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It’s Memorial Day Weekend! Here Are the Worst Times to Travel According to AAA

Written by adminMay 25, 2019

Ah, Memorial Day. It’s our first big major holiday of the summer. In fact, it’s the unofficial start of the summer season. Most Americans get Monday off, so it’s a popular weekend for people to travel. Of course, let’s not forget the reason for the holiday is to honor fallen troops. We’re thankful for all their sacrifices.

If you plan on going on a trip this weekend, you won’t be alone. AAA says 43 million Americans will also be on the road along with you. The worst times to travel may be what you expect, but others are also making the same decision. They’ll try to find a non-peak time to hit the road. AAA says the worst time to leave would be Thursday evening.

Apparently, a lot of others have decided to take Friday off as well. Because the economy is doing so well and taxes are lower, more Americans have a few extra spending dollars. That’s what’s going to allow them to decide if they can afford a relaxing weekend trip at the cabin or having a BBQ with family and friends.

“Solid job and income growth have left Americans with a lot of disposable income in their pockets,” Robert Sinclair, a AAA New York spokesman, told USA Today. “Many have decided to spend their extra dollars on a trip, usually by car, in spite of higher gasoline prices.” The company expects this year to have 1.5 million more drivers than last Memorial Day weekend.

Gas Prices Have No Impact

One concern that doesn’t seem to be giving anyone pause is the national average price for a gallon of gas is near $3. It won’t be slowing anyone down this year. AAA predicts the increase in travelers this year will make it the second-highest volume since they started keeping track of the data back in the year 2000.

“Americans are eagerly anticipating the start of summer, and expensive gas prices won’t keep them home this Memorial Day weekend,” Paula Twidale, the vice president of AAA Travel, said in a statement. “Consumer spending remains strong, helped by solid job and income growth. Families continue to prioritize spending their disposable incomes on travel, and near-record numbers of them are looking forward to doing just that for Memorial Day.”

“Drivers in the most congested metros should expect much worse conditions than normal,” Reed said in a statement. “Travelers should anticipate delays to start on Wednesday and continue through Memorial Day. Our advice to drivers is to avoid the morning and evening commuting times or plan alternate routes.”

Written by adminMay 24, 2019

Politics

As President Trump and House Democrats continue to fight over Trump’s tax returns, the New York Times released an article revealing some interesting information. According to the report, Trump lost $1 billion worth of income between 1985 and 1994. During those ten years, it allowed him to not pay any taxes.

This information came to light thanks to anonymous sources and IRS anonymized returns. During that decade, the IRS created a public study of sorts that allowed interested parties to see what the highest earners make and what they pay in taxes. Of course, that data was anonymous in nature, but the Times has a source who was able to confirm the information.

To many, this is a controversial technique to might prevent the IRS from releasing such studies in the future. The Times wasn’t supposed to be able to deduce the individuals reported in the study. That leads to President Trump fully denying that he is the person the story mentions. This story might not have been interesting in the past, but it seems as if we live in a new world.

Democrats Trying to Find Anything They Can

This information comes as House Democrats appear to be turning up the heat. They are doing what they can to investigate every single aspect of Trump’s business. They appear to be under the impression that he undoubtedly skirted by the rules somehow and didn’t pay his fair share of taxes.

It also happens to be taking place when there’s more of a spotlight on wealth inequality. Many progressives and socialists blame the rich for not paying enough. They want to increase taxes on the wealthy to pay for several programs, like free healthcare, free college education, and so much more.

Playing the System?

One statistic from the Times story that sheds light on Trump’s business tactics was his many rounds of bankruptcy. It would appear as if he was a fairly bad businessman, constantly losing out business. He claimed a billion-dollar loss during that time, but he apparently wasn’t even a billionaire to start with.

His real money didn’t start coming in until the late 1990’s and 2000’s when he was branding himself as a reality star. According to New York reporter Josh Barro, Trump is just playing the game. He reports losses to stop himself from having to pay any taxes at all.

“The primary lesson of Trump’s massive reported losses from 1985 to 1994 is not that he was a comically bad businessman,” writes Barro, “but that he was comically undertaxed.” In fact, Trump claimed more losses than anyone else in the country at that time. In 1990 and 1991 specifically, his losses were double than every other loss claim in the United States.

Trump himself would like you to believe that this was all just standard rich-guy tax sheltering, and said as much on Twitter in mid-May. Trump himself, in a very Trump fashion, called the piece a ‘hit job’ in several tweets as the story was released.

“Real estate developers in the 1980’s & 1990’s, more than 30 years ago, were entitled to massive write offs and depreciation which would, if one was actively building, show losses and tax losses in almost all cases,” he wrote.

“Much was non-monetary. Sometimes considered “tax shelter…you would get it by building, or even buying. You always wanted to show losses for tax purposes….almost all real estate developers did – and often re-negotiate with banks, it was sport. Additionally, the very old information put out is a highly inaccurate Fake News hit job!”

Written by adminMay 24, 2019

Life Style , Saving

Life is often strange and unpredictable. All it takes is one single incident to change the course of your life forever. Sadly, most Americans aren’t prepared for any bad things to happen. In fact, it’s estimated by the Federal Reserve that 44% of us don’t even have $400 in savings if we had an emergency. Depending on the emergency, you’d be out of luck!

A single emergency room visit alone, without insurance, costs anywhere between $150 and $3,000. But emergency room visits are only a single type of emergency. Imagine suddenly losing your job, your house burning down, or a natural disaster hits. How would you make it through? Would you survive the direct impact that even has on your life?

Here’s a list of ways you can get through an emergency situation if you don’t have money saved up.

1) You Can Sell Your Hair

This might seem like an odd thing to do, but if you have long hair, it can be quite valuable. A lot of people donate their hair to Locks of Love or other charities, but in a pinch, you can also sell it. There are several websites out there that you can sell your hair to from anywhere between $100 and $1,000, giving you a few extra bucks in a pinch.

2) Get Some Side Work

There’s nothing wrong with rolling up the sleeves and doing a little extra work for a few bucks. Maybe someone needs help with something, like a neighbor, who can pay you. Think about being a teenager again. How did you make money? Maybe you shoveled snow off driveways or mowed lawns.

There are some websites out there, like TaskRabbit, that allows you to find quick little jobs people need done. They can be chores or other tasks you will be paid to get done. Every little bit helps when you’re in a pinch.

3) Sell Some Stuff

Between garage sales and pawn shops, you have the capacity to rid of a few things you don’t need anymore. Most of us have things we’ve collected over the years. Perhaps some of it is quite valuable. Even if it’s not, you never know what someone is willing to buy. Selling old clothes, books, movies, etc, can be a great way to raise extra cash.

4) Crowdfunding

Indiegogo and GoFundMe are popular crowdfunding sites. Sometimes it pays off to push down your pride and simply ask for some help. Human beings love to help each other out and raising money to get through a tough time isn’t a bad thing at all. It can really help you get out of your bind. Friends and family often love to help, too, so don’t think of yourself as a burden.

5) Sell Stuff on Etsy

If you’re great at making things, that might benefit you. Maybe you only knit as a hobby and give away to family and friends, but you can sell your stuff and make extra cash. Websites like Etsy let people sell handmade products. It can take some time to really get good at selling, but many have made a living off the site.

Life can be difficult at times. The absolute best way to overcome any obstacles that come is to save your money. Have a rainy day fund so you’re always covered. The best advice is to save up at least 6 months’ worth of living expenses. Often times, emergencies hit you in more than only place, so be sure to have all your bases covered. Even if they’re not covered, hopefully these tips will help you get through it.

Written by adminMay 24, 2019

Politics

Back in 2016, President Obama’s Treasury Department decided it was time to replace Andrew Jackson. Secretary Jack Lew made the decision to replace Jackson and said it was time for a woman’s face to grace some of our currency. At the time, the internet was elated with the change.

At first, Secretary Lew was considering replacing Alexander Hamilton on the $10 bill with Susan B. Anthony. Being undecided, he let the people decide. As a result, civil rights activist and former slave Harriet Tubman quickly became the choice everyone wanted. No one knows exactly why Lew gave up on the $10 and decided on changing the $20, but the musical “Hamilton” which was debuting at the time.

Is the Trump Administration Changing Plans?

Of course, all of that was decided back in 2016, before the entrance of a new president and a new treasury secretary. While plans were looking good for Tubman to be the new face of the $20, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin is saying that might be delayed until later in the next decade. 2020 is an unrealistic timeline for the new bills to be released.

“The primary reason we’ve looked at redesigning the currency is for counterfeiting issues,” Mnuchin said when asked by Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., whether the new currency would be ready on time. “Based upon this, the $20 bill will now not come out until 2028. The $10 bill and the $50 bill will come out with new features beforehand.

“The ultimate decision on the redesign will most likely be another secretary’s down the road.”

It’s not the security feature they’re worried about. That feature has already been created. Instead, they’re not ready to release the Tubman design. It likely won’t be made standard until 2026 and printed until 2028. It’s leaving others asking a lot of questions about why this is being pushed off when it’s been in the works several years.

More Women on Currency

At the time, President Obama thought the change was perfect. The country has been looking at women’s status in the country as of late. Civil rights are also something still being fought for. Putting a former slave on the $20 bill appears to be a good move for everyone all around, unless you’re an Andrew Jackson fan.

In that case, you still have no reason to be concerned. They still expect to keep Jackson on the $20 in some fashion.

“We actually listened to people. And there was a legitimate concern about what bill a woman goes on the front of, and what story we had to tell,” Lew said. In April 2016, he announced that Tubman would be replacing Jackson on the $20 and that Jackson would be moved into a scene of the White House on the reverse side.

When asked whether the next Treasury secretary would avoid making the change, he replied, “I don’t think someone is going to want to do that,” he said, citing a backlash that might occur. The change was such a popular move, but it appears as if the redesign is indeed getting pushed.

Written by adminMay 22, 2019

Saving

If you’re a millenial, odds are you’re not ready for a rainy day.

According to a new survey of 2,200 US adults conducted by Schwab’s Modern Wealth Survey, a dismal 39% of millenials say they have an emergency savings fund that can cover at least 3 months of living expenses if something unexpected comes up. That’s up from roughly 32% of millenials reporting that they had 3 months worth of emergency savings back in 2018.

What is more worrying, however, is the fact that 36% of those surveyed have no money whatsoever set aside for an unexpected expense.

Call Now 844-332-2079

That is problematic when you have no control over your finances and start racking up debt for unforeseen shortfalls like car repairs and medical emergencies. Credit industry expert Ted Rossman at CreditCards.com says that having an emergency savings fund is “a buffer between you and high-cost credit card debt.”

Saving money is not an insurmountable obstacle like many make it out to be. Here are some ways to help you begin building up that foundation to help you weather the storm of life’s unforeseen circumstances.

How To Start Saving: Starting From Zero

So these are the statistics: only 39% of millenials have some form of a safety net according to Schwab’s survey. A staggering two-thirds are living paycheck to paycheck.

If you find yourself in the latter group, it might seem impossible to save anything. Farnoosh Torabi, host of the “So Money” podcast, admits that there are limitations to your spending power when you have student loans, credit card debt, and monthly bills. Torabi concedes that “getting into the habit of saving is simple as long as you commit to a plan of saving a little at a time.”

Start by setting up a savings account with you bank. Then set up a regular, automatic transfer from your checking to your savings account. This could be something small, like $5 a week. The strategy is to have the money leave your hands before you are able to spend it. Over the course of time, that small weekly investment will accumulate bit by bit and that will motivate you to do even more.

How Your Social Circle Affects Your Savings

Torabi breaks it down that money management is part math and part mindset.

The people around you can affect your spending and saving habits just as much or even more so than your own efforts to save. “If you’re hanging out with people who are constantly spending money, constantly keeping up with the Joneses, guess what? That’s going to have a big impact on their bottom line as well,” Torabi explains.

It will probably be in your best interests to keep spendthrifts at arms length. Instead consider surrounding yourself with more frugal-minded people who will influence you to make financially-sound decisions.

The same goes for your social media networks. Half of millenials surveyed said that social media influenced a large amount of their financial spending decisions. And 48% said that they overspend when spending time with their friends, on dining out, nightlife experiences, as well as group vacations.

Torabi suggests that “if you find yourself going down rabbit holes on Instagram, make sure to mute the accounts that you know are bad influences on your financial habits.” A couple hashtags like #financialfreedom and #moneymotivation will also be good to follow to keep you on the right track. And remember, if you would like to talk to the experts, the Financial Helpers are only a phone call away.

Call Now 844-332-2079

Written by adminMay 22, 2019

Loans

It’s difficult to know the exact number of people who are currently uninsured in the U.S., but estimates show that number can be anywhere between 20 and 30 million people.

Whether it’s because health insurance is too costly in this country, or people don’t think they need it, being covered is one of those tricky things that can ultimately hurt you if you’re not. Even if you do have insurance, there can be gaps in your coverage as well as high deductibles that can put you in a financial bind.

That’s what one woman from Arkansas found out the hard way! CNN reported a story of a woman who was three months pregnant and collapsed in a parking lot. She was rushed to the emergency room and despite having insurance, she still had to pay $830 out of pocket.

The hospital gave her two choices: pay the bill or get a loan through their financial institution. For most people, this sounds like a great deal. With the loan, you can still pay the bill, but on a more manageable scale.

Right now, around 20%-30% of hospitals are offering this financing option, but it leaves a lot of experts with a bad taste in their mouth. A lot of private doctors do offer services to help their financially strapped patients, but there is something to be said about pressuring someone, after an emergency, to secure a bank loan to pay the bill.

The Cost of Health Care

There’s more to the equation than the moral question of whether a hospital shall use high-pressure tactics to during/after an emergency. A lot of the problem has to do with the cost of health care. Most insurance companies can negotiate what they consider a fair price for the services provided.

If you immediately sign up for a loan with the hospital, you’re not going to get the discounted services. The hospital is going to use their own inflated price list, a cost most Americans cannot afford.

There are many Americans who also have high deductibles. One person in Florida had to pay $13,000 out of pocket for an emergency procedure. What is a person to do when most Americans don’t even have $400 in their savings?

Paying Back the Bill

The best thing to do if you find yourself in this situation is to be upfront and honest with the hospital. Tell them you cannot afford the bill. They often have other resources, such as financial assistance, government help, and can even screen the individual for Medicaid to see if they qualify.

If none of that works, then you might have to eat the bill. Rather than getting pressured into a loan that day, take the bill home and do your research. There may be local, state, and federal avenues that exist to assist you. Also, don’t be afraid to negotiate with the hospital on a better price. They want to get paid, so they might just work with you to get it done.

Written by adminMay 22, 2019

Insurance

There is perhaps no greater investment you’ll ever make in your life than the one you put into your home. It’s where you’ll live out the rest of your days, build memories with your family, and take part in an amazing community. But what steps do you take to make sure your house and possessions are protected from damage and/or theft?

This isn’t just about home insurance. Most buyers already have that. But what about title insurance? At first glance, you might not even realize what title insurance does or how it can help keep you safe, but it’s an important aspect of ensuring nothing goes wrong, leaving you with a massive mess to clean up.

What is Title Insurance?

When you buy a house, there’s a lot of paperwork that goes with it. You’ll have to draw up and file legal documents, sign a mortgage, ensure all your information and data is correct (or correctly added), and so on. But what happens if there’s a mistake? What if the wrong information was added in or something was incorrectly filed?

The reality is, mistakes happen! Humans are imperfect beings and no matter how hard we try, sometimes we make mistakes. Something gets faxed wrong, we make a typo, we mistake one number for another, and so on. It happens literally every day! So why not protect yourself? Here are four reasons why you need title insurance:

Reason #1: To Protect Your Space

Yeah, your house is protected, as well as your possessions with insurance, but what happens if there’s a border dispute? Maybe someone’s tree fell on a neighbor’s house and that person claimed the tree was on your property. How do you handle the situation? You can get a survey, but the results are often different every time.

Where title insurance will help you is it will determine exactly where your property ends and where it begins. If anyone tries to challenge or dispute it, then they’re out of luck. The title insurance is your way of protecting your borders.

Reason #2: Protection from Fraud

Sometimes people are just crooked. They’re out to make a quick buck and don’t care about anyone else. Sometimes mortgage fraud happens. A ‘seller’ can create a fake deed and gets it notarized. In that case, you’d be sore out of luck because the deed would’ve been an authorized document.

People fake signatures all the time. Maybe an angry wife forges her husband’s signature to get rid of his house and you buy it. What then? Title insurance will protect you from any fraud that might pop up. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Reason #3: Liens

Even when you do all the research you can on a home, there still might be a certain amount of unknown history hiding somewhere. This is especially true if you plan on buying a home that’s been foreclosed upon. You have no idea who might have a lien against them, which means the bank gets to take your new home. Protect yourself with an insured title and you’ll be set.

Reason #4: All the Errors

This was mentioned in the beginning, but it’s true. People make mistakes all the time. All it takes is one mishap, one little typo, and it can count against you. It doesn’t even have to be your fault. It can be the realtor, the seller, the bank, etc. The only real way to keep yourself from losing out a ton of money is insuring that title.

Buying a home can be both an exciting and trying time. As with any major (or even minor) investment, it’s always best to protect it every way you can. Not doing so can leave you in a world of hurt. Hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst.

Written by adminMay 22, 2019

Life Style

Job hunting is one of the worst parts of life. We put a lot of ambition into making sure our resume is flawless, filling out seemingly endless numbers of applications, and most of the time we hear nothing back. Then, on the few occasions; we do get an interview, that’s even more work putting on a nice suit and competing against many others for the same job.

It’s not an easy or fun process. You have to be 100% on your game or you’ll lose out on an employment opportunity. Going into it haphazardly or unprepared won’t bode well for you. The competition for many key jobs, especially if you worked many years to earn a degree, can be maddening. Thankfully, we have several tips to help give you the edge.

1) Be Patient

Understanding this is often a lengthy process will help you get through it. Be patient. Let the process work itself out. Sadly, a lot of people give up after two weeks when it can take several months from application to your first day on the job. Not giving up is in your best interest. In that time, you’ll have to keep your affairs in order.

2) Don’t Give Up If You Didn’t Get the Job

Okay, so you did get a letter or an email detailing that the position has been filled. You might feel a great deal of disappointment, but don’t give up! Sometimes that employee doesn’t work out or another opening will take place. According to statistics, 54% of bosses will look back at previous applicants. If you were second place, there’s a good chance you’ll get the next phone call if there’s a need.

3) Offer More than Your Resume

A lot of people just throw down their one-page resume. No, you shouldn’t go to two pages, but you should put more effort into presenting your case. Do you have a cover letter? Written recommendations? What about a portfolio and/or a social media page relating to what you do? 53% of employers say a resume isn’t enough, so put in the extra work to make everything look nice. Sell the whole package.

4) Become a Full-Time Job Finder

Do you really want a job? Seriously, do you really want it? The number of hours the average person spends looking for a job is 11 hours per week. That’s it! They expect the process to work for them rather than putting in the extra effort to put work into the process. Put in as many hours finding a job that you would working that job during the week.

5) Provide More than Just Skillset

So, you went to college and got a degree. That’s great! But so did everyone else who’s applying for the job. That’s not nearly enough to make you stand out. 63% of employers look for other intangibles in a person’s character beyond just the skills they want to hire you for. They want to know that the person they hire has great character, is honest, works hard, is dependable and is on time.

6) Don’t Be Afraid to Negotiate

If you’re an entry-level worker, you might not have much room to negotiate. But if you have great skills, an awesome character, and a bunch of experience behind you, you can negotiate if the first offer is too low. You might think that’s counterintuitive, but employers want great talent and will take the extra step to sign you on if they feel you’re the one they want. They may even give a lowball offer, thinking someone will take it, when they are willing to pay more.

Written by adminMay 22, 2019

Mortgage

If you own a piece of property and are unsure of what to do with it, hiring a property manager may be the best option to get the most from your investment. A decent manager will be able to add great value to your property and offer you a better return if you decide to sell it. Here are the 6 benefits of hiring a property manager can save you in the long run:

1) They can bring in better tenants.

A good property manager knows what to look for when it comes to the type of tenants you should allow on your property. They also know the warnings signs you should avoid. It can be extremely difficult to remove that bad apple, but if you have advanced screening techniques a manager will provide, then you’d never have to worry about accepting them in the first place. It will be easier to discern the good from the bad so you only have residents that pay on time, take care of their unit, cause less issues, and stay longer.

2) Will result in fewer legal issues.

You already know that bad tenant is troublesome, but oftentimes it can become a legal and eventually financial burden. A good manager knows all the laws and has all the tricks up their sleeve so as not to leave you vulnerable.

3) Able to get your units up and running faster after a vacancy.

Once a tenant has left, there is a lot of preparation left in your hands to get the it ready for the next person. Having a property manager makes this process go quicker and smoother. They will be in charge of any cosmetic issues, figure out the best rent rate, and properly market your property or unit so you can maximize your revenue.

4) You’ll receive better tenant retention.

As you well know, there’s a hefty cost that comes along with having a high turnover rate. You have to clean, change locks, paint, have possible repairs, market, and so on. Having a property manager who is good at their job will know how to keep current tenants happy so they want to stay longer. That’s more money in your pocket.

5) You’ll have a better rent collection process.

To have the greatest success at becoming a landlord, you must collect your rent on time every month. Any obstruction to the cash flow means you’re opening the door for failure. Hiring a property manager will allow a sort of buffer between you and your tenants so they can chase down rent if necessary, listen to the excuses, and evict when it becomes too much. There will be less stress on your shoulders.

6) Lower costs for maintenance and repairs.

If you hire a management staff, you will have access to their whole staff, including properly licensed mechanics and repair workers. Having a good team behind you means the tenants are happier, they will stay longer, and make you look great in the process. A property manager will know how to hire these professionals as well as find discounts on the work itself.

Owning and managing your own property can be tough work. It takes a lot of patience, skill, and proper knowledge to be able to know all the ins and outs of the business. Hiring that special someone to take over those duties for you will ultimately save you a lot of money and hassle in the long run.

Written by adminMay 22, 2019

Uncategorized

While President Trump is fully content putting full pressure on China for a new deal, that pressure is returned back onto U.S. businesses. Tariffs hurt everyone. They make everyday products we buy and sell much more expensive. In that way, tariffs are taxes. Both the Chinese and U.S. citizens are feeling the crunch as this trade war continues between the two largest economic powers the world has ever seen.

One industry reeling from this latest round of tariffs are shoe companies. They feel as if adding a 25% tariff on footwear to the $300 billion worth of Chinese goods is ‘catastrophic’. So, 170 footwear companies got together and wrote a letter to the president to convince him not to add their products to the list.

“As leading American footwear companies, brands and retailers, with hundreds of thousands of employees across the U.S., we write to ask that you immediately remove footwear from the most recent Section 301 list published by the United States Trade Representative on May 13, 2019. The proposed additional tariff of 25 percent on footwear would be catastrophic for our consumers, our companies, and the American economy as a whole,” the letter states.

Tit for Tat Trade War

As President Trump threatened to increase more tariffs after China wasn’t giving in to his trade deal, China decided to retaliate. They stuck $60 billion worth of U.S. goods with a tariff on their own. Both sides escalating each other is even worse news for consumers. These tariffs are set to take place on June 1^st.

Some of the big names who signed the letter include Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, and Crocs. New Balance was one big name absent from the letter, as it’s believed their CEO is a Trump supporter. In the letter, these companies point out that the tariffs will hit hardest the most vulnerable consumers in the country.

“High footwear tariff rates fall disproportionately on working class individuals and families. While U.S. tariffs on all consumer goods average just 1.9 percent, they average 11.3 percent for footwear and reach rates as high as 67.5 percent. Adding a 25 percent tax increase on top of these tariffs would mean some working American families could pay a nearly 100 percent duty on their shoes. This is unfathomable,” the letter continued.

Made in China

It’s estimated that nearly 84% of all footwear sold in the United States is made in China. That means the entire footwear industry is set pay a heavy price. But one can already see President Trump’s response to the letter. He already told the steel and auto industries to make more products in the United States.

Relying on foreign companies to make cheap products is not his path to economic superiority or a way to create more U.S. jobs. That means Trump is less likely to give in to the demands by these shoe companies to exempt them from the tariff list. The economic impact is currently unknown, but everyone is hoping the two countries sign a new trade deal quickly.

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