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Annual Budget

Guide to Creating an Annual Family Budget Plan

Budgeting / By

Managing finances for the whole family is not always easy. It can be overwhelming to balance the needs and wants of all family members with the realities of your budget. That’s why some planning and organization is necessary to help you be aware of your income and spending. A budget will also help you be more prepared when it comes to dealing with unexpected expenses. That’s why we wanted to help you with creating an annual family budget plan. Here are some tips and tricks you need to manage the family finances in the long run.

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Paperwork Needed for RE Sale

Purchase Agreements, Disclosures, Deeds, and Other Vital Documents in a Real Estate Sale

Real Estate / By

Real estate transactions are document-intensive. The necessary documentation permeates the agreement to purchase, the transfer of land, and an itemization of the price and costs involved. Below are important papers in a real estate transaction that protect your rights and interests as a buyer and ultimately property owner.

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5 Mistakes Most First-Time Homebuyers Make

Real Estate / By

Shopping for your first home is an exciting time of finding a house with all the features you want. However, it is easy for new homebuyers to make common mistakes that could lead to a disappointing purchase or cause them to pay more than planned. Here are five things to be aware of when looking at a home to buy. A professional home inspection could save thousands of dollars in house repairs and could keep you from paying more than the property is worth. Home inspectors will do a thorough evaluation of the property from top to bottom and outside as well as inside. Photos are usually taken as evidence of problems like roof leaks, water damage, or termite infestations. Although the fee varies, you can often get a high-quality inspection for between $150 and $500 depending on the size, location, and complexity of the property. The information could protect you from buying a home with hidden problems that will be expensive to repair. Shoppers who skip the inspection often wish later they had gotten one.

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Big Family Saving

Practical Budgeting Tips for Big Families 

Frugality / By

Having a big family can be one of the best things in the world – the more kids the merrier! However, having more kids means having more responsibilities, and they can be expensive. That’s why big families often have to plan everything ahead and take every single thing they buy into consideration. Luckily, there are ways to spend less money, so if you too want to become more frugal, here are a few practical tips that might go a really long way.

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Car buying tips

How to Make a New Car Affordable

Car / By

If you’re like most families, then you must adhere to a pretty strict budget. This means any new purchase, particularly a big one like a car, gets a great deal of scrutiny. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t afford to buy a new car for your family. It just means you need to be wise about it. Here are some tips for finding the best deals on a new vehicle for your family.

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International Houses

Beware Of Foreign Exchange Fluctuations When Buying A U.S. Home

Money in the UK / By

To say that the global COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc worldwide would be an understatement. Even, the world’s largest and most powerful economy, the United States, suffered a significant impact from the shutdown related to the disease. The impact is being felt across all sectors, especially housing — an industry that was booming just months prior.

But foreign buyers with cash to spend should be able to find their dream home in any major city. As fans of HGTV’s “House Hunter’s International” know house hunting is no longer limited to one’s own country, today people often buy second homes in countries other than their own. One factor rarely discussed on TV shows however is the impact of different currencies on the cross-border buying process. If you earn money in one country and buy in a different country the currency exchange rate can have a big impact on the cost that you see. For instance, if you see that the housing prices in another country have fallen 30% in the local currency but the currency has appreciated 30% against your currency the price in your currency might be roughly the same. For more information, you can read this Forex FAQ to understand some of the risks involved in transacting with a different currency.

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Foundation Repair

What to Do If Your House is Sagging?

Real Estate / By

Foundation damage can seriously affect the value of a home, after all, who wants a house that is “falling down”? If you are considering buying a house with foundation issues you need to be VERY careful. If you have an older home or if your property has experienced severe weather that has damaged your home’s foundation, you are probably trying to figure out how to get the repairs done without paying a huge amount of money. Foundation work can be expensive, so it helps to find ways to save money when planning this type of restoration or repair project. Here are a few tips that can help.

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USDA Loans

4 Signs You’re Financially Ready to Buy a Home

Home Owners / By

The cost of getting into single family homes is significantly higher than the cost of getting into a rental of any sort. Sure, you may have to pay first month’s rent plus a deposit. The cost of this may even be a couple of thousand dollars. However, the cost of the down payment for a home is significantly higher, usually 20% at least. To put that into perspective, that’s $30,000 down on a $150,000 house.

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Annuities

Things You Should Know When Investing During Your Retirement Years

Retirement / By

You can’t simply leave your financial security up to chance. Throughout most of your life, your goal was to earn enough money to support your family and put a little aside for retirement. But once you have retired, you must have enough savings and pensions to support yourself when you no longer have a monthly salary to depend on to cover your living expenses. Investing a portion of your savings is one way to make your money work without breaking your back. When you’re investing during your retirement years, you need to be more careful and conservative because you no longer have time to recover from significant losses. Here are some tips you should remember during retirement.

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Checking Account

Check Yourself: 4 Reasons You Still Need a Checking Account

Banking / By

In this day and age, most adults need to have a checking account, just to keep on top of their day-to-day expenses. You can sign up for one quickly and easily at your local bank or Credit Union. While most transactions are still doable without a checking account, having one can make things much more efficient and convenient in the long run. Here are a few of the top reasons how opening a checking account that will make your life easier. Many in “Gen Z” might think that a checking account is unnecessary since “who writes checks anymore?”.  But whether you write paper checks or not you still need a checking account to pay your bills. 

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Guaranteed Replacement Coverage

What You Need to Know about Different Types of Homeowners Insurance

Home Owners / By

Homeowners typically have two options when choosing the amount and level of protection of their insurance policy. There’s ACV or actual cash value and RCV or replacement cost value. ACV will reimburse you based on the initial cost of your home, depreciation considered, which means the insurance coverage may decrease over time. RCV, on the other hand, insures your home for its current market value, regardless of any potential depreciation.

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