Category Personal Finance

Living in a flood zone is risky not just for your home, but can also impact your life. A flood can damage your home and property, and it will almost surely impact you financially.  Dealing with the stress of a flood also puts an intense emotional and potentially physical strain on you as the owner.

There are many factors that can cause flooding.  Some of these factors can be controlled, such as ensuring you have proper drainage systems that are free from debris.  Other factors are uncontrollable – severe rain fall, snow melt, hurricane force weather, and more.

Flood...

Establishing yourself as a solid candidate for an apartment is important, especially when you find the apartment of your dreams.  You have to be able to differentiate yourself from the other people applying for the apartment – in a positive way.  Having a solid credit score, but more importantly, a solid credit report, is one of the keys to your success in finding a new apartment.

Please note:  The guidelines discussed in this article apply to the properties I handle leasing for, in the Buffalo, NY, Amherst, NY, Williamsville, NY, and Grand Island, NY areas.  There is even some flexibility on a complex to complex basis, so please keep these in mind as GENERAL guide lines.

So, w...

In speaking to a friend recently about credit cards, mortgages, and personal finance, he confided that he had very little knowledge of most things finance related.  The question he eventually asked me was “What is the difference between secured and unsecured debt?” Since I feel the answer could benefit more than just my friend, I decided to post it up here for all to see.

Secured Debt is debt backed by something tangiable.  Good examples of a secured debt are your vehicle and your mortgage.  There is a physical good that can be reposessed or foreclosed on to recoup losses by the lender in the event you fail to make the payments.

Unsecured Debt is debt without a tangiable asset to back it.  The best example of this would be a credit card...