|
|
Chasing After Child Support
Child support is often a source of contention between divorced parents of minor children. I understand this. I have been there. In an ideal situation, the parent who is responsible for paying child support does so out of love for his or her...
Go Ahead - Make Dad's Day
Throughout the year, many days of celebration are tucked capriciously into the calendar. So much so, it is hard to find any day of the year where something or someone is not being observed, which has benefited the greeting card company, you can be...
Life Insurance: Why There’s No Need To Be A Desperate Housewife
Contemplating what may happen to your wife (or husband) and children if you die is not likely to be a thought you wish to contemplate. However, avoiding the issue may make life more difficult for your family after your death. Life insurance looks...
Moving Home – A Stressful Time
Moving home involves a lot of work. There are also a lot of financial considerations that people generally are not used to. Engaging a solicitor, arranging the mortgage, paying for bridging finance if it is necessary, seeking the best selling...
Starting Over.
worked hard for the past 17 years. I felt I had to. I only finished high school. Without a certificate to flaunt and yet wanting to climb the corporate ladder, I dedicated my effort and time to my work. I was proud of myself. At 40 years old I had...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Your Home and Your Golden Years
You've worked hard to afford the home you live in today. You have undoubtedly invested sweat equity as well as money to maintain your home and gradually shape it to the comfortable living space that now says, “This is who I am.” Your ultimate dream is to remain in this home - independent, financially secure, and in control of your personal and social needs and wants. Can you achieve that goal? It is likely that you can, with realistic planning and careful decision-making.
Our housing decisions at all stages of life are complex psychological processes that involve personal, social, tangible and financial factors. And these factors are not cut and dried. They entail reasonable needs and values, but they also entail wants (sometimes dating back to childhood) and even “shoulds” instilled in us by others.
If your goal is to remain in this home for the rest of your natural life, you need to think objectively about the home itself, and you also need to think about your own housing psychology.
How would you answer these questions?.
* What modifications will your home require in order to accommodate diminished mobility or disability?
* How will you handle the physical challenges of maintaining the structure as well as the lawn and garden?
* What shape are the major systems and appliances currently in, and what is likely to break down and need replacement?
* An active social life will keep you young and happy throughout your lifetime. Will you still have friends or relatives nearby to fulfill your social needs?
* And how long will you be able to drive in order to take
care of your personal needs and enjoy the company of others?
* Can you plan for alternatives to personal driving?
* Are their resources available to provide assistance with daily living when you are at the point of needing help?
If you are willing to consider these contingencies and plan for aid in the future, will your budget accommodate those changes to your lifestyle?
As you seek answers to these difficult questions in order to make a long-term housing decision, keep in mind that we rarely make such decisions on the basis of hard financial facts and physical realities.
You have a housing history which includes the values, wants and needs associated with every place you've ever called “home.” It is possible that you are unwittingly clinging to psychological needs and wants from your childhood, perhaps related to early housing dreams unfulfilled.
Your housing decisions are about everything in your life, present and past. The more you can learn about your personal housing psychology, that place where human interaction - the role of “place” in our lives - and finance all come together, the more likely you are to make the right decision about remaining in your home through your final years.
About the Author
Lois A. Vitt is a housing expert and financial sociologist, and is the author of "10 Secrets to Successful Home Buying and Selling: Using Your Housing Psychology to Make Smarter Decisions", the first book in the real estate market to demystify the psychological forces behind our housing decisions. To learn more about Lois and this book, visit www.RealtyStudies.com.
|
|
|
|
|
Kiplinger.com - Timely, Trusted Personal Finance Advice, Financial ... |
Investing, personal finance, calculators and financial advice. |
www.kiplinger.com |
  |
Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine - Your Guide to Making Money ... |
Subscibe to Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine to help you manage your finances. Achieve your financial goals and objectives with help from our ... |
www.kiplinger.com |
  |
Personal finance advice, news - CNNMoney |
News & advice on retirement planning, college saving, taxes, mortgages, autos, real estate, investing and more from CNNMoney.com. |
money.cnn.com |
  |
Business, financial, personal finance news - CNNMoney |
Combines practical personal finance advice, calculators and investing tips with business news, stock quotes, and financial market coverage from the editors ... |
money.cnn.com |
  |
Personal Finance, Personal Finances, and Financial Advice - Forbes.com |
Personal Finance - Get financial advice and information from Forbes.com. |
www.forbes.com |
  |
SmartMoney.com — Investing, Saving and Personal Finance |
SmartMoney has daily stock and mutual fund recommendations, hourly market updates, personal finance investing research tools and advice, ... |
www.smartmoney.com |
  |
Personal Finance Home (Personal Finance: Personal Finance ... |
Links to articles covering a range of topics where monetary planning is or should be involved. |
www.smartmoney.com |
  |
Personal Finance - Front Page |
Read the details in Personal Finance this Saturday. Also in this weekend's edition:; You should take financial services companies' marketing material with a ... |
www.persfin.co.za |
  |
Get stock quotes, market news, rates, and more - Netscape Money ... |
Market News. • Market News. • News Search. Financial Planning. • Finance Calculators. • Saving for College. • Personal Finance ... |
money.netscape.cnn.com |
  |
globeandmail.com: Personal Finance |
Personal Finance. Home · National · British Columbia · Prairies · Ontario · Quebec · Atlantic · Politics · World · Americas · Europe · Asia-Pacific ... |
www.theglobeandmail.com |
  |
Personal Finance - MSNBC.com |
Answer Desk: Submit your question about personal finance or the world of business ... Personal Finance. • Learn more about RSS ... |
www.msnbc.msn.com |
  |
Personal Finance Newsletter |
7600 Leesburg Pike, West Building Suite 300 • Falls Church, VA 22043 703-394-4931 (ph) • 703-905-8100 (fax) • personalfinance@kci-com.com ... |
www.pfnewsletter.com |
  |
Personal Finance Advice - Personal Finance Management - Personal ... |
Tips and stories for managing your personal finances. |
www.marketwatch.com |
  |
CNBC.com: Personal Finance |
Investing home page features investment tools like stock quotes, charts, a portfolio manager and much more. Plus market news and financial commentary from ... |
moneycentral.msn.com |
  |
Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Business: Personal ... |
Knowing retirement, health plans can help avert disaster · At one firm, financial crisis crushed 401(k)s, insurance · Personal finance news briefs ... |
www.dallasnews.com |
  |
Morningstar: Personal Finance |
Sharpen your personal finance and investing skills with Morningstar. Access articles covering stocks, mutual funds, bonds, retirement, 401(k)s and 529 plans ... |
www.morningstar.com |
  |
Fool.com: Personal Finance |
Personal Finance - The Motley Fool exists to educate, amuse, and enrich the individual investor; to prove to you that the best person to manage your money ... |
www.fool.com |
  |
Fool.com: Investing, Stock Research, and Personal Finance |
Expert advice on picking stocks, investing for retirement, and dealing with life's major personal finance decisions. |
www.fool.com |
  |
Telegraph | Money |
Market news from the Telegraph newspaper online. Includes money product finders. |
www.telegraph.co.uk |
  |
Compare Prices and Read Reviews on Personal Finance at Epinions.com |
Epinions has the best comparison shopping information on Personal Finance. Compare prices from across the web and read reviews from other consumers on ... |
www.epinions.com |
  |
|