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In one sense, deciding when to claim Social Security is pretty straightforward provided you have earned the 40 quarters of “credit” required, your choice comes down to: At what age do I want my checks to start arriving?  The amount will be based upon the contributions you made during your working life and how old you are when you file to start benefits. Most folks understand that if they start Social Security at their Full Retirement Age, or FRA, their check will represent 100% of the benefit they’ve earned. This amount is known as your Primary Insurance Amount, or PIA, [...]

When evaluating the costs of building a new home, many homeowners use square-foot pricing as a basis for comparison. Let’s talk about square-foot pricing for a minute – what it is, and what it isn’t. Square-foot pricing is a method to roughly compare construction costs for two similar houses, houses in different parts of the country and houses with different characteristics. But square-foot pricing is not a reliable method for determining how much a particular design is going to cost to build. Show me a house design, and with a few specific questions, I can place it within a rough [...]

Foreclosure fallout in the U.S. means millions of former homeowners are now renting, as they’re unable to get mortgages or are skittish about buying. Insurance industry analysts say some of these new renters are neglecting to take out renters insurance, which can cost as little as $ 15 a month. When disaster strikes, it doesn’t matter if you’re in a home that you own or a rented apartment. Renters face the same risks and potential for loss of property as homeowners. That’s why it’s important, regardless of your living situation, to have insurance to protect your personal items in case [...]