As anyone who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area will tell you, it is truly a place like no other. The tech industry beckons with its surfeit of good paying jobs, the restaurant scene rivals that of any world capital, oh—and where else can you ski in the mountains one weekend, and then kayak with sea otters the next?

So while it’s not hard to understand why so many people are clamoring to buy a home in the Bay Area, those incredible perks are offset by one major drawback—a sky-high real estate market.

If you need cash today but you don’t have enough built up in savings to cover the purchase, a personal loan might make sense for you. Unlike a mortgage or other collateralized loans, personal loans are unsecured, meaning that borrowers do not need to provide collateral for the loan. In other words, the only asset behind a personal loan is the borrower’s promise to repay. As a result, borrowers need a good credit history or strong prior history with the lender in order to qualify for a loan. Personal loans can be used for just about anything (that’s legal, of course), but here are some of the most common uses we see at SoFi.

Most Common Personal Loan Uses

The IRS expects to process more than 153 million tax returns by April 18th, with more than 70% of those returns getting refunds. The average refund issued last year was $2,860. If you filed early, your refund may already be tempting you to spurge. Before you do that, consider these ideas that can improve your financial health.

Last week we changed our portfolio allocations, increasing exposure to emerging markets and foreign exchange as well as taking broader fixed income exposure. But first we’ll cover the economy. A huge miss on the jobs report and recent threats of military escalation in the Far and Middle East sent bond yields lower while the dollar continued to depreciate against many of the world’s currencies. The disconnect continues between so-called “soft” survey data and the more traditional economic statistics. However, optimism remains elevated even as more traditional measures of economic activity indicated subpar growth in the first quarter.

If you’re saddled with too much credit card debt, you’re not alone—far from it. A recent study based on Federal Reserve and Census data found that 38% of households carry a credit card balance, and that their average balance is $16,048. When you consider that the median household income is $55,775, it’s pretty clear that credit card debt is a problem for many people.

Since the amount you owe determines 30% of your FICO score, reducing your debt can improve your credit. Here are a few tips on how to be a smart credit card user.