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Let’s say you owe $5,000 on a credit card and pay $250 a month. With a rate of 28.15 percent (the highest APR for new card offers, LendingTree says), you’d pay off the balance in 28 months

and pay $1,828 in interest over that time. Drop the rate to 21.5 percent and you’d pay only $1,246 in interest and wipe out the balance in 25 months. THERE'S STILL TIME TO LOCK IN

HIGH-INTEREST SAVINGS Rising inflation may have squeezed older adults’ budgets, but it has been welcome news for savers who have dealt with more than a decade of near-zero returns. “Right

now, with higher interest rates, savers are getting rewarded,” says Sarah House, a senior economist at Wells Fargo. “It’s a very different environment than five to 10 years ago.”  While the

national average savings account rate was just under 0.6 percent on Oct. 21, according to Bankrate’s most recent survey, there are still savings accounts that yield 5 percent or more. But

you may not want to wait too long to lock in those rates. If the Fed continues to cut interest rates, you’ll likely see a negative impact on savings account rates. NEW AND USED CAR PRICES

ARE FALLING BUT … Pandemic-era supply chain issues have been worked out and auto showrooms are well-stocked with inventory, which is why prices for new and used cars have been declining.

The September CPI data shows new vehicles cost 1.3 percent less than they did a year earlier, and used cars and trucks are 5.1 percent cheaper.  But you wouldn’t know it if you recently

financed a vehicle purchase. With the average interest rate for a 4-year car loan at 7.4 percent for a new vehicle and 8.2 percent for a used car in late October, according to Bankrate, the

total cost of car ownership remains elevated.  “Financing is not included in the CPI calculator of vehicles,” House says. “You don’t get the all-in cost, and that plays into the disconnect.

It’s still very expensive to purchase a vehicle when you factor in financing costs.”  Not to mention, car insurance is getting more expensive, with rates jumping an eye-popping 16.3

percent year over year in September.