The new 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander is an extended version of the brand’s popular crossover with a more usable third row, optional hybrid powertrains and towing of up to 5,000 pounds.
Veteran Stellantis designer Chris Benjamin joins Volkswagen Group’s Scout Motors to lead design for the EV-focused brand that will specialize in utility vehicles and trucks.
David McMillin | Bankrate.com (TNS)
If you’ve been comparing mortgage rates, you’ve already encountered one reality about the process of buying a home or refinancing: What you see today might be gone tomorrow. While interest rates change all the time, a mortgage rate lock ensures the rate on your mortgage stays the same, from the initial quote to closing.
A rate lock is a guarantee that a mortgage lender will honor a specific interest rate at a specific cost for a set period.
The benefit of a mortgage rate lock is that it protects you from market fluctuations. For example, if your lender locks in your rate at 5.68% for 45 days and rates jump up toward 6% within that period, you’ll still get your loan at the lesser rate.
“Mortgage interest [rates] can change every day and sometimes even multiple times a day, so we always recommend that borrowers lock in their rate,” says Richard Greene, branch manager and loan officer at New Mexico Mortgage Company in Albuquerque.
It’s up to you to seek the rate lock. If you choose not to do so, and you have no rate lock, this is known as “floating” a rate. That’s not always a bad strategy — when interest rates are falling in general, you would want to take advantage of this favorable movement in the market. (The float is typically 30 days to 60 days, but it might be longer if you’re willing to pay more in fees to get it.)
A summer vacation can feel like a seasonal rite of passage — a sacred time to break away from the demands of everyday life in favor of fun and relaxation.
But summer can also be an expensive time to travel, which makes it hard to budget enough money for your vacation.
Though it’s best to pay in cash for nonessential travel, there are financing options available, including credit cards, “buy now, pay later” plans and vacation loans. Consider the interest rate and how long you’ll be in debt when deciding which to choose.
Travel demand is in “near-record territory” with all indicators pointing to a “very robust summer leisure travel season,” the U.S. Travel Association, a nonprofit that monitors the U.S. travel industry, said in an email. According to the association, demand has driven up prices in sectors like airfare and lodging.
Even without higher prices, travel is tough to budget for, says Jake Northrup, a certified financial planner in Bristol, Rhode Island.
“Travel usually comes in big waves, and there’s just a lot of uncertainty as to what things will actually cost,” Northrup says.
As chef Tung Phan’s French-Vietnamese success story, Camille, steps into its new space in Baldwin Park, DomuLab’s next concept, Danilo’s Pasta Bar, will move in, bringing with it more of everything — from hours open to meals served to portion sizes. But the prices? Those will be going down.
“The space at The Neighbors — an actual bar — lent itself beautifully to chef Tung’s elegant, fine-dining concept,” says Johnny Tung, who along with brother Jimmy and partner Sean “Sonny” Nguyen, created DomuLab as an incubator to host resident pop-ups. “But it also works well as a pasta bar. And because of the natural flow of The Neighbors, we will be able to serve customers seated elsewhere, as well.”
Danilo’s, says Tung, will be far more casual, too, with staggered reservations, walk-up availability and takeout options.
“We’re also going to be open for lunch, too. Weekends at first, and if it makes sense — more.”
DomuLab, which along with Camille, was named the Critic’s Pick for Best New Restaurant in the 2022 Orlando Sentinel Foodie Awards, is now proven as a place where chefs can test their concepts in a safe nest as the seasoned restaurateurs offer guidance in developing something that can eventually fly on its own.