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USAA Answers Your Insurance And Financial Questions

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This was the best conference yet! For those who are just joining us, last month I polled people's questions about USAA's insurance and financial programs. I brought those issues to the Digital Military Experience with USAA's Communications team, other program managers, and several executives. But first, it's time for another … [Read more...] about USAA Answers Your Insurance And Financial Questions

Buying a Home During Your Military Transition – What If It Becomes a Rental Property?

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This article has to do with the challenges service members face when trying to obtain a mortgage on a new home purchase as they’re transitioning or retiring from the military.  However, this is a topic that I feel other people might be better at addressing than I am.  So, for this article, I’ve brought in Jennifer Lear, an attorney and Accredited … [Read more...] about Buying a Home During Your Military Transition – What If It Becomes a Rental Property?

Three Rules of Thumb for Buying a House (in the Military)

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I wrote this article a couple of months ago, which you can find here.  However, I've made some changes, because there are some things you should consider when buying a house in the military. The largest purchase most people will make in their lifetime is their home. It’s also the longest-lasting purchase most people will make. With that in mind, … [Read more...] about Three Rules of Thumb for Buying a House (in the Military)

“Should I Invest In Real Estate? Or Buy Stocks?”

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A reader writes: "My spouse and I are in our late 60s and we've wanted to buy an investment property near our home for a long time. Our current home is almost paid for and we have no consumer debt. "I'm looking to make a move on the condo purchase with IRA funds, but have not done it yet. Looks like if I rent it fully for 12 months I would … [Read more...] about “Should I Invest In Real Estate? Or Buy Stocks?”

Don’t Buy a Home on Active Duty

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A reader writes: "My spouse and I don't have a house to use as a tax shelter. We are transferring to a new duty station on the coast for 22 months and I am seriously thinking about buying a house there. Why throw away money on rent when we can buy and have a mortgage of about half of our housing allowance? It's in a military area so it wouldn't be … [Read more...] about Don’t Buy a Home on Active Duty

Seven Benefits of the VA Home Loan

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This guest post is from Randy Prothero, a Hawaii real estate agent and team leader of “The Prothero Group” at Island Style Realty, an Oahu Real Estate Team. The VA loan is a government-backed, but privately lended, home loan available to veterans or those currently serving in the military (including active-duty personnel, reservists/National … [Read more...] about Seven Benefits of the VA Home Loan

Extreme home improvement: DIY photovoltaic array

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[Note:  Hover your cursor over the images for the metatext.] Last week's post on photovoltaic systems presented the finances without much engineering. We had a guest post this week on more photovoltaic "rent vs own" decisions, but this post will focus on the construction. When I describe the system that we built, our choices were mostly … [Read more...] about Extreme home improvement: DIY photovoltaic array

The Bright Side of Solar Power Purchase Agreements

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I recently signed a Solar Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) and had Ten Photovoltaic (PV) panels installed on the roof of the GubMints Home. I have been 'kicking the tires' of rooftop solar for about 2 years now, soliciting bids once every 6-10 months. Until recently, most of the bids involved an outlay of anywhere from $3,000 to $13,000 and a … [Read more...] about The Bright Side of Solar Power Purchase Agreements

Extreme Home Improvement: The Finances of Your Residential Photovoltaic Array

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A reader writes: I remember reading somewhere that you had installed solar panels onto your house yourself. You mentioned that you were able to do it in cheap enough that the initial outlay of cash was completely covered by tax rebates. My husband and I just moved to California. Out here it is really popular to "rent" solar panels. We would … [Read more...] about Extreme Home Improvement: The Finances of Your Residential Photovoltaic Array

Book Review: “Rent vs. Own”

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When you're striving for financial independence, does it really make sense to rent instead of owning your own home? One of the hidden costs of serving your country is relocating all over the world. The moving process is hard enough: my spouse and I have 19 duty stations between us, and we spent more of our careers outside the continental U.S. … [Read more...] about Book Review: “Rent vs. Own”