To be able to lock in those kinds of returns — without risk — is attractive to investors at a time when bond investments are lucky to be break even.

The things you need to do remain the same. You have to pay your bills on time and keep your debt level under control, regardless of who's keeping score.

I don't view it as a risk at all.

The process is much more convenient if you stick with your current lender.

Conventional wisdom says if you're getting a large refund, it's a bad thing, that you've lent money to the government for free for the past year. If your refund is the only way you can save, who's to say it's a bad idea? It may not be the best way to save, but it's better than nothing at all.

Sometimes that difference between short-term rates and long-term rates expands and sometimes it narrows. That difference has narrowed in the last two years, which hampers banks' ability to profit from the difference.