Having a qualified professional inspect your house prior to putting it on the market – or for prospective buyers, before closing on a sale – can help guide answers to many of the buying or selling questions.
Some misconceptions are merely inconvenient. And some – like the many myths that surround the use of fire sprinklers in homes – can be deadly. Whether you’re building a new home or renovating an existing one, it’s important to know the truth behind some common fire sprinkler myths.
In a tightened economy, states are faced with cuts to higher education, and tuition is on the rise in all 50 states. At the same time, having a postsecondary degree and credentialed job skills is ever more important to finding a job. Within this framework, the Army Reserve has found itself playing a greater role in educating soldiers who also comprise an important part of America’s civilian workforce.
Summer savings can really benefit your finances and budget later on this year – especially when the holiday season approaches. This summer, take control of your finances while enjoying the warm weather and vacations.
Eating right, exercising regularly and getting plenty of rest are probably all on your list of healthful activities. But is checking your credit also on that list? It should be.
Summer trips are wrapping up and kids are counting down the days until they have to go back to school. With many parents weighed down by worries about escalating back-to-school costs, brushing up on tips and tricks for making the summer-to-school transition smoother will be helpful for the entire family.
With mortgage expenses, car payments, pet costs and tuition bills, setting up a rainy day fund may not be your top priority. But let’s face it – life doesn’t always go as planned, and if you’re not prepared, an unexpected financial situation – such as a major home repair or a lost job – could land you and your family in financial hot water. Do you know how you would pay for these expenses? A smart place to start is creating an emergency fund.
Have you ever given yourself a SWOT. No. It’s not a typo. With a SWOT analysis, you examine your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats along with internal and external factors that might affect your employment search. Many organizations utilize a SWOT analysis to examine their business. A SWOT analysis can also help reduce the anxiety sometimes associated with finding employment.
Gas prices are on a roller coaster ride again. A bargain these days is anything under $4 a gallon, which is especially difficult since it’s summer and everyone’s hitting the road for vacations. Inching closer is fall’s “back-to-school” drive cycle. In short, there is a lot of driving ahead and higher gas prices are now the norm, so it’s time to look at ways to alleviate the pain at the pumps.
With the price of $4 a gallon for regular gasoline becoming a common occurrence across America, relief is miles away. Even with tighter budgets, millions of drivers are hitting the roads for a summer road trip with a desire to make every dollar count. For motorists, now is the time to make sure their vehicle performs at full strength, to save at the pump.
Couples heading to the altar have a lot to think about. Planning a wedding is no small feat, but, as many people will tell you, planning for your life together beyond the big day is even more important. While thinking about the future is definitely exciting, you should also be sure to have a frank discussion with each other about topics like buying a home, merging your finances and managing debt.
Parents send their children to college hoping they’ll learn enough in the classroom to get their degree, and enough about life to make their way in the world once they graduate. But firsthand knowledge of identity theft is one lesson parents don’t want kids to have, and they should take steps to help their college-age children avoid it.
Are you thinking it’s time for a vehicle upgrade? A great way to save a bit of cash, but still get a virtually-new ride is to look at last year’s car models. A slightly used car or one that is part of a dealership’s inventory from last year may mean a much lower cost than new car prices. Plus you may still get all the bells and whistles.
In helping Americans refocus on retirement planning, sometimes returning to the most fundamental truths is the best route. Robert Fishbein, a vice president in Prudential’s Tax Department, shares the five “back to basics” tips.
Life insurance can be affordable for families on a lower income level, and can benefit children with help with tuition payments for college if a caregiver were to pass away unexpectedly.
If you’re in the market for a new car, you’re probably debating how you’ll pay for the vehicle. If you have enough cash set aside, you could just buy the car from the dealer or private seller outright. But if you don’t, another consideration is to look at loan or leasing options.
For students, being admitted to college is the result of years of preparation. Completing college prep courses, participating in extracurricular activities and accumulating community volunteer hours – all are important components to impressing college admissions boards. While this hard work is essential, just as important is having a plan to finance that education.
More Americans than ever, including those in the middle class, are experiencing financial hardship, with many living paycheck to paycheck. If you’re struggling to pay your bills, or if you’ve been hit with an unexpected major expense, such as a large medical bill, it’s critical to act quickly to avoid bankruptcy. Here is what you need to know.
Planning ahead to give your family financial security is probably something you want to think about early in life – maybe even before your family starts growing.
Going to college is a significant commitment. Since the largest expected return on your commitment comes in the form of a job after you complete your degree, it only makes sense to select a college that is also committed to helping you secure employment.
It’s never too soon to start teaching your children about financial literacy. With changes in the global economy and an ever-evolving workforce, today’s children need to be prepared to meet the financial challenges they will face in the future.
Juggling work, parenting and homemaking, a “modern mom” is the quintessential multi-tasker, and with 75 percent of meals being prepared at home, getting wholesome family meals on the table is at the top of the daily to do list.
You may not plan to rack up a lot of credit card debt as you go through college, but that’s exactly what happens to many college students. If you’re thinking about getting a credit card for college, keep these tips in mind.
You’re confident about how to get the best deal on office supplies, and you may even know how to purchase a new computer system for your small business. But if you’re not sure how to go about buying business insurance, you’re not alone.
As the economy struggles to recover, many American workers continue to fear being laid off. And with good reason – with millions of Americans still out of work from one of the worst recessions in U.S. history, the competition to find jobs is fierce. Regardless of your age, gender or the work you do, it pays to prepare yourself in the event that you are laid off.
With the mania surrounding daily deal sites, extreme couponing and discount superstores, saving money seems to be as All-American as Mom, apple pie and baseball. The coupon craze isn’t limited to the U.S., however – consumers worldwide are jumping on the discount bandwagon.
It’s a classic catch-22: In order to make money in the stock market you need to have some money to invest. If you don’t have a bundle to sink into stocks, how are you supposed to make money? For a growing number of Americans, the answer is “penny stocks.”
Identity thieves are a creative, crafty lot and it’s easy to see why they do what they do – thousands of American consumers and corporations lose millions of dollars to identity theft every year. Here are 10 simple things you can do to reduce your risk of identity theft.
Your daily expenses and activities may be earning you valuable tax breaks. From child care and retirement savings to medical expenses and hobbies, you have many opportunities to save thousands on your federal taxes.
Due to the economic climate, you may feel uneasy about putting your house on the market these days. But you can attract buyers to your property if you put the right selling skills to use. And instead of dreading having your house on the market for possibly a protracted period of time, you could find yourself scrambling to find a new place to live when your house sells quickly.