4 Ways to Ensure Your Home Construction Goes Smoothly

Homeowners that are hoping to find their own dream homes often choose to invest in building a new house from the ground up. While this is one of the best ways for homeowners to make sure their homes are everything they hope them to be, the construction and design process can take a considerable amount of time. 

Homeowners should consider the following tips to make sure this process goes as smoothly as possible:

Work with a Design Professional

The process of building a home must start before construction work begins. If you’re considering building a custom new construction home, the next step is to choose the best professionals to work with. 

Contractors, architects, and interior designers are all professionals you should choose carefully when making the decision of who to work within your new home. This decision is the most important, as your choice in employees will solidify a smooth process or make the construction process significantly more complicated.

Create a Plan

Though most new construction homes tend to follow the same modern design, it’s important that you start your construction process with a solid plan in place. After you’ve decided which design professionals to work with, the next step is to put together an effective plan. 



These plans should include layouts for the floor plan, and a sketch of the home’s exterior as well. This plan may take time to draft, but it will be an essential point of reference for contractors once construction begins. Expect to spend several months in this design phase.

Budget for Unexpected Costs

Though homeowners prefer to hope for the best, the process of building a home can be particularly daunting. Unexpected costs and emergencies can draw out this process even more. Make sure your upcoming construction process goes as smoothly as possible by budgeting for unexpected costs. 

Unexpected expenses like delays, replacing defective or damaged materials, purchasing new tools, and similar considerations are all additional costs that you may not think to include in your initial budget for construction.

Not sure how much money to allocate for these unexpected costs? Experts advise homeowners to set aside 10% of their budget to cover these additional expenses.

If you’re planning to begin construction on your new home, make sure the process goes as planned by keeping these tips in mind. With the most effective strategies and careful planning, your home construction process is guaranteed to go smoothly.

Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most of her time hiking, biking, and gardening. For more information, contact Brooke via Facebook at facebook.com/brooke.chaplan or Twitter @BrookeChaplan

4 Ways to Save Money When You Need New Tires

Even though most modern tires are designed to be incredibly durable, that rubber has a finite lifespan. There will come a point when you need to purchase new tires, and you might want to plan ahead so that you can afford that future purchase.

Change All Four at Once

One of the easiest ways to save money when you need new tires is to pick up all four at once. Many tire companies offer relatively large discounts to those who purchase four at once because it is fairly easy to install additional tires once the vehicle is up off the ground. 

As an added bonus, the tires are all going to have close to the same lifespan as long as they are regularly rotated, and you won’t have to worry about keeping track of multiple tires during seasonal maintenance.

Have the Wheels Realigned at the Same Time

Having your wheels realigned while your new tires are being put on isn’t going to make this process any cheaper, but it will save you money down the road. Most experts agree that wheels should be realigned at least once every two years, but you might need to have them aligned as often as once a year if you have an older vehicle. 



Many tire companies offer free or extremely inexpensive realignments because they are fairly easy to carry out as long as the vehicle is already on the lift.

Wait for Seasonal Sales

Just like most other products, tires tend to go on sale at regular points throughout the year. As a general rule, many tire companies will offer discounts during the months of April and October. 

In April, the weather is starting to warm up and families are often thinking about upcoming road trips, and new tires will become a priority. Once October hits, many drivers consider buying new tires because of the icy conditions that are just around the corner.

Invest in a Warranty

While tire manufacturers almost always offer warranties that cover material defects, the company that installs the tires could have an upgraded warranty as well. A robust tire warranty is going to cover a wide variety of risks ranging from premature wear to certain road hazards. If one of your tires becomes punctured in the months following the installation, the warranty should cover the cost of replacing it.

In addition to these few tips, you must also make sure that you are properly caring for your tires so that they last for as long as possible. Regularly rotating the tires and keeping them out of the sun as much as possible could potentially extend their lifespan by a considerable amount.

How to Cope with Debt-Related Stress

If you are struggling with an unmanageable amount of debt, you may feel guilty, anxious, or depressed. While being in a high amount of debt is never ideal, you are not alone, and there are ways to deal with your situation constructively.

Seek out Resources

There are many resources available for dealing with your debt. Debt management companies, like Rescue One Financial, can help you by connecting you with a counselor and creating a debt management plan. As long as you have discipline and stick to the plan, you will eventually become debt-free.

Confide in Loved Ones

Money is often considered a taboo topic in modern society, but that should not stop you from reaching out to close friends and family members in regards to your situation. Being able to speak with someone you trust should help you to work through any feelings of guilt or shame and feel inspired to take action. Your friends and family may even be able to recommend ways to earn extra cash.

See a Therapist

If you have reached out to your loved ones and begun a plan to pay off your debt but are still struggling with persistent negative feelings, you may wish to consider reaching out to a trained mental health professional. 

You are not your debt, and you should not allow your current financial situation to have a detrimental effect on your overall self-esteem. A therapist will be able to help you work through your feelings and provide valuable coping exercises.

By following these steps, you should be able to improve your emotional well-being while starting down the road to becoming debt-free. Even though you are most likely cutting out discretionary expenses in order to pay off your debt, don't be afraid to leave some room for occasional indulgences. 

There is no shame in allowing for an occasional night at the movies or new pair of shoes for the sake of your sanity and sense of self-worth.

What is a Pattern Day Trader?

Intraday trading can be a good way to shore up your income. But if you’re engaging in intraday trading for beginners, it’s important to get a clear picture of how it all works.

Day traders in the United States (US), for example, are familiar with the term ‘pattern day trader’. This is a regulatory designation introduced by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) in the US to prevent individuals from trading excessively. 

This is important because pattern day traders engage in margin trading—that is, they borrow money from the broker to carry out trades through their margin account.

Whether you are interested in online share trading or trading other kinds of securities, it helps to understand the basics of margin trading. A closer look at the characteristics of pattern day traders could provide some insights in this regard.

Pattern day trader: The basics

A stock market trader who carries out four (or more) day trades within a period of five consecutive business days is termed a pattern day trader, provided certain conditions are met:

• The day trades are carried out through a margin account and positions are never held overnight.
• The day trades represent over 6% of the total trading activity in the margin account over the five-day period.

NASD Rule 2520 outlines the regulations pertaining to day traders.

Curbs on pattern day traders

FINRA has placed certain checks on pattern day traders to reduce the risks inherent in intraday trading. The main restrictions are listed below:

• Minimum account balance: Pattern day traders are obliged to maintain a minimum balance of USD 25,000 in their trading accounts. The amount does not have to be wholly in cash though. It could be a combination of cash and stock holdings.
• If the balance dips below USD 25,000, the trader will not be allowed to carry out any trades.
• Margin call: At times, the broker may place a margin call. The broker does this to alert the trader that the account balance has dropped below the minimum limit. This may occur if, for example, the value of some stock holdings in the trader’s account falls below a certain level.

Upon receiving a margin call, the trader will have to address the issue within five business days. Trading will be restricted to twice the maintenance margin until the account balance threshold is met.



If the trader does not respond within five business days, the broker may place restrictions on the trading account. For instance, the trader may be relegated to a cash-restricted status for up to 90 days. This means the trader will have to carry out all trades using cash. No trading on margin will be permitted.

These restrictions are set down by FINRA. However, some brokerage firms may have more stringent rules in place.

Why are these curbs necessary?

An essential aspect of the pattern day trader is that they trade through a margin account. In other words, they use money borrowed from the broker to execute trades. Trading with borrowed money naturally carries a degree of risk.

As a pattern trader, you get a margin of 25%. This means the broker will lend you 75% of the cost of securities as you trade. In contrast, standard traders are permitted to borrow only around 50%. 

The margin advantage is provided to pattern day traders because they close their positions before the markets close for the day. So, the broker ends up lending money for a shorter time.

Summing up

Margin trading, as you’ve seen in the case of pattern day traders, is a big part of online share trading. But when it comes to intraday trading for beginners, it is advisable to start small and keep your borrowings manageable. 

It may help to open an account with a brokerage like Kotak Securities that offers portfolio tracking tools and extensive educational resources. With some practice, making the right day trading decisions should come easily to you with our expert translators and interpreters.

Considering Refinancing? Here’s How to Know When You Should

Good financial management means more than just watching every penny. It also means taking an occasional step back and looking at the big picture in the context of the world around you. An area where many people find a way to save money is by refinancing their homes. 

Here are four ways to know that it’s time to look into refinancing.

Market Rates are Better

Interest rates are almost always in motion, headed either up or down most of the time. At the time of your last refinance or the initial purchase, you may have taken a rate that was pretty solid. Since then, though, rates may have dropped, and a refinance could save you thousands of dollars in interest.

Your Credit Has Improved

One of the most important factors in the interest rate you get is your credit score. Over time, you should be able to see that figure gets better and better. Once you’ve reached a significantly better credit score, you will probably qualify for a better rate, making it worth your while to refinance. 



A home buying loan service can review your situation and see if there may be options for you.

Your Situation Has Changed

Since you took out your current mortgage, you may have encountered many changes. You could have had a job change that resulted in a lower salary, making your mortgage a bit of a strain. You may have experienced marriage, divorce, or the arrival of children. Each of these events can change your financial needs and make it beneficial to investigate refinancing.

You Need Cash Out

Your home is not just your residence. It’s also an investment. The dollars you put into it can someday come out if needed, even if it’s for upgrading the house itself. During a refinance, you can cash out some of your equity to take care of other expenses, such as tuition for the kids, debt consolidation, or even just a great family vacation. Instead of racking up student loans or credit card debt, look into a refinance that will cover the expenses.

When you think about it, very few mortgages should ever go the full term without being refinanced at least once. Changing interest rates and personal needs are a given when you’re considering a time horizon of up to 30 years. Check your situation periodically and be prepared to refinance when the right circumstances develop. You could easily save yourself thousands of dollars in interest.

How to Be Financially Smart With Your Tax Refund

We should be proud of the long-term success when we look back at our finance progress. One should think of spending tax refunds in pleasurable but profitable ways that will relatively give you happiness at some point when we look back. Think about it.

Instead of spending that cash infusion in a way that leaves your finances neutral or even worse off, here are several ways Tax Refund smartly leaves you better off if you want to gain some real momentum with your finances.

1. First of all, pay off high-interest debt

One of the biggest hurdles to overcome if you want to build wealth is High-interest debt. Just remember that it is difficult to get ahead when so much of your payment goes to interest-only if you owe money on credit cards or carry personal loans with high-interest rates. But use your tax refund to repay this debt, you would save yourself almost four years of monthly minimum payments, and monstrous interest payments.

2. Emergency fund savings

Experts have suggested that people should stock an emergency fund with at least three to six months of expenses, even a smaller amount is a good place to start in case of any emergency, so as not to blame one’s self when the bills come. Build an emergency fund is exceptionally essential for your financial health whether you carry some high-interest debt or live a debt-free lifestyle. 

You’re prone to struggle if you face unexpected financial emergencies without an emergency fund such as unexpected home repairs expenses and all the significant unforeseen bills that you can think of. Consider adding your tax refund to the pot if you have a savings account.

3. HAS Contribution –Health Savings Account Contribution

Once you open a health savings account (HSA) which is a tax-advantaged saving account set up specifically to pay for healthcare cost, you’ll be able to deduct contributions up to a certain limit, watch your money grow tax-free, then use your funds for qualified healthcare expenses on a tax-free basis. You can withdraw funds for several purposes if you don’t use up your HSA funds by the time you turn 65, --even to pay for retirement.

4. Self-Investment

Let me remind you that you’re your own greatest asset, so if you receive enough cash in your tax refund to invest in anything, spending that money to improve yourself. And as we may have it, there are several ways you could decide to invest to upgrade your status towards a better income. 

Pursue professional skills or a type of certification that adds values to you. Bear in mind that any investment you make in yourself will likely pay off in the short term and throughout your life and career.

5. Initiate several savings buckets

Starting several different savings accounts can be a smart move if you have competing financial goals and want to save for all of them. Also, commit to weekly or monthly contributions after you might have spread your tax refund across several accounts. You may want to save up for a newer car or update your kitchen. Learn to give yourself a head start toward achieving everything you desire by growing different savings buckets.

Now, it’s up to you to put your tax refund to good use whether it’s a huge or small amount. Also, if you can’t wait to get the money you need, you can always try and to get a cash advance on tax refund. Just make sure that you do your research before making any financial decision!