A big reason why many people choose to invest their time, energy and money into a house instead of just simply renting an apartment is so they can redecorate without any limits. Your home is your castle, and you get to choose how the space develops when you hold the mortgage. One of the most important spaces of any home is the backyard. This is one of the things that makes homeownership worth it, a place where you can entertain almost every day, or just sit and stare and the natural beauty when it’s too cold to enjoy firsthand. But...
Neil Kremer / Travel Photos / CC BY-ND If you’re someone who is strongly considering putting your house on the market, the news that you’ve read about the real estate market, along with any advice that you may have received from experts in the field, have probably given you the impression that while the market is not as bad as it once was, selling a house can still be a bit of an overwhelming task; especially if you want to be able to make a substantial profit from doing so. The good news is that there are definitely some things...
Sergiu Bacioiu / Foter.com / CC BY-NC There’s nothing quite like the anticipation of having a baby. Whether it’s your first, and the twosome is now becoming a family, or the new arrival is going to become a little brother or sister for another excited child it’s always a time of intense joy mixed with a little bit of stress. You worry about everything going right during the birth, and you worry about the baby’s health. But for many people the primary concern is financial. A baby doesn’t only bring a whole lot more love into your life, but also...
Financial investment is a tricky business. On one hand, you’ve heard all the stories about the self-made millionaires, the folks who read the market, chose wisely, were in the right place at the right time and are now set for life. On the other hand, you only have to go back to 2008 to see how destructive poor investment strategies can be. It is a viable way to set up residual income, make your money work for you and generate a nest egg that will see you through your retirement and hopefully leave something behind for your children. But it...
Caucas’ / People Photos / CC BY-NC-SA So, you have a wedding coming up, eh? Are you excited? You definitely have every right to be. Weddings are like one huge party to celebrate the love that two people have for one another while being surrounded by all of the ones they love the most. Due to the fact that this kind of “party” can tend to be a bit on the expensive side, while you’re in the midst of putting your special day together, we just wanted to make sure that we could do what we can to make sure...
When Valentine’s Day rolls around, the pressure can really start to feel like it’s on. It doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman, sometimes it can just be tough to remember to set aside some time to shop for your special someone. We all lead busy lives these days, and finding a few extra hours can be a lot harder than one might think it would be. Sometimes this isn’t even the problem. You might have plenty of time to go and visit all the retail outlets in your area, but you might also have a significant other...
As more and more people are opting to do contract work, while there are many benefits that come with having the freedom to work from home (including having a more relaxed schedule), there are two major responsibilities that contractors have to stay on top of as well: paying their own taxes and finding affordable health insurance. When it comes to your taxes, it really is just a matter of making sure that you take out a certain amount (usually around 15 percent) for each check that you get, staying abreast of the deductions that you are eligible for and putting...
These days, there are a lot of options that are available to you when it comes to your education. You can pick from a variety of different paths when it comes to the type of degree that you want to earn when you’re in college. For many students, though, this decision can get to be a pretty significantly overwhelming one. We are living in a time when the United States’ economy has definitely seen better days. Over the course of the last several years, many individuals have realized that they need to be seriously scaling things back financially. Similarly, many...
Millzero Photography / Travel Photos / CC BY-SA When two people come together and get married, the air is filled with the promise of a long and happy life. You and your significant other probably spend your time dreaming on the home you will someday build and decorate together, the family you will have and the large network of friends you will enjoy until you fade off into the sunset of old age, hand in hand. It’s a beautiful dream that all too often turns into a nightmare. Speaking realistically around half of all marriages fail, and when it goes...
Structured settlement, or annuity? Financial terminology can get confusing very quickly for the uninitiated. The numbers themselves are intimidating, and the financial jargon that gets thrown around can make you feel like you’re listening to a foreign language. You may have trouble wrapping your head around even the simplest financial concepts, but not to worry. Nobody is born a financial pro. These are things that have to be learned slowly over the course of time in order to be truly understood. The difference between structured settlements and annuities is very fuzzy for many people, because at first glance these two...
marcp_dmoz / Car Photos / CC BY-NC-SA When it comes to driving safely, car insurance is one of the most important things for which you could possibly be responsible. Every driver on the road needs to make sure that they have insurance; it’s a matter of social responsibility. In most cases, it’s against the law to avoid having car insurance. Should you get into an accident with another driver, your insurance policy will make sure that the other driver will be compensated for any damage they suffered (if the accident was your fault). For these reasons, it’s very smart to...
Graduating college is a pretty exciting thing. No matter who you are, when you graduate college, you are at the point where you don’t really have to go back to school unless you truly want to. In many cases, students that graduate college have literally been in school for their entire lives up to that point. Graduation can be a huge transition, and it winds up being something pretty significant for just about every individual who experiences it. One of the biggest changes that comes with your college graduation is the fact that you’re likely going to become a lot...
When you’re in college, you’ve definitely got a lot on your plate. The years that you spend working on your degree usually represent a pretty huge transition in your life. High school is pretty easy, and you don’t typically have a lot to worry about before you’ve graduated and headed off to college. When you’re working on your higher education, though, things are a lot different. You have a level of autonomy when you’re in college that most individuals don’t experience before they graduate high school. It’s a time when you have a lot of things to figure out, and...
One of the biggest responsibilities than any of us will ever have is being a homeowner. Not only do you have to concern ourselves with paying the mortgage on a monthly basis, but when you own a house, there is no landlord to come and do the home improvements that are needed. Basically, you are the landlord and so those kinds of responsibilities are solely up to you. And so, when you’re looking around thinking about what kind of “upgrades” you need to make, you might be wondering which ones are better (and cheaper) than others. That’s why we’re here:...
Having life insurance is not something that people deem very important in many situations. The monthly cost is minimal and can be managed by people with even the most meager of resources. Life insurance protects you from all of the costs that may come from a loved one passing away. When you are mourning the loss of a loved one extra stress is not something that one will want to deal with. When You’re Young Believe it or not, buying your life insurance should be one of the most cost effective investments that you can make. By purchasing your life insurance when...
Debt is a tool that can come in handy when it is used correctly. When it’s used incorrectly, it can be downright devastating. If you are still trying to recover from the debt that you accumulated in 2012, you’re not alone. A lot of people have large amounts of debt that they don’t know what to do with, and they are considering all options. In this situation, consolidating might be the way to go for you. Here are a few ways to consolidate your 2012 debt right now. Open a New Card If you got yourself into debt with...
When you decide that you’re going to give your home a much-needed remodel, you’ve got a pretty exciting process ahead of you. You’ve also got a lot of responsibility coming your way; a remodel can be as trying as it is exciting. Everybody loves to think about how that kitchen or living room is going to look when everything’s finished, but it can still be pretty tough to deal with plastic sheeting where a wall used to be, even if it’s only there for a matter of weeks. Extensive remodeling can also get to be pretty expensive, and these days...
These days, just about any homeowner is looking for ways to seriously cut costs. When you’re in charge of owning a home you’ve got a lot on your plate. Typically, home ownership means that you’ve got a family that you’re taking care of, as well. This also means that you’ve got a lot of things to be responsible for on a very regular basis, and it’s definitely easy for all that responsibility to quickly get a little bit overwhelming. Not only this, but the economy hasn’t really been in the greatest of shape over the course of the last several...
More cars are on the road now than at any other point in history, and insurance is now required of drivers in many states. When driving uninsured is illegal, it’s more important than ever before to make sure you have the coverage you need. Car insurance premiums can be quite expensive, but there are a number of great discounts available for good drivers. A clean driving record may be able to save you big money if you’re eligible for any of these 5 discounts. Accident Free Driving Some of today’s most popular insurance providers offer a discount to drivers with...
Who hasn’t dreamed of going on a luxury vacation at one point or another? Not only is it the opportunity to get some much needed rest and relaxation, but it can also provide you with a chance to see how the “other half lives” as you select five-star resorts, the finest of restaurants and places where you can be pampered throughout the entire trip. Now when it comes to the planning stages, the smart thing to do is to make sure that even if you take a vacation like you’re a celebrity that you don’t incur debt that you can’t...
College is a very important part of anybody’s life. No matter who you are or what it is you’re trying to do, it’s very likely that a college education will help you to do it. Not only does a college degree help to seriously round out your education in a very significant way, but the college experience typically helps to provide young adults with a lot of important life skills and knowledge that they need as they enter the real world and start to become a little more self-sufficient. If you’re getting ready to head to school or are thinking...
When you’re in college, you’re usually pretty focused on your grades. It’s an important time in just about anyone’s life, and the grades that you earn while you’re working on your degree are going to have a huge impact upon what happens to you for the rest of your days. College can be a pretty big deal for most people, but it’s also usually a time when money is pretty tight. College students don’t typically have a lot of extra money lying around. When you do have some money in college, it can be tough not to spend it on...
Every month, when we’re sitting at the table and going through our bills, one of the main thoughts that cross many of our minds is “How can I find a way to get rid of some of the bills that I have?” Although you might be able to downsize your cable package or cell phone plan, one thing that you simply cannot go without (because it’s illegal to drive without it) is your car insurance policy. That doesn’t mean that you have to pay ridiculously high premiums, though. We actually have done a bit of research and come up with...
