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By Lauren Young, Digital Special Projects Editor

Dear fabulous On the Money Readers,

Reuters is conducting research to see what you love (or hate) about this newsletter. We want to identify the topics you want to read about and help you manage your money better, faster and smarter. Do you want more coverage of real estate, retirement or credit cards? Do you skip over the shopping tips?

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– Lauren (and the Reuters newsletter team)

Getting better deals requires negotiation – and asking the right questions. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

My mantra in life is: I don’t ask a lot of questions. I demand a lot of answers. 

     But if you want to improve your financial situation, here is a surprisingly simple piece of advice: Just ask for it.

    Want a lower interest rate on your credit card? Ask. Want bank fees waived? Ask. Want to trim your medical bill? Ask.

    That is the recommendation LendingTree chief credit analyst Matt Schulz (a longtime source of mine) offers in his new book, “Ask Questions, Save Money, Make More.”

    For a lot of different reasons – culture, habit, anxiety – we do not like asking people for things. (I personally hate asking for favors or deals.) But it is costing us money.

    “The worst thing that can happen is that somebody tells you no,” says Schulz. “But if they say yes, great things can happen.”

    We tend to think that all the costs we encounter in life are forever fixed, but, in reality, very few of them are. Just one example: 76% of those who asked for a lower credit-card rate got one, according to a LendingTree survey. 

    Getting better deals every day requires negotiation – and that is a skill few of us have developed. 

Why retailers are struggling: U.S. retail stocks, as tracked by the S&P US retail index, have barely budged in 2024, despite a resilient American consumer. There are a few good reasons why. (Hint: High interest rates are impacting spending.) Watch our interview with Corient’s Amy Kong here.

I know spring is coming when the croci are in bloom. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann

Spring is around the corner in my neck of the woods. This week I spotted a batch of purple croci as well as a lone daffodil in bloom.

With spring flowers typically comes the seasonal onslaught of real estate listings. 

The good news for homebuyers is that interest rates are falling. The bad news is that relief may be short lived, prompted by a shortage in housing stock.

Even so, prices could be softer this spring. The median home price surged nearly 50% from $322,000 in 2020’s second quarter as the pandemic began, to a peak of $479,000 at the end of 2022 when the pandemic was subsiding, Census data shows. That was the fastest run-up since the early 1960s.

The median price has since edged back to $417,000, a side effect of Fed rate hikes that at one point pushed the average interest rate on a 30-year home mortgage to nearly 8%, the highest in a quarter century.

Members of Congress are calling on the U.S. Federal Reserve to cut rates to bring down mortgage costs for consumers and encourage construction. And states are toying with rent-control measures and programs to boost supply.

What does this mean for homebuyers? Is it a better time to be a renter? If you’re in the market for a home, I want to hear about the experience. Share your insights via onthemoney@thomsonreuters.com. I read every email!

Will Bitcoin’s bull run continue? REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

I normally steer clear of cyber currency, but it’s hard to ignore Bitcoin, which just hit $62,000 for the first time in more than two years. 

One of the reasons for Bitcoin’s rise is that so much money is flowing into new U.S. bitcoin exchange-traded products. That helped fuel a 47% price rally in February. Bitcoin is on track for the largest monthly gain since December 2020.

Are you a long-time bitcoin investor or have you become one with more ETFs available? Let me know at onthemoney@thomsonreuters.com.

For more Bitcoin news, be sure to check out our Future of Money coverage.

Are you still stymied by the financial aid process? Do you need pet insurance? Send questions to onthemoney@thomsonreuters.com, and I’ll tap my extensive source network and braintrust for expert advice.

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This newsletter was edited by Mark Porter.

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