Understanding HOA rules on home exchanges and rentals can be difficult. How can homeowners use sites like Airbnb without breaking their community agreement? Q: My HOA community has a "four-month minimum" rental restriction. I don't have a major problem with that. However, as a retiree, I belong to a home exchange group in order to [...]
How to afford your summer travel plans without totally breaking the bank, or taking out potentially risky travel loans. Have you considered taking out a travel loan to pay for a vacation? I read an article on MarketWatch about several companies offering payment plans for flights, hotels and amusement. Each company offers different loan terms, [...]
Is a Free Timeshare a Gift or a Problem? When someone gifts you a timeshare, there are a lot of problems that come along with it. Q: I found a lady on Facebook from my town who owns three timeshares. She is retiring in 2019. She can’t sell one of her timeshare units and she [...]
Do your dreams include a vacation home of your own in your favorite resort? Are you daydreaming about a place where you can vacation on your family’s terms and create memories that your children will always remember? This could be the perfect time to turn that dream into reality. Resort areas were hit hard by [...]
This article was written by guest blogger Teri Cettina. Chances are good that when you budgeted for your summer travel, you remembered to build in the price of your hotel, the charge for your rental car and the estimated cost of your meals. But what about your hotel tax? Extra rental car fees? State and local [...]
This post was written by guest blogger Teri Cettina. You have fond memories of a road trip your family took as a kid, so now you’re treating (torturing?) your clan to something similar. Good move: A driving vacation can be significantly cheaper than a trip requiring air travel. However, it’s easy to lose track of [...]
Benefit plans can add considerable value to an employee’s overall compensation, and they are a key reason that many employees take—or decline—employment opportunities. That makes it important to evaluate benefit plans before taking a new job. Group health insurance benefits Group health insurance is the most common benefit offered by employers. In 2011, 85.3 percent [...]
At first glance, the terms “travel” and “frugal” might not seem like they belong in the same sentence. If you’re tight with money, how could you possibly justify travel? You should be saving money! In our family, and in many other families, it’s all about setting priorities. My husband and I feel that travel is [...]
When vacationing this summer, consider alternates to crowded Disney World, Las Vegas, and DC. Instead, you may be interested in some of the more laid-back vacations such as Colorado Springs or Jamestown, Virginia. These may offer a more relaxing break and, in some cases, a more historical one.
