Your Money

By Harriet Barovick

Refinance Your Mortgage

Now's a good time to shop for a cheaper mortgage. Last week the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond, a benchmark for the industry, dropped to an all-time low of 5.58%. Experts, who predict that the good news for homeowners will continue in coming months, say most borrowers are opting for 30-year fixed loans, now averaging 6.94%.

Social Security Warning

Three reform plans that would partly privatize Social Security would result in lower benefits for today's workers, a congressional study reported last week. Though the study, commissioned by Representative Charles Rangel, a New York Democrat, does not claim to judge the overall impact of the plans, Social Security, it is believed, is unlikely to pay all the benefits it now promises. So keep plowing as much as you can into private retirement accounts.

Got a Jump Rope at Work?

For the first time in four years, health-insurance premiums are rising at double the rate of inflation. According to a survey of 1,583 employers released last week, rates went up 3.3% last year. For most workers that will mean noticeable hikes in co-payments, deductibles and other contributions to premiums. At the same time, more companies are offering incentives (and penalties) to get employees to stop smoking, exercise regularly, lose weight and control cholesterol.

--By Harriet Barovick