Why We’re Considering Travel Insurance

Man in an Airport Looking out at a plane landing
My husband and I have traveled to several continents, and never used travel insurance. However, we haven’t traveled internationally in approximately 20 years, and much has changed. This summer, we’re planning a trip to Japan, so for the first time, we’re considering travel insurance. Why We’re Considering Travel Insurance There are several reasons why we think travel insurance is a smart idea. Traveling...
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3 Things to Know Before Buying a House with Delinquent Taxes

Picture of scales with gold coins on one side and a small wooden house on the other side.
Real estate is often considered an investment, especially in one’s retirement. You buy a house, pay on it for 30 years, and when you’re in retirement, you can sell and add the cash to your retirement fund. Or, your heirs can sell and add the money to their inheritance. However, real estate isn’t always an investment. One of the ways real estate becomes a liability for homeowners is when they...
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Why We Do a Yearly Budget Audit

Yearly Budget Audit
My husband and I established a budget over 20 years ago when we married. We don’t find a budget restrictive; instead, adhering to our budget has allowed us to make financial gains we couldn’t have if we didn’t monitor our income and expenses carefully and budget for every dollar. However, times change—our income increases, and, recently, inflation has driven up the cost of everything–which...
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Here’s How to Deal with Bad Reference from Previous Job

Bad reference from a previous job
An excellent job reference can open doors when applying for a new job. Unfortunately, the opposite, having a bad reference from a previous job, can close doors faster than a positive reference opens them. After all, no one wants to hire a troublemaker. If you’re in the unfortunate latter position, here’s how to deal with a bad reference from a previous job. Steps to Avoid a Bad Reference Avoiding...
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Why We Don’t Use Escrow

Why We Don't Use Escrow
We bought our first house in 2014. However, we didn’t have enough for a 20 percent down payment, so we had to take out private mortgage insurance (PMI). Therefore, we also had to have an escrow account for our homeowner’s insurance and property taxes. We didn’t realize that our property tax would go up the following year, and we’d have to either pay a lump sum for the difference or increase...
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