FILE - In this Nov. 29, 2019, file photo a shopper carries a crockpot during Target's Black Friday sale in the Borough of New York. Shopping at sales and using coupons may not be saving you as much money as you think. Knowing the pitfalls and having a plan can help keep your holiday shopping from coming back to bite you in January. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. mortgage rates crept slightly higher this week but remain at low levels that could encourage more home-buying. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Wednesday that the average rate on a fixed 30-year mortgage ticked up to 3.68% from 3.66% the previous week. The average 15-year mortgage was unchanged at 3.15%. The 30-year rate was 4.8% at the same time last year, while the 15-year rate was 4.25%. Freddie Mac surveys lenders across the country between Monday and Wednesday each week to compile its mortgage rate figures.

FILE - In this Sept. 25, 2019, file photo a sign indicating a new selling price for a house sits atop a realtor's sign in Jackson, Miss. On Tuesday, Nov. 26, the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index for September is released. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

How you manage money is another thing you likely picked up from your parents — whether they intended you to or not. Look for areas of overlap to understand the money habits you learned. “Put financial goals in perspective of life goals,” says Kristen Holt, CEO of GreenPath Financial Wellness, a credit counseling and financial wellness organization. Each of these steps will help you build the money habits that create financial independence. “Part of your money habits should be regular assessments of how you're doing,” Golden says.

“The number of hugs I get around student loan repayment is unbelievable,” Schmiedeler says. Some can now put that money toward student loans. RAYTHEONDefense contractor Raytheon, headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, is putting a new student loan repayment benefit into effect Jan. 1, 2020. Bill Shea, senior benefits manager at Raytheon, says he’ll use the program to pay off the roughly $30,000 he owes in student loans. RELATED LINKSNerdWallet: Companies that offer employer student loan repayment http://bit.ly/employer-student-loan-repaymentThune, Warner introduce legislation to aid student debt repayment https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2019/2/thune-warner-introduce-legislation-to-aid-student-debt-repaymentDebtFreeTaxFree https://www.debtfreetaxfree.com/

Most parents in the U.S. provide some sort of financial support to their adult children, multiple surveys have found. If you don't have a partner, talking to a trusted friend or a financial planner can help you clarify what you can offer and when. Financial planners say that understanding the parents' financial situation can help you prepare, and might also provide an opportunity for you to reduce their need for your help. You could help them budget, give them a session with a financial planner or check Benefits.gov for assistance programs. Liz Weston is a columnist at NerdWallet, a certified financial planner and author of "Your Credit Score."

FILE - In this Nov. 22, 2018, file photo people wait in line in front of an adjacent pet store for a Best Buy store to open for an early Black Friday sale on Thanksgiving Day in Overland Park, Kan. Black Friday is Nov. 29, 2019, but it might as well be the whole month of November. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

Some people cringe at the thought of shopping on Thanksgiving or Black Friday, but I revel in it. You can snag savings throughout November, but despite early deals, retailers like Walmart, Target and Best Buy reserve some of their best bargains for Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday. Retailers like Amazon, Best Buy and Kohl's have done this in the past. Years prior, I stood in a two-hour line at Best Buy to purchase a single TV. Select the best deals and stick to those items.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. long-term mortgage rates rose this week for the third straight week, while remaining historically low and far below their levels of a year ago. Mortgage giant Freddie Mac said Thursday the average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage increased to 3.78% from 3.75% last week. By contrast, the key average rate stood at 4.83% a year ago. Freddie Mac surveys lenders across the country between Monday and Wednesday each week to compile its mortgage rate figures. The average fee for the 15-year mortgage rose to 0.6 point from 0.5 point.