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Working with a Landlord¶
Home Improvement If you have the urge to make some improvements to your place, read the fine print of your lease before you jump into repainting the bedroom or tiling the bathroom. Many leases have clauses that prohibit you from making any alterations to the property, and disobeying this provision…
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Renter's Insurance¶
Things Do Go Wrong Why do you need insurance if you rent? A landlord's insurance policy covers the building. If a leaky roof floods your living room, you won't have to pay for repairs to the ceiling, floor, or walls. But you'll probably be stuck with the bill for cleaning or replacing any furniture…
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Finding a Place to Rent¶
Housing Budget Before you start looking at places to rent, it helps to get a sense of how much you'll need to pay. The real estate section of a local paper or websites like craigslist.org are good places to find the going rental rates. Try entering "available apartments" for a particular geographic…
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Renting Rulebook¶
Rule #1 Find the right place Consider the location, space, and amenities. Some questions you could ask include: Is the location convenient for work, school, etc.?Is it in a busy or noisy area?Does it have enough room for your needs?Would you prefer somewhere with additional amenities like a gym or…
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Divorce and Retirement Savings¶
Dividing Retirement Assets Often, substantial amounts of marital assets are tied up in pensions or other retirement funds. If you and your spouse have your own employer-sponsored plans, you may each elect to keep your own. But if one spouse doesn't have their own retirement savings, the funds may…
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Critical Retirement Choices¶
The idea of retiring isn't new. People who grew too old or too ill stopped working and stayed home long before pensions and Social Security. But as people live longer, the retirement experience takes on a different meaning. Not only can you expect more years of retirement than of adolescence, but…
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Individual Retirement Accounts¶
Roth vs Traditional There are two types of IRAs: a traditional IRA and the Roth IRA. The main difference between them is when you pay taxes. A traditional IRA is tax deferred. This means that can contribute money before it's taxed, and you don't owe taxes on those contributions or your earnings unt…
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Social Security Basics¶
What You Contribute If you’re in the Social Security system—and more than 96% of the workforce is—you usually contribute 7.65% of your salary every year, 6.2% for retirement and disability benefits and 1.45% for Medicare coverage. Your employer contributes an equal amount, and if you’re self-employ…
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Transitioning to Retirement¶
The Critical Factors When making key choices for your retirement, the things that you should consider include your age and health, if and how you need to provide for your family, and what other sources of income you'll have. Or, if it’s your employer’s financial health you’re concerned about, you…
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Mortgage Application Checklist¶
Employment/ Income As you might have expected, income plays a significant role in a lender’s decision-making process. Multiple documents are needed to prove you can afford the payments. Tax returns. Many lenders require at least two years of tax returns & W-2s to prove income stability. Check with…
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