Hope for your financial life and beyond

6 Fun Low-Budget Weekend Activities for Families 

Weekends are important for family time. This is especially true when the kids are at school. And, if you have a job, that means you might not get too much time together during the week.

Weekends are a time to relax and have fun together as a family. Fun-filled weekends are a great way to bond and talk about our week. And the time together can help relieve us of our worries and to let go of the stress at work and school.

Additionally, weekend activities can help us get more exercise and fresh air. But ultimately, spending time together is about building shared interests. This will keep your family bonds strong, no matter what else might happen.

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The Benefits of Getting a Construction Management Degree

construction managerFor those that love to work with their hands, construction may be the career for you. As someone who worked construction for three years through college, I found it extremely rewarding. The people I worked with were great. And the skills I learned translated into adulthood, even though I didn’t pursue it as a career. I’ve been able to save thousands of dollars just doing my own handyman repairs around the house.

This industry has many exciting benefits to offer, even though it goes through some ups and downs at times depending on the economy. Within the industry, there are many jobs that are well-paid, reputable and highly convenient. One such career, construction manager, is highly sought after. For that career, you would likely need to have a construction management degree.

Construction managers are responsible for leading an entire construction team from the start of a project to the completion phase. So these individuals are highly skilled and experienced. Project managers are responsible for looking into each task precisely and ensuring that all jobs are being carried out correctly. That is why construction managers are so critical in the success of a construction project. 

So, what are the benefits of getting a construction management degree? We’ll explore that in this article. 

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Some Considerations When Re-Roofing a House

The most overlooked part of a home is the roof. We know it is up there and we see it every time we turn into our driveway. But we never actually get up on the roof to inspect it. And with the length of warranties that roofing materials usually come with, we pretty much put its maintenance out of our mind. 

Unless it breaks. The only way we pay attention to it is when it starts leaking. Then we obviously pay attention to what is going up there. To not inspect it at that point would be negligence and lead to thousands upon thousands of dollars of additional damage to your home.

You might be surprised to know that the National Roofing Contractors Association recommends you inspect your roof twice per year for any problems.  I certainly didn’t know that before preparing for this article. And honestly, I’ve never done that with any of the six homes I have owned. 

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How To Use Your Home’s Equity To Consolidate Debt

If you want to get rid of high-interest debt, the idea of debt consolidation can be all you need. Since home equity loans are available with minimal interest rates and long repayment schedules, these can be a great tool to use.

For those who do not know, a home equity loan is a form of a loan secured by your home. The money you receive from the home equity loan can be applied for several purposes. This can include remodeling or expanding your home, paying off credit card debts or consolidating multiple loans.

In this article, we will talk about how you can use your home equity to consolidate debt. You can also visit this page for more comprehensive information on this topic. 

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A Reason to Look at a Career in Occupational Therapy

We have written many times about careers – how to find one and how to change one. One of the key aspects of finding a career that fits your life is to focus on what you enjoy doing. And, perhaps more importantly, how does the career fit your unique personality.

A desire to help other people is a characteristic of some personality types. The cool thing about this is that this characteristic can translate into your working life. A career that allows you to help people and make a great living can be very attractive to those with this trait.

Many people opt for careers that make them incredibly dissatisfied and unfulfilled. That is the last thing you want to do. Your career defines so much about you and takes up a great amount of your time. Why would you want a career that did not bring satisfaction and fulfillment?

Of course, one field that fits perfectly with those who like to help others is healthcare. Within this field, you may first only think about doctors or nurses. But beyond these traditional jobs, there are many career paths to choose from which are incredibly enriching. Not only that, but they can be very prosperous over the long term.

One such career you may not think of right away is one as an occupational therapist. Let’s explore that career a bit here today. 

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Solar Energy: Is It a Worthwhile Investment?

The history and development of solar energy is quite fascinating. It has been a viable option for electricity for some time. But for the consumer marketplace, it started to became affordable around 2005. 

In relationship to the cost effectiveness of solar energy for consumer, a growing awareness of environmental concerns has developed in recent years. Solar systems and the green energy movement have coincided with one another. Those considering “going green” often look to solar energy as a first step in those efforts.

Additionally, solar panels can have economic benefits to the consumer. Of course, people are looking to them to save money in their monthly budget. But others are also considering the investment side of solar energy. One, as an investment in their current home. And two, as an investment in which they can diversify their cash and make money in the long run. 

So is solar energy right for you as a cost savings measure or as an investment? Here are some beginning things to consider.

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6 Key Areas Small Businesses Can Save Money Today 

Small businesses, more than any other type of business, have been hit especially hard over the last year. In fact, the effects of Covid-19 have wiped some small business owners out. They have been forced to close their doors as a result in the disruption of their business.

zoom meetingSmall businesses often operate on small budgets. In contrast, big brands like the Walmarts and Apples of the world have more ability to throw money at whatever project or marketing campaign they feel like. Consequently, small businesses more so than big businesses must remain diligent and work within their budgets. If they don’t, it can result in financial disaster.

Financial problems are difficult to avoid any time but even more so in difficult economic environments. Quite simply, saving money is more important now than ever before for small businesses.

So what is a small business to do? What areas can they focus on to try and cut costs? What will help them stay within the confines of their budget, whether operating in good times or bad?

Here are six key areas where your small business can start saving money immediately.

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How to Choose a Company for an Excellent Moving Experience

My wife and I have moved five times in our adult, post-college life. Each one occurred at a different stage of our marriage and presented its own challenges. In the end, all the moves worked out well and we were glad we made the move.

Moving can be a hassle. Why? The answer is obvious – you are relocating all your earthly possessions. When you have a lot of things, the process becomes really hectic, sometimes overwhelming. And the last thing you want to have happen is to have a bad experience or for there to be damage to your stuff.

With that in mind, using a moving company may be the best alternative to make sure that your items will be safe. Additionally, it reduces the work load on yourself. It is hard work to move your own items, even if you have help from family and friends. 

However, there are many moving firms and choosing the best one can be a challenge. That is one reason many people just choose to do the move themselves. 

With moving companies, the charges will vary, so cost may be an issue. When signing the agreement, you will need to discuss your expectations with the company and let them know what you are looking for. To that end, the following points will assist you in choosing an appropriate moving company

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A Beginner’s Guide to National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Real Estate Investing

There are so many new investing opportunities coming into the forefront these days. Most recently has been the rise of cryptocurrencies in the United States and around the world. These new forms of investing give investors a chance to diversify their portfolio. In the end, that is a good thing.  It spreads their money around so that one bad investment won’t ruin their financial life.

But what if your investment also went a long way in helping someone in need? What if you could make money but also help people at the same time? Well, one unique form of investing in this way has popped up in recent years in Australia.

It is known as the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). NDIS is an innovative initiative by the Federal Government to provide better housing for disabled tenants (who are themselves known as NDIS participants). With this program, investors can earn up to 16% of gross rental income. You receive the chance at long-term rental returns together with the potential growth of your property value. 

So what is this all about? Here is a beginner’s guide to understanding the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) real estate investing. 

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Bringing Business Agility Into Your Interactions

What is business agility? Maybe the more important question to ask is “Does your business have it?” And if not, how do you go about getting it? 

Put into simple terms, business agility is the process and ability to constantly adapt to a changing environment. Someone once said that the only thing constant in life is change. How ironic. That proves true in our personal lives as well as in the business world.

Look no closer than the pandemic of 2020. The pandemic hit businesses by surprise. It forced them to adjust rapidly to survive. According to research, over 9 in 10 organizations developed their digital strategy as a response to the global pandemic. That is a little scary – that around 90% of businesses did not have a digital strategy in place before the crisis hit.

This, in essence, is one of the most compelling reasons why business agility matters. A company that remains static is digging its own grave. 

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9 Things To Consider Before Relocating

My wife and I have moved 5 times in our adult life. Two of those moves were into and out of apartments. The three others were into and out of residential homes. Each was necessary at the time as we were entering a new stage of our lives together. 

But wow – how much work it took! Way more than we thought. From the time the thought of moving entered our minds, to the time we had finished unpacking in our new place, so much effort went into the move.

Moving into a new home will be more work and commitment than it seems. Although you may have moved before, or multiple times, each move is different. Each property requires different attention, time, money and effort. 

So before you move, it is important to weigh the pros and cons. Relocating takes many shapes and sizes, whether you are moving to a new city, across the country or to a new country altogether. It’s a big commitment and there are many things to consider. Here are just a few. 

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