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Cypress, TX 77429

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Shopping for a car online gets easier

You can get just about anything online: housewares, food, and even cars.

There are now companies that take advantage of internet technologies to allow you to inspect a vehicle online, to secure money back guarantees, even deliver your new-to-you vehicle to your door. Popular options include Vroom.com, Carvana, TrueCar and Beepi.

Vroom (Vroom.com) is a car buying site that allows users to purchase cars in just a few steps. Choose a car, review coverages and pay. Delivery of your vehicle is scheduled once they receive your payment. Vroom offers a 90-day/6,000-mile warranty that covers all of a vehicle’s mechanical parts. The company also offers 24-hours roadside assistance, Inside-Out Guard for protection of paint, interior fabrics, and the windshield. You can even get a warranty booster and extend the manufacturer’s warranty for up to five years. Vroom handles titling and registration of your new vehicle. Vroom owns the vehicles they are trying to sell and reconditions the vehicles before selling.

Carvana (Carvana.com) allows you to shop from your desk. This company offers only Carvana certified vehicles, and allows people to see the vehicles they are interested in – inside and out – so they know a vehicle’s imperfections. Once you buy, you’ll have the option to fly in and pick up your car, or have it delivered. Upon delivery, you have seven days to return the car and get your money back. If you keep the car, you’ll have a 100-day/4,189 mile guarantee.

Beepi (Beepi.com) allows one to search by vehicle make, body type, year, and a wide range of other options. Beepi delivers your chosen vehicle and gives a full-service warranty as well as a 10-day money back guarantee.

TrueCar lets you shop used cars in your immediate area, showing you market price compared to dealer’s price.

3 Reasons Your Home Insurance Can Help You Feel Secure

You can’t stop terrible things from happening, no matter how fancy your alarm system is or how many times you double check the weather reports. Home insurance may not help you sleep at night right now, but it might if you start thinking about the many ways it keeps you safe in Cypress, TX. 

1. Protecting Your Property 

You’ve already invested in not just the land and structure of your home, but also all of the things that you’ve managed to acquire in a lifetime. Whether it’s an antique sewing machine or a brand-new painting by an up-and-coming artist, home insurance can help you recover some of what’s gone if it’s all lost to a natural disaster or theft. 

2. Giving You a Friendly Place to Turn 

When something goes wrong, there are a lot of negative emotions that flying through the air. Having someone to call that you know is going to be unbiased and caring can help you put an event in perspective. For those who choose cut-throat carriers, they’re sacrificing comfort and security during what are often the worst times in people’s lives. It’s not worth it when the cards are on the table. 

3. You Can’t Predict the Future 

Just because you’ve had years and years without something going wrong, doesn’t mean that you can continue to count on that kind of good fortune. Having the right insurance means having a net that can catch you when it all falls down. InsureUS serves Cypress, TX and has years of experience helping those who go through events that could never be planned for. If you’re looking for a quote, we’re here to make sure you know all of your options. We can help you figure out where to go when you’re dealing with the unknown. Call us to find out more about how we can help you feel more secure during every season. 

 

Hope for baldness cure

When it comes to hair, three truths stand out: Many people have lost it, many want it back, and the person who invents that cure will have plenty of customers.

According to the Hair Society, about 35 million men, and 21 million women suffer from hair loss.

The best hope is two new drugs that have been demonstrated to grow thick, normal hair in mice.

Reported in 2015 in the journal, Science Advances, two drugs, approved by the FDA for other uses, have been demonstrated to grow coats of hair on bald mice in just 10 days. The drugs are enzyme inhibitors reawaken the hair follicles from their resting state to their active state. The drugs, Ruxolitinib and Tofacitinib, have been tested in cases of Alopecia Areata, but new trials will test their effects on male pattern baldness. Alopecia Areata is the sudden loss of hair in patches.

In fact, hair growth in the case of Alopecia was a surprise side effect in a Yale study on plaque psoriasis. At the end of the seven-month study, one patient who had not shown hair growth for seven years ended up with a full head of hair.

The drugs are promising, but trials, expected to be completed in 2016, are still incomplete.

On the scale of fake promises, hair regrowth has to be in the top 10, right behind miracle weight loss pills. From herbal supplements to laser hair brushes, the claims to cure are legion, but the results are sketchy to non-existent.

Medications like Rogaine and Propecia can regrow hair in cases of Alopecia. The treatment is lifelong. But people can see some results in three to four months.

Speak to a doctor and do your research before you choose a hair loss treatment.

Hate needles? Dentists may soon use nasal spray

Forget those scary needles; an anesthetic nasal spray is on its way to the dentist’s office.

Kovanaz is a pain-killing nasal spray which has now received FDA approval for use in dentistry. Patients must weigh at least 88 pounds to use the spray, according to the FDA. More tests might expand use to smaller children.

According to the Journal of the American Dental Association, Kovanaz is a combination of the anesthetic Tetracaine and the nasal decongestant Oxymetazoline. In its Phase 3 trial, the spray was demonstrated to be as effective at preventing pain as a shot for 88 percent of patients during a simple filling operation. This is comparable to the success of numbing injections. Side effects were minimal.

The product was developed by medical research company St. Renatus, named after the 5th-century patron saint of anesthesia.

It was discovered after a serendipitous accident. Co-founder Mark Kollar took a basketball to the chin and required 21 stitches. The doctor who stitched him up also diagnosed him with a deviated nasal septum. On Kollar’s follow-up visit, the doctor gave him a nasal spray containing Tetracaine to remove a nasal stent.

But Kollar noticed that his teeth were numb. And, it so happened that other patients had reported this.

A practicing dentist, Kollar tested his teeth with a pulp stimulator and found that his teeth were, in fact, numb.

The company hopes the new anesthetic will make trips to the dentist much less stressful.

Taming college costs: Start with a 529 plan

College is an expensive proposition and costs vary widely, from public to private universities.

According to the College Board, in-state students in a public four-year college can expect to pay about $9,500 per year; out of state students pay approximately $24,000. A private four-year college, costs about $33,000, as of 2016 for tuition and fees. That doesn’t include housing, books, food, and incidentals.

Preparing for this expense can be daunting for parents, but one option is the 529 plan. This is a type of savings and investment plan, which has been around since the late 1990s.

There are two types of 529 plans. The first is a prepaid tuition plan, which can be used to purchase 1-4 years of tuition, and when a student reaches college age, pays out at the tuition rates at the time of purchase. The second is a college savings plan.

With the college savings plan, there are a variety of ways to invest the funds. Account earnings are based on how investments perform. This type of plan is available in 49 states and Washington D.C.

The College Board notes that the published price and the “net” price of college often differ greatly. So you may not have to save as much. Some investment professionals suggest that families save about 25 percent of what their child’s education will cost

There’s another aspect that could bring a college tuition bill to a lower-than-expected level: tax credits. The IRS offers the American Opportunity Tax Credit, up to $2,500. Student loan interest can bring a deduction of as much as $2,500.

Funds in a 529 plan can be used for a variety of college-related costs. These include tuition, room and board, computers and supplies, even food. A word of warning: look at what the school would charge, because that is the limit of what is considered a qualified expense for spending 529 plan funds.

Taking a close look at a deal

Home inspectors actually save stress, even lower prices

For buyers and sellers, having a professional house inspection can ensure a happy sale.

According to a study by the American Society of Home Inspectors and the National Association of Realtors), about four out of five homes sold in the nation are inspected before sale.

No wonder: An inspection helps parties on both sides of the sale.

For the buyer, the inspection is an obvious contingency. Buyers don’t want expensive surprises after sale. A home inspection reveals the systemic condition of the home, not just whether the paint is new.

Inspectors take a close look at the home’s inner health in 10 areas: interior and exterior, structure, roofing, plumbing, electrical, heating, air conditioning, and ventilation, and fireplaces.

These evaluations are detailed. For example, in the case of roofs, inspectors will study shingles, flashings, roof drainage, skylights and chimneys.

Of course, even a house with some problems can sell, but the price will reflect needed repairs

That’s where the seller’s inspection comes in.

A seller is just as motivated as the buyer to know what is wrong with a house because necessary, but unfinished, repairs mean a lower price at sale, or even a deal that falls through.

A home inspection gives sellers the chance to fix things before the house goes on the market and it is an important part of the clean-up, fix-up process.

You might not want to put on a new roof, but repairing the flashings and roof gutters, puts your house in a solid light. Buyers might not expect a new roof, but they don’t want to find leaks.

There are a variety of specific things that a home inspection can look for, depending on an individual’s concerns. For example, a radon inspection checks a home for levels of radioactive gas and takes between two and seven days to complete. A termite inspection looks for damage to the wood structures of a home. With homes that have a well for water, well water testing is another option; for homes with a septic or oil tank, examination of those structures may be part of an inspection as well.

A general inspection should consider the condition of the roof, the water pressure and plumbing, electrical outlets and switches, and the crawl space and attic, according to HGTV.

Finally, if you have a home inspection, find a place to sit down and relax. Don’t follow the inspector around. After all, the inspector is working for you and the report will be for you only.

What to do if you are laid off

That moment when the boss says you are laid off actually can be good for you if you handle it right.

First, take a breath immediately and get control, according to SalaryTutor.com. Two things are true: The person telling you this doesn’t like to do it. You don’t like to hear it. Neither can be avoided. Reacting badly results in security being called. Reacting gracefully helps both of you and, in some ways, makes your boss your ally.

Second, listen for the plan. The decision has already been made so no negotiating will help you. But the company has already considered how they want you to leave: Immediately (look for the security guard) or a soft exit where you wrap up projects and maybe even train your replacement. If you can, get the terms in writing.

If you have private information on your computer, explain what it is that you wish to copy.

Third, if you are going to remain a few days or more, control the message. Send an email to friends and valued co-workers. Never talk poorly about your boss or the company. Never blame anyone. State the facts (job eliminated or laid off or ‘leaving the company’). Be upbeat about your plans. Tell people when you will be out of the office and invite them to visit you in the meantime. Invites eliminate some more awkward silences.

Phishing site tactic

Watch for scam sites by looking at the domain (paypal.com is a domain), not just the design. Design can be mimicked. Addresses can’t. It is not paypal, if the address is paypol.com. If you are at all suspicious, don’t put in your password. If you do put in a correct password, a phishing site will often repeatedly say it is wrong. That way they can get all your passwords.

Stealing from your future self

According to one investment expert, each $5 cup of coffee you buy at age 30 costs you $225 in retirement.

Phil Davis, author of the investment newsletter philstockworld.com, writes that $10,000 invested at 10 percent can turn into a half million in 40 years.

And how do you get to the $10,000? Look at your lifestyle: A $10,000 cheaper car, fewer fancy vacations, and maybe a less expensive cup of coffee.

It’s a good lesson to remember that each $10,000 spent at age 30, costs about $450,000 at age 70.

Rentals gain popularity for investments

“Buy land. They’re not making it anymore.” – Mark Twain

Property is valuable and mostly becomes more valuable as time goes on.

This idea is not lost on today’s legion of real estate investors or the average person.

According to the Financial Security Index Survey released in July, 54 million Americans consider real estate to be the preferred cash investment for funds not needed for more than 10 years.

A survey in 2012 by the National Survey of Residential Real Estate Investors found there are about 28.1 million real estate investors in the country spending a total of $9.2 billion on real estate renovations.

It is a great time to invest in real estate with interest rates are historically low.

Owning rental property is one way to invest and immediately get return on your money.

The key before you start is to ask yourself what you need to make on a rental.

Enlist a real estate agent to help you analyze rental rates and apartment prices in the neighborhood.

Scour the classifieds to get an idea of what rents are in the area you would like to buy. Also, learn what properties are selling for.

Before you buy, know what your costs will be for taxes, maintenance, and profit. Can you be competitive at this location and still make a profit? One landlord writing in ConsumerismCommentary.com said she must make $500 profit on each rental per month.

Pick the right neighborhood. High crime areas will cost you money, according to Consumerism Commentary. High rent areas probably will resist rentals. Sturdy middle-class neighborhoods are often best.

One useful talent is a flair for DIY. If you like doing general repairs, you can usually save on expected expenses. If you don’t have such a flair, develop ties to handy-people who are skilled and available. You might be able to hire someone on demand for a low hourly rate.

Finally, once you have done the math and purchased your rental, find the right renter with a strict application. You must make your money back on a property so your three questions have to be: Can they afford the apartment? Will they pay the rent? Will they keep the property nice? To find out, check previous landlords. Verify income. After that, run a civil and criminal background check.

One landlord even calls the mother or father of younger people who want to rent.

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