No matter how many job interviews you’ve been on, or how well you think on your feet, most people are rarely as prepared as they should be.
In fact, as the CEO of a recruiting firm, I’ve spent decades interviewing candidates, and I’ve seen even the most experienced candidates — with the most impressive resumes — make rookie mistakes that can easily destroy the first impression.
My father died recently and left me and two siblings a house with no mortgage. I am in the process of being declared executor of the will. My brother goes to the house every weekend for a “staycation,” however my sister and I live in other states and can only return to the hometown a few times per year.
My sister and I think this is the opportune time to sell the house and divide our inheritance, but my brother thinks we should hold on to it as it is increasing in value. Of course, it will incur some expenses for upkeep, insurance, taxes, and utility.
Is it a better climate to hold it as an investment or to sell it and then invest the money into stocks or retirement accounts? I am 65, brother and sister are 60 and 57.
Thanks,
Feuding over the Family Home
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Dealing with a late parent’s home can easily lead to familial squabbles if everyone isn’t on the same page. Getty Images/iStockphoto
The background: After suddenly losing my job last year, I was thrown into an urgent hunt. Four months ago, I landed a position with a decent salary, doing much the same work I’d done previously but in a sector that I wouldn’t have chosen if I wasn’t desperate. It was definitely an “I’m taking the job because it’s the first I’ve been offered” situation, but I was grateful to get it.
The people here are nice, and they’ve put a lot of time into training me. They are evidently expecting me to stay for many years, as has been the pattern for most former employees in my role. I would like to work for myself in the future and am even thinking about completely changing fields, but that will take a long time to achieve and I need to stay employed until then. I figured this would be a good setup for, say, the next five years.
But I’ve realized that I just don’t enjoy the job at all. I’m used to working on projects that don’t set my soul on fire, but this has been the most stressful job I’ve ever had by far. Part of that is due to inefficient working practices, which I should be able to influence over time, but I don’t think they’ll completely go away. My department — and therefore me — also shoulders a huge workload that has nothing to do with our roles and should be done by a totally different team. It really interferes with my ability to get my main job done, and I’m working very long hours during busy weeks. I’ve been told that won’t change for the foreseeable future because of pressures from the pandemic. I’ve also encountered some ethical concerns with the company’s work that I didn’t expect.
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Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Getty Images
Nā Pali Coast State Park is a 6,175-acre (2,499 ha) state park in the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the center of the rugged 16-mile (26 km) northwest side of Kauaʻi, the second-oldest inhabited Hawaiian island. The Nā Pali coast itself extends southwest from Keʻe Beach all the way to Polihale State Park. The nā pali (high cliffs) along the shoreline rise as much as 4,000 feet (1,200 m) above the Pacific Ocean. The state park was formed to protect the Kalalau Valley.
To the east of the state park is the Hono O Nā Pali State Natural Reserve. It was established in 1983 and later extended to over 3,578 acres (14.5 km2) in 2009. Hiking trails and hunters’ roads provide access to the sharp ridges from Koke’e Road (route 550) in Waimea Canyon.
Although inaccessible to vehicles, this coast can be enjoyed overland by hiking or in a helicopter, and from the ocean by kayak and paddleboard. Charter tours are available on rigid-hulled inflatable boats or catamarans, originating from Port Allen and Hanalei Bay. The Kalalau Trail from the end of Hawaii Route 56 (called the Kuhio Highway) provides the only land access along the coast, traversing 11 miles (18 km) and crossing five major valleys (and many smaller ones) before reaching Kalalau Beach at the base of Kalalau Valley. Side trails along the way lead to waterfalls in the valleys above. The first settlers on the Nā Pali Coast were Polynesian navigators around 1200 AD. Soon after, many Tahitian migrants followed, shaping the culture of Kauai and other Hawaiian islands today. The coast was a center for trade between Hanalei, Waimea, and Ni`ihau, and branched out to nearby island colonies. After Kauai was visited by Captain Cook in 1778, many Westerners began traveling to the island. As more foreigners arrived, the Hawaiian tribes along the Nā Pali Coast, where Nā Pali Coast State Park now exists, began to die off from Western diseases. The last known native Hawaiians to live along the Nā Pali Coast were sighted in the 20th century. Wikipedia
If you are looking for a new job, you’re not alone. More than half (55%) of Americans plan to look for a new job in the next 12 months, according to Bankrate’s August 2021 Job Seekers survey. Add a tight labor market, and that there are more open jobs than people looking for work, and chances are that someone who’s got good skills is going to be an attractive target.
But just because a job is offered to you doesn’t necessarily mean you should take it. “It’s important to look for red flags during the interview process,” says Vicki Salemi, career expert at Monster. “You’re evaluating the employer the same way they’re evaluating you to determine if you’re the right fit,” she says.
When these red flags are waving, career experts say you should think twice about saying yes to that job offer, no matter how good it might seem.
Four years ago, I was downsizing and building a home while I still had a hefty mortgage on my first home. I couldn’t secure the loan on my own until the other house was sold.
I applied for the mortgage with my girlfriend. I had a down payment of $125,000 and paid the monthly mortgage, along with real-estate taxes. She pays for the utilities.
Needless to say, things are not working out, and I would like her to move out. She wants half of the home’s value, as her name is on the mortgage.
Is she entitled to half the value? Can I refinance without her knowing? I think I snookered myself. Please help.
Homeowner
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‘Needless to say, things are not working out, and I would like her to move out.’ MarketWatch illustration
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Click the link belowfor the article (Quentin’s reply):
Calgary is a city in the western Canadian province of Alberta. With a population of 1,239,220, Calgary is the most populous city in Alberta, the third most populous city in Canada after Toronto and Montreal, and the most populous city in Western Canada. The Calgary Metropolitan Area had a population of roughly 1,581,000 in the beginning of 2021, making it the second-most-populous in western Canada, and the fourth-largest census metropolitan area (CMA) in Canada.
Calgary is situated at the confluence of the Bow River and the Elbow River in the south of the province, in the transitional area between the foothill and the prairie, about 80 km (50 mi) east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies, roughly 299 km (186 mi) south of the provincial capital of Edmonton and approximately 240 km (150 mi) north of the Canada–United States border. The city anchors the south end of the Statistics Canada-defined urban area, the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor.
Calgary’s economy includes activity in the energy, financial services, film and television, transportation and logistics, technology, manufacturing, aerospace, health and wellness, retail, and tourism sectors. The Calgary Metropolitan Region is home to Canada’s second-highest number of corporate head offices among the country’s 800 largest corporations. In 2015 Calgary had the highest number of millionaires per capita of any major Canadian city. In 1988 it became the first Canadian city to host the Winter Olympic Games.
The Economist Intelligence Unit ranked Calgary the most livable city in North America in both 2018 and 2019. Calgary has been a top 5 contender for this title for the last 10 years.
Calgary was named after Calgary on the Isle of Mull, Scotland, United Kingdom. In turn, the name originates from a compound of kald and gart, similar Old Norse words, meaning “cold” and “garden”, likely used when named by the Vikings who inhabited the Inner Hebrides. Alternatively, the name might be Gaelic Cala ghearraidh, meaning “beach of the meadow (pasture)”, or Gaelic for either “clear running water” or “bay farm”. Wikipedia
Many of us thought the Covid-19 pandemic would have led to financial market meltdowns, but we were so wrong. After a year of lockdowns, with nowhere to go and spend money, we saved and invested so much many might feel a step closer to retirement.
Let me be frank with you: That absolute figure in your 401(K) account is misleading. An inflation in asset prices will only propel a rise of the cost of living, especially in non-essential items. Restaurant bills will appear bigger, so are your summer car rentals and private school tuitions. Instead, we need to benchmark our portfolios against how others are doing — just to make sure our purchasing power isn’t eroding.
For those of us who aspire to financial independence, the picture is not pretty. Has your retirement account risen by 8.3%? That’s how much global wealth — including stocks, bonds, and real estate — grew in the last year, to a record $250 trillion, according to Boston Consulting Group Inc. And that 8.3% is just a minimal point of comparison. In 2020, the ultra-rich — defined by the consultancy as those with at least $100 million — saw their investable wealth soar 15.8% to $5.8 trillion in the U.S., and 26.5% to $3.6 trillion in mainland China. This exclusive club of 60,000 people have $22 trillion in investable wealth, representing 15% of the world’s total.
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Some nest eggs are more golden than others. Photographer: erenmotion/iStockphoto
Film and Writing Festival for Comedy. Showcasing best of comedy short films at the FEEDBACK Film Festival. Plus, showcasing best of comedy novels, short stories, poems, screenplays (TV, short, feature) at the festival performed by professional actors.
[Source photo: DeanHammel/iStock]
