Brain Wave – Page 37 – Sasha Says…

What Are The Biggest Risks To Your Financial Health (& How Can You Avoid Them?)

December 11, 2019 No Comments

Money matters. Sadly, reaching a level of stability and financial security isn’t always easy. After all, most people are only ever one or two unfortunate situations away from facing hardships. Being aware of those pitfalls, and taking the necessary steps to avoid them is essential.

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Individuals and families may suffer from a range of financial dangers. Some of the worst culprits are as follows:

#1. Not utilizing assets

Your net worth isn’t dictated by how much money you have sitting in the bank. Assets such as properties, vehicles, and businesses all have a huge impact on the overall situation. Therefore, it pays to think about home upgrades that can add value to the property as well as other investments that aid your net worth. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying your money, but you shouldn’t squander money when a better option is available. Bad habits will cost you in the long run.

#2. Not fighting for justice

We all encounter poor treatment from time to time in a range of circumstances. Sadly, many of those situations can impact your finances for a very long time to come. Worse still, a large percentage of victims won’t fight for their financial justice. Whether it’s a result of medical malpractice, a workplace injury, or an unfair penalty doesn’t matter. Securing the financial compensation you deserve removes one fear. It also allows you to focus on the even more significant challenges.

#3. Not being prepared for complications

It’s one thing to put your finances in good health when things are going well. What happens if you are hit with an illness or injury, though. If you do not have the right personal healthcare insurances in place, the results could be very damaging indeed. More importantly, the knowledge that you cannot afford to get ill may potentially stop you from seeking help when it’s needed. And if you leave it too late, the repercussions may mean that the situation becomes beyond rescue.

#4. Not earning enough

The way you utilize your money is important, but even the best habits can only go so far. If your income isn’t of the required level to cover your bills and obligations, disaster is guaranteed. It’s never too late to change your job. Analyzing the earning potential of different career paths will help you make a calculated decision. Of course, you’ll also need to factor in the outside elements such as travel costs. When you do this in an effective style, though, your financial situation will feel almost bulletproof.

#5. Not thinking long-term

It’s important to keep one eye on the immediate financial challenges at all times. However, you must not fall into the trap of ignoring the long-term situation. Protecting your savings to secure the family’s future is one of the most important responsibilities that anybody faces. Meanwhile, creating a financial safety net to cushion the blow of any unforeseen circumstances can make a world of difference too. Fail to do this, though, and your finances will remain on shaky ground.

Brain Wave, Life in general

5 Life Situations Where Paying For Professional Help Is Advised

December 11, 2019 No Comments

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Don’t be afraid to call for help

Money isn’t the most important thing in this life, but being responsible with your cash is crucial at all times. One of the more frequent questions you’ll ask revolves whether a specific situation vindicates hiring an outsider. Or whether it should be handled on a DIY basis.

Balancing the financial ramifications with time constraints and other issues isn’t always easy. So, while the natural inkling is to do things for yourself, it’s not always the best shout. Here are five times that calling a pro is advised.

#1. Home Improvements

Your home is probably the most valuable asset you own. Meanwhile, it sets the foundation of a happy home life. There are some jobs that can be completed on a DIY basis. When it comes to anything that could impact the structural integrity of the property, though, a contractor is king. By the time you take materials, equipment, and labor into account, it’ll work out cheaper too. Besides, the last thing you need is to cause damage due to your poor workmanship.

#2. Filing Your Taxes

When it comes to filing your taxes, it can be tempted to take the DIY route. However, take it from someone that knows, paying for an accountant is worthwhile. Without touting for more business, I can’t emphasize their worth. Their advanced knowledge of the situation will save more than enough money to cover their fees. Moreover, the time saved only further underlines their value. Crucially, it’s a decision that could save your sanity too. Try it once, and you’ll never revert to the old ways.

#3. Facing Legal Battles

Court hearings aren’t only for criminals. There are many reasons why you may need to ace legal battles, from a fine to making a personal injury claim. A lot of people miss out on those opportunities due to cashflow issues. Lawsuit funding can overcome the bulk of those problems, allowing you to focus on the case itself. Representation also gives you a far better chance of articulating your arguments in a compelling fashion.

#4. Completing Major Purchases

Everybody knows that shopping around for the best deal can generate serious savings. However, nobody will spend an hour searching for a $1 saving on a pack of gum. When making major purchases like vehicles, home insurance, or a holiday, outside agents can help. With browser-based applications, you don’t even need to pay a person. Allow the technology to do the hard work for you, and the positive outcomes will soon follow. Better still, they will last.

#5. Marketing

If you own a business or a side hustle – like a growing number of people do – you will need to do some marketing. Influencer marketers offer a cost-effective solution that brings big results. This combines the authenticity of the DIY approach with the quality of hiring a company. The results are particularly pleasing for the consumer, which means they will please you in the long run too. If nothing else, it’ll allow you to focus your attention on the earning strategies.

Brain Wave, Family and Home living

How Do The Professionals Protect Their Properties in Style

December 11, 2019 No Comments

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Let’s face it; properties are the biggest financial assets that most people will ever possess. Consequently, then, it’s vital that you look after it. Without the right protection, your most valuable item is at danger.

Maybe you’re hoping to settle your fears as a first-time homeowner. Or perhaps you’re a new developer hoping to make the most of an investment, or wishing to upgrade your home. Either way, Taking some tips from the pros will put you on the road to success. Here are five things that the best always do, and you should too.

#1. Invest in security

It’s a little obvious, but investing in quality security is always one of the most important factors in protecting the property. Surveillance cameras with remote tracking, advanced alarms, and automated gates are all good moves. Aside from the direct benefits of keeping intruders at bay, the use of improved security features will provide huge peace of mind. Whether living in a city apartment, or a suburban house, this should be the first item on the agenda.

#2. Consider the elements

While intruders may be the biggest source of fear, adverse weather is arguably the far more likely problem. Upgrading to double glazing and investing in shutters can protect the property against high winds. Depending on your location, it’s important to prepare for potential floods or the impact of intense sunlight. Flood barrier can be added to the doors as well as the garden while protection for the foundation is another step in the right direction.

#3. Stay vigilant

The home is a living environment. As such, you can expect a number of problems to arise over time. Quick action is the best way to prevent escalating damage to reduce the costs and time of repair work. Leaking roof? First steps to take in those situations will protect everything below. Likewise, damp, boiler problems, and related issues must be treated quickly and efficiently. Conversely, leaving the damage untreated will result in expensive and time-consuming damage.

#4. Find better insurance

Even when you take the necessary precautions, it’s impossible to rule out all potential dangers. Therefore, it’s imperative that you find the right type of home insurance coverage. While getting a cheaper premium is always a positive factor, you must not miss out on potential key features. If an issue does surface, you’ll want to know that the problems can be resolved ASAP. When the home insurer boasts a good payout, fast service, and tailored package, you won’t go far wrong.

#5. Keep it clean

It’s far easier to protect the look and health of the home when you maintain a good relationship with it. Cleanliness is one of the most significant factors by far. Short of time? Robotic vacuums and other appliances can do a lot of the hard work for you. Similarly, opting for a simplistic and uncluttered home design can have a truly telling impact. It saves you the hassle of getting into hard to reach spaces, meaning you’ll spend less time tidying and more time enjoying the property too.

Follow each of the above steps and your home will stay, well, as safe as houses.

Brain Wave, Family and Home living, Society at large

Contractors: Why They Are Better Than DIY

November 30, 2019 No Comments

Home renovations can be hard work and a very stressful job. Getting the job done to a high standard should be your number one priority, but you will also want to think about how fast you can get this work carried out.

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DIY, A False Economy?

Cost is also an important factor for anyone, and you may be tempted to cut the expenses by doing the job yourself. But, before you head off to the DIY store to buy all of the things that you think that you may need, consider whether that is the best idea. Yes, you can work for free and when labor costs represent a large proportion of the cost of the job, then you will be justified in wanting to remove this cost from the task.

But, think again. Are you experienced enough to carry out this work? You may be quite good at a lot of handy work around the home, but are you going to be any good at doing a major project that you may not have any previous experience of doing?

Calling a contractor to do the job will probably be the best option. If things go wrong for you while you get the job done, it may cost you in replacing damaged or wasted materials. You may find the finish that you achieve is far from professional either, and you will regret not getting a professional to do the job every time you look at it.

Get Recommendations And Quotes

You will need to find someone who will be able to do the job to a high standard and who will be easy to deal with, but with so many contractors out there, how do you know that you are going to get a good one? Ask around friends and family or put a post on Facebook asking for recommendations. The best way to find a reputable contractor is through word of mouth. You may also want to check out ratedpeople.com for recommended local tradespeople.

Once you have found contractors that you have heard good things about, get them to quote you for the job that you need doing. Be specific about everything that you want, for example, if you want panels from Nichiha.com let them know so that they can quote you based on the specifics.

Getting The Job Done

Once you have a quote that you are satisfied with, then you can let the contractors get to work. It can be very difficult to allow other people to set to work on your home, but you need to have faith and trust that they will complete the job in a professional manner. Avoid being an armchair foreman, and let them do the job.

When they have completed the task there may be some snagging issues, this is normal so do not be alarmed if you have to get the workers to fix a few small things that are outstanding, or that crop up in the days or weeks after completion.

Brain Wave, Health and medicine

How To Find That Get-Up & Go When The Winter Bugs Hit Your Home

November 27, 2019 No Comments

There’s nothing worse than feeling out of sorts and thanks to the colder weather making its way in, cold and flu bugs are lurking at every corner. Unfortunately, resting up while you get over any winter illnesses isn’t always an option and if you’ve got to try and find the strength to soldier on, then check out these tips on how to find that get-up and go when the winter bugs hit your home.

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Stock up on essentials

When illnesses hit your home you’ll need to stock up on plenty of essentials to make it through the coming days. Things such as:

Tissues
Vicks vapour rub
Anti diarrhoea tablets
NSAIDs (paracetamol and ibuprofen/Calpol for the kids)
Hot water bottles
Throat sweets
Healthy and nutritious food
honey

Can really help improve the way you’re feeling. Make sure that you’re dosed up as much as possible to take away the gruelling symptoms of a fever or a sore throat, and use as many relief options as possible so that you can feel the best you possibly can.

Starve the bug, feed the flu

An important rule to remember if you do fall sick is to starve the bug and feed the flu. A vomiting stomach bug will thrive on food and make you unwell for longer than needed. Avoid eating for as long as possible and isolate yourself for at least 48 hours to prevent passing it onto those around you.

Whereas the flu symptoms that come with a cold resolve faster if you’re well-fed with healthy and nutritious food and drinks. Add a spring to your step by eating meat for breakfast and adding some well-needed protein into your body to last through the day. Other foods that will make you feel better quickly are warm and softer/liquid foods such as chicken soup.

Give yourself time to relax

While you still may need to go to work, look after the kids and keep up with the housework, remember that it’s perfectly okay to give yourself time to relax and get over your illness. Leave the housework and put your feet up as soon as possible. You’ll feel like a whole new person after some much-needed rest!

Another great tip for a cold is to take a very warm bath in eucalyptus. This helps ‘sweat’ out your illness while freeing up your airways that were feeling oh-so-blocked up. Putting vapour rub on the soles of your feet and wearing socks to bed can also help relieve a nasty cough when you’re trying to sleep.

Go and see your GP

Finally, while most illnesses last between 24 hours and a week, sometimes you can find yourself feeling unwell for longer periods of time. If you’ve been feeling out of sorts for over a week without any improvement, make an appointment with your GP as you may have an infection. If you are one of those people who feel you don’t need to see the doctor, but the problem won’t go away, there may be something underneath. Common signs of uncontrolled asthma are exacerbated in the winter, but not noticeable during the summer months. If you struggle to breathe during the winter, a prescribed asthma pump may help you through the gruesome winter months. Remember, if you’re not sure, always consult your GP or pharmacist for advice.

With these tips and a whole lot of stocking up to do, you’ll battle through any illnesses that hit you or your home and feel better in no time!

Brain Wave, Family and Home living

Should You Renovate Your Home Before Selling Or Not?

November 21, 2019 No Comments

When you are selling your house, you need to make sure that it’s in good condition. If it’s not, you may have trouble getting somebody interested in it. Some people insist that you absolutely have to renovate your home before you sell, while others say that it’s not worth it and you should try to sell it as it is. In truth, there are pros and cons on both sides and it depends on quite a few factors. Here’s how to decide whether you should renovate your house before selling it or not.

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Is There Serious Damage?

If your home has serious damage, like structural problems or a big hole in the roof, that’s not good news. It means that the house may be dangerous to live in and it’s likely to develop a lot of expensive problems further down the line if that damage is not fixed. Even a buyer that is looking for a place to fix up and is willing to do some work will be put off because it’s going to be expensive to get the house into a livable condition again. It’s important that you get a roof inspection and check out any cracks in the walls to make sure that there is no structural damage. If there is serious damage to the house, you will probably need to renovate before you sell because no buyer will be interested.

Are Buyers Willing To Do The Work?

If there is no serious damage, but there is a lot of cosmetic work and small repairs that need to be done, you still need to consider whether a buyer is willing to do the work, and there are a lot of factors here. Firstly, what is the scale of the work? If the house is looking a bit worse for wear, but a few coats of paint will bring it back to life, you should be able to find a buyer that is interested. But if you are trying to sell the house of a hoarder, for example, you have a much bigger job on your hands. It will be tough to find a buyer that is willing to clear out and decorate the entire house from top to bottom, so you may have to do a lot of the work beforehand, unless you find a company that will buy a house as-is.

The other thing to consider is the location because it has a big impact on the amount of work people are willing to do. If the location is great but the house needs work, you should still be able to find a buyer. But if the location is not very desirable, people will expect the house to be in perfect condition.

Will It Add Value and Appeal to Your Home?

Of course, when people come to view your home, they’re looking for a space that they want to live in and that appears in the best light. So, additional features really will help to make your property stand out from others on sale in the neighbourhood and could see your home tick more of their boxes and encourage them to put an offer in. All sorts of features can be appealing. A Richmond Window, a loft conversion creating an extra room, an en suite, a garage – the list goes on. It’s always a good idea to browse property sites and check in with estate agents to see what features other homes nearby have. You want to match or one up them!

Will You Make Sacrifices On Price?

When you are trying to decide how much to sell your home for, you need to consider the work that needs to be done on it. If you are going to leave it for the buyer, that will push the price down. But if you do the renovations and budget them well, you will make more money overall from the sale, so you need to consider whether you are willing to make sacrifices on price or not.

If you think about these things, you should be able to decide whether you should renovate your home before selling it or not.

Brain Wave, Family and Home living, Life in general, Money matters

When Family Life Is Put To The Test

November 16, 2019 No Comments

Family life is never going to be easy, it’s a lesson we learn right from the end. But family life is one of the best things to happen to us all. Even if you never get to the stage of having your own family, you will no doubt cherish the hundreds of memories that you’ve been able to make with the family you’ve grown up with. From the family holiday’s, to the parties that you’d have each time a special occasion comes around. But that doesn’t mean that family life isn’t out to throw a few tough times at us, and when the calm is put to the test, it can often be hard to deal with. Some people are crippled with family issues that are going on at the minute. So we’re going to try and give you some advice with some of the problems that you might be facing at the minute. Just keep on reading, and see if you can relate to any of these problems.

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Family Fall Outs

Family fall outs are bound to happen at some people. As a family you’re such a close unit that’s around each other a lot of the time, and often that can lead to so many clashes that cause arguments. Time usually get tough when the family is strained. But there’s nothing quite like a family fall out, because those are the people who you need the most. So to get through family arguments like you should be doing, rather than dragging them out, you should be thinking about the different ways of communication and how you can approach it. Often people mistake communication with confrontation when a family is trying to resolve a problem, so always make sure that it doesn’t feel like an attack, and just get things back on track. Having a close family unit is so much better than having a distant one.

The Elderly Getting Older

The elderly getting older is a sensitive subject that nobody likes to talk about, but it’s definitely one that we should all be thinking about. Their lives are so important to us, and when their health starts to go downhill, your heart can really sink. Medicare Nationwide is just one of the sources you could go to for insurance that would make the whole process easier. No doubt they’ll need medical care at some point, and good insurance is going to mean the difference between good insurance and great insurance. But most importantly, make sure that you’re the support system that they need.

Family Money Problems

Pretty much every family can relate to money problems, because as soon as you go from having to pay for just the two of you, to having to pay for another little human to pay for, things can get tight. One good bit of advice we have is to use apps that help you to manage your money, so you can better understand where everything is going and how to put it to better use.

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