How to Appeal Your Property Taxes in Cook County (From Someone Who Did It)
A couple of years ago I opened my own reassessment notice and my stomach dropped. The county's estimate of what my house was worth had jumped, and I knew exactly what that meant for the tax bill coming behind it. So I did something most people never do. I appealed it myself. No attorney, no firm, no
What Happens When You Inherit a House? The Great Wealth Transfer Is Hitting Home
The largest transfer of wealth in history is not coming. It is here. Cerulli Associates projects about $124 trillion changing hands through 2048, with trillions already moving every year and the pace accelerating toward a peak in the mid-2030s. Visa's economists put boomer holdings at more than $93
What Happens to Your Family's Home If You Die Without Life Insurance?
A while back, a woman I will call Rachel lost her husband, Paul, to cancer. (Her name and his have been changed here, out of respect for their privacy.) They had two kids and a home and the same mortgage most families carry. What they also had, because Paul set it up before he ever got sick, was a l
How Much Life Insurance Does a Homeowner Need?
My wife's friend lost her husband unexpectedly. He had a $1,000,000 life insurance policy. That policy is not going to take care of their family for the rest of their lives. But it gave his wife something that most people in that situation do not get: time. She does not have to sell the house immedi
5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Tapping Your Home Equity
You've been building equity for years. Maybe you're finally looking at a kitchen remodel, a high-interest debt you want to eliminate, or an investment opportunity that needs capital. And your home is sitting there with $80,000, $120,000, maybe more in equity. So the question becomes: should you tap