Get your flu shot while you shop

Flu shots will be offered to people 18 and older at stores and banks across the metropolitan area during varied hours from today through Thursday, Oct. 27. Locations include Bed Bath and Beyond, Lifetime Fitness, M & I Bank, TCF Bank and Mattress Giant, along with Brookdale and Burnsville shopping centers. Cost is $25.

What are people saying about mortgages today:

Rates on 30-year mortgages edged down last week to a seven-month low. Mortgage-giant Freddie Mac reported Thursday that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages fell to 6.3 percent, down slightly from 6.31 percent two weeks ago. It put rates at the lowest level since they were at 6.24 percent the first week of March.

Bank of Hawaii, Central Pacific Bank, Territorial Savings Bank and Wells Fargo Home Mortgages all cut their 30-year mortgage rates to 5.75 percent this week.

Most people think of a mortgage as a means to an end. After all, you buy a house, not a home loan. But a mortgage is much more than the path to homeownership. It is a financial instrument that must be managed, just like any other financial investment.