Thanks to an anonymous alert reader for this update on potentially higher umbrella policy premiums. Our intrepid investigator passed along this information from her agent. “State Farm told me it’s because Colorado law has increased the cap to $1.5 million on non-economic damages for lawsuits starting January 2025 (up from the approximately $600K previous cap)…
Little kids aren’t the only ones that are traumatized by Elf on the Shelf this time of year. We grownups can feel Self-Loathing on the Shelf at year-end if our financial goals weren’t met. How did it go this year? Did you… Build an emergency fund of 3-6 months’ expenses set aside in a non-retirement…
Whether it’s a work party, family name-drawing tradition, or friend group, we are deep into Secret Santa Season. Here are some ideas to make that random person whose name you drew feel seen and special. First, give some thought to the recipient. Think about the recipient’s interests: tech vs home vs games vs personal care.…
Who are we kidding? Even if you are checking email today, you don’t want to read about personal finance the day before you start overspending for the holidays. So, to give us all a break (me included), here are some funny things about Thanksgiving: “Pretty excited about making a huge Thanksgiving feast so my daughter…
As someone who has lots of friends who are Realtors and clients who are looking to buy and sell, I’m very interested in people’s perceptions of what mortgage rates will do in the next 6 months or so. Lots of people seem to be waiting for direction from the Federal Reserves interest rate actions to…
There have probably been years when family gatherings were more fraught with conversational pitfalls, but 2025 has to rank up there for most possibilities of thrown mashed potatoes from offended cousins. Why not come armed to the table – not with reasons you are right, but fun topics that everyone can enjoy? You may even…
I recently did an experiment with AI to see if my website describes my ideal client accurately. It’s important as a business owner to know if I’m reaching the potential clients that are the best fit for the firm’s offering. Here is what I got, and what I thought of each interpretation. Perplexity AI says…
It’s the day before Halloween, so you must be running around costuming your kids/pets/self and buying candy. So, no boring finance stuff, just a few laughs. “Last Halloween, there was a knock on the door. I looked out the window and shouted upstairs to my wife, ‘Honey, there’s a witch at the door. What…
So, to keep you from panic-buying the most expensive, yet thoughtless, gifts in desperation, here is my annual reminder – along with some cool gift ideas: Get to planning and executing on your holiday shopping list NOW! Personal, unexpected gift ideas that don’t break the bank: Paid content for 6-12 months to your recipient’s favorite…
Short blog today – everyone’s favorite! I was Today Years Old when I learned about these factoids related to Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) from IRAs. As a reminder, QCDs allow people aged 70 ½ and older to gift money from their tax-deferred IRAs directly to charity (501(c)(3)s only please – not your charity-case loser great-nephew)…
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