Thursday, July 8, 2021

How to Find the Best Home Care for the Best Price

As people get older, they become more vulnerable to disabilities and diseases. While medical practitioners can offer effective treatment to address the issue, they may not help them get going with the day-to-day activities of life. 

Unfortunately, it becomes challenging for family members to assume the roles of competent caretakers as most of them lack proper medical training.

In such situations, it is imperative to look for professionals equipped to handle the needs and demands of the elderly at their old age. 

Finding a dedicated caregiver that can offer home healthcare can be a nerve-wracking experience, but there are ways you can take to finding the right in-home care you need. Below are some of the ways you can find the best and affordable home care.

Carry Out a Comprehensive Research


The first step to finding a devoted, reputable, and experienced home care is conducting thorough research from all credible sources. 

However, it may not be as simple as you think, but you have to dig deeper to acquire the valuable insight you will require. You can use the internet to search for company’s websites as they can give an insight into whether the provider is doing anything except to provide quality service to their clients. 

Detailed research will also help you compare prices offered by different home healthcare providers, thus helping you settle for the best.



Ask for Recommendations


Looking for recommendations plays a major role in finding the trusted and exceptional long-term care you need. You can ask your friends, doctor, nurses, neighbors, or any other person who works in this field to acquire the right kind of help and assistance from trusted people. 

You can also seek help from your native community resources, such as your local agency on aging, as they assist the elderly in finding the best in-home care services. 

A recommendation is also important as you may acquire knowledge of various things that you might not have contemplated or noticed in terms of getting help.

Conducting Interviews


After conducting some research and getting recommendations, you must have narrowed your options to the top choices. To ensure you get the best home care, it is important to set up in-person interviews, or consultations

Having a one-on-one conversation allows you to confirm which provider is the best before bringing them on board. During interviews, you get to do some background checks of the home care candidate, identify their level of training and experience, their charges of services, and others.

An overwhelming majority of families don’t contemplate having home care for a loved one until a major event occurs, such as a fall, stroke, or other medical condition. 

Unfortunately, when the need arises, families may settle for the first available home care, which may not meet their expectations. Finding the best and affordable home care takes time, comprehensive research, and conversations about home care preferences. Ensure you choose the best if you want exceptional results.


Tuesday, July 6, 2021

How to Better Track Your Financial Assets as You Enter Retirement

After working hard for decades, you are finally entering your retirement. While you may be focused on moving to a new location or preparing to take one of many trips to different parts of the world, you should also be paying attention to tracking your financial assets. 

By doing so, you can avoid unexpected surprises that may derail your plans. If you are trying to figure out the best ways to track your financial assets, here are some suggestions.

Tracking Apps


Since there is an app for virtually anything anymore, it should be no surprise that numerous financial tracking apps exist. By taking advantage of these, you can simply pull out your smartphone and instantly view your financial picture. 

One of the best is Mint.com, where you can enter various types of financial data and have it all displayed on a single screen. Also, you can track investment fees, compare individual accounts, and set budgets for yourself based on how much you may be spending in various categories, such as dining and entertainment.

Hiring Financial Professionals


While apps are great, nothing can replace a face-to-face meeting with an experienced financial professional you know and trust. Therefore, always arrange to hire the services of a financial planner to help you during retirement. 



Since you will have various types of life insurance and possibly long-term care insurance as part of your retirement financial package, meeting with professionals from The Lofrumento Agency, Inc. and other financial offices can help you get the advice needed to make well-informed decisions.

Desktop Software


Even if you use apps, it is likely they may not have as many features as you need for certain areas of your financial planning process. Because of this, you may want to purchase desktop software that can go into more detail. 

For example, you can use QuickBooks Pro to monitor the assets of your estate, track the interest that accrues on municipal or corporate bonds in which you have invested, and track the yield to maturity.

Company Retirement Plans


Just as you are entering into retirement, take advantage of your company's retirement plans to help you track your financial assets. 

While you can make many decisions on your own, you can also take advantage of your company's HR department and others within the company to help give you advice on how to roll your money into an IRA, how to rearrange investments to reduce taxable income, and much more.

By taking an active role in tracking your financial assets when beginning your retirement, your later years can be filled with plenty of money and lots of fun.


Monday, July 5, 2021

The Relationship Between Bitcoin and Inflation

One attribute that has actually made cryptocurrencies-- specifically Bitcoin-- so appealing to people is the idea that it's more immune to inflation than fiat money like the dollar.

What is causing the increase in prices for goods and services? 

Inflation is the process whereby currencies decline, in time, causing prices of durable goods to increase. Since most financial experts think that some degree of inflation is good for our economic life, the government, for example, has actually printed more money than we need. It's the reason that a gallon of milk that set you back a dollar a half-century ago is four dollars today.

On the other hand, Bitcoin has normally increased in worth much faster than the U.S. dollar has actually declined-- going from practically useless in 2009 to greater than $65,000 in mid-2021. 

Because it's an unstable market, Bitcoin has actually likewise seen remarkable spikes and also declines, however the trendline with time has actually been upward. This has actually made Bitcoin a significantly preferred hedge against fiat-currency inflation.

Bitcoin was designed to resist inflation, its supply is limited and known, and also, the creation of new bitcoin will certainly lessen with time in the foreseeable future means. There will only ever be 21 million bitcoin, as well as every 4 years, the amount of bitcoin that is extracted is reduced by fifty percent.




Why is the rising cost of living important for crypto?


Bitcoin, as well as specific various other cryptocurrencies like Ethereum, hand investors a choice. A high inflation price for fiat money might incentivize individuals to invest more in digital money because the dollar, or any other countries money you put in a savings account, is actually losing value over time. 

 The business economics of the Bitcoin market is complicated, yet there are functions designed from the start to help it resist the rising cost of living.

Bitcoin can't be manipulated by federal governments readjusting interest rates or printing even more money to accomplish policy objectives.

Like gold and various other limited stores of value, the conventional wisdom around Bitcoin is that it increases in value in unsure times. This has actually not constantly held true, however-- at the start of the COVID pandemic as an example, it dropped greatly together with the stock exchange. It's also a much more convenient store of value than gold.

Scarcity is one way of making a store of value resistant to the rising cost of living. There will certainly never ever be greater than 21 million bitcoin. There is no end to the printing of fiat money or the mining of gold.

As of now, approximately 19 million bitcoin have actually been mined. Every ten minutes, miners process a brand-new "block" and also 6.25 bitcoin are included in the network. 



In 2024, the mining reward will drop to 3.125 bitcoin and will certainly decline by fifty percent once again every 4 years until all bitcoin are extracted. This function, which is baked right into the Bitcoin protocol, is referred to as "the halving".

This scheduled shrinking of brand-new supply in time makes Bitcoin predictable in unique ways. Unlike gold, no brand-new bitcoin can ever before be "uncovered.".

Do cryptocurrencies experience inflation?


Yes, technically, even Bitcoin experiences a rising cost of living as more of it is mined (as does gold). But because the quantity of brand-new bitcoin is instantly lowered by half every four years, Bitcoin's rising inflation price will certainly also be reduced over time.

As long as Bitcoin's purchasing power continues to rise vs. fiat money we often tend to contrast it to, Bitcoin's few-percent yearly inflation price isn't a major problem for holders to think about.

Yet, not all cryptocurrencies are made like Bitcoin. For example, an increasingly prominent classification of digital money called stablecoins, tied to fiat money like the dollar, can be a useful, low-volatility area to save some cash. 

But if a stablecoin is secured to fiat currency, your financial investment will be affected by inflation and might lose value over time as the dollar declines. Some stablecoins have benefits that work just like an interest-bearing account, which might change the worth equation, especially with non-crypto rates of interest floating around zero.




Friday, July 2, 2021

Where Are Your Home's Greatest Energy Drains and How to Mitigate Them

As the summer month near, homeowners must begin to think about how they are going to conserve as much energy as they possibly can. 

This is necessary to take care of the environment and ensure that your monthly energy costs don't go through the roof. The following includes a list of some of the greatest energy drains within your home and how to mitigate them.

Heating & Cooling Devices


According to the U.S. Department of Energy, your heating and cooling devices are often the biggest energy wasters. This applies to both window A/C units and larger, more complex HVAC systems

Some homeowners may say that there's no going around this as most of us want our home to feel comfortable. Fortunately, due to innovations in technology, homeowners finally have a few options in mitigating the vast amount of energy that is wasted. 

For example, homeowners now have access to relatively affordable smart devices that help regulate the home's temperature depending on the conditions outside or according to the homeowner's habits. 

This means your A/C unit won't have to be on full blast while you're out at work nor have to come back to a stuffy home.



Interior & Exterior Home Lighting


Let's face it; most people are guilty of leaving multiple lights on within their homes. However, can you believe that according to the U.S. Department of Energy, over 9% of your energy usage comes from your home's interior and exterior lighting? 

Although turning off lights that you are not using certainly helps, it's simply not enough. You can further diminish the cost and amount of energy you are using by replacing your lights with energy-efficient alternatives such as LED. 

You may also seek the advice of an electrical services company to receive further information about how you can reduce your energy consumption.

Electric Stove


Few people understand just how many watts an electric stove uses (2,500 watts) each time it's operated. Add a family that you need to feed multiple times a day to that, and you can quickly see how it can become one of your home's greatest energy drains. 



Although you certainly can't go without preparing food for your family, there are a few tricks to lower the amount of energy you are using. First, it is recommended to turn off your stove before your food is cooked. 

There is often enough heat left to fully cook your food without having to waste more energy. Next, if you don't have to, don't use your stove at all and instead use your microwave to warm up food.

As you can see from the information above, there are several appliances and devices that require a lot of energy to operate. 

Therefore, it is recommended to utilize the information above and apply it to your own home in order to reduce energy consumption and some money at the end of the month.


Thursday, July 1, 2021

5 Reasons You Might Not Qualify for a Home Loan

Now that you have found your dream home, you thought qualifying for a home loan would be the easy part. However, this may not be the case. 

Although lenders are generally more eager now than in past years to approve mortgage loans, there are some instances where you may be denied the loan needed to purchase a home

Should you be preparing to apply for a home loan, here are some of the most common reasons why you may be turned down.

Poor Credit History


If you have had past credit problems, your poor credit history may be the reason your loan application was denied. Since a lender wants to make sure you are not a high-risk applicant, any problems with foreclosures, bankruptcies, or credit cards could be reason enough to deny your claim. Generally, if your FICO score is under 620, your loan will be denied.

Income/Asset Documentation


Even if you think you have enough money to make a monthly mortgage payment, your lender may not think so, especially if you are unable to provide sufficient documentation regarding your income to debt ratio. 



Should questions arise about this or other related areas, private equity representation may be what's needed to let everyone make a well-informed lending decision.

Very Small Down Payment


If you put down a minimal down payment on your new home, the lender will view you as a high-risk applicant, and thus may deny your loan. If possible, try to put down as much as 25% of the home's price as a down payment, since this will almost guarantee approval.

Issues with the Property


If your new home is appraised at an amount that is far less than the amount of the mortgage loan, your lender may deny your application. While you can get a second appraisal, your best option is to shop around for other lenders.

Limited Employment History


Should you possess a limited employment history or have one where you have changed jobs frequently, this can be used against you by your lender to deny the home loan. 

In most cases, a lender will want you to have at least two years of consistent employment with your current employer prior to approving your loan.

If you have had your home loan application denied, don't give up. By seeking out other lenders and making improvements where you can, it is quite possible you may still get the loan needed to purchase your dream home.



Wednesday, June 30, 2021

How to Prevent Foreclosure When Struggling to Pay Your Mortgage

When you cannot continue making your loan repayments, lenders and banks will consider selling the asset you had registered as collateral, such as a home. 

There are, however, steps that can help you prevent foreclosure from happening. Below are the hints that you need to consider.

Request for a Loan Modification


When you are stuck on repaying your mortgage loan, one thing you can do is negotiate with your lender. The negotiation will help you reduce the loan terms that you had agreed upon when signing the agreement. 

When requesting a loan modification, you want to either reduce the monthly interest rate or request an extension of your loan term. It, therefore, ensures that you do not struggle to pay for the remaining loan.

Forbearance Agreement


You are eligible to enter this agreement only when you are facing financial constraints on paying the loan. For example, it could be a medical emergency or sudden income reduction. 

You will, therefore, need to prove to your lender the situation that you are currently in, as this will increase your chances of the forbearance is granted. During this period, you should regain your financial stability hence can, after that, pay for the mortgage loan without trouble.




File for Bankruptcy


By filing for bankruptcy, you will be delaying the foreclosure process. You could either file for chapter 13 or chapter 7 bankruptcy. 

To know which is best for your current financial position, it would be best that you consult with a bankruptcy attorney. However, you should note that the lender has the authority to get full payment for the mortgage loan if your request for bankruptcy is suspended. 

Due to this legal move, you will have created a negative credit score, which means that you will not qualify for refinancing.

Consider a Short Sale


When you have considered all the available options yet are not working to your benefit, selling your home is the last resort. You will have to sell the lender your house even though it does not cover the entire outstanding balance. 

Before you proceed with this option, it would be best that you consult with your lender to know whether they agree with your plan.

To ensure that you do not get into this situation, it would help if you do not accumulate your debt. However, if it is inevitable, ensure to go through the options above to know which would be helpful to you.



Join 1000's of People Following 50 Plus Finance
Real Time Web Analytics