Living with bad credit in America today is tough. Bad credit makes many things difficult, impossible, and even more expensive. For example, did you know insurance companies often charge a higher premium rate for policy holders that have bad credit scores? If you’re getting new utilities turned on in your name, the company will check your credit to decide whether you should pay a security deposit.
I talked with three people who are buying homes in the Dallas / Fort Worth area in the coming weeks. There are a number of questions I ask anyone buying a new home or rental property. In addition to discussing the finish out of the home it’s important to know about the updates the home has had and when they occurred. This is especially true if the home is over 10 years old. The updates insurance companies want to know about and that I discuss are in four key areas: plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling, as well as the roof.
Starting a business is as much a part of the American Dream as home ownership, maybe more. It’s estimated that 145,000 small businesses start each
What do you look for when you go car shopping; the model, styling, or color? Maybe it’s the options such as blue tooth, navigation system, heated seats, and moon roof. Or will you decide based on how you’re going to use it; shuttle kids, haul tools to a job site, go camping, or just to and from work? I’d like to suggest you add safety equipment to your evaluation criteria too!
New home mortgage guidelines went into effect on January 10th. The new guidelines were drafted by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and they are designed to protect consumers from some of the lending abuses that led to the financial meltdown in 2008. Lending practices were relaxed prior to 2008. This enabled some people to qualify for home loans who would not have qualified under the previous and stricter guidelines. When the market imploded, millions of people were unable to make their mortgage payments and lost their homes to foreclosure.
Credit card fraud and identity theft have been in the news a lot over the last 6 weeks. It all started with the news that Target’s card processing systems were hacked resulting in the unlawful theft of 40 million customers’ account numbers and PINs. This data was sold on various black markets resulting in fraudulent purchases being made with fake credit and debit cards.
“Will a claim cause my car insurance rate to increase? “ This is one of the most frequently asked questions I hear when talking with a client about an accident. The short answer is yes. I don’t always know how much of an impact an insurance claim will have on any person’s specific renewal premium, but claims do have an impact on their rate.
zle, Texas has been in the north Texas news a lot lately. The reason is earthquakes. In the past 12 months, the residents of Azle have experienced 33 earthquakes, with 30 of them happening since November. The quakes have registered anywhere from a 2.1 to a 3.7 on the Richter scale. Mineral Wells, a town to the west of Azle, has experienced 3 earthquakes within the same time period.
Sheri and I have been married for about 5 ½ years. Ours is a blended family, this is our second marriage. I have 3 sons and Sheri has a daughter and 3 sons. We’re not quite the Brady Bunch; all of our kids are adults, live on their own, and there is no “Alice.” We’ve been blessed with 4 grandchildren, so far, and look forward to more!
The Detroit auto show started last week and runs through January 26th. There are the debuts of new models from domestic and international car manufacturers, concept cars, and lots of new technology. Chief among the new offerings arriving in cars are those technologies that are grouped in a category referred to as advanced car safety systems. They aren’t quite as sexy as the new Corvette, but if they better protect us from accidents, we’ll be just as appreciative of them.
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