What Is Mortgage Insurance and How Does It Work?
The traditional target for a home down payment is 20% of the purchase price, but that’s out of reach for many buyers. Mortgage insurance makes it possible to hand over a much…
Barbara Marquand
Barb writes about insurance at NerdWallet. She relishes the challenge of making a complicated topic interesting and easy to understand for consumers. Her work has appeared online at Forbes, The New York Times, USA Today and others. Outside of work, she teaches yoga, makes pottery and runs (slowly) on local trails.
Posts by Barbara Marquand:
Non-Owner Car Insurance: Where to Buy and What It Covers
Non-owner car insurance provides liability coverage when you don’t have a car and drive one that isn’t yours. Liability coverage pays for injuries and property damage you cause to others…
What Is Risk Tolerance, and Why Is It Important?
Here’s one sure thing to know about investing: There is no sure thing. Every investment has some level of risk. The more risk you take, the greater the potential returns…
Don’t Make These Big Life Insurance Blunders
Life insurance provides a financial safety net for families. Sounds simple, but decisions over whether and how much to buy can get complicated, and mistakes can be costly. Here are…
Answer 5 Questions Before Buying Life Insurance at Work
If your employer offers free life insurance during open enrollment this fall, grab it. But if your workplace lets you buy additional coverage on top of that, ask some questions…
How to Find the Right Life Insurance Agent or Broker
When shopping for life insurance a generation ago, you probably would have discussed policies across the desk from a local life insurance agent. Going old-school is still the best option in some…
Don’t Let Magical Thinking Jinx Retirement Planning
Money for retirement won’t magically appear, although thinking it will can be comforting. You might put faith in a get-rich-quick scheme, fantasize a windfall, or trick yourself into believing that…
Can You Have More Than One Life Insurance Policy?
You need life insurance if your death would hurt anyone financially. For many people, one policy is enough. But for some, two or more make sense. Your needs should drive…
Be Partners in Finances As Well As in Life
In many marriages one spouse likes managing the finances better than the other. Some folks read stock prospectuses for fun; others would rather get a root canal than look at…
5 Wrong Ideas You Might Have About Financial Planning
Financial planning is something you might think is for people like that annoying Facebook friend who posts about his awesome Silicon Valley job and fabulous vacations on the Cote d’Azur.…
