Taking money out of your home should always be done carefully, but especially now, as owners head into 2026. PHIL LEO/PM Images/Getty Images

If you have some extra time this holiday season, whether on vacation or simply a day off, you may want to consider using it to reevaluate your financial health. The past year has been a mixed bag of stock market returns and economic frustration thanks to lingering inflation and unemployment concerns . But the right, strategic approach in the new year could get you back on track and, potentially, boost your financial health and independence at the same time.

For homeowners, this could mean leveraging their growing home equity in a strategic way. The average homeowner now has hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equity to ut

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