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Decorating your home is one of the most enjoyable parts of the holiday season. Because electricity is involved with so many holiday decorations, it’s important you follow a few simple tips to keep your home and family safe. Checking your decorations and electrical equipment for damage is one of the most important things you can do to stay safe this holiday season. Before plugging anything in, inspect electrical outlets to ensure they aren’t loose, damaged, or cracked. You should also look for damage to your decorations themselves, like cracked bulbs and frayed electrical cords, and refrain from using decorations with…

What questions to ask your contractor in advance of hiring them.  Most homeowners have some concerns when it comes to hiring home improvement professionals. Some are afraid of overpaying, some worry that they’re hiring an unqualified professional, and others wonder about the character of the individuals they’re inviting into their homes. Asking these ten questions can help alleviate all of these concerns. 1. How long have you been in the business or working in the industry? Look for a credible track record and successful work experience. 2. Are you licensed, insured and bonded? At the very least, make sure your pro is licensed…

Florida retains its ranking as one of the nation’s lowest-tax states, according to the latest study released by Florida TaxWatch. Out of 50 states, Florida ranks No. 42 in the average amount of money paid by residents. Florida TaxWatch findings: Floridians pay an average $5,679 per person in state and local taxes Residents pay an average $2,584 in state taxes – one of the least amounts nationwide. Only the residents of one other state pay less. However, local tax burdens are higher. “Per Capita Local Tax Collections” ranked No. 27 nationally. In the balance between state and local taxes, Florida…

World events are conspiring to make it more expensive for you to borrow money to buy a house. Mortgage rates have increased for six consecutive weeks, according to Bankrate data, bringing interest on a 30-year fixed rate loan to 4.44 percent—the highest level in 11 months—while home prices continue to rise due to a lack of available homes. After years of tepid economic growth, inflation and wage growth recently found a groove, while the Federal…

As you’ve no doubt heard, the U.S. tax code got an overhaul—so what does that mean for the 2017 return you’re filing right about now? It means that this is your last chance to take advantage of tax deductions from the old tax code. Here is a rundown of four major tax breaks that are disappearing after this filing year, and how to take full advantage of them for 2017. Home Office Deduction With the increasing popularity of telecommuting and working from home, the home office tax deduction is one that many people opt to take. If you’re full-time self-employed, this deduction will continue in 2018. But for all…

Housing Starts and consumer inflation heated up in January, but Retail Sales and Existing Home Sales stayed on the chilly side. The Commerce Department reported that January Housing Starts jumped 9.7 percent from December to an annual rate of 1.326 million units. This was the highest level since October 2016 and up 7.3 percent from January 2017. Single-family starts, which account for the largest share of the market, rose 3.7 percent from December while multi-dwelling starts with five or more units surged 19.7 percent. Housing Starts rose in the Northeast, South and West but declined in the…

  What to Do When Your Pipes Freeze  

The idea of living a simplified, uncluttered life with less stuff sounds attractive to many. They have considered the benefits of owning fewer possessions: less to clean, less debt, less to organize, less stress, more money and energy for their greatest passions. They are ready to declutter but some get quickly tripped up by the very next question… where in the world do I begin? Many begin to feel overwhelmed, anxious, and defeated around the idea of decluttering their homes. That’s too bad. The decluttering journey doesn’t…

As data breaches go, this is one of the most extensive. What steps should you take now in response to the massive Equifax data breach?             The sensitive information of almost half of all Americans has been compromised, all because the company safeguarding that information reportedly failed to upgrade and update software despite being warned to do so. To make it worse, company execs sold millions in stock after the breach, but before they told the public what had…