All Posts By

Tarra Jackson

Save Hundreds by Tapping Into These Credit Card Perks

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 Underused credit card perks could be costing you. Learn how a few small changes in how you pay might help you hold onto more of your money. 

Excited woman with credit card in a victorious or celebratory pose for a debt paid off or a perfect credit score
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You’re paying for that credit card anyway, whether through an annual fee or by using it for everyday purchases. Most cardholders leave hundreds of dollars worth of benefits on the table every year, simply because they don’t know these perks exist. Drop your phone lately? Before you shell out for a repair or replacement, check which credit card you use to pay your monthly phone bill.

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Mortgage Demand Falls Despite Lower Rates: What It Means for Homebuyers

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 Homebuyers may finally have leverage. Learn how today’s slower market and rising inventory could help you negotiate a better deal or time your refinance wisely. 

Happy homebuyer couple standing outside their new home
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The mortgage market just delivered another puzzling signal: demand for home loans dropped for the third consecutive week, even as interest rates edged lower. If you’re hoping to buy a home or refinance soon, this disconnect between falling rates and shrinking demand reveals something important about where the housing market is really headed. According to the Mortgage Bankers Association…

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16 of the Best Wind-Resistant Trees by Zone and Region

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 These wind-resistant trees are more likely to stay standing in the face of extreme weather. 

Flooded street in Broward County
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The most wind-resistant trees have deep, extensive roots, strong trunks, and flexible wood that bends under wind pressure instead of breaking. Some good examples are the live oak, crape myrtle, and bald cypress. But it’s not only the roots and wood fiber that make a tree resistant to hurricanes and tornadoes. How you choose, plant, and care for it also determines whether a tree will survive…

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8 Ways to Stop Working and Start Living

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 I’ve been retired since I turned 50. Here’s how I did it, and you can too. 

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Advertising Disclosure: When you buy something by clicking links within this article, we may earn a small commission, but it never affects the products or services we recommend. If you’re tired of the work grind and daydream about spending your days however you please, you’re not alone. I was in your shoes just a few years ago. At 50, I retired for good and haven’t looked back.

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Why Your Utility Bills Keep Climbing and How to Fight Back

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 Learn what’s driving your bills higher — and how to take smart steps to reduce the impact. 

Utility worker
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If your utility bill feels higher every month, you’re not imagining it. Even with the same usage, costs continue to rise. Inflation plays a part, but it’s far from the only reason. Outdated infrastructure, climate extremes, and energy market changes drive up prices. Here’s why and what you can do to protect your budget. Several forces are pushing utility bills higher across the country.

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6 Monthly Bills That Could Vanish From Your Budget by 2035

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 Several familiar bills could disappear from your budget over the next ten years. See what’s on the way out and how these shifts could lighten the load on your monthly expenses. 

Couple doing bills, paying debt
pathdoc / Shutterstock.com

Remember when you wrote checks for everything and balanced your checkbook every month? Just as paper ledgers gave way to online banking, several monthly bills cluttering your budget today could become relics by 2035. Americans across generations now rely on the internet for crucial services, and experts say digital change is already reshaping regular expenses. These shifts might seem odd if…

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