Ozgur Coskun / Shutterstock.com Home renovations can be tricky when you’re committed to staying on a firm budget. This is where dreams meet real world costs, and it’s not always pretty. After a project is underway, it’s tougher to cut costs. The time for that is in the planning stage, well ahead of the job. Start by interviewing professionals and getting their bids or estimates in advance. If you’re considering going DIY ..read more

Ground Picture / Shutterstock.com The Biden administration finalized nursing home staffing rules Monday that will require thousands of them to hire more nurses and aides — while giving them years to do so. The new rules from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services are the most substantial changes to federal oversight of the nation’s roughly 15,000 nursing homes in more than three decades. But they are less stringent than ..read more

oneinchpunch / Shutterstock.com Recently, a reader wrote to me to ask whether she should buy property in Greece to qualify for residency under its golden visa program. She was considering the golden visa because she wanted more time in the Schengen Area than her U.S. passport allows (90 days in any 180-day period), but she had questions because she’d read that, even with a Greek golden visa, she’d still only be able to spend ..read more

Africa Studio / Shutterstock.com We have so many important documents in our lives, and it’s easy to let them pile up in a messy drawer. There are better — and smarter — solutions, though. Ron B. asks Money Talks News: It’s a great question, and it’s applicable to every one of us. We all have Social Security cards, tax returns and, hopefully, a will and other estate-planning documents. We consulted several financial ..read more

Ringo Chiu / Shutterstock.com Superstar NFL prospect Caleb Williams is expected to nab a four-year, $40 million deal when he is selected in this year’s NFL draft, which begins on April 25. However, not all of that money will end up in the young quarterback’s pocket. It is expected that the Chicago Bears will pick Williams No. 1 overall in the draft. If that happens, he will likely owe $1.55 million in state and local taxes ..read more

Sorn340 Studio Images / Shutterstock.com Whether you’re buying or selling a house or simply dreaming of self-building your dream home, you might have come across the term land survey. But what exactly is a land survey, and what do you need it for? Land surveys come in various shapes and sizes, with complicated jargon that can easily trip you up if you’re not careful. Plus, different types of surveys have different costs. So ..read more

The Image Party / Shutterstock.com There are Costco staples that members can always look forward to, like the rotisserie chickens and food court hotdogs. As the seasons come and go, so do some of Costco’s products. As spring runs its course, the warehouse’s summer essentials are ready to go. Here’s what we think you should look for the next time you’re at Costco ..read more

Rido / Shutterstock.com The COVID-19 pandemic changed nearly everything — from the way we work and play, to how we interact with loved ones. Many of these changes were not welcome. Thankfully, things have returned to normal as the pandemic itself now fades into a bad memory. But it is doubtful we will quickly forget the lessons learned in that difficult time. And that’s a good thing. Hard times will reappear at some ..read more

Pearl PhotoPix / Shutterstock.com If you’re all about making lawn care a breeze and caring for the environment, fit grasscycling into your routine. But what is grasscycling, and how will it actually benefit your lawn in the long run? Grasscycling means leaving your grass clippings on the lawn to decompose. It can nourish your lawn, save you time, effort, and money, and help you enjoy a lush carpet of green without breaking a ..read more

fizkes / Shutterstock.com When we arrived in Waterford, Ireland, in 1998, we decided we wanted to own a home of our own there. The Celtic Tiger was an established economic phenomenon by the time we took up residence in Waterford, and the better part of the money that boom was throwing off was being plowed into real estate — building it, buying it, selling it, one Irishman to another. Dozens of the housing estates were ..read more