From the day we are born, a future full of exciting adventures and milestones unfolds before us like a road map. We all know that this road map is bound to change; sometimes we end up in detours and have to turn around and start over, sometimes the car stalls out and we need some maintenance, and sometimes the people that come along for the ride—the ones who help guide us and help give directions—are suddenly gone. We are left with an empty space and often aren’t sure how we are going to navigate the twists and turns in the road up ahead. (more…)
Buying a Home
Understanding Life Insurance [Video] Term vs. Perm
Life is full of exciting milestones to celebrate, like buying a home, getting married, starting a family, and starting a business—to name a few. Turns out, these are all good reasons to own life insurance too. (more…)
Lessons from a First Time Home Buyer
In March of 2017, we bought our first home. I was actually surprised when I first started researching the possibility of buying a home. I, like many others, thought that I needed 20% down and that I wouldn’t qualify for a loan. One day I was getting claustrophobic in our small one bedroom apartment and decided to test the waters to see if we would qualify to get a loan. The process was easier than I expected. (more…)
A Guide to Keeping What Matters
When our nest became empty, my husband and I started thinking about down-sizing into our “forever” home. Because we are both Baby-Boomers with retirement looming on the horizon, we decided to build our dream home with one-level living in mind. Where we finally landed is in our little log home with two bedrooms on a small patch of land in the country ten minutes away from everything. It’s paradise. (more…)
Borrow From Yourself
“A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don’t need it.”
-Bob Hope
It’s one of those classics that falls into the ‘It’s funny because it’s true’ category.
Really, it’s not funny. But, it does seem to be true. Since the Great Recession of 2008, middle income Americans are finding it harder than ever to borrow money from banks. Tightened regulations implemented in 2009 are causing bank lenders to look for near perfect credit qualifications in order to make loans for mortgages, auto purchases and even for small business owners. (more…)
