Free Range Life

Places in CA With Awesome Night Sky Watching, That Aren’t Too Cold in Winter

By Rachel Puryear Around the fall-back time change, many people express chagrin over the earlier sunsets. With or without manipulating our clocks, shorter days and longer nights are an inevitable part of winter months. Instead of mourning the shorter days, however, we can embrace and celebrate the longer nights! As much fun as daytime activities…

A Big Shout Out to the Math Teacher Who Sold Courses Through Pornhub

By Rachel Puryear Every business owner needs to market their own products and services in order to be successful. The work of marketing is in addition to the work that self-employed folks get paid for. With online products and services, creative marketing is key to standing out amongst the fierce competition. One math teacher in…

Both Monetary and Psychological Factors are Driving Mass Resignations

By Rachel Puryear If you have been following the news at all lately, you’ve heard many takes on the recent mass job resignations. Of course, there are a variety of analyses out there of the phenomenon – most of which focus mainly on the economic factors. However, psychological factors also play an important part, and…

If You Get Lost in the Woods, Don’t Change Your Voicemail – Do This Instead to Get Help

By Rachel Puryear Recently, viral social media posts have circulated offering well-meaning, but misguided advice for lost and distressed wilderness hikers. Such posts have suggested that people needing help, but who are having trouble getting a phone signal or have a dying phone battery, should change their voicemail to alert people of their situation and…

The Latest on Traveling During Covid: What to Know Before You Go

By Rachel Puryear With U.S. vaccination rates recently improving following the various mandates, deaths and hospitalizations due to Covid have slowed recently in California. This is, of course, great news in itself. Not only that, but people will also likely be traveling more in the near future, after nearly two years of restrictions. At the…

Basics of 1031 Exchanges, and How They Can Help You Avoid Capital Gains Taxes

By Rachel Puryear If you have owned an investment property for a long time, and it has appreciated a great deal in value over the years, you might be concerned about paying a large capital gains tax bill if you sell it. Accordingly, you might have wanted to trade the property in and buy a…

Things You Should Know Before You Cosign – Plus, Establishing New Credit

By Rachel Puryear There’s an old saying that if you loan money to a friend, you should be prepared to lose both your money and the friendship. That is often true, but not always. The same principle, however, could be applied to cosigning. Cosigning is where someone (a “cosigner”) agrees to be responsible for someone…

More People are Buying Homes With Friends and Extended Family, to Better Afford Homes

By Rachel Puryear People living in apartment rentals have always commonly lived with roommates, as a means of helping better afford their rent. Most people think of buying a home, though, in terms of something normally done by a family who will live there with their partner and kids. In recent years, however, a new…

California Bans Single-Family-Only Zoning: What this Means for Housing Opportunities

By Rachel Puryear Buying a home is a huge financial milestone for anyone. For many people, a major financial goal is to buy a house, also called a single-family home. Single-family homes are desirable for the amount of space and amenities they can offer, including a yard. They offer a level of privacy, peace, and…

With True Freedom Comes Accountability

By Rachel Puryear There is a popular saying that “Freedom Isn’t Free”. You have likely seen these words emblazoned over red, white, and blue bumper stickers, perhaps alongside an American Eagle image. The saying is commonly used as a pro-military expression, in the context of referring to the sacrifices of U.S. veterans. The saying “Freedom…