All guides
Personal Finance
Annuities: fixed vs variable vs indexed, what to know before you buy
How an annuity works, how fixed, variable and indexed contracts grow and lose, which fees and surrender charges apply, how earnings are taxed, what backs the guarantees and five questions to ask before you sign, with hypothetical examples.
Personal Finance
Short-term vs long-term disability insurance: how much coverage you need
What disability insurance replaces, how short-term and long-term coverage differ, the policy terms that decide a claim, how benefits are taxed, why Social Security Disability is hard to rely on, and a worked method to size your coverage.
Property Management
Capital gains tax when you sell your home: the Section 121 exclusion explained
How the Section 121 home sale exclusion works: the ownership and use tests, the 2-year look-back, the $250,000 and $500,000 limits, partial exclusions, how to compute your gain and basis, rental use, reporting and record-keeping.
Personal Finance
Required minimum distributions (RMDs): rules, deadlines and how to calculate them
Which retirement accounts have RMDs, the starting age by birth year, the April 1 and December 31 deadlines, the Uniform Lifetime Table formula, two hypothetical examples, QCDs, the missed-RMD excise tax and common mistakes to avoid.
Property Management
Reverse mortgages (HECM): how they work, costs and risks
A plain-English guide to HECM reverse mortgages: who qualifies, required HUD counseling, how you can receive the money, upfront and ongoing costs, a growing loan balance, your duties as a borrower, heirs, spouses and scams to avoid.
Personal Finance
Deductible vs copay vs coinsurance: health insurance costs explained
Premium, deductible, copay, coinsurance and out-of-pocket maximum explained in plain English, with a worked hypothetical bill, how to read an Explanation of Benefits, what the cap excludes, and a checklist for comparing plans.
Personal Finance
Medicare vs Medicare Advantage vs Medigap: which option fits you?
Compare Original Medicare, Medicare Advantage and Medigap: what each covers, how costs work, the enrollment windows and penalties, and five checks to run before you choose a plan. General information, not advice.
Property Management
Pay off your mortgage early or invest? How to decide
Should extra cash go to your mortgage or to investments? Compare a certain saving at your loan rate with uncertain market returns, see a hypothetical $250,000 example, learn the five checks to make first, and spot the common mistakes.
Personal Finance
Index funds vs ETFs vs mutual funds: what beginners should know
Index fund, ETF and mutual fund are not three rival products. Learn how each one works, what the real differences are in pricing, costs and taxes, how to read a fund's fee table and how to compare funds with a simple method.
Property Management
Should you refinance your mortgage? Break-even point and closing costs
A lower rate does not automatically mean a better deal. Learn what a refinance is, what closing costs include, how to calculate your break-even point, how a term reset changes total interest, and how to compare Loan Estimates from several lenders.
Personal Finance
Auto insurance: liability vs full coverage and how to lower your premium
What liability, collision, comprehensive, uninsured motorist and medical coverages pay for, what state minimums leave out, when liability-only can make sense, how deductibles and pricing work, and five ways to lower your premium.
Property Management
FHA vs conventional loan: PMI, down payment and which mortgage costs less in 2026
FHA and conventional loans differ in down payment, credit flexibility and above all mortgage insurance. See how MIP and PMI work, when each can end, and how to compare the full monthly payment with a simple worked example and a Loan Estimate.
