Formal Letter of Request


A formal letter of request is almost the same thing as a letter of request. Both letters are written in standard business block format, and both should politely and respectfully introduce the topic and request to the reader. A formal letter of request has a touch more formality to it and follows a strict business [...]

It’s Hard to Sell a Unique Home


It’s not difficult to sell a unique home if it sits in a neighborhood of unique homes, each with its own set of unique qualities.


But it’s almost impossible to sell if that home has been ruined by achieving its unique status. The sellers who own what I would call unique homes did not set out [...]

FHA Mortgage Insurance Premiums To Rise In October : Should You Act Now, Or Should You Wait?


For the second time in 4 months, the FHA is changing the way it charges mortgage insurance. The change is forcing homeowners and home buyers using FHA financing to make a monetary decision — use the current system for FHA mortgage insurance, or to wait for the new one to take effect?
The answer roots in [...]

School is Starting!


School is starting across the country as summer comes to a close.

The start of the school year signals critical changes to traffic patterns. Education, training, and reminders to your fleet and business drivers goes a long way to preventing accidents and claims.

So, how does traffic change? What should we be reminding our drivers?

Traffic Law Changes [...]

Insurance Tip for the Week: Watch The Preparing and Filing Your Homeowners Insurance Claim Video


Do you know what to do if you need to file a homeowners insurance claim? Here is a video that will give you a quick overview of what you need to know now, before your area is involved in a weather disaster.

More on Individual Tax Rates and Small Businesses


Howard Gleckman discussed some of the facts and issues regarding the role of small businesses in the debate on the expiring 2001 and 2003 tax cuts.  Eric Toder expressed a strange sense of déjà vu.  While everyone agrees that changes in the top two marginal tax rates would affect only a small share of individuals [...]

Unpublished JCT Estimates of Congressional Democrats’ "Plan" on Expiring Tax Cuts


Yesterday, the Washington Post, New York Times and other news sources ran stories about a new JCT “report” that was sent to Democratic congressional staff relating to the distribution of their proposal versus the Republican proposal (and current law) regarding the expiring “Bush” tax cuts.

Washington Post blogger Ezra Klein popularized this chart that was in [...]

A Mortgage Rate Prediction For The Next 7 Days (August 12, 2010)


The Fed set mortgage rates downward this week, but now is not the time to wait-and-see where rates go next. A turnaround could happen just like .

Mortgage Rates at 50-Year Low


Who is getting a mortgage these days? Just about anybody with a higher interest rate who can qualify. That’s not necessarily home buyers, though. The bulk of the mortgage business in in refinances and home equity loans right now. Even I am refinancing my home. I have a 30-year mortgage around 5%. It makes financial [...]

There is Nothing New about Families Paying No Income Tax


Following the flap over our Tax Policy Center colleague Bob Williams’s calculation that close to half of all families did not pay income tax in 2009, we thought it would be instructive to take a look at history. It turns out that over the past five decades, there have been other periods when families with [...]