News & Updates

Brian Alexander Brian Alexander

Tips to Turn Buying a Home into a Reality

Homeownership seems more out of reach than ever for many Americans, especially for those who have been waiting for real estate prices to drop. But there are still multiple ways to buy a home right now, or to position yourself for a future purchase.

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Brian Alexander Brian Alexander

Ingredients of a Successful Business Partnership

Like a bundle of sticks, good business partners support each other and are less likely to crack under strain together than on their own. In fact, companies with multiple owners have a stronger chance of surviving their first five years than sole proprietorships, according to U.S. Small Business Administration data.

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Brian Alexander Brian Alexander

Spread Holiday Cheer Without Breaking the Bank

During last year's holiday season, 35% of Americans took on an average of $1,549 of new debt, according to a report from LendingTree.com. Here are some steps to consider that will let you spread holiday cheer in 2023 without breaking the bank.

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Brian Alexander Brian Alexander

Taxes: Knowing the Basics is Key

Understanding how our tax system works can be tricky for anyone. Whether you're an adult who never paid much attention to the taxes being withheld from your paycheck or a kid who just got his or her first job, the starting point to reducing your tax is knowing when to ask a question. But that means having a basic understanding of what might be taxed.

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Brian Alexander Brian Alexander

Mitigating Business Risk with Cross-Training

Cross-training to ensure more than one person knows key functional areas can be a win-win situation for you and your employees. Large companies often use it to prepare managers for future promotions. But in small companies, cross-training can be a great way to mitigate risk.

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Brian Alexander Brian Alexander

Take a Look at Better Savings Rates

A silver lining to continued interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve is being able to earn more interest on cash stashed in your savings accounts. How much interest, exactly, you can earn depends on where you do your banking. Consider these tips to earn as much interest as you can, even if it means opening a new account.

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Brian Alexander Brian Alexander

Your Home is a Bundle of Tax Benefits

Your house is a great place to control the amount of tax you owe, but only if you know the rules and can apply these rules to your situation. Use this information as a starting point to see if there are ways to leverage your home's tax benefits.

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Brian Alexander Brian Alexander

The Trouble With 0% Financing

Companies want to make it easy to buy their big ticket items, especially at times of economic uncertainty. A popular technique is to offer 0% financing when you buy furniture, electronics and other household items. You can also take matters into your own hands with a credit card that offers 0% APR on purchases, balances transferred to the card, or both.

While paying for goods and services with 0% interest may sound appealing, there are risks you'll face that you should be aware of before you take this step.

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Brian Alexander Brian Alexander

Hiring Family Members - What You Need to Know!

Many business owners hire their children, their spouse, or other family members to work in their business. Sometimes this works out well. Other times it causes problems. Here are some of the key pros and cons of putting family members on your payroll.

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Brian Alexander Brian Alexander

6 Tips for Lower Car Insurance Rates

If you've been feeling the pinch of higher auto insurance rates along with other rising costs, you should know some factors that impact these rates are well within your control. Consider these tips to pay less this year and beyond.

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Brian Alexander Brian Alexander

Beware of These Popular Scammer Tactics

As long as the world has people with money, there will be scammers who use fraudulent tactics to try and separate you from your hard-earned cash.

Here are some of the more recently-used methods that scammers are using to try and lay claim to your money.

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Brian Alexander Brian Alexander

Budgeting Basics

During inflationary periods, it is harder to balance your income with the rising cost of housing, food, fuel, health care and insurance. One of the biggest tools to fight raising costs is creating a budget and measuring it throughout the year. Here are some suggestions to help create a budget that actually works.

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Brian Alexander Brian Alexander

Prepare Your Finances for More Interest Rate Hikes

Financial experts are bracing for more interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve over the remainder of 2023. Any interest rate revision - either increasing or decreasing - can cause a ripple effect throughout the economy. Accordingly, the Federal Reserve's actions will probably exert at least a moderate influence over financial choices you may make at home and in your business in 2023.

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