SoFi Blog

Like the roots of a tree, your home’s foundation is essential. Without it, your home is anchorless, and if there’s a problem, the rest of your home will reflect that.

Not only does your home’s foundation keep the house standing up, it also works as a barrier for moisture, cold, and movement beneath the ground. Like a tree’s roots, the foundation is essential, and your home couldn’t be here without it.

The average foundation weighs 7.5 tons , and when built properly, it’s meant to last several lifetimes. Issues in your foundation will likely mean a costly repair, but nonetheless is essential to the health and longevity of your property.

Read on to get a proper foundation on foundations, as well as the types of repairs and costs associated with them.

IMPORTANT: Refinancing federal student loans with a private lender, including SoFi, would mean forfeiting access to federal programs like the FREED Veterans Act, income-driven repayment plans, and other federal loan forgiveness or loan cancellation options.

In our efforts to bring you the latest updates on things that might impact your financial life, we may occasionally enter the political fray, covering candidates, bills, laws and more. Please note: SoFi does not endorse or take official positions on any candidates and the bills they may be sponsoring or proposing. We may occasionally support legislation that we believe would be beneficial to our members, and will make sure to call it out when we do. Our reporting otherwise is for informational purposes only, and shouldn’t be construed as an endorsement.

Veterans learn a lot when they volunteer to serve in a branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. They can learn teamwork, loyalty, and discipline. Veterans might learn skills from how to run a nuclear submarine to cooking chow in a theater of war to dressing a wound in the field. And they probably learn how to make a plan and stick to it.

But what happens if they become disabled during their service? What happens if their best laid plans are thrown to the wind and they’re unable to fulfill student loan obligations as the result of an injury in the line of duty?

As of Wednesday, August 21, 2019, these vets, those with student loan debt struggling with disabilities as a result of their service, might be able to breathe a little easier.

On September 5th, people around the globe will be celebrating the International Day of Charity. The United
Nations established the annual event in 2012 to encourage nonprofits and individuals around the world to volunteer and contribute to philanthropic causes.

The date was chosen to honor the death of Mother Teresa, the nun and Nobel Peace Prize winner known for her work with the poor and ill in India and other countries. She died in 1997 at the age of 87.

You don’t necessarily have to dedicate your entire life to good works, as Mother Teresa did, to make a difference. The International Day of Charity 2019 can be the perfect time to give back in whatever way works for you.

Research shows that volunteering is good for you, improving mental and physical health, self-esteem, and happiness. Studies even suggest that it can alleviate depression and help you live longer.

If you’ve spent any time lately reading about the financial issues affecting young adults, you may have come across news reports about the need to increase “financial literacy.”

Turns out, even the best and brightest college students and recent graduates aren’t necessarily skilled at managing their money—and they aren’t being provided with much education regarding basic financial concepts.

There’s been a lot of buzz lately about who has the upper hand in the current real estate market—buyers or sellers. In recent years, the supply of existing homes for sale has fallen below demand, leading to a real estate market that tends to favor sellers.

Now, it seems the market may be changing, providing better opportunities for prospective buyers, at least in some locations. “It could even become a nationwide trend by mid to late 2020, as supply and demand conditions change,” according to the Home Buying Institute .

If you’re a homeowner—or hoping to become one—you’ve probably heard the terms “seller’s market” and “buyer’s market.” It’s all about how many homes are for sale, how many people are seeking to buy, and how that affects prices and the speed at which homes sell.