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Financial Real Estate

Selling Your Home? Here’s a Moving Timeline

selling your home moving timeline

Selling your home can be a very stressful time. From worrying that you’ll make enough money on the sale to concern about having to move in the midst of everything else that you have to deal with when selling your home. Generally speaking, the process of selling your home is not done quickly. Most people plan for months before even listing, and then from there you never know how long it could take.

Right Now

Whether you think you’ll be ready to move in 3 months or 6 months, you should have a list date planned, as it makes it easier to plan ahead and get your home ready to show potential buyers. Not only this, but it also simplifies the moving process when you finalize your plans on where you will be living next.

Two Months Prior to Listing Your Home

The market can fluctuate greatly, so it is a smart move to wait to decide on your list price until closer to when you will place your home on the market. Browse the local market; the comparable homes will help you set a price that isn’t so low you lose out on money but not so high that people are not interested.

Six Weeks Prior to Listing Your Home

If you do not already have a real estate agent in mind, this is the time to start getting recommendations from friends and family so you can interview a few candidates. You may get lucky and find someone great right away, but it could take you a few weeks to pick.

You should also get your home ready. A fresh coat of paint inside and outside and a few simple upgrades can make a big difference.

One Month Prior to Listing Your Home

This is a great time to start moving out. Renting a storage unit and eliminating unnecessary clutter, seasonal items, and things you have been storing in your home allows potential buyers to really see the home, helping them visualize their belongings and families in the space.

Two Weeks Prior to Listing Your Home

Contact the company that is handling your mortgage and get the payout information. You will need to know exactly how much you owe so you can price your home right. Also, you want to get any liens on your property taken care of.

If you have decided to use a real estate agent, this would be a great time to discuss staging so your home is ready to be listed.

One Week Prior to Listing

It’s almost time! This is the time where you or your agent will take pictures inside and outside of your home. First impressions matter and these photos will likely be the first thing potential buyers see about your house.

Listing Day and Beyond

Now that your home is on the market, your agent could call you anytime saying someone wants to view the house. It is best to keep your home as clean as possible so you don’t have to scramble at the last minute to get things ready to view.

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Financial Real Estate

How to Sell Your House Faster by Its Curb Appeal

sell your house curb appeal

It’s getting to the time of year when home sales absolutely explode. If you are getting ready to sell your house, you should know most of the main ways that you can squeeze all the extra value out of the inside of your home.

But what about the exterior? How can you boost your curb appeal and have those buyers ready to make an offer before they even hit the living room? We’ve got the top tips, take a look.

1.   Quality Signage In Front Of Your Home Is Important

It may seem like one of the more trivial things, but the real estate signage in front of your home is a direct reflection of how you and your listing agent regard your property. It should be clean and made from quality materials.

2.   Trim Your Trees And Shrubs

The foliage around your home should accent it, not define it or hide it. It doesn’t take an award-winning artist to trim some hedges and shrubs to make them look nice before going on the market. Bigger trees may need a professional trimmer to come do it safely. Attractive pruning is one of the things noticed immediately by those pulling up to your home. If there are any diseased trees or limbs, you may want a skilled arborist to address those.

3.   Pamper Your Lawn

Make sure you keep your lawn neatly mowed and precisely edged. If you don’t have the right equipment, don’t be afraid to call a local landscaper to come one afternoon before the listing goes live or before an open house. Depending on the time of year, a quick lawn feeding can green it up and really impress potential buyers.

4.   Add Some Color To Your Home

A few flats of flowers from the local nursery or home improvement center can be worth their weight in gold when placed strategically around visible gardens. A splash of the color outside can really help, particularly in areas where HOAs prevent many colors in exterior paint shades. Stick with simple flowers and bright colors, but don’t go overboard. Top it off with fresh mulch.

5.   Refresh Your Walkways In Front Of Your Home

This is often overlooked, but it can add incredible value to your potential sale price on your home. Having your driveway, walkways, and sidewalk professionally pressure washed can make them look nearly new. If you have a blacktop driveway, throw a coat of sealant on it so that it looks nice and crisp.

6.   Stage Your Deck

Really want to sell your house? Make your outdoor spaces look inviting. Clean furniture, pressure washed deck and patio area, and maybe a fresh coat of stain makes for a beautiful and welcoming outdoor relaxation area.

7.   Get Neighbors On Board

Selling your home for top dollar doesn’t stop at your wallet. Your neighbors benefit from higher property values when a home on the block sells for a good price. Let them know you’re selling, and ask (as nicely as possible) if they could match your efforts at making things beautiful for the potential buyers.

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Career & Education Debt Education Financial

How To Deal With Student Debt

student debt

It seemed like a good idea at the time, right? Getting a few student loans to make it simple to focus on college without having to worry about funding it with your already thin paycheck. But now you’re looking at graduation, or maybe you have already turned your tassel, and that loan balance is weighing heavy on your mind. It certainly can be a daunting situation, but it doesn’t have to be completely overwhelming.

The first thing you need is a plan, which is probably what brought you here. You’re intelligent, so you’re likely searching for some of the best ways to deal with what seems like a mountain of student debt. Don’t worry, we’ve got you. Here are some of the most effective ways to handle and pare down student debt:

1.   Keep The College Lifestyle

You just left what was in all likelihood one of the most frugal lifestyles that you have lived thus far. Why stop now? Many people learn to get by with so little in college, and when you leave school that can repay dividends.

While others are splurging on meal services and subscription boxes, you can still be eating on a tight budget and putting the extra money into your debt payments. Living like a pauper for a few years means you could be debt-free a lot sooner than many of your peers.

2.   Follow The Snowball

The snowball method of debt payment is a popular technique, and for good reason, it works well. First, you list all of your existing debts, from small to large. Every type of loan you have.

Maintain all minimum payments, and focus all additional liquidity on the smallest debt. When that one is done, move to the next smallest, and so on. Each time, gathering up the minimum payment from the previous debt and rolling it into the current one.

3.   Push Your Extras Right Into That Debt

This one’s simple. Did you get a bonus? Debt payment. Raise? Debt payments. Any other non-essential liquidity? DEBT. PAYMENTS.

4.   Sharpen A Side Hustle To Cut Your Debt Fast

If you can work up a profitable side hustle you can shrink your debt must faster than with your single income. Additionally, if you can create income streams from streaming, Patreon, or other paid content sites, you may be able to become debt-free incredibly fast, followed closely by being financially independent.

5.   Refinance Only If It Makes Financial Sense

This is something you should only consider if the interest rate variance makes the process truly worth it. Sometimes people are much too eager, and they run right to an unscrupulous lender, or even a lender who simply doesn’t care if it’s the right move for the consumer.

Make sure the result is going to be an improvement on what your loan terms and payments are currently. The last thing you want to do is refinance, only to find out your payment is now much higher than before and you cannot meet it.

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Career Career & Education

8 Virtual Interview Tips to Help You Land the Job

Virtual Interview

The interview landscape has changed significantly in the past year, let’s take a look at the best tips for remote interviews.

1.   Location, Location, Location

Sure, you’re stuck at home, maybe even on another lockdown, that doesn’t mean your interview backdrop has to look like it. Make a conscious effort to place your computer where you will have a blank background, or perhaps a bookshelf or houseplant behind you. Keep it professional, or at the very least, neutral.

2.   Be Ready

Not on time, but technically ready. Have your appropriate plug-ins and updates installed and ready. Test your camera and mic, so that you aren’t showing up to your interview with no video, or a critical system update that won’t let you snooze it.

3.   Dress For The Job You Want

Wardrobe selection is just as important here as it is for a traditional interview. Make sure your selection fits the situation, and if unclear, your HR contact point should be able to provide clear guidance. Generally, you want to avoid chunky or distracting jewelry and excessively bright colors.

4.   Personal Space

Make sure you are positioned effectively for your interview. Check your setup and distance from the camera with a friend if needed. Make sure you aren’t hunched over in front of your computer, but make sure you aren’t 8 feet away. Place your camera a comfortable distance away, sit up straight, and don’t fidget with things on your desk during the interview.

5.   Practice Makes Perfect

Go over and practice your answers to potential questions, so that they are clear and concise. Give yourself an honest chance to purge all of your “um”, “uh”, and “well…” fillers from your repertoire. Make sure you iron out all of your grammar and double-check any typed responses for accuracy.

6.   Do A Dry Run

With the help of an honest friend or family member, run an entire mock interview. Not only will it give you a chance to go through the process front to back, but it will let you test your tech again to make sure the interview connection will be perfect.

7.   Be Your Own Best Cheerleader

With virtual interviews, it can be challenging from an employer’s perspective, to get a real feel of the person being interviewed in a virtual environment. That initial “vibe” can be crucial, so make sure you tell them why you feel you’re a good fit so that they can feel it. Highlight your qualifications, achievements, and so on, and be enthusiastic about them.

8.   Be Your Best You

You aren’t going to be interviewed extensively at first, your potential employer is looking to see in a more general sense if you seem like a good fit for the company. The best way to lower your stress is to just be yourself. Don’t worry about what you think they want to hear, just tell them who you are. This will always give you the best shot at finding the best fit for you too.

Categories
Family Legal Senior Social Security Disability

What is OASDI?

what is OASDI?

OASDI stands for Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance. It is the long-form name of the Social Security benefits in the US. It is the fund that is paid into by the withholdings on your paycheck. Those who may be eligible to collect OASDI include the disabled, retirees, and so on. The overall goal of the program is to replace the income lost to old age, losing a spouse who was the earner.

The program was created as the Social Security Act by President Roosevelt in 1935. With the country in the grips of the Great Depression at the time, people were eager for a safety net, and it has grown incredibly over the years. In the decade following the passage of the act, there were approximately 222,000 recipients of benefits, while at the end of 2020 there were roughly 70 million. The average monthly benefit for these recipients is about $1,500.

Criteria For Collecting OASDI

Payments into the OASDI program are collected by payroll taxes FICA and SECA, which are the Federal Insurance Contributions Act, and the Self-Employed Contributions Act. In order to collect payments from the OASDI program, the recipient must meet certain requirements. For the tax year 2021, the tax rate for Social Security collected via FICA is 6.2%, while those who are self-employed will pay a rate of 12.4%, or double.

To begin old-age payments, those born before 1960 can collect as early as 62 years old. For those born after 1960, however, the retirement age s 67. In some cases, people who qualify can wait until age 70 to begin collecting payments and can collect larger payments as a result. The funds are kept in a pair of trust funds, the Disability Insurance trust, and the ASI trust.

How Are The Payment Are Calculated

Payment amounts for retired workers are determined by the wages of the worker who paid into the program during their working years. Payments to surviving spouses or children of passed or retired workers. Payments for disability are made only to those who can positively prove they cannot participate in gainful employment as well as meet additional requirements.

Qualifying for retirement benefits requires that the worker be fully insured by accumulating quarters, or credits, for coverage. Quarters are gained based on the wages of the earner for a predefined period and are accumulated for roughly each $1500 earned. Yearly quarter earnings are capped at 4, with 40 credits, or about 10 years of work.

When a worker is ready to retire, they will receive payments from the OASDI program that are based on the average of her 35 highest-paid years of work. If there are more than 35 years on record, the lowest years are eliminated from consideration. If the worker decides to retire early, then their work history is evaluated and any years without data are calculated as zeros in the 35-year formula. That 35-year average is what her monthly payments will be a portion of.

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Financial Tax Services

What is the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)?

internal revenue service

Founded in 1862 by President Abraham Lincoln, the Internal Revenue Service is in charge of enforcing tax laws as well as the collection of taxes. Under the authority of the United States Department of the Treasury, the IRS’s main purpose is the taxation of all American companies and businesses. Taxpayers can file either electronically or they can mail in their taxes. No matter how you prefer to file your taxes, the department handling your paperwork is the IRS.

What Does the IRS Do?

The overall purpose of the IRS is to enforce and uphold tax laws enacted by congress. Additional duties include:

  • Overseeing certain types of retirement plans
  • Collecting the tax returns filed by businesses and individuals
  • Issuing refunds to those that overpaid taxes
  • Conducting criminal investigations
  • Ensuring you pay whatever taxes are due

The busiest department of the IRS is likely the enforcement side of the organization. According to the Tax Policy Center, the IRS spent almost 40% of its budget on enforcement. Of that funding, 83% of it was for investigations and tax audits.

In addition to collecting taxes, they also ensure that those Americans that qualify for other tax credits, such as the Earned Income Credit, receive them. There are even educational tax credits that can help with your children’s future college education.

Owner and Leadership

The IRS has no owner but is considered the tax administrator that works for the Secretary of the Treasury. The IRS technically has no owner, they are under the direction of the Treasury. They are under the leadership of the IRS Commissioner who is appointed by the President of the United States every five years.

If you have seen the logo for the IRS, either on the website or maybe a piece of mail, you have probably recognized a few familiar elements. The logo for the IRS contains several elements that are found in other pieces of American government signage and seals.

The first and most obvious part of the logo is the eagle. This is the bald eagle, the national bird, and it is also found on many other government buildings, seals, and logos. In the logo for the IRS, it simply represents the USA.

The next component seen is the olive branch. This is another component that is present in a lot of US imagery. The olive branch represents mediation and the offering of peace. The olive branch is accompanied by the scales, another truly American image. The scales represent fair measure and justice.

History of the Internal Revenue Service

The roots of the Internal Revenue Service reach all the way back to the Civil War. It was created by President Lincoln and Congress. They were initially created to collect the original income tax to pay for the plethora of war expenses. That income tax was quickly repealed a decade later, not to be seen again until 1913, when it was included in a Constitutional amendment.

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Financial Savings

20 Ways to Take Control of Your Finances

take control of your finances

Many people struggle with their personal finances and money. Luckily there are many tips and tricks to help you get more in control of your finances. 

Evaluate How Much Money You Have

Before making changes to your finances, you need to evaluate exactly how much money and debt you have. This will give you a baseline of what to expect with your finances, where you need to improve, and where you can go with your finances.  

Track Purchases

When starting to evaluate your finances, you want to see where your money is going. When you do this you’ll be able to make changes about what you spend your money on. This is also something to continue doing once you have set a budget.  

Set a Budget

Once you have evaluated your current finances and seen where your money is going, you can set a budget. There’s a lot of software and apps you can use to set and track your budget. Having a weekly or monthly plan laid out will help you stick with your plan.

Review the Budget

Every budget will need to be reviewed, you can set this either weekly or monthly. Your financial needs may change and having a review can help you set those changes.

Make Financial Goals

Having a financial goal can give you something to work towards with your budget. It will be easier to stick to a budget when you’re saving for a house or business. 

Automatic Money Transfers

Having your money transfer automatically every paycheck will help you know how much money you have. It will also be harder to miss that money if it was never in your account to start.

Talk to Others

Talking with people that you admire money-wise will help you find ways to save and spend money you may not have known about previously.

Test Saving Methods

Some budgeting ideas will work better than others. Trying new ways will help ensure that you’re using a financial plan that works best for your situation.

Save Money

Saving money every month is the best way to know that you have enough money. This saved money can be towards a specific goal or a general savings fund. 

Minimize Debt

Debt can break many people’s budgets. Don’t let that happen to you by minimizing how much debt you get into. 

Make a Plan to Get Out of Debt

When you’re in debt, make a plan to get out of debt quickly. The more debt you have, the more interest you will have to pay.

Have an Emergency Fund

Don’t let a financial setback take you too far back. With an emergency fund, you can be prepared for many financial mishaps. 

Invest

Investing money can be a great way to build more financial equity. It can be used for retirement or other long-term goals.

Earn More Money

While saying “just make more money” is often easier said than done, you can get a side job or start a small business that can help you make more money.

Live Within Means

Many people can fall into the trap of trying to keep up with the neighbors. Staying within your financial means will help you stay out of debt and on track with your financial goals.

Shop Smarter

Shop with coupons or with deals to get the most of your purchases.

Direct Deposit

Direct deposit will ensure that your money gets in the back as quickly as possible so you don’t have to worry about it.

AutoPay

AutoPay ensures that you don’t fall behind on bills and incur late payment fees.

Read About Finances

Reading about finances will help you develop new financial and money-saving strategies.

Hire a Financial Planner

A professional financial planner can help you develop financial goals and ways to meet those goals.

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Family Legal Senior Social Security Disability

How to Prove Your Disability To The SSA

social security disability

When seeking to qualify for either SSDI or SSI, you will be required to prove your disability. Even when the claim seems like it would be obvious and straightforward. You must remember that only about 30% of all claims initially presented to the SSA are denied. This is one reason why Social Security claims can be so frustrating if you are pursuing it by yourself. Which is why many people opt to work with an experienced Social Security disability lawyer.

Disability As Defined By The Social Security Administration

The Social Security Administration has a very clear definition of a disability. If you are only partially or temporarily disabled, you will not be able to claim SSDI or SSI benefits. So, you must show that:

  1. You cannot do the work you did previously, due to the disability
  2. You are unable to do change occupations or do other work due to the disability
  3. The disability will last longer than a year or is anticipated to result in death

If you are able to meet these criteria, you will not be able to engage in any substantial gainful activity. This qualification can be revoked if you earn too much income in a month.

Collect And Organize Your Medical Records

Common claim denials result from the failure of the applicant to provide sufficient medical documentation as evidence of the disability. Spending some time developing your medical documentation can help you prove your disability during the first review period.

The Social Security Administration will need to see records of your disability going back to when it was first discovered. This is known as your disability onset date. This can be difficult to determine for some conditions, so leverage family and friends if needed.

Your doctors can be a priceless resource. Your medical care team should be able to provide you with the records or documentation you need. If necessary, they may also be able to furnish a mental health assessment to be presented to the SSA. Make sure you adhere to your doctor’s directives for treatment as well. If you don’t, the SSA may deny your claim for lack of consistent treatment.

Make Sure You Meet The Requirements

Any disability can be challenging to prove. This can be especially true for those seeking benefits for mental illnesses or conditions. Some will be significant or severe enough that the Social Security Administration will simply grant the benefits. The conditions that qualify someone for SSDI or SSI benefits are detailed in the Blue Book. The Blue Book contains all of the criteria for qualification based on medical diagnosis.

Some conditions may be severe enough that the SSA will only need limited medical documentation. For example, arthritis, asthma, and heart disease. Some conditions will require more rigorous proof, such as mental disorders. Mental disorder claimants will need to meet various criteria that are designed for their particular mental disorder category, such as anxiety or psychosis.

Categories
Credit Financial

Credit Cards for People With Bad Credit

credit cards for bad credit

Life can throw everyone an unexpected challenge from time to time. Sometimes those challenges lead to bad credit scores. So, does that mean that everyone with a score under 650 should resign themselves to forever paying cash for everything? Of course not.

Getting a credit card, using it responsibly, and establishing a solid payment history is one of the fastest ways to rebuild your credit. Rebuilding your creditworthiness is crucial because your credit score is used for far more than credit card approvals. Not working on your credit score can make it more difficult to rent an apartment, buy a house, and can even affect the types of jobs you are eligible for.

What Kinds of Cards Are Available for Bad Credit

While the specific score you have can impact what options you have, there are cards available for nearly every credit score.

Secured Cards

These cards are a temporary tool that helps you rebuild your credit. They don’t offer you any “perks,” but they are intentionally easy to get. Approval is not entirely guaranteed, and you do need to have verifiable income. Just be honest about your credit history, and the odds will be highly in your favor.

Why are they so easy to get? Because you have to put down a deposit before you can use it. This deposit protects the credit card company if something causes you to stop making your payments. Some companies ask for larger deposits than others, which can be intimidating. Many will let you split up your deposit over a month or two, making it is easier to afford.

Unsecured Cards

More traditional credit cards are “unsecured,” which just means that no deposit is necessary for the credit line. These unsecured cards are slightly harder to get approval for because there is more risk involved for the credit card company.

These unsecured credit cards often have much higher than typical interest rates (as much as 25% or higher). High interest doesn’t have to be a problem, though, so long as you pay the entire balance each month.

They also have one other major disadvantage. Most of these do charge some sort of annual fee. Depending on the card, that fee could be considerable, and over time you end up paying as much (or more) than the deposit on a secured card.

When to Consider a Card for Bad Credit

How do you know you need one of these cards? Take a look at your credit report before applying for any new credit. Many companies view any score below 670 as “bad credit.” If your score falls in the “fair” range (above 580), you will have few more options. No matter what your score is, you should be able to find something.

Use your credit report to see precisely what is on it, and take the time to make sure all of the information is accurate. Taking care of anything that shouldn’t be there will help you get the best card possible.

Credit cards for bad credit serve a beneficial role in the economy. Used wisely, they can help anyone fix their credit.

Categories
Dating Health & Home

Simple Ways to Improve Relationships Each Day

improve your relationship

The real pleasures in life are not the grand, expensive gestures: it is in the simple ways you try to keep your spark alive. Often, we spend so much on giving costly gifts that we forget relationships thrive when there is an actual connection, bonding, and companionship between two people.

Even the best relationships can weaken if you do not nurture them daily in some way. Here are some simple things you can do at the end of each day to show the other person what they mean to you.

1.    Celebrate Small Moments

When you’ve spent considerable time with each other, you may stop valuing each small moment. It becomes too easy to overlook niceties such as a good morning or hugging the other before leaving for work or going to bed. These are the most important things of the day so savor each moment.

Do make it a point to greet your partner with a kiss each morning, do remember to hug them each time you spit for the day, and end the day with a warm goodnight hug.

2.    Bring Your Partner a Cup of Coffee

All it takes to melt the other’s heart is a cup of coffee they never asked you for. If you see your partner getting out of bed in the morning, be quick to prepare their favorite cup of java. Has she been working past midnight on an important project? Make her a mug of coffee.

Is he running late for a meeting in the morning? Hand him a cup on the go. Small acts like these serve as great reminders of love.

3.    Ask Your Partner Questions

Never end the day without asking your partner how it was for them. Do not nag but at the same time make them realize you want to be involved in their life. Ask a simple question: how his/her day was, is he/she too tired, did they remember to have lunch? Etc.

4.    Eat Dinner Together

Sharing meals together is the most intimate thing of all, but of course, that is not always possible when both are working professionals. However, try never to have dinner without each other. Even sharing simple meals together daily infuses tons of romance, love, friendship, communication, and bonding in the relationship.

5.    End the Day with an Undivided Attention to Them

No matter how busy you are or how demanding your career is, never let them sleep without giving some time to them first. Put aside your phone for at least the last thirty minutes of your day and devote all your time and attention to your partner.

You could just talk, cuddle or even watch t.v or listen to music together. Encourage each other to unburden if there is anything bottled inside or just devote quality time to one another in the day.

6.    Sleep at the Same Time

If you live together, try to make schedules compatible. Bedtime is the most crucial time for nurturing a relationship, and sleeping together is the best form of connection. Couples who sleep apart will lose out on a lot of essential factors in the long run. The moments of quietness, intimacy, and reconnection after a busy day all make for strong foundations for a relationship.