How to use your home equity to purchase a vacation home

Interested in purchasing a second home for vacation, rental, or investment purposes? You may be able to conveniently tap the home equity you’ve accrued in your primary residence to finance a second home.

But it’s important to understand the pros and cons of doing so, the forms of home equity financing available, the tax ramifications of using home equity to buy a second home, and alternative ways to fund a second home transaction. Read my newest piece for Refi.com, available here, and learn more.

Should you give your kid a debit or credit card?

It’s smart for parents to teach their children – even at younger ages – about financial responsibilities, the importance of saving money and how to spend cash carefully. When you feel the time is right, allowing your age-appropriate child to use a credit card or debit card can be a good way to build proper spending and credit habits.

Explore how a credit card designed for kids works, different debit cards for children to check out, the pros and cons of a credit or debit card for your daughter or son, and the benefits of teaching financial responsibility to our offspring by reading my newest article for Bankrate, available here.

Cineversary podcast celebrates big anniversaries of Saving Private Ryan and Schindler's List

Annette Insdorf and James Kendrick

In Cineversary podcast episode #60, host Erik Martin honors the 30th anniversary of Schindler’s List and the 25th anniversary of Saving Private Ryan, both directed by Steven Spielberg. Joining him this month is Annette Insdorf, professor in the Graduate Film Program of Columbia’s School of the Arts and author of Indelible Shadows: Film and the Holocaust; and James Kendrick, professor of film at Baylor University and author of Darkness in the Bliss-Out: A Reconsideration of the Films of Steven Spielberg. Erik, Annette, and James will explore why these films still resonate all these years later, ways they were inspiring and innovative, what they reveal about Spielberg, and more.

To listen to this episode, click here or click the "play" button on the embedded streaming player below. Or, you can stream, download, or subscribe to Cineversary wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts, PodBean, RadioPublic, and Overcast.

Learn more about the Cineversary podcast at www.cineversary.com and email show comments or suggestions to cineversarypodcast@gmail.com.

Here's how your health insurance may change now that the COVID crisis is over

The Covid-19 crisis triggered a public health emergency, which gave the federal government authority to waive and change requirements related to private health insurance, Medicare, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) plans. During the public health emergency, patients and health insurance members benefitted from a range of free and expanded services and benefits designed to prevent and minimize the impact of Covid.

Now that the public health emergency has officially ended, you may be wondering how it affects your out-of-pocket health costs, health insurance coverage and doctor visits. Read my newest story for Forbes Advisor, available here, to learn more.