| Keep homes safe with wind inspections
Tami Torres is program administrator of the My Safe Florida Home program, which has mounted a new publicity initiative to let Florida homeowners know they're eligible to receive free wind inspections. The inspectors can let homeowners know whether they're eligible for discounts on their property insurance, and make recommendations for improvements to harden homes and make them eligible for additional discounts. In coastal areas of the state, homeowners even may be eligible for a $5,000 grant to help with the cost of hardening their homes. Torres spoke with Sentinel staff writer Anika Myers Palm.
Question: Even though you're trying to get more people through this publicity initiative now, has the drumbeat of calls seeking wind inspections from My Safe Florida Home remained steady?
Answer: On April 23, 2007 [when we relented], what we found was fewer people were applying.
Second childhood: Slumping economy forcing even middle-aged children to move home
After being laid off from her job as an events planner at an upscale resort, Jo Ann Bauer struggled financially. She worked at several lower-paying jobs, relocated to a new city and even declared bankruptcy. Then in December, she finally accepted her parents' invitation to move into their home — at age 52. "I'm back living in the bedroom that I grew up in," she said. Taking shelter with parents isn't uncommon for young people in their 20s, especially when the job market is poor. But now the slumping economy and the credit crunch are forcing some children to do so later in life — even in middle age. Financial planners report receiving many calls from parents seeking advice about taking in their grown children following divorces and layoffs. Kim Foss Erickson, a financial planner in Roseville, Calif., north of Sacramento, said she has never seen older children, even those in their 50s, depending so much on their parents as in the last six months.
Take charge of your health care
Jason and Jean Jeffords of Bedford, N.H. pay about $240 a month for their health insurance, which they get through the small company that Jason works for. It's a pretty comprehensive package of benefits. Hospital stays? Check. Trips to the E.R.? Check. There is just one (very big) twist: Their insurance won't pay for most of their medical care until they've met their $10,000 deductible for the year. Fortunately, Jason's employer will offset that cost by depositing $5,800 this year into his health savings account, or HSA, a special tax-free savings vehicle available to people with certain high-deductible insurance plans. (The company also promises to pick up the other $4,200, if needed.) The Jeffords, who say they spend about $2,000 a year on care so far, love the deal.
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