Although the housing market has begun to improve across the country many areas are still having a hard time. Many homeowners looking to sell in these pockets of the country must find ways to entice buyers; or be forced to significantly reduce or their price or put off selling all together. Traditionally home warranties are a way sellers can entice buyers to make the leap of buying a home. The idea is that a home warranty significantly reduces the chances that new homeowners will have to shell out additional money on repairs for a home they just purchased. While in theory this should make purchasing a house easier, do home warranties really hold much worth to potential home buyers? Continue reading
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ETF’s: For Everyone From Buffett to Beginner
Investing is as littered with abbreviations and confusing jargon as bars are filled with college basketball fans this time of year. These confusing and complicated sounding words and signs can often be a hard barrier to entry to overcome for beginner investors. There are so many words and abbreviations to look up that many just end up giving up! One such term is ETF. In reality ETF’s make investing even for the most beginner investor very simple. ETF stands for Exchange Traded Funds and although they have been around for decades, they are becoming more popular for their radical outlook on investing. Continue reading
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Credit Cards
When someone says “credit card” what are the first things that pop into your head? Often it is thoughts such as “debt”, “fraud”, “overspending”, or “irresponsibility” that are the first to come to mind. All of these have a very strong negative connotation, or negative emotional association, for most people. Credit cards are often associated with creating problems in people’s lives. While this is sometimes sadly the case, there are however, many positive effects of credit cards – especially for young people. The following post focuses on these positive attributes of credit cards and how you can capitalize on them. Continue reading
Your First Car: PT2
In my last blog, I examined the first steps to buying a car out of college. After making a budget and doing some research, it is time to narrow the search down to a few cars to test drive and ultimately make a decision. This is the more exciting part of looking for a car, but it is also important to take your time to ensure you are making the best decision for your future. Continue reading
Your First Car: The In’s and Out’s of Buying a Car Out of College PT1
So you just graduated college, got your first job (if you are one of the lucky ones), and need a car. When it comes to getting a car for the “real world,” there are several factors you need to consider, including whether to buy a new or used car? I recently found myself in this situation as a fresh college graduate. The following are a few helpful tips I came up with from my experiences. Continue reading
Apartment Shopping – The Do’s and Don’ts
Shopping for a new apartment is an important, but sometimes surprisingly painful, process. It’s difficult to know what is important and what isn’t, what prices are too high, and, ultimately, when to stop shopping and just sign on something. In this post, I will provide some useful tips and advice from my last apartment shopping experience that can hopefully reduce the stress of your next apartment shopping experience. Continue reading
Tips for Charitable Giving
Giving is something that is very innate in human beings. Giving our time, money, and emotions make us feel good because we went out of our way to help someone in need or make the world a better place. Around 65% of American households give to charity and in 2011 Americans gave over $298 billion to charitable enterprises. This large amount of cash flowing freely out of the pockets of America’s individuals and businesses has also created a market of not so charitable organizations working to get their share of charitable gifts. While charitable giving is important to many Americans, there are some things that individuals should keep in mind when next looking to give. Continue reading
Credit Monitoring Sites: Are They Worth It?
We’ve all heard the ads claiming that identity theft is everywhere, and that credit monitoring sites are here to protect us from these threats. From the annoyingly catchy songs, such as Freecreditreport.com to the ever persistent pop-up ads online warning us of the danger of our identity, many of these ads appeal to the need to feel secure in our lives. These sites claim that through their credit monitoring services we not only will be able to check on fraudulent reports on our credit scores but also more quickly learn of and address threats to our identity, for a small fee of course. While feeling secure is important, are these credit monitoring sites really worth the monthly fee to the average person? Continue reading
The Hedonic Treadmill
If someone gave you a brand new powerboat would you rather live Florida or New York? Most of us would say Florida because we would get to enjoy it more often. The months of use in Florida would make the boat more “valuable” to us than the month or two the boat would be useful in NY. When you think of getting a “good deal” what are the first things to come to mind? Continue reading
Fifth Third Bank: Looking Out For Customers and the Bottom Line
When someone losses their job it is usually a pretty traumatic experience. Not only is it tough emotionally, but the financial ramifications go far beyond the loss of income for day to day living expenses. Without a job it becomes nearly impossible to keep up with mortgage payments – which is why foreclosure is such a common side effect of being laid off. One bank in the Midwest, Fifth Third Bank, is taking a unique approach to help customers avoid foreclosure by thinking outside the box. Continue reading
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