Plan ahead to minimize the expenses incurred when using an ATM of credit card on vacation. There are so many things to keep track of when traveling to another country: the language, the culture and the currency. Just thinking about the currency exchange can make a vacation seem exhausting. An easier solution? Use your ATM...
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With a little education, you’ll find a rock you can roll with. When it comes to buying a diamond engagement ring, bargain hunting is futile. A too-good-to-be-true deal could easily turn into a rip-off. Arm yourself with a bit of information, and you can get more value for your money and find a beautiful...
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Appearance, reputation, cost and materials are the giveaways. The only thing nearly as unfortunate as a car accident is a bad experience at a body shop. You’re placing the keys (and your faith) in the hands of a business that could keep your vehicle for far longer than you expect. And the resulting bill may...
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Eliminate small nicks and blemishes on your auto without paying a pro Maybe a grocery cart went awry in a parking lot and hit your car, or your keys scraped the door handle. Either way, you know what that means: a nick or scratch in the finish. Left untouched, a minor cut could lead to...
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Speak with your tax preparer to find out which of these changes are best for you. Given the state of the housing market, you might think the saying “There’s value in real estate” doesn’t mean as much as it used to. But there could be money in your house—in the form of potential tax savings....
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Be sure to light your home the right way. Electric lights are such a fixture of our everyday lives that we really don’t give them much thought. But every year, more than 28,000 residential electrical fires cause an estimated $1 billion in damage, according to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA). So those simple lighting projects...
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Find out what’s going on with the wiring in your walls Picture this: It’s a quiet night and you’re calmly reading a classic Stephen King novel in bed when, for no reason, the lights suddenly dim. While the possibility of an evil spirit haunting your home is scary, the real possibility of electrical trouble should...
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Take these steps the next time you run into a traffic jam. Automakers are constantly coming up with technologies to reduce accidents in daily driving. But the reality remains that accidents, road construction and other factors will inevitably tie us up in delays. Getting through those delays with minimal frustration usually relies more on human...
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Find out when these add-ons are worth the upfront price you’ll pay After you’ve settled on a cell phone, refrigerator or plasma television, you’re inevitably faced with another option at the checkout: an extended warranty. Before you give in to the persuasive blue-vested clerk, check out these facts about warranties. Most extended warranties begin on...
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Debt-to-Income Calculator Plug in your numbers and see where you stand To calculate your debt-to-income ratio, add up all of your monthly debts (aka “recurring debt”), including your mortgage or rent, car loans, student loans, credit card payments and any other loans. Then divide that by your gross (before taxes) monthly income. Mortgage or rent...
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