Choosing A Disaster Resistant House

Investing in a disaster resistant home can help protect owners now, and maintain market value later. Are trees good? Is a hill top house good? Are basements bad? What to look for, what to avoid.



Read more at Yahoo Finance: First Person: The Disaster Resistant House

Photo: A medieval fortress in Jaipur, India by Dalia

How to File a FEMA Flood Loss Insurance Claim

So your home got damaged during Hurricane Sandy. You need to file a loss claim from your FEMA flood insurance policy.

Photo copyright: Dalia

Will it cover your basement, where the damage occurred? Will it cover your contents?

In my experience, filing a successful FEMA flood insurance claim requires understanding the rules, and doing diligence documentation of the flood loss.

Read more on Yahoo Finance: First Person: Navigating a FEMA Flood Loss Insurance Claim

Hurricane Sandy Ravaged Hoboken Finally Celebrates Halloween

Halloween in Hoboken, NJ a mile square town battered by flooding from Hurricane Sandy, finally came on November 12.

Enjoying the unseasonably warm 65 degree weather, hundreds of families upheld the Hoboken tradition of marching down in costume along Washington Street, once voted "Top 10 Great Streets in the Country” (American Planning Association), in the Annual Ragamuffin Parade.


Princesses, superheroes, witches and zombies went trick or treating prior to the start of the parade. By 4 pm, many Washington Street storefronts, the primary source of Halloween candy in "the most walkable city in America (WalkScore.com)" were posting the "sorry no more candy" sign.

As numerous residents evacuated after Hurricane Sandy submerged parts of the town in flood water and left a Herculean clean up task and week-long power outages, Halloween celebrations had to be rescheduled thrice, adding to some confusion. Several businesses missed the memo, which was publicized on City of Hoboken (@cityofhoboken) Twitter account and via email, and many parents had already packed costumes away. Working parents who had missed a week of work lamented the Halloween parade should have been held on a weekend instead of a Monday. A few stores, like Aspen Marketplace, had given out candy on October 31, when the flood waters from Hudson river still submerged parts of the town and most of Hoboken was dark.

Stores on First Street, which were ravaged by crippling floods, generally opted out of the festivities. Since Hurricane Sandy, a handful of businesses on First and Newark street, have decided to permanently close.

Still Halloween spirit was on display as kids beamed in their costumes, and businesses, especially the realtors, handed out high value chocolate goodies instead of mints and sugar candies. Since early November, bagged candy had been on sale at neighborhood retailers like Target for 70% off.

The daylight savings time change likely cut into the participation in the costume contest, which awards trophies in various age categories, as well as for best dressed family and carriage. Even then families from Hoboken and out of town decked out in creative costumes such as “Pirates of the Hudson,” “Beekeeper and his bees,” and “Sesame Street.” New to the mix was a vintage car reminiscent of “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.”

In a town that still has FEMA and American Red Cross outposts scattered along with dozens of utility vans and sanitation trucks, Hoboken's belated Halloween celebration was one more step towards residents moving on from the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy. To donate to rebuild Hoboken, please visit the Rebuild Hoboken Relief Fund website.

Note: Also published at Yahoo Voices. Author retains copyright.

Preparing for the Power Outage following Hurricane Sandy

With Hurricane Sandy fast approaching, it is a matter of when and not if power outages will occur in the New York/New Jersey area. Last year, during Hurricane Irene, we lost power for several hours in my neighborhood, but the power outages persisted for several days in many of the suburbs. We do not have a generator.

My checklist is modified from that offered by the American Red Cross, which is found here. I will not duplicate it. I had earlier prepared my disaster kit from ready.gov, and my financial checklist kit using my own ideas.

I have multiple surge protector strips but plan to disconnect all non essential appliances overnight.

Refrigerator

According to the American Red Cross, an unopened refrigerator will keep foods cold for about 4 hours. A full freezer will keep the temperature for about 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed. I have the fridge set to "turbo" cool and freeze, the coldest settings.

I bought a couple of Styrofoam coolers for $3 each at a grocery store. The plastic coolers were not in stock. I have ice, but more importantly, I have ice packs that are far less messy. I have been buying non perishable veggies (butternut squash, yam, tomatoes) which will last outside the fridge. I plan to cook whatever is left in the days we do have power.

I have a half gallon of fresh milk and some cheeses which we will snack on when the light goes out. I have shelf stable Horizon Organic pouches (plain and flavored) which do not need refrigeration.

Fruits that last outside the fridge, like pomegranates, bananas, apples are what is on hand.

We have some ice cream and some frozen meat products, we will eat the first and keep the second in the cooler for as long as it does not smell funny.

Oven/Stove

Thank heavens we have a gas oven, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that we would be able to use it during the power outage. However, our utility has warned that gas service may be suspended if water enters the system. I will keep an eye on the pilot light, which can turn off from gusts. When I had an electric stove top, we used a charcoal grill to cookout when it was not raining.

Dishwasher

I plan to turn off the fuse for the dishwasher tonight, which means I will run it when it gets close to full. If it appears that the power outage will last more than a couple of days, I plan to use paper plates and plastic cups.

Laundry

We have the luxury of a washer dryer at home, and I am emptying my stack of laundry when the power is still on, even if that means running a half load.

Cellphones/Laptops

I did not bother to buy a non cordless phone because my phone connection is VOIP. This means the cellphones are staying on charge as long as possible. My kid uses our old cellphones as toys, so those are on charge as well. The laptops are loaded with important financial information.

Entertainment

With subway, bus and train service suspended in the New York metro area, and all area schools closed, entertainment is key. I have arts and crafts on hand to entertain the kids. We also have board games for the family. I also picked up some glow chalk and plastic toys for some fun in the dark as part of my emergency shopping trip.

Water

There is a chance that water service is suspended if pumps fail during the power outage or somehow public water becomes contaminated (god forbid). I will be filling the bathtub and large pots with water for "hygiene" usage so we do not have to dip into our bottled water supply. We typically drink filtered water, but prefer bottled or boiled water during emergencies for preventing waterborne diseases.

Alarms

In case of a prolonged power outage, our hardwired carbon monoxide, smoke and burglary alarms will start beeping. Unfortunately, we will have to just live with that. If it gets to be too much for my children, our car's gas tank is full and it is in a safe, dry place close to us.

Hurricane Sandy: Preparing for Hurricane, Protecting Financial Records Ahead of Disaster

Frankenstorm! Monster Hurricane! Perfect Storm!

As Hurricane Sandy aims for New York and New Jersey, residents are preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. While www.ready.gov and NJ.com's Storm Safety Tips provide great tips, I think now is a great time to protect financial records and document and if possible safeguard valuables as well.

Here are two of my articles on the topic:

How I Am Preparing to Protect Financial and Tax Records Ahead of Hurricane

First Person: Protecting My Financial Records in an Evacuation

Photo: Thunderstorm Over The City" by George Stojkovic, freedigitalphotos.net

How to Reduce Postage Costs for Small Business

Since my printing budget is substantial, I have to keep a tight rein on postage costs. This is especially important since my postage costs are always increasing thanks to rate hikes from the USPS. Understanding the USPS commercial rate guide has enabled me to use various tips and tricks to keep postage costs for my small business to the minimum. These include minimizing the weight of my mailing, folding my mail pieces in half, and opting for the most cost efficient mailing class, which allows me to save 82% over retail mail prices.

Read more at Yahoo Finance: First Person: Reducing Postage Costs for My Small Business

Why $7 for Facebook Promoted Posts Is a Bad Deal for Users

$7 for Facebook promoted posts? Seems like a deal compared to a newspaper ad? But is Facebook really offering a good deal? I don't believe so, and here is why I would not be using Facebook's promoted posts.

First, there is no detail what paying $7 to Facebook will buy, and for how long. Second, Facebook is providing the same pitch to companies. And yet, allegedly tinkering its own algorithm's to get promoted posts to reach fewers Facebook users. And third, doesn't Facebook make a lot of money selling user information already?

Read more at Yahoo Finance: First Person: Why $7 for Facebook Promoted Posts Is a Bad Deal for Users

Pulling the Plug on Viridian, My Third Party Electricity Provider, Should Lower My Electricity Bill

X axis: months, Y axis: Cents per kwh,
Source: Dalia's Money Matters. 

Two years ago, I signed up for Viridian, an independent, third party energy provider to supply the electricity in my house. The premise was simple: deregulation of electricity would lower prices, and consumers will see immediate savings on their electricity bills. This month, before the wind energy tax credit expires, I pulled the plug and switched back to my electrical utility provider. Here is why.

Read more: First Person: Is a Third Party Electricity Provider Worth It?

Building Wealth by Following the 50-30-20 Budget

Several years ago, I devised a budget for myself to avoid spending extravagantly. I called it my 50-30-20 budget. My budget focused on spending beneath, not beyond my means, which helped me build wealth. Many of my friends and co-workers often drew inspiration from the likes of Carrie Bradshaw on TV. I followed a simpler lifestyle and remained committed to saving, whilst enjoying the comforts purchased with my salary prudently.

Read more in Yahoo Finance "First Person: Building Wealth Following the 50-30-20 Budget"

Protecting Financial and Tax Records Ahead of Hurricanes and Other Emergencies

A repost of a recent article in light of Hurricane Isaac.

Protecting My Financial Records in an Evacuation

Whether it is a Hurricane like Isaac, wildfire, an earthquake, a kitchen fire, or a burst water pipe, emergencies can hit anytime. While safe evacuation with my family will be my primary concern during such a time of emergency, here are some financial documents I keep in my evacuation kit, which I made using guidelines from www.ready.gov , the U.S. government site for emergency preparedness. Read more on what to take with you (and how) in the Yahoo Finance article Protecting My Financial Records in an Evacuation

Another useful article:

How I Am Preparing to Protect Financial and Tax Records Ahead of Hurricane Irene


Photo: sxc.hu