Imagine sitting down with your significant other to pay the monthly bills. You both put your checks into a joint account and know how much there is to take care of expenses, or so you think. Out of his wallet your husband pulls out receipt…
While natural disasters causing catastrophic property damages are on the rise, associations also have to be prepared for other unexpected pitfalls such as a roof repair and replacement project or the installation of a new heating and cooli…
Saving energy: it’s good for the environment and it’s good for your wallet. Researching your options can be overwhelming, though, because there’s a lot of information out there on clean energy, incentives, and paybacks. Where’s a con…
Embezzling occurs so rarely among New England condominium associations, that when a well-respected manager, trustee or contractor is caught pocketing a community’s funds, everyone affected is likely to be ill-prepared for the consequences.…
As the 2012 federal legislative fiasco over the debt ceiling—as well as any number of other spending bills proposed since then—demonstrated, balancing a budget can be like pulling teeth. Balancing a condo or HOA community's budget can some…
Preparing the annual budget is by no means an easy task. Those charged with preparing condominium or HOA budgets will soon begin reviewing costs, gathering data and projecting expenses for the coming year. At some point, board of trustee m…
A lot of us feel like everyday life keeps getting more and more complicated, and finances are no exception. In New England, there are strict limitations to what boards can do with their association’s funds, but that doesn’t mean there aren…
In the increasingly-paperless world of modern banking, there are fewer hands writing checks and processing transactions. With no need to physically deal with cash and checks, this should mean fewer mistakes — and better security. Does this…
If you want to find out about the history of any town, region or country, head to a museum or look it up on the Internet. If you want to find out about your family’s history, look at your photo album, whether it’s in a book or online. A…
Walls are the only separation between you and your neighbors when you live in a densely-populated area, and privacy sometimes goes out the window. People hear their next-door neighbors talking, footsteps from above or even music blaring…