美国国家公共电台 NPR--How rising interest rates affect your day to day

How rising interest rates affect your day to day

Transcript¹

The fed raised interest rates again this week by 3/4 of a percent, and mortgage rates have seen their biggest jump in 40 years. Borrowing on credit cards, and car loans is also going up.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

It's getting much more expensive to buy a house, a car or really anything on credit these days because interest rates are through the roof.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

And the Federal Reserve this week raised interest rates yet again by three-quarters of a percentage point.

FADEL: NPR's Chris Arnold joins us now to talk about what this means for all of us. Hi, Chris.

CHRIS ARNOLD, BYLINE²: Hey, Leila.

FADEL: OK. So the Fed just raised rates again. What's the real-world impact going to be for most people?

ARNOLD: Well, like you said, I mean, when the Fed raises rates, that affects many kinds of borrowing. And we should say not all. You know, if you've got a car loan that's on a fixed³ rate two years ago, that doesn't change. But other forms of debt with adjustable⁴ rates like a home equity⁵ line of credit or credit card debt - that's been getting more expensive. It just went a notch⁶ higher again. And taking out new debt, of course, like a new mortgage - mortgages have seen their biggest jump in 40 years over the course of this year. So that's gotten much more expensive.

FADEL: OK, so what's the best way for people to handle all this? What should they do when they're facing this big increase in the cost of borrowing?

ARNOLD: I talked to a personal finance expert at NerdWallet about this, and her name is Sara Rathner. And here's what she recommends.

SARA RATHNER: What's really important for each individual is assessing the debt you have and how much that debt is costing you and making a plan to get out of that debt as quickly as you can, especially if it's high-interest debt.

ARNOLD: So, again, if you already have a fixed-rate mortgage - say you got it a couple of years ago, it's at 3% - you're fine. Don't worry. But if you have a bunch of money on credit cards - that is always a bad idea, by the way.

FADEL: Yeah.

ARNOLD: You might have been paying 16 or 20% even before all this happened, you know, but now it's even higher. Now it's even more bad. But you can kind of turn lemons into lemonade if you use this as motivation to pay off that debt. Here's Rathner again.

RATHNER: If you have existing credit card debt, make a plan to pay it down as aggressively as your budget allows. And some months you might have more money to throw at it than others. I would also say if you have credit card debt, stop using your credit cards.

ARNOLD: And that's because if you pay for everything in cash, it's a lot harder to spend more money than you actually have.

FADEL: Good advice always. So I guess a bad time to take on new debt.

ARNOLD: Absolutely, especially large amounts of money. You do not want to be borrowing large amounts of money like buying a house - also a terrible time to buy a car. Used cars even are really expensive. Car loans are expensive. I talked to T.R. Brooks⁷, who lives near Boise, Idaho. And he and his wife really want a newer car. They've got this 20-year-old Honda Civic⁸ that's got a few problems.

TR BROOKS: How much time do you have? There's a spot on the engine block that's been welded so that it doesn't explode. There's rust⁹ in about five or six different spots. The paint's coming off. Maybe the most annoying thing is the sun visor just doesn't stay up anymore, so it's always, like, hovering¹⁰ threateningly right at eye level.

ARNOLD: He's got to duct tape that visor. But even with it, they're going to hold off, not sell the car and just drive it further into the ground because it's just too expensive to buy a newer one right now.

FADEL: OK, Chris, I can't let you go until you give us something, some kind of silver lining¹¹ to hold on to.

ARNOLD: Sure. I mean, just quickly, if you're able to save and invest for the long haul, now is actually a good time. Stocks are down 20%. They're cheaper than a year ago. Bonds are giving really better returns than they have in years if you buy them now. So start a retirement¹² account if you don't have one.

FADEL: NPR's Chris Arnold, thank you.

ARNOLD: Thanks, Leila.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

4 adjustable   

adj.可调整的，可校准的

参考例句：

• More expensive cameras have adjustable focusing.比较贵的照相机有可调焦距。
• The chair has the virtue of being adjustable.这种椅子具有可调节的优点。

5 equity   

n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票

参考例句：

• They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
• To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。

6 notch   

n.(V字形)槽口，缺口，等级

参考例句：

• The peanuts they grow are top-notch.他们种的花生是拔尖的。
• He cut a notch in the stick with a sharp knife.他用利刃在棒上刻了一个凹痕。

7 brooks   

n.小溪( brook的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks gave the business when Haas caught him with his watch. 哈斯抓到偷他的手表的布鲁克斯时，狠狠地揍了他一顿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ade and Brooks exchanged blows yesterday and they were severely punished today. 艾德和布鲁克斯昨天打起来了，今天他们受到严厉的惩罚。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

9 rust   

n.锈；v.生锈；(脑子)衰退

参考例句：

• She scraped the rust off the kitchen knife.她擦掉了菜刀上的锈。
• The rain will rust the iron roof.雨水会使铁皮屋顶生锈。

10 hovering   

鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫

参考例句：

• The helicopter was hovering about 100 metres above the pad. 直升机在离发射台一百米的上空盘旋。
• I'm hovering between the concert and the play tonight. 我犹豫不决今晚是听音乐会还是看戏。

11 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

12 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。