5 Home Repairs You Should Never DIY

People often turn to DIY repairs to save money or because they are too impatient to wait for a repairman. The internet is full of various tutorials and how to articles so it is not uncommon that people believe they can do the repairs themselves. 

But no matter how easy they may seem, some repairs actually require expertise and knowledge which only comes with experience and years of learning. Additionally, not all repairs are safe to perform and can even be life-threatening, like meddling with electricity or doing roof work. 

It comes down to this: if you want it done right then avoid DIY-ing the following repairs and leave them to the professionals.

1. Fixing the Roof

The roof is one of the most important parts of the house since its main purpose is to shelter the inhabitants from the weather and keep them protected. 

But if it leaks during rain or snow, the tenants start worrying about whether the moisture will enter the foundations and walls or not. They also believe that the repair price will be too high so they decide to do it themselves. 

Although it may seem like a piece of cake, roof repairs not only require skill, but also present a dangerous task for an inexperienced person. It is very easy to slip or trip and fall down on the ground, causing serious injury. 

Also, if not done correctly, the problem will return or may get bigger due to the layman approach.

2. Replacing the Windows

Replacing the windows is known to be costly and people postpone it as long as they can. There are various things which can go wrong even if the work appears to be perfectly carried out. 

Then it has to be done all over again and ends up being more costly than it initially would have been. Due to the lack of knowledge, you might be using the wrong kind of insulation and construction materials, not to mention that the installation technique and positioning of the windows are also factors to be included in the works. 

The same applies to the doors, except in that case you have to think about all the security issues which may arise from careless and amateur repairs.

3. Wall Removal

The best way to expand your space is to remove the walls. This is a great solution to create an open floor plan, but it’s also not a cheap one so you consider doing it yourself and maybe with the help of a few friends. 

Furthermore, you have heard or read somewhere that demolishing walls with a sledgehammer can be really therapeutic and relieve stress, so it also has some health benefits. 

Only there are more hazards in playing the demolition man that will outweigh those benefits if you do not know what you are doing. Some walls are load-bearing and if you tear them down you can cause the ceiling to collapse. 

Also, if you live in an old house or an apartment building, removing walls can create dust made of construction materials, some of which could be poisonous and toxic, e.g. lead and asbestos.

4. Fixing Gas Appliances

Gas appliances are not uncommon in homes. They are used for stoves, ovens, water heaters, heating, air conditioning and you can also use them for the fireplace to impress the guests and enjoy in the snowy winters. 

But gas is not something to trifle with and can have very serious consequences which may even result in destruction of property, injury and death. As pointed out by the experts from the Total Appliance repair center, the gas supply line is easy to interrupt when connecting the pipes together or sealing the joints. 

This may seem like minor trouble, but the carbon monoxide released in this way is a known cause of many home deaths.

5. Electrical Repairs

Electricity is dangerous and life-threatening if not handled the right way and with caution. Even the smallest of repairs can cause injury and loss of life if you do not know what you are doing. 

To handle electricity, you must have the basic knowledge of how to prevent getting in any contact with the current. Besides the right tools, it also requires knowledge of materials, electricity behavior, power line schemes and how to approach every problem. 

You may hear that a switch is easy to replace, but if you do not have previous experience and possess even the smallest doubt in your skill, then opt for an electrician and save yourself the stress and having to deal with even worse consequences.
Tread Carefully

Of course there are more tasks you should never do on your own and when it comes to repairs you should be well aware of your abilities and skill set. Never try to prove that you are able to pull off a DIY or save money that way, because the results may cost more than imagined.

Advice to Help You Make Investments

Allowing your money to just sit in a savings account would not be a wise financial decision on your part. This is because banks do not pay much interest at all. You need to seriously think about investing your money so you can generate a sizeable profit. 

You should make your money work for you. However, investing your money is not something that you should go into lightly. This is because certain investments require you to take a great deal of risk. 

As you might imagine, these are the investments that have the highest potential for the biggest profits. Here is some advice that will guide you on your journey into the world of investing.

1. Pay very close attention to all of the investments that you make.

There are some people who make some very foolish mistakes that end up costing them a lot of money in the long run. One of the worst things you can do is invest money and then forget about it. 

There are people who make investments and simply move on to other things. They do not take the time to check on the status of their investments on a daily basis. This could be a huge problem if the investment begins to take a serious drop. 

You need to always be well informed where your investments are concerned. This will allow you to get your money out of a bad investment before your losses become very large.

2. Be careful not to invest a dangerous amount of money.

How much of your money do you need to pay your regular expenses? How much of your money do you want to set aside in case of emergencies? 

These are important questions that you need to ask yourself when you are trying to determine the amount of money that you are going to invest. Would you be able to survive financially is your investment collapsed and you lost all of your capital? 

This is the question you need to ask yourself prior to making any investment. If the answer is no, you have invested too much money.

3. An investment advisor will be able to give you valuable guidance.

People with no investing experience should never try to randomly choose investments to make on their own. The various financial markets can be very difficult for an inexperienced person to understand. 

Therefore, it would be wise to have a person who deals with the national and global financial markets on a daily basis to give you advice about where to invest your money. You need to be very selective when you are hiring a financial advisor. 

Make sure the person has a solid track record of making a profit for his clients. Chris Pivik is considered to be an expert in the world of investing. Chris Pivik businessman is respected by the people who invest with him.

4. Never put all of your money into a single investment.

The stupidest thing that you can do would be to risk everything you have on one investment. You might believe very strongly that the investment is a sure thing. 

However, you need to understand that there are no certainties in the world of investing. Invest in a few different things just to be on the safe side.

How To Get The Best Interest Rate On A CA Loan

Loans can be used to finance your business expansion plan, but if you are a chartered accountant and looking for a loan to arrange funds for your new office, the financial institutions have got something special for you. 

Professional loans are a new provision offered by the lenders, and it has specialised loans for chartered accountants too, and they are called as CA loans.

What are CA loans?

A CA loan is a lending provision offered by the lenders and is a part of professional loans. CA Loans are a type of professional loans with terms and conditions made for chartered accountants. The best thing about a chartered accountant loan is they are collateral free loans.

There are various benefits that you can avail from a CA loan; such as, you can avail a high amount loan. Personal loans offer a maximum amount of INR 25 Lakh for the loans whereas CA loans offer INR 30 Lakh for the loan amount. 

If you apply for a CA loan from a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC), you can get instant loan approval from the lenders. 

When it comes to easy and convenient repayments, CA loans offer adjustable EMI as well as the tenor to make loan repayment easy for you.

All these benefits maybe pleasing and tempting but to make the most out of a loan, you must look at all the aspects of the loan with the most important thing, i.e., interest rates. 

Interest rates are an important part of any loan as they have a major impact on the final repayment amount. 

Though it is compounded and added to the final amount on a yearly basis, the interest rate is calculated throughout the tenor.

There are ways which can get you best interest rates on your chartered accountant loans they are as follows:

Apply during festivals: During the festive seasons, lenders introduce attractive offers on loans. Some lenders even offer special interest rates on professional loans that are usually lower than the normal interest rates offered. So applying for a chartered accountant loan might get you a lower interest rate for the loan. 

Talk to your lender: Most of the time the lenders do not set interest rates according to the repo rates regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The lenders set the interest rates a bit higher than the repo rates. So if you have a good relationship with your lender, you can ask your lender to lower the interest rates slightly lower than the normal. 

Considering alternate lenders: Banks are regulated by the RBI and are not allowed to make any reforms without its consent. Due to which the banks are not allowed to make any reforms in their lending terms. However this is not the case with the NBFCs, the NBFCs are not regulated by the RBI, and they are free to frame their own terms. This allows them to provide interest rates according to their own consent. For low interest chartered accountant loans, you can consider applying to the NBFCs. 

Professional loans are an altogether different avenue for the financial institutions as well as the borrowers. To get the best interest rates on CA Loan, you can use the above-mentioned tips.

How to Cut the Cord with a Digital Antenna

Often we overlook that a lot of the programs we like are on CBS, NBC, ABC and FOX, which do not need a cable television or satellite agreement whatsoever. Now you're most likely stating, "Yeah, except I DVR everything ". Well, we have a remedy for that in a couple of paragraphs listed below.

Utilize a HD Antenna to obtain Your Local Channels

While it might look like a step back, over-the-air tv has a big part in the cord-cutting way of life. For almost a decade now, the outdated rabbit-ears that used to let people access to nearby channels have been practically rendered useless.

The analog signals these aerials used to get have been substituted with a digital. You can see your local area broadcast channels in impressive 1080p quality with a low-cost HD antenna.

Which Antenna Should You Get?

If you're a cable television or satellite customer, it's most likely been a while since you connected an antenna and searched for nearby TV signals. If you do not have an antenna laying about, you can employ this convenient TV signal locator software. 

It not simply provides you a listing of stations that may be gotten at your address but strength of signal statistics and which direction you need to target your antenna for optimum reception.

Let's use this TV signal statement, which is based upon my residence . Notification the following:

• It spit out 28 distinct signals reaching my home
• A lot of these signals are identical channels due to the fact that networks transmitted from all kind of various locations. Nowadays antennas are strong to pick them up.
• It's color coded:
• Green indicates I can get these stations with basically any HD antenna. The distances are just about 20 miles from my home since these stations are transmitted in Atlanta
• Yellow indicates you'll most likely need to user a higher quality antenna or position it in a more desirable place (the attic) to obtain these signals. 
• Red indicates I 'd most likely require a roof-mounted antenna
• Gray indicates best of luck, it will be tough to pick them up

The directional graph shows me exactly where to direct the antenna to get these stations

I'm receiving all the primary broadcast networks (CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, PBS, CW) in green, so I can ignore the yellow and gray.




When you obtain your signal report employing a website like TV Fool, see which color classification your local area networks fall within. This color code represents the kind of antenna you would probably require to get the channel. 

Remember, where the antenna is located and the number of obstacles lie in between the antenna and the open air will affect the antenna's efficiency. As a rule of thumb, the more elevated the antenna and the less obstacles, the greater the signals you will get.

After obtaining some signal locator information, the next concern you have to address is how strong of an antenna do you require.

Passive HDTV Antennas

To get the channels transmitting nearest to your address, a basic passive antenna ought to be enough. In operation, these antennas are the nearest relatives to the outdated "rabbit-ears" from the analog signal times. 

In look, nevertheless, the majority of these antennas resemble flat, plastic business folders. This flat form has actually shown to be rather useful in getting digital channels from the air; however it likewise implies you have to be deliberate in how you target them.

Application is easy. You connect the antenna into the coaxial plug-in in the rear of your TV (or analog-to-digital converter if your TV was made prior to 2007), install the antenna to a wall or window, scan for channels, and you're ready to proceed.

A few of the leading units like the Channel Master CM-4001HD and the incredibly reliable AmazonBasics Ultra Thin 35 mile HD Antenna may be gotten online for under $20.

Amplified Digital TELEVISION Antennas.

If the broadcast signals you are attempting to get are a bit further away or your antenna has a small number of walls or other obstacles in between its position and the outdoors, the subsequent step up from the passive antennas is an amplified antenna. 

A lot of these antennas are comparable in construction to their passive equivalents, however they need electrical power (either through USB or an AC adapter).

This added electrical power can frequently be the increase required to turn an in-and-out signal on a passive antenna into a crystal clear and crisp one. 

It is worth bearing in mind that in many cases, passive antennas can in fact surpass their powered equivalents if there is extreme noise hindering a signal. This often tends to be the exception instead of the rule however.

Not unexpectedly, the inclusion of power comes with an extra cost; nevertheless, it will not break the bank (specifically when compared with the expense of the cable-box leasing you've been shelling out for!). A few of the best units like the Mohu Curve 50 and the Clearstream Eclipse are rather inexpensive at under $75.

Inevitably, antenna elevation and placement are still the most essential issues in getting the most ideal signal quality, despite having the additional electrical enhancement of an amplified antenna.

Outside HD Antennas.

If you reside far from the closest broadcast towers, outside antennas are the best choice. 

These antennas are created to stand up to the weather and provide the greatest reception possible, without the structural and electrical obstacles that can hinder the efficiency of their indoor cousins.

For outside antennas, the very same guidelines apply: higher is a better choice, and active is generally more powerful than passive.

Costs for outside antennas differ typically based upon size and strength. You can purchase serviceable units such as this one by 1byone for as little at $29.99, or bigger, more powerful units like this one from Channel Master for just under $150.

Both of these outside, roof-mounted choices will get greater reception than indoor antennas. Nonetheless, if you're under 30-35 miles away from the broadcast towers, you're very likely alright with the ease and low price of an indoor version.

Investment Ideas: 3 Lucrative Ideas For Your Finances

There are two types of people in this world: those who wait for things to happen and those who put themselves in the position to make great things inevitable. Many people are simply okay with going to work, collecting their paychecks, and letting their money sit around without any real plan for it. 

This is a lost opportunity to make your money work for you and put yourself on the path toward obtaining real wealth. There are countless ways to put your money to use, but below are our top 3 favorite ways for growing your finances.

Stock Market

The simplest suggestion on our list is also the most proven one. Investing in the US stock market has made millionaires out of everyday people. 

The S&P 500 has consistently produced profits over long-term time frames and for those willing to be patient, it has provided a nest egg well above those letting their cash sit in their bank accounts. 

If you don’t believe us, take a look at any 20 year period of the S&P 500 and you are guaranteed to find that you would have made a hefty profit by simply depositing your money and never looking at it again. 



Opening an account is easy; all you need to do is create a Vanguard account, deposit enough money for an S&P 500 ETF, and watch your money grow.

Real Estate

Investing in real estate has been the source behind the wealth of some of the world’s most elite business minds. Some people prefer a more tangible investment vehicle where your project is felt and seen, as opposed to just some numbers popping up across a trading platform. 

Anybody can get into real estate as long as they are willing to put in the time, make the relationships, and come up with the funding to invest in a business that requires large upfront costs for potentially huge profit. 

Funding can come from many sources, family, friends, commercial loans like those offered by LCNB National Bank, etc. One you gather your funding and perform your research on what type of real estate is right for you, the only thing left is getting to work and making money.

Start-Up Investing

Start-up investing is the most risky of the three ideas, but it has the potential to make you the most money in the fasted amount of time if you find that one diamond in the rough. 

The basics of start-up investing come down to finding a company in need of capital, investing a sum of money in exchange for a percentage of the company, and one day, the company will be worth much more than you paid for it and you will earn the percentage of the company’s new value once sold. 

With that said, most companies don’t make it very far and as they go down, so does your investment. 8 out of 10 businesses fail within 18 months, so it is important to invest with caution and only part with money you can afford to lose. 

But, if you find that one that defies the statistics, you set yourself up for a lucrative windfall.

The options on how to grow your money are virtually endless. Everyone’s risk profile and access to capital is different, so what you decide to do with your money is always up to you. 

The above options give you an idea of what options exist across the risk spectrum and what potential gains await. In any case, always be looking for ways to help your capital increase because the only thing better than steady finances is growing finances.

Mitigating Mistakes: How to Handle a DWI as a Responsible Adult

Driving while intoxicated (DWI) is a serious crime that can result in expensive fines, a suspended driver’s license, mandatory DWI classes and significantly higher insurance rates. 

There’s also the possibility of jail-time, although that is rare for a first offense. Although you likely wish you hadn’t gotten behind the wheel in the first place, there’s no way to change the past. 

All you can do is move forward and improve your situation. Here’s the best way for you to handle a DWI charge responsibly.

Hire a Lawyer

You have a few options when it comes to how you handle the legal consequences of your DWI charge. 

You can simply plead guilty right away and put yourself at the mercy of the court, which is a bad move. You can go with a public defender who is probably overworked. Or you can hire a skilled DWI attorney, which is by far the best option.




Your DWI attorney will give you the best chance at success in your case. If you’re lucky, they may find something in your favor, such as the police officer not having probable cause to suspect you of DWI in the first place. 

Even if your lawyer can’t get the charges dismissed, they can negotiate the best deal for you.

Attend DWI Classes

If you got a DWI, it means that your drinking caused you to behave recklessly and irresponsibly. While the DWI itself may seem like a wakeup call, you should still enroll in DWI classes for two important reasons.

The first reason is that the court will probably require you to take DWI classes as part of your punishment. Failure to do so could result in jail-time or other penalties. The second reason is that DWI classes can help you make better decisions in the future. 

Don’t just go to your classes to get credit for doing so. They’re a good learning opportunity, and it’s smart to pay attention.

Work on Getting Your Driver’s License Back

Your license will most likely end up suspended after you’re found guilty of DWI or possibly before, depending on your state, and it could be suspended for six months, one year or longer. 

You can get it back in as little time as possible by complying with any terms the court sets for you. This will typically include taking those DWI classes and paying off your fines.

You may be able to start driving again sooner if you agree to have an ignition interlock device installed on your vehicle. 

With an ignition interlock device, you must blow into it before you can start your car, and sometimes while you are driving, as well. Check with an Austin DWI lawyer to see if this is an option.

Understand That a DWI Can Be an Emotional Rollercoaster

A DWI is a major life event that can affect people in a variety of different ways. It could leave you feeling depressed and ashamed of yourself. 

Or, you could feel angry at the fact that you have a suspended license, especially if you need to drive for your everyday commute.

What’s most important if you experience any intense emotions after your DWI is that you understand that things will turn around. 

Even though a DWI can be a major hassle to deal with, if you do your part, you’ll be able to get your life back in order.

It’s a bit of a shock when you’re charged with DWI, and it can leave you wondering what to do. Stick to the steps above and you can resolve your DWI as painlessly as possible.