Your home is one of your most interesting assets when it comes to income taxes. It’s easy to avoid paying taxes on most (or all) of the profits once you’ve sold it, and you can even turn home ownership into a tax-free source of income. When you sell your home, you can exclude a big [...]
Summer means backyard barbeques, water sports, and, for many people, fireworks. Whether it’s a Memorial Day, Fourth of July, or Labor Day celebration, or simply a fun (yet dangerous) way to spend an evening, the sound of fireworks is common on summer nights. Before you start planning your own celebration that will include fireworks, review [...]
On this week's radio show, Ilyce discussed the economy, real estate investing mistakes and starting an innovative business. Lindsey Piegza, Chief Economist, Sterne Agee Lindsey is the Chief Economist for Sterne Agee, specializing in the research and analysis of economic trends and activity, world economies, financial markets and fiscal policies. Prior to her role with Sterne [...]
If you’ve found yourself in financial difficulty, you may be considering bankruptcy, which allows you to settle with your creditors in court. In a bankruptcy, you may be able reorganize your debts to make your payments more manageable—or even eliminate your debts completely. While a bankruptcy can help you get rid of your debt in [...]
As the travel season heats up, many Americans will make their annual trek to the family timeshare, perhaps on a secluded lake or a scenic beach. The American Resort Development Association, a trade organization for the timeshare industry, reports that there are currently more than seven million timeshare owners. Deciding to buy a timeshare Whether [...]
How to buy your parent's house. When they're ready to move out and you're ready to move back in, here's how to go about buying your parent's house. Your parents are ready to move out of their house. They want to sell it to you for cheap, so they get a little cash and you [...]
The golden rule in real estate has always been “location, location, location.” But apparently, a few modern home features—sprawling master bathrooms, luxurious outdoor lounges and his-and-hers closets—can make buyers forget about location. A study released from homebuilding company Pulte Group, found that all but 1 percent of respondents would be willing to sacrifice some aspect of their [...]
Tax season doesn’t end when you file your taxes on April 15. Tax issues continue all year round, so it’s important to regularly assess your tax situation, and now—halfway through the year—is the perfect time. At this point, you probably have some idea about the direction in which your personal balance sheet is headed, and [...]
You’ve done all the right prep work to buy a home. You saved for a down payment, cleaned up your credit, and got pre-approved for a mortgage. You found a home that you can afford, and now the days are ticking down to closing—and everything seems too good to be true. Unfortunately, it could be. [...]
Crushing student loan debt is making it harder for some Americans to buy a house. With the cost of a college education growing much faster than average salaries and inflation rates, it’s no wonder families are struggling to participate in the housing market as early as they’d like. Student loan debt is usually considered a [...]
