Be Ready to Pay to Earn when Investing

Investing isn't a magic place to put your money and make it grow for retirement and Chicago new home down payments - there are a lot of people behind each transaction to make sure that your money goes into the right place and is monitored. This is where additional charges come in, and it's important that you consider them before you choose which investment brokerage you are going to trade with. The Equifax Finance Blog has an article with a number of charges you should be on the lookout for in the new article, "Breaking Down Investment Fees and Commissions."
Here are just a couple costs which are common:

• Annual account fees - like many checking accounts do now, some brokerages charge for their serves in a yearly capacity in addition to other fees. In an IRA account, where your finds are used to build a portfolio for you, this is often referred to as the custodial account. Expect this to range anywhere from $25 to $100 or more.

Understand the Costs of Doing Business with an Investment Strategy

Beware of the costs of using an investment strategy

If you are considering using an investment strategy to build capital for retirement or to help build up a fund for emergencies or another financial goal like a down payment on a Chicago new home, it is important to first understand your costs of doing business. While it’s true that not all investments are guaranteed to be rewarding, and many, in fact, are quite risky, there usually are some costs to be aware of in addition to market volatility. The Equifax Finance Blog explores these in the article "Breaking Down Investment Fees and Commissions."

• A typical fee for investing is the transaction fee, which happens every time your investment company buys or sells stocks, bonds, mutual funds and just about anything else. This cost depends largely upon the brokerage fee you use to conduct your business, and can vary from nothing to as much as $50 per transaction. Be sure to inquire about this fee when you sign up with a brokerage, as some have interesting rules about what causes a fee and what does not.

Remember to Notify When Moving

You’ve moved and are surrounded by boxes. It’s a moment of glory hampered by the extensive list of utilities to transfer, boxes to unpack and other lifestyle changes to make before you can truly relax and enjoy your new home. The Equifax Finance Blog reminds about some particular transfers to make sure are on that list in the new article, “Tell the IRS and Your State When You Move.”

It’s important to let the IRS, state tax agencies and other financial groups you work with are aware of where you are. While this adds another item to your list of moving chores, it can save you a lot of trouble in the long run. This is because when you don’t receive notices from financial groups, time doesn’t stop. With taxes, proposed assessment values for taxes will turn into assessed values. If you don’t get those messages, the cost of the assessments could grow with penalties and interest. By the time the letters finally catch up to you, there may be a big charge for not doing something as simple as notifying.

Avoid Risky Business when Saving for Big Purchases

Your credit report will be instrumental
in securing your home loan

When you are saving up for a big purchase like a car or a home, it is important to keep the goal in mind when making everyday purchases. If you can’t keep your self control when it comes to buying, your credit report will show. Then, you will end up paying for it with a higher interest rate. The Equifax Finance Blog explains how your credit report tells on you in the article, “Are You Receiving the Best Interest Rates on Your Loans?”

Your credit report keeps track of your financial habits, and it forms the score which determines your interest rates. If you borrow too much, have too many accounts or check your score too often, the report shows and lowers your score. Thankfully, the financial institutions that check your credit score for issuing you a loan now have to inform you when you don’t qualify for the best rate.

Chicago Joins Northern Areas of Greater Foreclosures

Unfortunately, Chicago has received the dubious honor of having the largest inventory of bank-owned foreclosure properties on the market in April, according to RealtyTrac. This is just part of a wider movement of the foreclosure plague, on which real estate expert Steve Cook offers insight in the recent Equifax Finance Blog Post, “Foreclosures Move North to Changing Markets.”

Midwest and Northeastern areas are where foreclosures are clustering. Kansas City posted the highest foreclosure discount in April and New Jersey posted the highest rise in foreclosures for the same time period. Eleven of the nation’s 20 largest metro areas that posted increased foreclosures were in the East or Midwest.

See amazing uses of quality kitchen materials at KBIS!

A sample of one of the Cambria quartz color profiles
Atlanta Kitchen fabricated for the Wellborn Cabinet
booth at KBIS 2012.

If you are in the market for a new kitchen for a home purchase or remodel, you can’t miss the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) at Chicago’s McCormick Place today through Thursday, April 26. The show is where the best in the business come to share ideas, compare trends and strut their newest stuff. It’s an amazing chance to see the best and seize inspiration from the cutting edge of the industry. When you go, you will definitely want to check out the Wellborn Cabinet booth, which will sport both innovative cabinets and countertops from Cambria Quartz.

Fabricated by the Cambria experts at Atlanta Kitchen, there are nine Cambria color profiles in the Wellborn Cabinet booth which have been custom crafted to provide the maximum amount of elegance and presence for their space. The Cambria color profiles are set to Wellborn’s all new and simplified Elegant Bath Collection, an extensive collection of vanity styles which are available in their most popular door styles and finishes.

Chicago Neighborhood Gets a Big Boost

A new 20-building community of Chicago real estate has received an award by Multifamily Executive Magazine.

Savoy Square at Legends South is a $44.9 million project that replaced a dilapidated Chicago Housing Authority public housing community in the up-and-coming Bronzeville neighborhood. It was named "Mixed-Income Project of the Year" by the MFE.

When completed, this mixed-income neighborhood will offer close to 2,400 homes for sale and rent.

Want to know more about the project and the award it has already earned? Check out our story:

Award-Winning Development Replaces Chicago Public Housing

The 2011 MFE Awards program was held in Las Vegas earlier this month. A new Chicago apartment tower was named "High-Rise of the Year." Check back to Chicago New Homes for that story.