Planning for Your Retirement Dream Home

Your retirement dream home should give you the chance to live with easy access to enjoyable amenities, convenient space configurations, and a pleasant climate. 

Unless you're planning a major location change after retirement, the time to customize your retirement space is during your high earning years prior to retirement.

Location Decisions

If you're planning to stay in the same geographic region but would like to downsize, check out walking community concepts. Many of these communities are newly constructed and offer terrific options for people who no longer have to hurry or stick to a rigid schedule. 

Easy access to restaurants and shopping via walking path could provide you with fresh air, exercise, and a leisurely lifestyle. However, if you're planning a relocation to be closer to family, a good realtor is a must. 

Connect with a professional who knows your location preferences and interests. Additionally, now is the time to plan for any physical challenges you may be facing. If you need housing all on one level, or would like to live in a community with a pool or fitness center, your realtor can help you find just the right spot.

Finances

Depending on your current expenses, you may not want to take on another mortgage at this time. If your retirement plans include a major geographic change, consider town home or condominium communities, and keep an eye on the market. 

According to the writers at Exit Trinity Realty, foreclosures have decreased dramatically—a sign of a healthy market. Now may be a good time to buy. If you are getting a mortgage, look for something near the national average. 

Depending on the community by-laws, there may be homes for lease in these communities. Should you find a community that suits your requirements, you may get the chance to sign a long-term lease to secure your new space while you wait for your current home to sell. 

This lease would provide you with a foothold in your new community while you adjust to the move and get settled in your new location. Once your current home sells, you can make a permanent housing choice in your new area. Again, a qualified realtor can provide you with information on condominium communities in your new city.

Staying Put

You may already be in your dream home, and the thought of moving may be the last thing on your mind. With the recent housing crash in 2008, your finances may still be worrisome. 

If you are over 62, consider a reverse mortgage to access the capital you’ve put into your dream home. 

There are many things you can do to make your existing home easier to live in as you age. Is yard work your joy? Invest now in tools that can save you the heaviest labor to keep you feeling good and your yard looking great. 

If laundry is in the basement of your two story home, consider a renovation that would place your washer and dryer near the bedrooms. This reduces the weight and work of carrying laundry up two flights of stairs, and lessens the risk of a fall.

You've earned your retirement. Your living space should make your post-work life enjoyable and relaxing.

Budgeting Magic: How to Make Your Money Work for You

Let your money work for you. We all have heard this saying, but what does it really mean? And, most importantly, how do we accomplish this? It is common financial advice, but it’s hard to imagine. Let’s take a look at some ways it can become reality. 

Retirement Accounts

Everyone needs to have retirement accounts; it’s never too early to invest in retirement funds. The common options are the 401(k) and individual retirement accounts (IRAs). 

Both of these are invested into the market, and this means there is potential for money growth. If your employer matches, always invest up to their match. Don’t give away free money! 

Normal financial advice states that 15% of your income should be invested into retirement funds. The second choice for the remaining amount of your investment should be either a Roth IRA or an IRA. 

Invest in Real Estate

The real estate market can take a little time to understand. If you are looking to purchase a single family home, take some time to decide what home would work best for you and your family’s needs. 

 Professionals, like those at TitleSmart, know that you should be sure that the cost of buying a home doesn’t require too much of your monthly income. Stay below your budget and invest in a property that can be sold later for maximum profit. There is also the possibility of investing in commercial real estate. 

This branching out opens the possibility of making additional money, but it also can fail. The real estate market fluctuates frequently. 

High Yield Savings Account

Before you begin your journey into investing your money, it is important to have a savings account. Ideally, six months of living expenses should be stored away. Using an insured high yield savings account can generate more value. 

Most normal saving accounts only offer an interest rate around 0.01% whereas a high yield is closer to 1%. There are a variety of banks that offer these accounts. 

Live Within Your Means

Millions of people live their entire lives under the strain of debt. Avoiding debt whenever possible is important; it will cost more in the end due to interest. 

Choosing to live a lifestyle that is within your means allows for maximum investment. This means that later in life, your money will have greatly increased and your future is secured.

Making your money work for you doesn’t require you to be rich or to be a financial wizard. Talking to a financial advisor can start you off on the right direction. Remember to invest and pay yourself first.

What's in Season? Vegetables that Grow in March

The snow is finally melting away, and the sunlight is becoming the new standard for the day. I finally get to spend more time outside, absorbing sunlight while I play at http://www.canadiancasinosonline.com/ on the patio. 

It is also the time when the first fresh vegetables start raising their heads in the garden. Or, if you live in an urban area, at the farmer's market. I know, you can buy all kinds of vegetables all year round in supermarkets, but those actually growing in a garden, touched by sunshine, always taste better. At least for me.

Heading to the Market

The first fresh vegetable I usually find on the market is sprouting broccoli. While you might argue that you can buy broccoli at any time at a supermarket - I hate to break it to you like this, but that's not broccoli. 

It's calabrese, a relative of broccoli and romanesco, which has a larger cultivation time and it's easier to harvest. Bur broccoli is only harvested between January and April, while the other two reach maturity in late summer or in the fall.

Sprouting Broccoli

Sprouting broccoli, sometimes known as the "poor man's asparagus", can be used as a side dish to any meat or fish. 

It can be cooked much like asparagus and "broccoli" - steamed or boiled in water. It's full of healthy vitamin C, carotenoids, iron, folic acid and other nutrients. And it tastes divine.

Spring Onions

Spring onions also appear at this time of the year. Cultivated in glasshouses at first, spring onions are best in the spring, when they grow outside, in the sunlight, wind and rain. 

They are tender, tasty and crunchy - they can be cooked or steamed, but they are best eaten fresh, in salads, or even on their own.

Radishes

Radishes also start to appear at this time of the year. 

Like spring onions, these are perfect to be consumed as a salad, dressed with some olive oil, lemon juice and salt. 

They are great as sides to roast meats, but are also great on a slice of whole-wheat toast with some cream cheese spread on them.

Salads

Speaking of salads - salad leaves, rocket, baby lettuces and spinach also grow this early, mostly in a greenhouse. 

After a long, hard winter, when fresh veggies are scarce (those in the supermarket are hardly fresh), they are a perfect choice for re-building your vitamin reserves. You can use them to make the most delicious spring salad of them all, just add some lemon juice, olive oil and spices of your choice.

Spring is a time of revival. Nature sighs in relief after the long, harsh winter, and it expresses its joy to be alive by giving us some of the tastiest - and healthiest - vegetables. 

And it is also the time when the above greens, with tons of vitamins and minerals, can be bought cheap at local markets. Don't let them go to waste - use them to turn your diet into a healthier and cheaper one today.

What You Should Know Before Buying Your Next Car

For the average American, a car is one of the largest investments made in life, second only to a house. 

This makes the car shopping process a crucially important one where you must put significant consideration into every decision that you make. 

Are you getting ready to shop for a new or used car? Here are some things you should know before you begin the car shopping process.

You should spend a max of 20% of your income on cars each month.

When it comes to determining what you and your family can afford, 20% is a good maximum to aim for when it comes to budgeting for the cars in your household. 

Keep in mind that this number includes not only car payments but also operating costs such as gasoline and car insurance. Do some calculations for how much you expect to pay for gas each month, and give your auto insurance company a call to assess what your new insurance rates will be. 

If the car you’ve had your eye on will put you over 20% of your household income each month, it’s probably time to consider something else.

Used and new both have their advantages.

We’ve all heard the car shopper’s mantra that a new car loses half its value the moment it leaves the dealership lot. 

This makes used cars the go-to option for many people. One important thing to consider here, however, is that this has put used cars in higher demand in recent years. As a result, prices for used cars have gone up, and car companies are offering more options now than ever before for new, affordable cars. 

With this in mind, going with a used car might not necessarily save you the bundle of money you are expecting.

A new car will also often give you the advantages of a full warranty, lower interest rates, free maintenance, roadside assistance, and a clean history. Still, you can usually get more features for less money when you go with a used car.

You’ll want to do some interest rate hunting first.

Don’t take a mailer ad advertising a low interest rate at face value; it may not be the best deal for you. 

In fact, only about 10 percent of car buyers will qualify for that zero-percent or low-interest-rate deal. Before visiting any dealerships, do some research on your own to determine the best interest rate you can get. 

You can use Bankrate's online rate search tool to look at current interest rates and visit local lenders who might be offering interest rates that are 1 or 2 percent lower. Don’t rule out the financial advantage that might come with taking a cash rebate, either; an online car rebate vs. low-interest calculator can help you determine which one is the better deal for you. 

It’s typically better to set up your own financing rather than set it up with the dealership because dealerships tend to offer marked up interest rates to increase profit.

You can negotiate price.

Cars are one thing that you can negotiate a price on, as wiggle room is usually built into the price. 

Do some research ahead of time on the car that you want, finding out the invoice price (what the dealership paid the manufacturer for the car) if it’s a new car and getting the warehouse price if it’s a used car. 

This will help you determine what the dealership paid for the car, and then you can negotiate using a lower price that still allows the dealership to make a few hundred dollars on the deal.

You may be eligible for discounts.

Once you’ve settled on a price that’s closer to the invoice or warehouse price than the MSRP, you can inquire about any discounts you may be eligible for. 

You might be eligible for a discount, for example, if you are a student, a member of the military, a member of a particular credit union, or even if you simply received a coupon in the mail.

Auto services do not void warranties.

When you purchased your last car, you may have been given a long list of things that would void your car’s warranty; and one of those things may have been having third-party auto work done on your car. 

But according to this article, no car dealer can actually enforce this particular item. In fact, the article states that the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act of 1975 prohibits third party repairs and aftermarket parts from voiding a warranty. In other words, it is illegal for any car dealer to deny a warranty because of third party auto repairs or having aftermarket parts installed on your vehicle. 

There is one exception, however; if an aftermarket part installed on your vehicle is not in compliance with emissions regulations, then that may void your warranty since it is in conflict with the Clean Air Act.