisions when it comes to getting a mortgage.
Now that you know how much house you can afford, it’s time to start saving for a down payment.
The sooner you start saving, the sooner you’ll be able to move into your dream home. But you may have to wait if you are considering a mansion.
By taking into consideration this guide into account, you can make a more informed decision about the cost of a mortgage for your new home.
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Going on an African safari can be the chance of a lifetime to see some of the world’s most iconic wildlife up close, experience Earth’s extraordinary untouched corners, learn about new cultures and reconnect with nature.
A safari trip can also be the opportunity to make sustainable, responsible choices about how and where you travel, and to maximize the impact your travel spending has on conservation, community and environmental programs in various destinations.
Many travelers decide where to go on safari in Africa based on their schedules and the seasonality in individual regions — both in terms of the weather and the animals they will most likely see. Others focus on sighting specific species, resulting in visits to places like Rwanda or Uganda to trek and see mountain gorillas or trips to destinations like Kenya to observe the endangered pachyderms at a rhino sanctuary.
Sustainability can be another excellent factor in determining where you should go on safari, though. Many of the most reputable safari outfitters and camps put sustainability front and center in their operations, combining environmental practices, conservation commitments and community outreach to create the ultimate holistic travel experience.
Doing a little research on the regions you are considering for a safari and the specific tour operators and lodges in your chosen location can make a huge difference in the effect your tourism dollars have on things like wildlife preservation campaigns, economic development in local villages and minimizing the overall environmental footprint of your individual journey.
Unlike some other forms of travel that let you book certain components — flights, hotels, cruises, etc. — a la carte by yourself, many safari companies require you to book the bulk of your trip (if not all of it) through them or a partner agency or operator. Because of this, you can ask these representatives about their sustainability track records and even specific programs while planning your trip. Any reliable operator should have materials on hand to send you to help you make your decision.
Here are some of the factors you can investigate to determine just how sustainable your safari can be, plus some of the safari companies undertaking meaningful measures in this sphere by weaving principles of environmental consciousness, wildlife protection and community development into their core ethos and operations.
Eco-sensitive camps
For North American and European travelers, going on an African safari typically necessitates carbon-intensive long-haul flights and sometimes additional bush flights to reach remote regions. In order to limit the rest of your carbon footprint while on safari, look into the eco-credentials of the camps or outfitters you are considering.
Many safari camps, for instance, now run mostly or even entirely on solar power. At both andBeyond Nxabega and andBeyond Xaranna in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, 80% of the camps’ total electricity consumption is supplied by solar photovoltaic plants and Tesla Powerpack battery energy storage systems.
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Nearby, Wilderness’ Chitabe and Mombo camps run on 100% solar (as do 17 of the company’s other camps), and Wilderness has plans to retrofit and invest in further solar power for all new camps and camp refurbishments. Not only is that great for the environment, but it’s also the best means of ensuring an uninterrupted power supply to guests in an area with little other infrastructure.
Cheetah Plains, an exclusive-use safari villa in South Africa’s Sabi Sand Nature Reserve, now uses Toyota Land Cruiser electric safari vehicles with Tesla batteries that are charged via solar power to whisk guests across the reserve’s thousands of acres, creating a zero-emission game drive.
In Tanzania’s Ruaha National Park, Usangu Expedition Camp is steering a different path, developing safari vehicles that run on ethanol, which is derived from molasses produced in the southern part of the country, instead of diesel. The staff even calls the vehicles “Gongos,” a type of traditional Tanzanian gin, since the ethanol looks and smells like the spirit.
But alternative power and fuel are just the start. For its part, Chitabe recycled the wood from an old set of raised walkways to create a chic bar and lounge area for its current guests. What’s old is new again … and looking better than ever.
Many recently built and forthcoming safari camps are being constructed using both traditional materials and techniques, such as thatching and weaving completed by local artisans, and up-to-the-minute technologies like 3D printing and innovative recycling methods utilizing salvaged materials to limit their physical footprint.
Time + Tide Chinzombo in Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park was designed to be completely dismantled if necessary so as to leave a minimal trace on the landscape, and Wilderness is currently constructing a new tented camp in Botswana’s Mbabe concession called Mokete that can be completely disassembled as if it had never been there.
Simple measures can have a large impact as well. Camps like Wilderness’ DumaTau and sister Little DumaTau in Botswana’s riverine Linyanti region provide guests with Healing Earth’s all-natural, biodegradable bath and body products during their stay to minimize harmful runoff from the camp’s water management system.
For its part, the Elewana Collection of lodges in Kenya and Tanzania launched its “Ban the bottle” initiative in 2018, giving guests reusable water bottles that they can fill up at stations in the camps. The outfitter estimates that doing so in just six of its Kenyan lodges saves around 160,000 plastic bottles from going into landfills each year.
Elewana also dropped plastic straws the following year. Even more fun for Elewana guests is the opportunity to toss out seed balls (little nutrient packs that encase seeds of Indigenous plants) during a walk or game drive somewhere along their journey so they’re doing their little part to help revegetate the wild places they are enjoying.
Wildlife conservation
It seems obvious, but without wildlife, there wouldn’t be safari camps. For that reason, many safari companies actively support and participate in wildlife conservation efforts, some of which are specific to individual regions while others are more widespread.
Guests at andBeyond’s Tengile River Lodge and Kirkman’s Kamp, which are near each other in South Africa’s Sabi Sand Nature Reserve, can certainly get a thrill sighting the area’s thriving lion and leopard populations on game drives. However, guests may not know that their guides are also logging those sightings and providing the information to Panthera, an organization dedicated to tracking and protecting big cat populations around the world.
Various other andBeyond camps, including Phinda Private Game Reserve and Ngala Safari Lodge, help fund rhinoceros anti-poaching units. Guests at Ngala can even observe researchers tagging rhinos’ ears with microchips to help monitor the highly endangered animals. These are individual initiatives, but they are all part of andBeyond’s overarching commitment to conservation and community projects that it supports through its Africa Foundation.
Likewise, Elewana Collection has a charitable arm called The Land & Life Foundation that underwrites various efforts such as the Wildlife Warrior Program, which has clubs in primary schools throughout Kenya and Tanzania. The children who join can take part in activities to learn more about environmental and animal conservation. The club currently counts around 2,200 members and even provides primary and secondary educational scholarships to many of them.
High-end safari company Singita, which has lodges in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Rwanda, established its Singita Conservation Foundation decades ago with a 100-year plan to protect Africa’s wildlife and wilderness for future generations. These days, it partners with other nonprofit trusts and funds on a plethora of projects, including rhino reintroduction and protection in the Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve in Zimbabwe, land management and anti-poaching efforts in South Africa’s Kruger National Park and combating invasive vegetation as well as helping in the recovery of megafauna like elephants and buffaloes in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park.
Community improvement projects
Without buy-in from local communities, conservation efforts would go nowhere. Those who live in or near game reserves and national parks need to benefit from the tourism revenue that these natural wonders generate. That’s why many safari companies’ conservation drives include community-based components.
One telltale sign that a safari company is supporting the communities where it operates in a meaningful way is simply through employment. Specifically, whether its camps employ people from the villages or regions that surround them in high proportions. Not only is this a boon for economic stability and growth in places that might otherwise be destitute, but it ensures that tourism dollars stay in the area and benefit the people who live there.
Many safari companies’ commitments to communities go beyond employment, though. Praveen Moman, who grew up in Uganda before his family had to emigrate to the United Kingdom, founded Volcanoes Safaris in 1997, pioneering the high-end safari experience in both Uganda and Rwanda.
While the Volcanoes Safaris’ lodges have become mainstays for both gorilla and chimpanzee trekking, it is perhaps the company’s nonprofit organization, the Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust, that will be its most lasting legacy. The trust supports preservation efforts for the great apes of the region, but it also underwrites innovative, community-based programs that guests are encouraged to explore during their stays at the lodges.
“When I set up Volcanoes Safaris in 1997 in southern Uganda and then in 2000 in neighboring Rwanda, the area was just coming out of the Great Lakes conflict,” Moman told TPG via email. “This experience made me realize how important it was to not only focus on the lodges we were building and the gorilla and chimpanzee experience that we wanted our guests to enjoy, but also that local people need to get tangible economic benefits from conservation and ecotourism for them to support the great apes.”
“Therefore,” he continued, “I felt that it was important that the lodges should be connected to the communities around them. In each lodge, we have set up different community projects.”
At Volcanoes Safaris’ Virunga Lodge in Rwanda, for instance, guests can take a guided afternoon walk through several villages near Lake Bulera to see firsthand the impact of projects such as the “One sheep per family” program, which provides one sheep to each family in three nearby villages (more than 500 so far), thereby supplying them with sources of meat and milk along with natural fertilizer for their sustenance crops.
The lodge has also donated 250-plus water tanks to families in these villages, which help in the catchment of the region’s abundant rainfall and ensure that there is a steady supply of water for drinking and crop irrigation during the dry season.
In Livingstone, Zambia, near Victoria Falls, Tongabezi, which is an elegant lodge along the banks of a tranquil stretch of the Zambezi River, has underwritten the Tongabezi Trust School (also known as Tujatane) since 1996, providing education and meals to children who live within walking distance of the academy. There are currently nearly 300 children between the ages of 3 and 17 enrolled, all of whom can take advantage of the classes and curriculum, as well as the music, sports, arts and computer facilities. What’s more, the school provides funding to send some of the children on to secondary schools and even universities, ensuring a new generation of leaders and professionals with a commitment to the local community.
In Botswana, both andBeyond Nxabega and andBeyond Xaranna share several community-based projects, including the drilling of water boreholes for the communities of Gogomaga and Tsutsubega so that their inhabitants have steady sources of usable water; and funding a school in the rural farming village of Sexaxa near Maun (where the area’s main airport is) so children no longer need to walk three hours, some of it through dangerous terrain, to attend the nearest school.
Longer-term development
Ongoing outreach and individual community projects aside, several safari companies have established philanthropic organizations or arms with a broader purview of economic development and social services not just in the areas where they operate, but in entire countries or regions.
Micato Safaris is one of the best-known luxury safari operators, partnering with premier lodges from multiple companies in Africa and Asia to create bespoke itineraries for its guests. However, it also underwrites AmericaShare, which was founded by a Micato Safaris employee named Lorna Macleod more than 35 years ago to support both community development and access to education in Mukuru, one the largest informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya.
Today, the philanthropy operates the Harambee Community Centre, which has library and computer facilities as well as recreational grounds, in Mukuru itself. Residents can come for a quiet place to study or work, look for employment and take advantage of other services. AmericaShare also supplies fresh, drinkable water in the area via multiple distribution points.
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Students hard at work at AmericaShare’s Harambee Community Centre. ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY
Guests who go on safari with Micato in Kenya get to visit the community center to learn more about its efforts and meet students who have benefited from AmericaShare’s various educational undertakings during their stay. Those include supplying school uniforms to local children, sponsoring scholarships to primary and secondary schools, and sending some of the most vulnerable children to private boarding schools around Nairobi. In fact, for every safari the company sells, Micato provides the funds to send a child to primary school.
Micato also supports other efforts like Huru International, which supplies sanitary kits and reproductive health education materials to young women (more than 210,000 to date) throughout East Africa who might otherwise have to miss school or work due to the lack of reproductive health services in rural communities. By empowering women to take their health into their own hands, Huru helps them support their families and communities (not to mention cultivating their own careers) in ways that would not otherwise be possible.
For its part, one of the most targeted yet impactful ways Wilderness carries out its conservation mission beyond the day-to-day and lodge-specific measures it takes is through its Children in the Wilderness program, which was founded in 2001.
The program aims to cultivate new generations of homegrown conservation leaders in Africa’s rural communities by hosting student clubs at schools with activities that focus on environmental sustainability and wildlife education. Children in the Wilderness even brings kids to one of its camps on a yearly basis (7,800 to date) so they can learn firsthand about the importance of wildlife conservation. The program provides scholarships to high-achieving students, and some even return to become guides with Wilderness.
On a recent trip to Botswana, my guide at Little DumaTau, Segopotso Oja (See for short), was a former participant of Children in the Wilderness. “I was born and raised in a small village called Eretsha, located in the eastern Okavango Panhandle,” Oja told me later by email when I contacted him after my trip to ask more about his experience with Children in the Wilderness.
“Wilderness works closely with the community in this area, and when I was 10 years old, I was given the opportunity to join a Children in the Wilderness Eco-Camp,” Oja continued. “Here I grew to learn about and love the wild, and recognize the importance of protecting our wilderness, and this experience inspired me to pursue a career as a guide.”
Spending time in the bush helps combat some of the negative portrayals of wild animals that village children are typically taught, Oja told me. “Once they explore the wilderness, this opens their minds and changes their way of thinking to realize the value of conservation and that there are other career opportunities available to them in the conservation and hospitality space.”
That’s the path that Oja himself took. He has since worked as a guide not only at Little DumaTau, but also two other Wilderness camps, Vumbura Plains and Mombo.
Oja also views his continuing role as an ambassador for Children in the Wilderness as crucial to the work he does and the future of conservation. “It gives me a chance to meet with youngsters when we host them in our camps,” Oja said, “and pass over the love of being a conservationist to the younger generation.”
Minimize your footprint and maximize your impact
Aside from picking a safari company with sustainability efforts you want to support, there are a few things you can do as a traveler to make your safari adventure more sustainable.
Long flights produce a lot of carbon, so you could consider a carbon offsetting scheme to reduce the footprint from your journey to your safari destination.
Don’t overpack since bush flights on small planes mean your luggage will be restricted anyway. What’s more, many safari camps provide free daily laundry, so you don’t have to bring too many outfits along. Plus, by limiting your luggage, you’ll reduce the amount of fuel burned on the planes carrying you to your various camps.
Among those clothes, make sure you bring some made from fabric with sun protection factor. That will reduce the amount of plastic-packaged sunblock you need to bring along. Opt for mineral-based sunscreens (look for those labeled as “reef-safe”) rather than conventional ones since the latter have chemicals that might be harmful to the environment as well as your own body chemistry, according to an increasing body of scientific evidence.
You might also want to leave your usual shampoo and conditioner at home since safari camps tend to provide eco-friendly, biodegradable products that are easier to manage waste-wise in the fragile ecosystems where they operate.
Finally, while safaris tend to be expensive, think about whether you can factor in a charitable donation to your budget. After all, if you’ve done your homework and picked a company with sustainability efforts you support, you might want to do just a little bit more good during your trip by making an unrestricted donation to the measures the group has underway.
Interest rate options enable investors to hedge, speculate on, or otherwise manage their exposure to interest rates. These financial derivatives are available as both puts and calls, and traded on major options exchanges.
Interest rates in the U.S. fluctuate continuously, with the Federal Reserve being a key driver, but not the only one. To mitigate these fluctuations, and also to profit from them, professional money managers turn to interest rates options as a source for risk management.
Interest rate options are sold on major options exchanges as standardized puts and calls, as the two main types of contracts are called in options terminology. Similar to puts and calls on equity securities, interest rate options represent directional bets on the value of an underlying asset.
The value of interest rate options is tied to yields on interest-rate-linked assets, typically Eurodollars and U.S. Treasuries of various maturities.
Buyers of interest rate options can buy exposure to various portions of the yield curve, for example, the 2-year, 5-year, and 10-year treasuries are standardized terms commonly sold on the CME Group exchanges. Professional money managers may use puts or calls at any given maturity to express their views on the future direction and volatility of interest rates.
How Interest Rate Options Work
Interest rate options afford the buyer the right to receive payment based on the spread between the yield of the underlying security on the expiration date and the original strike rate of the option, net of fees.
Interest rate options in the United States feature “European style” options exercise terms, which means they can only be exercised on the expiration date.
This contrasts with equity options, which more often contain “American style” exercise terms. This means they can be exercised at any time before they expire.
Buyers of interest rate options pay a “premium” per the terms of the options contract, which is the price paid by the buyer. Options pricing can be complex, to say the least, and to profit on a trade the buyer of the option will need interest rates to move in their favor enough to cover the cost of the option’s premium before they can profit.
In the event that interest rates don’t move in the option holder’s favor enough to overcome the strike rate, the option will expire worthless and the option holder incurs the total loss of their premium.
We’ll cover how this dynamic plays out with respect to both interest rate calls and puts.
How Do Interest Rate Call Options Work
Buyers of interest rate call options seek to benefit from rising interest rates. Should the yield on the underlying security close above its strike rate on the expiration date, the owner of an interest rate call option will receive a cash payout. This payout will be the difference between the option value at maturity and its strike.
Note that interest options are cash-settled. Unlike equity options, no exercise is required. If the rate is higher than the strike rate, the holder is paid the difference.
Interest rate call options, much like equity call options, give the buyer unlimited upside exposure to rising yields.
Holders of interest rate call options bear the risk that the option might expire out-of-the-money should interest rates remain beneath the strike by the expiration date. In this case, the maximum loss the owner of an interest rate call option can expect is limited to the premium paid.
How Do Interest Rate Put Options Work
In contrast, buyers of interest rate put options seek to benefit from falling interest rates. Interest rate puts give the put holder the right to receive payment based on the difference between the strike rate and the yield on the underlying security at expiration.
In this case, the strike rate is typically the maximum possible gain that a put holder may receive.
Holders of interest rate put options bear the risk that the option might expire worthless (out-of-the-money) if interest rates rise above the strike by the expiration date. In this case, the maximum loss the owner of an interest rate put option will incur is limited to the premium paid.
What Are the Risks of Trading Interest Rate Options?
Trading interest rate options involves enormous risk for any trader who either, 1) doesn’t understand the basic drivers of options valuation and interest rates, or 2) doesn’t understand how to structure their options trade properly to cap risk exposure. The corresponding leverage on options trades can result in enormous losses if improperly managed.
Traders will need to manage a number of key risks, and they may want to consider different strategies for trading options, when it comes to buying interest rate puts and calls. This includes “market risk,” which is the risk of price movements caused by any macroeconomic factor that affects the financial markets. It also includes “interest rate risk,” which is the risk that changes in interest rates might erode the value of one’s holdings.
Finally, user-friendly options trading is here.*
Trade options with SoFi Invest on an easy-to-use, intuitively designed online platform.
Interest Rate Option Example
As an example, an investor seeking to hedge (or protect) their portfolio against rising interest rates can choose to buy an interest rate call option on a 10-year Treasury bond, expiring in 2 months at a strike of $50.00.
Strikes on interest rate options are a pseudo-conversion where the interest rate is multiplied by 10x and denominated in dollars. Therefore a 5.0% rate converts to a strike price of $50.
If the option’s premium is quoted at $0.50, then buying a single interest rate call option would cost you a $50 total premium, as each interest rate option affords you exposure to 100 shares of the underlying.
If yields rise for the next 2 months until the option expires, the underlying might be worth $55 by the time it’s exercised.
In this instance, you can calculate your net profit using the following equation:
(Underlying rate at expiry – Strike Price) X 100 – Contract Premium = Profit
($55 – $50) X 100 ) – $50 = Profit
$5 X 100 – $50 = Profit
$500 – $50 = $450 net profit
Remember that each option contract grants exposure to 100 units of the underlying, while options premiums are quoted for a single unit of the underlying. Remember also to use the actual total contract premium paid, as well as introduce a multiplier of 100, when calculating your net profit.
The Takeaway
Interest rate options can be of interest to investors who understand the underlying drivers of these securities. They essentially provide direct exposure to interest rates, on a leveraged basis, at a relatively competitive cost.
When employed strategically, interest rate options enable investors to enhance their upside or mitigate their downside in a volatile rate environment.
If you’re ready to try your hand at options trading, You can set up an Active Invest account and trade options online from the SoFi mobile app or through the web platform.
And if you have any questions, SoFi offers educational resources about options to learn more. SoFi doesn’t charge commissions, and members have access to complimentary financial advice from a professional.
With SoFi, user-friendly options trading is finally here.
FAQ
What are interest rate future options?
Interest rate future options are futures contracts which derive their value from an underlying interest-bearing security. The buyer of an interest rate futures option (the “long position”) purchases the right to receive the interest rate payment in the contract, while the seller (the “short position”) is obligated to pay the interest rate on the underlying contract.
In either case, interest rate future options enable both buyer and seller to lock in the price on an interest-bearing security, for future delivery, which offers both parties some level of price certainty.
What is an interest rate swaption?
Interest rate swaptions represent the right, but not the obligation, to enter an interest rate swap agreement on an agreed-upon date.
In exchange for the contract premium, the buyer of an interest rate swaption can choose whether they want to be a fixed-rate payer (“payer swaption”), or fixed-rate receiver (“receiver swaption”) on the underlying swap, with the counterparty taking the variable rate side of the transaction.
Unlike standard interest rate options, swaptions are over-the-counter products, which means they allow for more customized terms, so there’s more variety when it comes to expiration, the style of options exercise, and the exact notional amount.
What is interest rate risk?
Interest rate risk is the exposure of an investment to fluctuating interest rates in the open market. Interest rates can change on a daily basis according to any number of market influences, including investor expectations, actions, or even statements made by central banks.
If interest rates rise on any given day, that shift will typically erode the value of bonds and most-other fixed income securities. Conversely, if interest rates were to fall, the market value of outstanding fixed-income securities will typically increase instead. Interest rate risk represents your investment exposure to these fluctuations in rates.
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SoFi Invest® The information provided is not meant to provide investment or financial advice. Also, past performance is no guarantee of future results. Investment decisions should be based on an individual’s specific financial needs, goals, and risk profile. SoFi can’t guarantee future financial performance. Advisory services offered through SoFi Wealth, LLC. SoFi Securities, LLC, member FINRA / SIPC . SoFi Invest refers to the three investment and trading platforms operated by Social Finance, Inc. and its affiliates (described below). Individual customer accounts may be subject to the terms applicable to one or more of the platforms below. 1) Automated Investing—The Automated Investing platform is owned by SoFi Wealth LLC, an SEC registered investment advisor (“Sofi Wealth“). Brokerage services are provided to SoFi Wealth LLC by SoFi Securities LLC, an affiliated SEC registered broker dealer and member FINRA/SIPC, (“Sofi Securities).
2) Active Investing—The Active Investing platform is owned by SoFi Securities LLC. Clearing and custody of all securities are provided by APEX Clearing Corporation.
3) Cryptocurrency is offered by SoFi Digital Assets, LLC, a FinCEN registered Money Service Business.
For additional disclosures related to the SoFi Invest platforms described above, including state licensure of Sofi Digital Assets, LLC, please visit www.sofi.com/legal.
Neither the Investment Advisor Representatives of SoFi Wealth, nor the Registered Representatives of SoFi Securities are compensated for the sale of any product or service sold through any SoFi Invest platform. Information related to lending products contained herein should not be construed as an offer or prequalification for any loan product offered by SoFi Bank, N.A. Options involve risks, including substantial risk of loss and the possibility an investor may lose the entire amount invested in a short period of time. Before an investor begins trading options they should familiarize themselves with the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options . Tax considerations with options transactions are unique, investors should consult with their tax advisor to understand the impact to their taxes. SOIN0522014
The role of municipal bond insurance continues to decline in the municipal market, with insured bonds comprising only 11% of year-to-date new issuance through July.
Ambac, one of the largest bond insurers, was downgraded further into “junk” territory in July, and of the ten municipal bond insurers, only three maintain a financial strength rating of AA or higher.
Some positive news may lie on the horizon for investors seeking the highest rated municipals bonds, but it is unlikely insurance will return to the pre-crisis role it played in the municipal market.
While the diminished role of insurance is a negative, we believe it is not enough to offset positive aspects driving performance of the municipal bond market.
The role of bond insurance continues to decline in the municipal market, with insured bonds comprising only 11% of year-to-date new issuance through July.
Prior to the start of the financial crisis in 2007, municipal bond insurers backed roughly half of the entire municipal market.
In 2008, municipal bond insurers began to lose their AAA ratings status, as projected losses on complex mortgage-backed securities led to downgrades from both Moody’s and S&P. For bond issuers, insurance from a company with less than a AAA rating offered little value.
The percentage of newly issued insured bonds dropped to 18% in 2008 and to 11% so far in 2009 according to Bloomberg.
More Junk in the Municipal Realm
Negative headlines continued in July as Ambac, one of the four largest bond insurers, was downgraded further into “junk” territory. Ambac’s ratings were reduced to Caa2 by Moody’s and to CC by S&P, and the downgrades have forced the company to postpone plans to separate its municipal insurance business from its structured mortgaged-backed securities business into a new, more viable company. Of the major municipal bond insurers, only three maintain a rating of AA or better. In table 1, “Credit Watch” indicates a possible rating change in the coming weeks or months; “Outlook” indicates the likely longer-term ratings direction over the next six to twelve months; and “Developing” implies that any change (positive, negative, or none) is possible.
Moody’s has taken a particularly harsh path towards the municipal insurers, stating that a municipal-only insurance model is not viable. Although the ratings agency’s reasoning has been less than clear and perhaps politically motivated, Moody’s believes a AAA-rating is unobtainable for any company given the uncertainty inherent in their business models.
Market impact from negative news, such as the Ambac headlines, has become more muted in 2009. Most insured bonds were already trading in relation to their underlying ratings. The insurers actually took great care with their municipal business (unlike their mortgage business in many cases) and focused on higher quality issuers. Roughly 90% of insured bonds carry an underlying rating of A or better, so insurer downgrades below A have caused fewer corresponding bond downgrades. So although Ambac’s downgrade did result in some subsequent bond downgrades, the ratings on the majority of Ambac insured bonds were unaffected. An insured municipal bond is rated at the higher of the insurer’s rating or its underlying rating (the rating based solely on the municipality’s credit profile).
What’s next for Municipal Bond Insurance?
Since there is no economic value from bond insurance unless it results in at least an A rating for the bond, many of the insurers rated below BBB are now in “runoff” mode. In runoff, the insurers do not underwrite new business (as is the case with Ambac) and simply collect money on insurance premiums already written. Over several years, the insurer hopes that premiums will be enough to offset potential losses on all claims and then attempt to reestablish the business or simply return any excess proceeds to equity and/or bondholders.
An insurer is still liable to pay claims (i.e., a default or missed interest payment) even if in runoff, since they maintain some claims paying ability. Given the potential mountain of claims against the existing capital base (particularly from those subject to sub-prime mortgage exposure), it is uncertain whether these insurers will be able to meet future claims. A bond insurer is required to make up any missed interest payments, but principal repayment, in the case of default, is not made until maturity or until bankruptcy is resolved, whichever comes first.
Potential positives
A potential new insurer and possible new federal legislation could be positive developments for investors seeking the highest quality municipal bonds. Municipal and Infrastructure Assurance Corporation (MIAC), backed by investment bank Macquarie Group and private equity firm Citadel, is attempting to enter the market over coming months as a AAA-rated, municipal bond only insurer. Increasing the pool of AAA-rated bonds would bring in more investors to the municipal market.
The House Financial Services Committee has proposed two bills to be voted on this fall that could affect municipal bond ratings:
The Municipal Bond Fairness Act would require the rating agencies to rate municipal bonds more consistently with other bonds, such as corporate bonds. Since investment grade municipal bonds have exhibited a much lower default rate than comparably rated corporate bonds, this requirement could result in one to two-notch upgrades for thousands of municipal bonds. Moody’s was set to implement such a plan last fall but indefinitely postponed the implementation due to the credit crisis and recession.
The Municipal Bond Insurance Enhancement Act would create a federal financial guarantor to reinsure bonds backed by municipal only insurers. However, the proposed dollar amount of $50 billion is relatively small and could have a limited impact.
Even if these events come to fruition, we don’t expect bond insurance to return to its pre-crisis status. The municipal bond market continues to forge ahead regardless.
We think the rally in municipal bonds will continue, even with insurance questions lingering, but at a more gradual pace. The diminished role of municipal bond insurance is one reason why municipal valuations remain cheap by historical norms despite the impressive rally so far this year. Even without insurance, however, high-quality municipal bonds have exhibited very low default rates. The municipal market continues to benefit from a favorable supply-demand balance, attractive valuations, and the prospect of higher tax rates. Taken together these factors should outweigh insurance woes. On a longer-term basis, the expiration of the Bush tax cuts in 2010 alone could more than offset the lack of insurance and be a catalyst to still higher municipal bond valuations.
IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES
The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. To determine which investment(s) may be appropriate for you, consult your financial advisor prior to investing. All performance reference is historical and is no guarantee of future results. All indices are unmanaged and cannot be invested into directly.
Neither LPL Financial nor any of its affiliates make a market in the investment being discussed nor does LPL Financial or its affiliates or its officers have financial interest in any securities of the issuer whose investment is being recommended neither LPL Financial nor its affiliates have managed or co-managed a public offering of any securities of the issuer in the past 12 months.
Government bonds and Treasury Bills are guaranteed by the US government as to the timely payment of principal and interest and, if held to maturity, offer a fixed rate of return and fi xed principal value. However, the value of funds shares is not guaranteed and will fluctuate.
The market value of corporate bonds will fluctuate, and if the bond is sold prior to maturity, the investor’s yield may differ from the advertised yield. Bonds are subject to market and interest rate risk if sold prior to maturity. Bond values will decline as interest rates rise and are subject to availability and change in price. High Yield/Junk Bonds are not investment grade securities, involve substantial risks and generally should be part of the diversified portfolio of sophisticated investors. GNMA’s are guaranteed by the U.S. government as to the timely principal and interest, however this guarantee does not apply to the yield, nor does it protect against loss of principal if the bonds are sold prior to the payment of all underlying mortgages.
Muni Bonds are subject to market and interest rate risk if sold prior to maturity. Bond values will decline as interest rates rise. Interest income may be subject to the alternative minimum tax. Federally tax-free but other state and state and local taxes may apply.
Investing in mutual funds involve risk, including possible loss of principal. Investments in specialized industry sectors have additional risks, which are outlines in the prospectus.
Stock investing involves risk including loss of principal.
Best for cash back: Maximum Rewards® World Mastercard® by Amalgamated Bank
Pros
No annual fee
Unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases
$30 bonus (30,000 points) when you spend $600 within the first three billing cycles
0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 12 billing cycles
Cons
Higher variable APR on purchases and balance transfers after the introductory period
3% foreign transaction fee
Features
Travel insurance including
Amalgamated Bank supports a number of different causes from environmental sustainability to workers’ rights, and it’s union-owned to boot. Founded in 1923, it’s been rallying behind rallying people for over a century. It’s net-zero and run on renewable energy, pro-union, an ally to immigrants, and politically progressive.
But we’re here to talk about the credit card too. The Maximum Rewards® World Mastercard® is a rewards credit card that earns 1.5% rewards on all purchases. It’s got a great 12-month intro APR, a signup bonus, and good redemption flexibility — all without an annual fee.
Choose this option if you want to have your cake and eat it too (i.e. side with a bank that’s doing some good and still get a great flat-rate cash back card).
Learn more.
Best socially responsible card: Rewards Platinum Visa® from Green America
Pros
No annual fee
Unlimited one point per dollar on all purchases
0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 12 billing cycles
$150,000 in Travel Accident Insurance
Cons
1% foreign transaction fee
Features
Donates a portion of profits to charities
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Maybe you’ve heard of Green America, the nonprofit working to combat climate change, promote ethical practices and corporate governance, fight for social justice, and more. Green America’s work covers a broad range of issues, and its credit card, the Rewards Platinum Visa®, supports these efforts with every transaction. And it earns unlimited points on everything.
This affinity card has a fairly competitive APR, doesn’t charge an annual fee, and has a few nice benefits like travel insurance and a lower foreign transaction fee. But it’s not perfect, and we wish it were more clear about how donations worked and where exactly they were going.
This is a good choice if you’re interested in socially responsible causes and giving back.
Learn more.
Best card for charitable donations: Charity Charge Card
Pros
No annual fee
Lower interest rate on purchases
Cons
Does not earn rewards
2% foreign transaction fee
Features
Donates 1% of all purchases to the charity of your choice
The Charity Charge Card automatically gives to charity every time you use it. Can your current card do that?
When you apply for this credit card, you get to choose the nonprofit you want your spending to automatically benefit. If a nonprofit is set up to receive credit card donations, it is likely available as an option. Bonus: your donations may qualify for charitable tax deductions, which can help the fact that you otherwise won’t earn rewards or cash back sting a little less.
Since donations are calculated as a percentage of spending, you’ll have a greater impact the more regularly you use this card. If you don’t want to miss out on rewards entirely, you could use this card for some of your spending that wouldn’t qualify for the best rates otherwise.
Learn more.
Read more: Want To Help But Can’t Give Cash? 10 Alternatives To Donating Money
Best secured credit card: Secured Mastercard® by Amalgamated Bank
Pros
Potential for a credit limit increase in as little as seven months after opening
Set your own credit line between $300 and $5,000
Potential to receive security deposit back in as little as 11 months with on-time payments
Cons
Does not earn rewards or cash back
$35 annual fee
3% foreign transaction fee
Features
Set your own limit and qualify for a credit limit increase
The Secured Mastercard® by Amalgamated Bank is a decent low-fee secured card for eco-conscious borrowers. It has a minimum limit of $300 and a maximum of $5,000, and your line is determined by your security deposit. This carries a modest annual fee (for a secured card) of $35 and fairly average interest rates, and it’s a little more flexible than the average competitor.
You may be eligible for a credit limit increase in as little as seven months after opening an account with responsible use and can get your deposit back in less than a year.
This is a good option for borrowers with little or poor credit, but you should only choose this if you couldn’t qualify for one of the others, as it doesn’t earn rewards and has higher fees.
Learn more.
Best for travel: Visa Signature Card (Climate Card) by Beneficial State Bank
Pros
No annual fee
Unlimited one point per dollar on all purchases
Cons
1% foreign transaction fee
Features
Travel insurance and protection including: Travel & emergency assistance services, travel accident insurance, auto rental collision damage waiver, and roadside dispatch
Beneficial State Bank is a purpose-driven financial institution with an eco-friendly card for people who may want their spending to help out green charities and nonprofits.
The Climate Card is similar to the Rewards Platinum Visa by Green America in that it earns flat-rate rewards that can be donated to charity. But unlike the Green America card, the Climate Card has you choose what happens to your points. So if you want to donate them, you can. But if you want to instead redeem for cash or travel, that’s your prerogative too.
This is a good travel card because it has a 1% foreign transaction fee (compared to 1% or 2%) and comes with benefits like insurance and roadside dispatch. And because it lets you choose between keeping your points and donating them, it’s also one of the most flexible choices.
Learn more.
Best fee-free credit card (for people in Washington): Verity Signature Rewards Visa
Pros
No annual fee
No foreign transaction fee
1.5 points per dollar on all purchases
0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 12 billing cycles
Cons
Only people in Washington state are eligible to join Verity Credit Union
Features
Signature Rewards Visa protection benefits including: extended warranty protection, emergency assistance travel services, accident insurance, and more
Credit cards without foreign transaction fees can be hard to come by, but this card makes it happen. The Signature Rewards Visa by Verity Credit Union charges no annual fee and no foreign transaction fee, giving it a huge advantage over all the others on this list. But it has the huge disadvantage of being only available to people in the state of Washington.
Points can be redeemed for cash, travel, gift cards, or purchases and there are no restrictions for earning. There’s also an intro APR offer of 12 months on purchases and balance transfers, making this comparable to many rewards cards on the market. If you do qualify to join Verity, consider it for this — especially if you’re on the fence about eco-friendly cards.
This is a good card from an admirable credit union, but it won’t be a fit for everyone (or most).
Learn more.
Best debit card for earning: Aspiration Spend and Save
Pros
Up to 10% cash back on eligible Conscience Coalition purchases
Earns up to 3.00% interest with qualifying debit activity
Cons
Monthly fees for the Plus Plan ($7.99 a month paid monthly or $5.99 a month paid annually)
Does not earn cash back on all purchases
Does not build credit
Features
$10 minimum deposit
Additional green benefits like carbon offsetting and planting trees with purchases
The Aspiration Spend & Save account offers a debit card that earns rewards like a credit card and comes with a whole host of eco-friendly benefits. There are two plans to choose from.
The base Aspiration plan uses a “pay what is fair” fee structure and the Aspiration Plus plan costs $5.99 or $7.99 a month depending on if you pay monthly or annually. The Aspiration plan pays up to 1.00% interest and up to 3% – 5% cash back while the Aspiration Plus plan pays up to 3.00% interest and 10% cash back on Conscience Coalition spending.
Both have features like early direct deposit and the ability to plant trees when you spend, but only the Aspiration Plus account includes additional automatic offsets and Purchase Assurance. If you decide this account is right for you, pick the Plus Plan to maximize benefits.
Read our full Aspiration review.
Aspiration Zero Credit Card
Aspiration used to offer a credit card called the Aspiration Zero Credit Card, but they are no longer accepting new applications. Now, this bank’s only individual solution is the Spend & Save account, a rewards-earning checking account with a debit card.
Best debit card for eco-friendly spending: FutureCard Visa Debit Card
Pros
No monthly fees or annual fee
6% cash back on eligible purchases at FuturePartners
5% cash back on “climate-smart spending” purchases such as EV charging, bikes and scooters, public transit, etc.
Cons
Does not earn cash back on all purchases
Does not build credit
Features
See your climate impact using your FutureScore
Complete missions to earn FutureCoins
The FutureCard Visa Debit Card earns rewards based on your spending habits. The more eco-friendly your purchases, the more you’ll earn.
With this card, you’ll get points for “climate-smart spending.” This is defined as purchases with a lower carbon footprint, and examples include electric vehicle charging and secondhand items. There’s no cap on earnings but you won’t earn cash back on all purchases.
This card is also unique because it provides you with a summary of your impact in the form of a FutureScore. The app then gives you suggestions for living more sustainably and pays FutureCoins, which can be redeemed for cash, when you complete Missions. Look out for promotions and bonus days to earn even more cash back on your purchases.
Learn more.
Best business credit card for nonprofits: Charity Charge Nonprofit Business Card
Pros
No annual fee
Discounts and rebates on business spending
Cons
Does not earn rewards
Features
Mastercard Zero Liability protection
If you own or work for a nonprofit and are looking for a business credit card, look no further than the Charity Charge Nonprofit Business Card. This business card is exclusively for nonprofits and works with over 2,000 nonprofits to meet their spending and financing needs.
This card doesn’t charge an annual fee and offers service benefits specifically geared toward not-for-profit rather than for-profit institutions. These include expert guidance from the support team and dedicated representatives.
The Charity Charge Nonprofit Business Card is ideal for nonprofits with less credit to work with, especially newer and growing organizations.
Learn more.
🌳 What is an eco-friendly credit card?
An eco-friendly credit card or green credit card has a positive environmental impact.
There isn’t one single type of eco-friendly credit card, as the term “green” looks a little different to everyone, but the point is that they’re better for the planet. There are also green and eco-friendly debit cards.
A card might be green if it:
Has a smaller carbon footprint than the average card
Rewards you for eco-friendly spending
Donates to environmental nonprofits
Plants trees with each transaction
These are just a few examples.
There are also cards that have a more general positive impact. For example, they might support socially responsible missions such as fair labor and equal housing. These can benefit the planet but might also benefit other causes as well. The Rewards Platinum Visa® from Green America is a good example of this.
Pros and cons of greener cards
Green credit and debit cards aren’t for everyone, but for some might be just what they’ve been looking for. Here are a few of the main pros and cons to consider with this type of product.
👍 Pros
Eco-friendly cards offer many benefits for people with environmental — or financial — goals.
Some allow you to donate to charities without using money out of your own pocket, and these donations could be tax deductible. The best ones even let you choose the charity.
Others incentivize you to be more eco-friendly in your spending habits by handing you the most rewards points for green purchases. This could help you live more sustainably.
And a few have their own unique benefits, like Aspiration’s tree-planting with transactions.
Many of these cards earn some sort of rewards for spending, with several offering flat rates on everything. And a handful also have everyday perks like purchase protection and discounts too.
👎 Cons
While greener cards offer benefits like lowering your impact and motivating yourself to make more sustainable choices, they do require you to compromise in some areas.
When it comes to rewards you actually earn, most of these cards just aren’t as competitive as others. The highest rate we’ve seen for green credit cards is 1.5% cash back, and this is the lowest base rate for many of the best rewards cards out there. And you might not have a lot of flexibility in how you redeem these rewards with an eco-friendly card.
These cards also don’t have as much going for them in the perks department. They have leaner travel benefits, if any at all, and very few free features.
Sure, the satisfaction of knowing you’re helping the planet is rewarding, but it might not help you save money and isn’t as flashy as what other cards offer.
Who are eco-friendly credit cards and debit cards best for?
If your spending habits make sense for one of these cards and you’re willing to compromise on rewards some in order to do good with your dollars, an eco-friendly card could be right for you.
You might decide to go green with your card because you don’t want to support big banks with harmful practices that hurt the planet, people, or both. For example, many major card issuers are responsible for enormous carbon footprints and lend money to fossil fuel companies.
Some are also involved in scandals, wrapped up in politics, and sneaky about where they spend money. It’s not a good look.
If you want to be part of something different, these cards are just one way to do that.
Read more: What is public banking?
Who are eco-friendly credit cards and debit cards not ideal for?
Don’t go for a green credit card or socially responsible card if your number one priority is earning the most rewards. These cards have lower payouts than others, fewer options for redemption, and often less earning flexibility.
Eco-friendly credit and debit cards are not yet on par with the rest of the options in the personal finance world. And until they have higher rewards rates and more benefits overall, they’re not likely to become mainstream any time soon.
Fortunately for those who want to help the planet but don’t want to sign up for one of these cards, there are other ways to spend more sustainably. This next section is for you.
What if you don’t want a green credit card?
If you don’t want to have to compromise on rewards — or you just don’t need a new card — but still want to make a positive impact, you can skip the card and do these things:
Click the link below for more ways to make your money green.
Read more: 12 easy ways to make your money green and protect our planet
Summary
There are many green credit and debit cards to choose from, each with its own benefits for your wallet and the environment. We’ve highlighted the best here, but even some of these leave a little to be desired when it comes to rewards earning, perks, and redemption.
But if this category catches on as consumers grow more conscious of their impact on the planet, more eco-friendly cards will be available and this space will become more competitive.