Medicare and Me: Time Tested Tips Leah Kari, licensed insurance agent, and retired pharmaceutical representative Finally! Your long-awaited doctor’s appointment is a few days away. In preparation, you’ve wisely jotted questions to ask on bits of paper or stored the questions on your phone. During your appointment, you’ll reference notes if you have them available.…
How to Prepare Your Finances for 2026 As 2025 comes to a close, it’s the perfect opportunity to plan for next year and take control of your finances. It’s time for fresh goals and smart planning to ensure your hard-earned money is protected and working for you. Two areas deserve extra attention as you prepare…
Leah Kari, Retired Pharmaceutical Representative and Licensed Insurance Agent No matter how orderly we believe our affairs are, most people who have experienced the enormous life upheaval of a spouse passing say they were not as prepared as they thought. Having updated our trust today, I hope to convey the importance of meeting with your…
Leah Kari, Retired Pharmaceutical Representative and Licensed Insurance Agent Your Medicare number is your passport to accessing vital healthcare services. It is required for enrollment into Medicare Supplement Insurance, Medicare Advantage plans, and stand-alone prescription drug plans. Your Medicare number is confidential. Criminals are on the prowl to exploit this information. Safeguard your Medicare number…
Premier Coin Galleries The U.S. stock market is typically positive for midterm election years, though October can be notoriously volatile. By the time you read this article, we’ll have election results and more economic reports to guide us through the rest of the year. “We have to understand this will take time,” says Vanessa N.…
Melanie Sedam A maximum loan amount describes the total amount that an applicant is authorized to borrow. Maximum loan amounts are used for standard loans, credit cards, and line-of-credit accounts. Key Takeaways * A maximum loan amount describes the total sum that one is authorized to borrow on a line of credit, credit card, personal…
Melanie Sedam If you have an existing VA-backed home loan and you want to reduce your monthly mortgage payments—or make your payments more stable—an Interest Rate Reduction Refinance loan (IRRRL) may be right for you. Refinancing lets you replace your current loan with a new one under different terms. Find out if you are eligible…
The Paseo Financial Group If you are interested in borrowing against your home’s available equity, you have choices. One option would be to refinance and get cash out. Another option would be to take out a home equity line of credit (HELOC). Here are some of the key differences between a cash-out refinance and a…
In the past, stated income mortgages were home loans that did not require income verification or documentation. Lenders just needed a borrower’s stated income—hence the name “stated income” loans. Unfortunately, these risky loan types contributed to the 2008 housing market crash, and banks stopped issuing stated income loans as a result. They prevented banks from…
Looking to make some major home improvements? Have you considered a cash-out refinance on your existing home? Refinancing is a low-interest way to get tax-free cash for remodeling your kitchen, building a pool in the backyard—or anything else you choose to do. Let us look at an example. Say you bought your home for $450,000,…