Free Range Life

Book Recommendation: If You Have Varied Interests Rather than Just One, Check Out “Range”.

By Rachel Puryear, Someone with Quite Varied Interests Are you interested in lots of different things? Do you think of yourself as a “jack/jill-of-all-trades”? Do you like to experiment, change your mind often, and even fail often? If any of the above ring true, you will probably enjoy reading “Range”, by David Epstein. It’s along…

Fed Up with the Current Housing Market? You Might be Better Off Waiting a Little, Anyway.

By Rachel Puryear, Broker (DRE 02099554) If you have been trying to buy a home any time recently – or even just browsing – you may be tearing your hair out dealing with the extreme seller’s market we have been seeing. Competing with (often) dozens of other buyers, homes selling for sometimes hundreds of thousands…

How Attainable is “Financial Independence, Retire Early”?

By Rachel Puryear If you follow financial trends, you have likely heard of the “Financial Independence, Retire Early” movement, abbreviated as FIRE. In short, the point is to save money and generate passive income, in order to have the ability to retire early. For most FIRE fans, living as frugally as possible is an essential…

Been Thinking of Changing Jobs or Careers? Why 2021 Might be a Good Time to Go For It.

By Rachel Puryear In 2020, most of us who still had jobs or work probably just felt lucky to have that. In 2021 though, with much of the population vaccinated and economies set to reopen, and a cautious hopefulness in the air; more people than usual might be thinking of greener pastures, career-wise. People always…

Anxious About the Eviction Moratorium Ending? Here’s How to Apply for Rental Assistance.

By Rachel Puryear, Consulting Attorney and Real Estate Broker If you or someone you love has been struggling to pay rent during the Covid shutdown, you are likely dreading the upcoming expiration of California’s eviction moratorium at the end of June 2021. If you need help paying back rent owed, there is emergency rental assistance…

REITS are a Way to Invest in Real Estate Without Owning.

By Rachel Puryear, Retired Attorney and Real Estate Broker Real estate can be a great investment – but for many people, it’s not feasible or practicable to own it. Maybe they cannot afford to buy any, maybe their credit is not good, maybe their lifestyle is not conducive to rooting in one place, or maybe…

Got a Retirement Account? Watch Out Vigilantly for Thieves – Don’t Assume Someone Else Will.

By Rachel Puryear For many people, much of what they have saved is in a retirement account (which is a good idea). As this is now where a great deal of the money is at, such accounts are now becoming a popular target for thieves. You don’t want to work and sacrifice your whole life…

Got Kids? What You Need to Know About the New American Families Plan

By Rachel Puryear If you have children, or someone you love does, there is some exciting news for you. The American Families Plan offers much-needed relief for families following the pandemic. This Plan can cut child poverty in half this year, and could help end child poverty in a generation if its provisions are here…

A Bill That Could Help First-Home Homebuyers with a Downpayment – the Details

By Rachel Puryear As always, coming up with a downpayment is a major sticking point for many in owning a home. Proposed federal legislation – if passed – could give some first-time buyers a downpayment boost. The Downpayment Toward Equity Act of 2021 would offer at least $20,000.00 of downpayment grant assistance to qualifying buyers.…

Know a Teen who Wants to be Vaccinated, but their Parents Won’t Consent? Here’s a Resource for Them.

By Rachel Puryear In the U.S., all persons 16 and older are now eligible to receive the vaccination against Covid-19. Needless to say, getting vaccinated offers numerous economic, social, and travel opportunities – in addition to protection against the virus – that have not been available until now since the start of the pandemic. For…