Thursday, July 18, 2019

4 Tools to Help You Choose between Great Job Offers



Receiving multiple great job offers right around the same time is certainly an enthralling experience. However, this boost of confidence might be met with some stress when you realize that you now need to pick between them. Pursuing some useful avenues and tools can help to make this decision smoother.

Pros and Cons List


Making a list of pros and cons is an effective way to generate productive decisions. You might think that you’re running through all of the positives and negatives in your mind, but seeing them written out on a sheet of paper can really help you to recognize the decision that is best. 

For example, when you write out each pro and con, you may see that one job is abundant in benefits while the other is swimming in reasons that make it suitable for rejection.

Advisor


You should also talk through your ideas and dilemmas with a person whom you consider as an advisor. Think about to whom you turn for guidance when you typically need to reach resolutions. 





You might generally seek out support from your parents or grandparents, or you may have an old teacher or a spiritual advisor who has provided you with tremendously useful perspective on challenging situations.

Financial Tools


When you’re working, you should feel happy and fulfilled in the chosen position. However, you also must ensure that you are making enough money to support yourself and your future dreams and goals. Therefore, using financial tools can help you to decide which job is better for your bank account. 

You should review elements of the offer that involve finances, such as the salary, benefits and so forth. Also, you should set up an appointment with an accountant or a financial advisor to gain a sense of your specific situation.

Online Reviews


You should also look at online reviews of the companies, and you can check out two different perspectives. In other words, you can look at reviews that come from current and former employees and ones that are written by customers. The latter set will help you to get a sense of what working at the company might be like, and the former et will introduce you to some of the scenarios and issues you might have to work with.

When you receive great job offers, you’re likely quite excited. However, you don’t want to wait too long to accept one, or the offer might disappear. Therefore, put these tools and techniques to work to decide in an efficient fashion.


Wednesday, July 17, 2019

4 Small Home Fixes That Become Big Expenses If Left Untreated



Are you taking proper care of your home to avoid needing expensive repairs? Owning a home is a big financial responsibility, but you must also make sure that the materials and equipment of the building are in the best condition.

Small Holes in the Siding or Roof


If your home’s roof or siding has tiny holes, then mice, wasps or other pests can squeeze through the openings to infest the building. 


After vermin enters the roof or the siding of a building, the pests can cause damage from body waste, consuming drywall or building nests for young. 

Filling the small holes is simple with liquid caulking, and you can do this on your own or you can hire a handyman to perform the chore. Make sure to inspect your home’s exterior at least twice a year to find the holes that you can cover or fill.

Replacing a Home’s Air Conditioner


It is essential to have an air conditioner in your home, but if you forget to care for this equipment, then you could have a big expense later. Changing the filter in air conditioners is an easy process, but it is amazing how many homeowners fail to complete this chore each month. 


This leads to an air conditioner that is covered with household dust, causing the equipment to overheat. Make sure to buy a filter that is the proper size, and you can use a high-efficiency particulate air filter to remove the tiniest particles of dust and pollen.

Are the Windows of Your Home in Perfect Condition?


If you are ignoring the tiny chips or cracks that can occur to a home’s windows, then you can require an expensive repair later. Cracks and chips occur on windowpanes for a variety of reasons, including having birds fly into the windows or when your children throw a ball against the window. 




When you delay making a repair to the window, the glass can break at an inopportune time from the strong winds that can occur during a rainstorm. This will lead to an additional expensive repair to your home from the damaging rainwater.

Ignoring Plumbing Leaks in Kitchens or Bathrooms


Make sure to inspect the plumbing fixtures in your home, including the toilets, sinks or bathtubs. You should also check the pipes that are near a laundry room or in other areas such as the basement. 


Don’t forget to check your home’s water heater for leaks that can occur from this appliance’s tank or intake pipes. If you find any moisture from the pipes or connectors, then fix the item on your own or contact a professional plumber right away.

Have a Home Maintenance Schedule


One of the best ways to make sure that you home is in perfect condition is to have a maintenance schedule so that you won’t forget to perform inspections of the various things that can degrade.


Tuesday, July 16, 2019

How to Plan Financially for When You’re Gone



No one likes to think about dying, but you need to plan ahead if you want to protect your family and loved ones. With the proper plan in place, you can rest assured that your family won’t have to deal with overwhelming end-of-life expenses or a complicated legal battle after you pass away.

Organize and List Your Assets


The first step in this process is taking stock of all the assets that you own. In addition to homes and cars, you should also list all of your financial accounts, investments, heirlooms, jewelry, and memorabilia. Once you have that list, it is going to be much easier to plan out your estate or write a will.


Establish a Will or Trust


Even though wills and trusts are somewhat similar, there are a few important differences that you should be aware of. A will is a legal document that describes where you would like all of your assets to go once you pass away. 




Trusts specify where you would like your assets to go as well, but they are overseen by a designated individual known as a trustee. Once you pass away, the trustee can immediately begin the process of transferring all of your belongings.

Consider Setting Up a Living Will


If you are worried about your health, then you should think about setting up a living will. Those documents inform doctors of your wishes if you are incapacitated or can’t make reasonable decisions regarding your health. 


Some living wills also designate a healthcare proxy who can make decisions for you. Keeping an incapacitated individual alive can be very expensive, and many people don’t want to leave those bills to their family members.

Rethink Your Insurance


The final step in this process is taking a fresh look at your insurance to see if any of your policies need to be altered or updated. Life insurance is a great start, but you might want to consider some other policies as well. Options such as end-of-life and burial insurance will help your family cover specific expenses that can sometimes be overwhelming.

In addition to these few tips, you also need to speak with your loved ones about your wishes so that everyone is on the same page. Transferring assets and paying off debts after an individual passes away can be very complicated, and you don’t want to leave a huge legal mess for your family members and friends.


Monday, July 15, 2019

How to Manage Your Savings to Grow Instead of Fall With Inflation



Saving money is always a wise idea. Unfortunately, simply putting your money away and leaving it alone won't actually save you anything - in fact, due to inflation, you'll lose money when it's in a savings account. If you're really looking to grow your savings, you should try one of the tactics below.

Look at Your Savings Interest Rate


The current interest rate in the United States is hovering around two percent. As such, the worst financial mistake you can make is to put your money in a savings account with a lower interest rate than two percent. 


Keeping some money back is advisable, though, so you'll need to make a compromise. Look for savings accounts with the highest possible interest rates - you won't find anything that matches inflation, but the closer you can get, the less you will lose.

Look at Real Estate


Investing in real estate is a common way to generate passive income. At the moment, growth is slowing a bit - but housing prices are still rising. The current growth rate of the real estate market is estimated to be around two and a half percent, or almost a full percentage point about the next year's estimated inflation rate. As such, investing in property seems to be a safe way to keep your money growing slowly but steadily.


Low Risk Investments


Putting money into your investment portfolio is also a useful way to save. If your goal is to simply keep your money safe, then you'll want to look solely at safe investments that have historically trended with more than two-percent growth. 




Though you're certainly not going to become a millionaire overnight with these investments, you'll slowly grow your savings and avoid losing money due to rising inflation.

Work with an Asset Management Company


Finally, you'll want to make sure you're working with professionals if you are dealing with complex assets. A good asset management company will help you to make sure that your assets appreciate in value and that you don't lose money due to rising prices. 


Asset management companies are useful when you're dealing with anything that has a complex market history or that requires a significant amount of hands-on interaction in order to grow in value.

Remember, your goal is to make sure that all of your investments beat inflation. Keep an eye on inflation rates and adjust accordingly. If you can stay ahead of the curve, you can rely on the money you've saved.



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