APM Elevate: October 2026

REACH YOUR GOALS

Could Buying a New Home Actually Cost Less?

Aerial view of a new residential development with completed brick and siding homes alongside under-construction properties.

Many of us grew up thinking new homes were out of reach due to cost. That assumption just shifted: newly built homes now cost less per square foot than existing homes in one-third of major housing markets. This means that if you’re shopping for a home, this means you might be able to buy a brand-new home at a lower price.

Metro areas that offer the biggest discounts for new homes are mainly in high-supply Sun Belt markets. These include Austin, Texas; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Tampa, Florida.

One reason for this price shift: inventory levels of existing homes are lagging behind new home inventory in these areas. Many homeowners are not interested in moving because of higher mortgage interest rates, while new home inventory has recovered to pre-pandemic levels.

Another reason is that some builders ramped up new construction post-pandemic but weren’t able to complete projects before existing prices and interest rates began edging up.

No matter what you’re thinking of buying, your APM loan advisor can assist you with financing.

Source: thestreet.com

MORTGAGE IQ

Options for Improving Your Cash Flow When Rates Are High

Earlier this month, mortgage interest rates rose to their highest level in nearly three years. If you’re a homeowner with a mortgage at an affordable interest rate, you may be content to wait out the current economic situation — but what if your current home financing options could improve your other finances? You may have more options than you realize.

If cash flow is something you want to improve, refinancing offers two main options: rate/term and cash-out. If a new interest rate won’t improve your cash flow, you may want to consider a longer loan term. This can lower your monthly payments. A cash-out refinance is another possibility, although you’ll need a professional appraisal to determine your home’s available equity.

If you’re nearing retirement age, a reverse mortgage may offer a solution. This offers several options, including a lump sum withdrawal, a line of credit, or monthly disbursements.

Another option: a home equity line of credit, or HELOC. This enables you to tap into a percentage of the equity in your home, which is the amount you’ve repaid plus any appraised rise in value. A HELOC provides cash for several years, which you can withdraw as needed. If you’ll be moving soon, you can use HELOC funds to make necessary fixes or improvements to your current home (which may improve its sale price and appeal to potential buyers) and pay off the HELOC’s balance when your home sells.

We offer a fully digital HELOC that takes just a few minutes to apply for, and as little as 5 days to close. Click here to find an APM loan advisor near you and apply today.

Source: cnbc.com

FINANCIAL NEWS

Choosing The Right Path to Your Savings Goals

For many of us, saving for something we wanted began in childhood. If we had our eye on a LEGO™ set or gaming console, we would save part of our allowance until we were ready to buy. Today, we have different plans for our savings (unless you still like LEGO sets).

If you want an emergency fund in place or are saving to finance a short-term goal, such as a vacation, savings accounts offer easy access to funds. If you’re looking for a long-term payoff, such as retirement or a child’s college tuition, investments provide you with greater long-term growth potential in exchange for your preferred level of risk.

Depending on your budget preferences, you can maintain both of these types of accounts, with portions of your monthly income automatically transferred to savings and investments.

If you’re putting money into savings to pay off debts, there are other options. For example, you may qualify for a debt consolidation loan with a lower interest rate, or a home equity line of credit (HELOC). Both preserve your savings for its intended purpose.

The right saving and investing strategies can help provide financial security throughout each stage of life. If you’d like assistance, contact your local APM loan advisor for a referral.

For informational purposes only. This content is not intended to serve as financial or investment advice. Because individual financial situations vary, readers are encouraged to seek personalized guidance from a qualified investment broker or Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) before opening accounts or investing funds.

Source: empower.com

DID YOU KNOW?

Personalized Pricing: How It Works, How to Avoid It

You may have already heard of something called dynamic pricing — when retailers like fast food outlets changed menu prices according to factors like order volume. Consumers weren’t happy with this tactic, but it hasn’t gone away. Instead, it’s evolved into personalized pricing.

Here are some examples:

• Some hotels create prices based on your geo-location when booking.

   

• Airlines may look at your browsing data to determine ticket pricing.

   

• Online retailers may take a look at your purchase history and personal data before pricing your items.

While you may not want to price-check every item you buy, there are ways to sidestep personalized pricing when shopping for expensive items.

Avoid shopping through retailer apps. These apps often offer text and email discounts, but there’s more to it than goodwill. When you complete an online order, you’re providing a lot of personal and financial information. This could potentially affect your future prices.

Learn new ways to comparison shop. Changing your location with a VPN app can help you find lower prices; so can browsing incognito. Asking a friend to do some price checking for your potential purchases can help, too. Visit several sites and keep track of your results by taking screenshots or written notes.

Hide your personal data. Some companies collect data while you browse online. Clearing browsing data and cookies helps foil them. You can also use a VPN app to protect your personal information.

Source: npr.org

PERSONAL FINANCES

Is It Time to Slow Down and Pursue Lifemaxxing?

You’ve probably heard jokes about the pressure of modern life for quite a while now. Previous generations were in the rat race, while more recent ones complained about being stuck in survival mode. However, others have decided to trade the daily grind for life in the financial slow lane…at least for a while. Some are calling it lifemaxxing.

The phrase “maxxing” is popular in current social media. People who want to optimize a financial strategy are “moneymaxxing” while those designing the ultimate vacation are “PTO-maxxing”. Lifemaxxers are making their own headlines.

A recent survey of more than 4,000 adults, carried out by financial services company SoFi, found that 72% of Americans are willing to make slower progress on their financial goals in order to show up for their families, take vacations and prioritize meaningful memories. This doesn’t mean they’ve abandoned their financial goals — instead, they’re making time to enjoy life.

Some 59% of respondents said that lifemaxxing is how they define financial progress, as meaningful experiences like vacations and attending concerts are still within their reach although they’ve become more expensive.

For younger Americans, taking time off could be due in part to the barriers they face. Elevated home prices, student debt burdens and wages that have barely kept up with inflation have made those milestones more difficult to reach.

Brian Walsh, certified financial planner and head of advice and planning at SoFi, commented: “In all reality, there’s different stages of financial independence, and I actually think that’s really good that people are embracing the earlier stages of financial independence.”

Source: cnbc.com

FOOD

October: Puff Pastry Pizza Mummies

Two mummy-themed pizzas topped with mozzarella bandages and olive eyes on an orange plate.
 
Since your trick-or-treaters will be bringing plenty of sweets home, these Puff Pastry Pizza Mummies are a savory, fun alternative. Add your choice of pizza toppings before wrapping these up! It’s easy to make vegetarian options, too.

AROUND THE HOUSE

Get Cozy with These Four Decorating Tips

Fall-decorated porch with mums in woven baskets, pumpkins, and a rattan chair with cushions.
 
Now that fall is officially here, you may be busy unpacking your favorite sweaters and favorite cool-weather recipes. Preparing your home and surroundings is equally important, especially since the holidays tend to bring more visitors to your home. Here are some simple methods to go from cool to cozy.

Accessorize the Entryway. Create a warm welcome with your choice of gourds, ornamental cabbage, or chrysanthemums. Add a rustic or holiday-themed welcome mat. Worried about muddy footwear? Put an inexpensive basket near the doorway so family members can easily change into indoor slippers or flip flops.

Dim The Lights. It’s easy to overlook how lighting affects a home’s mood. Installing a dimmer switch only takes a few minutes, and you can create a warm, intimate setting that complements the season.

Enjoy the Outdoors. If summer was too warm to light your fire pit, now’s the time to get it ready. Also, you can decide if this is the year for moving weekend sports viewing outdoors with a television designed to tolerate wet weather and different levels of humidity.

Add seasonal scents. Even though it’s officially pumpkin spice season, it’s easy to overlook how certain scents complement cozy decor. If you’re not a fan of pumpkin spice, sniff out candles with notes of cedar, amber, fig, or apple cinnamon.

Source: countryliving.com