Great you’ve just bought your first home! It is likely that you will be offered a home warranty for protection against expensive, unforeseen home repairs. But is it really the safety net homeowners expect? Depending on your situation, a home warranty could definitely be worth

While reducing your water bill may not be too high on your list of ways to save money, water is a precious resource and the cost is rising all the time. According to a report by the American Water Works Association, infrastructure upgrades and improvements

These days’ people do everything online – meet people and stay in touch, conduct business, purchase products and services, store and access records, and support hobbies or entertainment interests. Everyone is vulnerable to general risks involved with using the internet but seniors are particularly vulnerable

With home prices and sales steadily improving in many parts of the country, your parent or loved one may be considering moving into a nursing home – now referred to as a continuing care retirement community (CCRC). Seniors considering moving into a retirement community should

People nearing retirement face many important, and often irreversible, choices. It is vital that you reassess your financial literacy as you prepare or begin retirement as your financial needs, goals and options may have changed. Although these financial decisions will affect your well being for

A reverse mortgage enables older homeowners (62+) to convert part of the equity in their homes into tax-free cash without having to sell the home, give up title, or take on a new monthly mortgage payment. The reverse mortgage is aptly named because the payment

Most people know that closing a credit card that is no longer used can potentially damage your credit score. Unfortunately, this knowledge often keeps consumers trembling in fear of closing credit card accounts. And as a result, they hang on to cards they should have

Time is the most valuable and elusive commodity we have — we cannot increase it, we cannot replace it — it is priceless. When we are working, time challenges us to squeeze as many tasks as possible into every minute of the day. When we

Borrowing from your 401(k) may seem like a good idea when an emergency or unexpected expense arises, however, tapping into your retirement savings may be more trouble than it’s worth. Normally we’d all prefer to have enough room in our monthly budgets and daily savings

While most of us can manage our own finances from day to day, we need the help of professionals with the expert knowledge to align our short and long-term financial plans while providing access to the right product to improve our situations. With the flurry

Are you excited for the holidays – gifts, lights, entertaining, dinners and decorations? You are not alone. Many Americans love to celebrate the holidays, but few enjoy the financial pinch you experience after holiday spending well into the new year. If you don’t want to

Even the best laid retirement plans are at risk for monetary losses or unexpected complications. As we saw back in 2008, a major stock market crash could bankrupt your pension plan, high inflation rates could eat away at your savings faster than you’d planned for

Summer is here! How did we get to July, wasn’t it just January? If you are like most people, you made a few resolutions to improve your financial situation at New Years, but now that it is the middle of the year, where do you

Making the decision to begin investing your hard earned money in the stock market is a big step towards reaching your long-term financial goals. Many of you are doing so in order to increase your retirement income, grow your personal wealth and maintain the level

Southern California residents know all too well the threat of wildfires, but as drought takes over much of the western half of the United States, more and more homeowners in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and more are becoming familiar with the threat of seasonal fires.

Homeownership comes with plenty of perks: It lets you put down roots, invest in your own future, and it can pay off at income tax time; but is your “big picture” financial plan ready for the responsibility? There are realities to owning a home you