Rhys Subitch
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Articles by Rhys Subitch
Best high-yield savings accounts of September 2026 (Up to 4.20%)
Read review Happen Bank Rating: 4.8 stars out of 5 4.8 Bankrate savings score Bankrate Savings rating = 4.8/5 Bankrate scores are objectively determined by our editorial team. Annual percentage yields (APYs), minimum opening deposit requirements and minimum balances to avoid monthly service fees are some of the things that make up Bankrate’s score. Annual percentage yield 4.00% – 4.20% Min. balance for APY $0 Min. deposit to open $0 Why Happen Bank?
CuraDebt Review | Bankrate
At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict , this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for . At a glance Overall Score 4.6 Overview CuraDebt may not be the best solution for everyone — especially if you're on the fence about whether to use a debt relief service at all.
Citizens Debt Relief Review
At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict , this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for . At a glance Overall Score 4.1 Overview Citizens Debt Relief has only been serving customers for the past five years. The structure is similar to most debt relief organizations where consumers will begin making monthly payments to be used to pay down debts that the organization will negotiate.
Century Support Services Review
At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict , this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for . At a glance Overall Score 4.2 Overview Century Support Services has settled $1.7 billion in debt for its 250,000+ customers.
GreenPath Financial Wellness debt management Review
At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict , this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for . At a glance Overall Score 4.7 Overview GreenPath Financial Wellness is a credit counseling and debt management company that has helped thousands across the US learn more about their finances and reduce their debt.
New Era Debt Solutions Review
At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict , this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for . At a glance Overall Score 4.5 Overview If you are on the search for last resort, New Era Debt Solutions can be a reliable option. Since its debut, New Era Debt Solutions has settled over $275 million in debt. Its team is made up of debt relief specialists, financial experts, attorneys, and support staff.
Auto Loan Refinancing Guide
Less expensive monthly payments Ability to pay off the loan sooner Lower interest rates CONS Potential fees More paperwork Could extend loan Is auto refinancing right for you? Auto refinance is the right choice if you can save money — specifically on incurred interest — or you need relief and can't get your loan modified. But as interest rates continue to rise due to high inflation, determining if it is right for you requires extra consideration.
Student Lines Of Credit May Ease Overborrowing
Image by GettyImages; Illustration by Bankrate Table of contents What exactly is a student line of credit? The implications of using a student credit line Could credit lines be part of the solution to overborrowing? What's your next step in paying for college? If we have long been guilty of over-borrowing student loans for college, perhaps part of the solution is using a different — but similar — private financial product.
How BNPL Stands Up Against Personal Loans Original
Buy now, pay later (BNPL) can provide a zero-interest alternative to personal loans. Like personal loans, BNPL won’t hurt your credit utilization ratio. The shortest-term BNPL are typically interest-free compared to rates of up to 36% for personal loans. Your BNPL limit typically grows with on-time repayments. If you’ve thought about taking out a buy now, pay later loan, you’re not alone. Bankrate’s Buy Now, Pay Later Survey found that nearly one-third of Americans (30 percent) have used BNPL.
Which States Will Be Hit Hardest By SAVE Plan Ending?
Like a bar that wants to close at 2 a.m., the Education Department is urging student loan borrowers to switch from SAVE — the most generous of the income-driven repayment plans for federal student loans. Yes, ending SAVE’s interest-free forbearance is tantamount to last call. Except in this case, borrowers don’t just pick up their tab — their outstanding balance is going to increase suddenly and significantly. Unfortunately, it affects federal loan-holders nationwide.
Will College Costs Decline With Federal Borrowing Limits?
Yuliia Kaveshnikova/Getty Images Table of contents Is the cost of college still rising? Will new limits lower the net price of college? How you can pay less for college What if, this whole time, the rising cost of college was wrapped within a fairly simple catch-22: More federal funding helps students afford school — but it also causes higher sticker prices for everyone.
What We Know About The Workforce Pell So Far
The Big Beautiful Bill Act (BBB) will reshape how Americans repay student loans, but the Trump Administration’s landmark legislation is also expected to affect how we pay for nontraditional higher education. The BBB’s new version of the Pell Grant, dubbed the “Workforce Pell Grant,” will be available July 1, 2026. It will provide gift aid that doesn’t need to be repaid for students enrolled in accredited short-duration skills-training programs, mostly at technical and community colleges.
5 Legitimate Federal Student Loan Repayment Loopholes
As a certified student loan counselor, I’m often asked if there are any quick fixes or secret hacks to getting rid of education debt overnight. (Spoiler alert: There’s not.) There are, however, ways of “working the system” in a perfectly legal fashion. So, when I sought to catalog legitimate loan repayment loopholes, I checked in with the country’s foremost experts. What I got back was a mixed bag of responses: I don’t have time for this. I’m not well versed in this.
4 Lenders That Offer Payment Flexibility In An Uncertain Economy
Data shows that tariffs, inflation and a possible recession are on the minds of American consumers — and for good reason. All you have to do is catch the headlines to know why. With all the financial strain, some of us will look to a personal loan to get through it, particularly if it’s a route to consolidating high-interest debt. America shares $5 trillion in non-housing consumer debt, according to early 2025 data from the .
How To Borrow With Confidence By Untangling And Unlearning Debt Avoidance
What is an Expert Contributor? At Bankrate, we believe in providing our audience with trustworthy and actionable personal finance coverage. Our exclusive Expert Contributor Program includes industry experts who directly share their knowledge and perspectives, empowering you to make informed financial decisions.
BNPL Guidance Has Been Reversed: What's Next For Consumers? Original
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) reported in June that buy now, pay later (BNPL) plans, the four-payments-in-six-weeks loan you can find from many online retailers, aren’t causing repayment struggles or financial distress for first-time borrowers. That’s a huge sigh of relief — and something of a surprise — if you read the agency’s BNPL analysis in January.
ZYNLO Bank Review 2026
On This Page At a glance Overview Nationwide service. Solid APYs across all deposit products. Large ATM network. Budgeting and savings tools. Highlights: High APY No Min Balance No Monthly Fees Highlights: High APY No Min Balance No Monthly Fees 4.5 Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 Bankrate Score Bankrate scores are objectively determined by our editorial team. Our scoring formula weighs several factors consumers should consider when choosing financial products and services.
What I Ask My Clients Before They Use Debt To Vacation
When you’re working hard to build financial security, deciding to spend thousands of dollars on a vacation can feel complicated to say the least. You’ve been paying off debt and building a checking account buffer. Maybe even investing for the first time. But you also want to celebrate a big birthday, take your first solo trip or finally explore the place you’ve been daydreaming about for years. So you start ruminating: Can I really afford to go? Should I put it on a credit card?
How This Borrower Refinanced Their Defaulted Student Loans
With about $160,000 in delinquent private student loans and monthly payments she couldn’t afford, Caitlin Cipriano was tired of hearing from debt collectors. So, you can understand Cipriano’s hesitation when a refinancing lender asked her to purposefully ignore her debt. “The calls got more and more intense,” recalls Cipriano, a Connecticut-based clinical social worker.
Should You Say Yes To A Family Member’s Auto Loan Request?
What is an Expert Contributor? At Bankrate, we believe in providing our audience with trustworthy and actionable personal finance coverage. Our exclusive Expert Contributor Program includes industry experts who directly share their knowledge and perspectives, empowering you to make informed financial decisions.
Student Loan Delinquency & Voting Lines: What We Know
Amidst all the news about how Trump policies will increase costs for Americans, little has been said about how this administration’s student loan repayment policy, or lack of one, might adversely impact the borrowers who cast their ballots for its leader.
Personal Finance Experts Weigh In On One-Job Model Original
The traditional mantra of financial advice seems to revolve around four core points: get a college degree, get a job, borrow little and save more. Within those categories you’ll find tips on investing and budgeting, and even complex guidance on how to diversify your investments and expand your credit mix for a tip-top credit score. Most of this advice, however, revolves around a one-job, one-career mindset that many of us are taught in high school and college. The results?
How A Personal Loan Helped One Woman When Insurance Didn't Original
Terri Graham is 5 feet, 2 inches tall, so if she stepped off her porch during the worst of the 2023 flood, water would encircle her waist. Graham’s upstate New York town suffered a 1,000-year flood on July 9, 2023, and soon after, the governor declared a state of emergency. Nearly six inches of rain fell within a few hours that evening and would cause more than $1 million in property damage.
Should You Take Out Consumer Or Community Debt?
For many first-generation wealth builders, borrowing money can feel like a deeply personal decision — one shaped not just by credit scores and interest rates, but by cultural values, family expectations and emotional ties. Especially in communities rooted in mutual aid and collective care, there’s often a choice to make: Should I lean on loved ones or take on debt from a bank? Each path comes with its own trade-offs, and it’s normal to feel conflicted.
Midyear Debt Check-in: How To Review & Reset
Halfway through the year is the perfect time to pause, reflect and realign your financial intentions. Life changes — new jobs, unexpected bills, health changes or economic uncertainty — can impact the pace and direction of your debt payoff plan. Pausing to reassess is an invitation to adapt your strategy with compassion and clarity. Debt payoff, and financial freedom overall, is rarely a straight line, which is why this kind of check-in matters.
J.D. Power's Bruce Gehrke Speaks To Borrower Health Original
What if we told you that, according to J.D. Power, only 1 out of every 4 personal loan borrowers identify themselves as “financially healthy”?
Money Advice From 3 Dads: Timeless Truths & Outdated Rules Original
The money lessons we carry into adulthood often begin with what we overhear on our way to school or, just as often, what no one talks about at all. For many of us, our parents’ views on debt become the default settings in our financial lives. Whether it was a cautionary tale about credit cards or a hard-won belief in living below one’s means, their influence lingers.
How Strong Emotional Health Can Build Financial Resilience Original
Each May, Mental Health Awareness Month invites us to reflect on the invisible burdens we carry and to speak openly about what it takes to feel well. And while May has recently come to a close, this topic is still on my mind, as I’m sure it’s on many of yours. When it comes to prioritization and paying off debt, the conversation often centers around numbers, but capacity can be just as real of a challenge.
Why I Intentionally Dropped My 813 Credit Score Original
When I finally joined the 800 credit score club in 2020, I felt proud. As a first gen Latina, who grew up in a household where money wasn’t discussed — but where having your credit card declined was clearly “no bueno” — reaching a score of 813 felt like a big deal. Despite not growing up with financial literacy, I made it. I was “good with money.” That’s why, as a money and self-care coach, admitting that I intentionally dropped my credit score into the 700s feels a little nerve-wracking.
Who Benefits From The Potential Auto Tax Deduction?
It started out as a presidential campaign promise and, during the Trump Administration’s first 100 days in office, it became a way to appease anyone and everyone concerned about tariffs’ impact on affordability. Now, there are multiple bills in Congress pushing for it, too. The question is: Would a tax deduction on auto loan interest paid toward an American-made car make any real difference to the average American car-buyer? Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) and Rep.
What You Can Learn From A Surgeon's Debt Payoff Journey
Dr. Ryan Bly never imagined making student loan payments for twice the amount of his mortgage. Still, making those extra payments toward his medical school debt somehow made all the sense in the world. “I didn’t want this looming behemoth of a loan to be the only thing that was driving my life,” says Bly, a Wisconsin-based general and trauma surgeon. That mindset — plus leveraging student loan refinancing three times — helped Bly and his family dispatch about $450,000 in federal loans.
5 Moms, 5 Paths & A Shared Commitment to Financial Wellness Original
Managing debt can be challenging — especially for mothers, who are often tracking far more than just numbers on a spreadsheet. Every mom’s financial journey is shaped by her family structure, caregiving responsibilities, health, income goals and emotional bandwidth. Financial decisions are strategic responses to the demands of each mother’s life. A payment plan that makes sense for one mom might feel impossible for another.
Tariffs Shouldn't Drive Your Next Car Purchase
On March 26, 2025, President Trump announced a new 25 percent tariff on imported cars and car parts, which took effect on May 3, 2025. Just a month after the original announcement, a follow-up executive order introduced adjustments that offer potential discounts to companies manufacturing vehicles within the U.S. The intent is clear: make foreign cars more expensive to encourage domestic car production.
Your Guide To Keeping Calm In Uncertain Economic Times
What is an Expert Contributor? At Bankrate, we believe in providing our audience with trustworthy and actionable personal finance coverage. Our exclusive Expert Contributor Program includes industry experts who directly share their knowledge and perspectives, empowering you to make informed financial decisions.
How much Americans are losing by keeping money in low-yield accounts
Table of contents The high cost of low-yield accounts Why people stay with low-yield accounts The power of compound interest over time Online banks gaining market share How to maintain your banking relationship Steps to switch to a high-yield savings account Key takeaways Traditional banks like Chase and Wells Fargo typically offer just 0.01% APY on savings accounts, while online banks offer around 4%.
How Personal Loans Can Help You Navigate Tariffs Original
Tariffs won’t have any direct impact on personal loans or personal loan rates. Banks may tighten personal loan standards for bad credit if the economy worsens. Personal loans used for debt consolidation could improve your scores and save you money on other financial products to offset tariff-induced price increases. It doesn’t make sense to borrow money to borrow money to buy goods to avoid potential price increases from tariffs.
How To Make Debt Work For You While Unemployed
What is an Expert Contributor? At Bankrate, we believe in providing our audience with trustworthy and actionable personal finance coverage. Our exclusive Expert Contributor Program includes industry experts who directly share their knowledge and perspectives, empowering you to make informed financial decisions.
Find Joy In Your Budget While Paying Off Debt In 5 Steps
Debt doesn’t mean you have to send all your extra cash toward repayments and stop enjoying your life. It is possible to carry debt while still traveling, replacing worn-out clothes and spending time with loved ones on the weekends. Nobody wants debt freedom at the expense of their joy. But joy becomes difficult to maintain when you’re stressed about money.
4 Ways To Put Your Tax Refund To Work For Your Finances
You just found out that you’re getting a tax refund and are considering using it to make a lump-sum payment toward your credit card debt. Before you do, let’s make sure you are setting yourself up for long-term financial security — not just temporary debt relief. With credit card interest rates hovering around 20 percent, it’s understandable to want to pay them off quickly.
Personal Loans Vs. HELOCs When You're Poised To Sell Original
HELOCs tie up equity you might need to make a down payment on a new home. Personal loans can be funded quickly since lenders don’t vet your home’s value for approval. Closing costs may be significantly lower than HELOCs, with many excellent credit lenders offering no-fee options. With home prices at record highs and mortgage rates dropping ever so slightly, homeowners may be ready to get serious about selling their homes.
How To Overcome A Bad Loan Decision In 5 Steps Original
Nobody makes the perfect financial decision every time. A choice can even seem solid at the outset, then turn bad later. Like, say, taking out an auto loan — even one with a great rate — for a Tesla mere months before the automaker dropped prices. After the dip, “I was underwater on my loan,” says North Carolina resident Jay Casimir, meaning that he suddenly owed more on his debt than his new electric wheels were worth.
What Former CFPB Ombudsman Wants Student Loan Borrowers To Know
Julia Barnard was working her “dream job,” pouring her “heart into the work” of helping education debtors nationwide. Until Barnard — the last student loan ombudsman at the hotly-contested Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) — was abruptly (and some argue, illegally) fired by the Trump Administration on Feb. 13. Barnard’s job was to work directly with then-CFPB director, Rohit Chopra, on student loan policy and strategy to address America’s over $1.6 trillion education debt.
How To Boost Your Personal Loan Approval Odds
A good or excellent credit score gives you the best chance of getting a personal loan with attractive terms. If your credit score isn’t up to par, try improving it or finding a co-applicant to help boost your approval odds. The amount you borrow and your debt-to-income ratio also play a role in the lender’s decision.
States With Free College Tuition
Tuition-free college programs are available in at least 32 U.S. states, offering students the opportunity to reduce or eliminate tuition costs for their degrees. Most of these programs have eligibility criteria, such as graduating from an in-state high school and enrolling full-time. Some programs have specific academic performance or financial need requirements.
How To Finance A Tiny Home: 6 Options To Consider
Tiny homes are often not eligible for mortgage loans but are eligible for other financing options, like personal and home equity loans. Manufacturers or builders may offer in-house financing options that could offer better rates than lenders or banks. Depending on the details of your tiny home, it may not be eligible for other financing options. As the cost of housing in America continues to skyrocket, downsizing to a micro-living space has become an increasingly popular trend.
What Is The Real Cost Of An Emergency When You Use A Loan? Original
Borrowing money for an emergency can come with extra costs, like interest, origination fees and penalties. An emergency fund can keep you from borrowing money and paying extra for unexpected expenses. Alternative options may include nonprofit assistance, payroll advances or zero-interest credit cards. Even the most organized budgets can fall victim to an emergency. When faced with an unexpected expense, people often dip into their emergency fund.
How Bankrate Experts Used Credit Card Consolidation Loans Original
When I was in mortgage lending, the most common reason for lower-than-expected credit scores was high credit card balances. Paying the balances off or down was usually the fastest path to a score improvement. Since the new year began, my inbox and social media feeds have been inundated with debt consolidation loan offers. This makes me wonder: Can a credit card consolidation loan help your credit score?
6 Ways To Boost Car Trade-In Value Before You Shop
Start by finding out the value of your car through Kelley Blue Book or Edmunds. Boost the car’s value by fixing any mechanical issues and cleaning it for curb appeal. Shop around and negotiate for the best price. Time your trade-in for periods of higher value, such as winter for four-wheel drive vehicles, but avoid trading in if you still owe money on the car. If you’re considering trading in your car for a new set of wheels, don’t speed to the dealer and miss a good deal.
Revolving vs. Installment Credit: Pros & Cons Original
Most Americans carry a combination of revolving and installment debt during their financial lifetimes. The journey often starts with a revolving credit card, but it doesn’t end there. The ubiquitous nature of credit cards is hard to understate. According to Bankrate’s Credit Card Debt Survey data, 50 percent of Americans with a credit card carry a credit card balance from month to month. Student loans, meanwhile, are typically the first exposure you’ll get to a type of installment loan.
How To Check On Your Student Loan Balances Original
The best way to check your student loan balance is to contact your school’s financial aid office directly or use the Federal Student Aid (FSA) website. You will need to check with private lenders individually to see balances unless you consult your school’s financial aid office. Your credit report will show open loans but may not reflect the most updated information.
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