Precise Management Group, LLC

More couples are keeping their finances separate, with 42% merging accounts and 20% keeping money entirely apart, according to Fidelity's 2026 survey. Gen Z and millennials are driving the trend. Separate finances don't disqualify couples from getting a mortgage together, but they do require more paperwork, including bank statements from each account and documentation for any gifted down payment funds.

If you've found yourself unable to afford your mortgage payments, you're not alone. According to a Cotality 2025 home equity report, nearly 1.2 million U.S. homeowners were underwater on their mortgages by the end of the first quarter of the year. That’s an increase of 17% compared with the first quarter of 2024, and the number of residential properties that fell into negative equity increased by 172,000 homes.

Many young renters who believe they’ll never afford a home are giving up on saving and adopting risky financial behaviors, according to a new study. Economists found that those who abandon homeownership goals are more likely to overspend, disengage at work, and gamble on high-risk investments, with potentially serious long-term economic consequences.

The Housing Affordability Index improved to 113.7 in March, but insurance tells more. Adjusting for rising premiums drops affordability to 109.0—about 4% weaker today, and ~10% lower than the late‑1990s baseline.
Read more: https://www.nar.realtor/blogs/economists-outlook/a-new-look-at-housing-affordability-the-insurance-adjusted-hai

Mortgage rates fell to 6.37% for the week ending April 9, down from a seven-month high of 6.46% the prior week, according to Freddie Mac. For a buyer purchasing the median-priced home of $403,450 with 20% down, the monthly payment is now roughly $2,012, down $19 from last week and $54 less than the same period a year ago.