Smart ways to save time and money in 2024

🔨5 Fastest Ways to Build Credit

⏳ 6 Ways to Reclaim 40 hrs/week

🏡 7 Ways to save on homeowners insurance

🏆 3 Secrets to get free iPhone, Nike and Lululemon

💰 Mortgage Rate Reduction program at no cost to you

The Federal Reserve aggressively cut rates by a half point — its first easing move in 4 years!

Here’s how this may affect YOU and your finances:

• Get cash out to pay off credit cards
• Lower term (from 30 to 15 years)
• Buy a home, lock in lower rates
• Refi and lower rate/payment 

Your rate above 7%? Contact me for a refinance quote! See if we can cover your closing costs while lowering your monthly payments!

🔨7 Fastest Ways to Build Credit

1. Secured Credit Cards
2. Remove Authorized User
3. Pay down your credit card(s) to 10% utilization.
4. Apply for a Secured Loan or a Credit-building Loan.
5. Report Rent and Utilities to the Credit Bureaus
6. Pay balance 2 times per month
7. Ask for higher credit limits

⏳ 6 Ways to Reclaim 40 hrs/week

⏳ 6 Ways to Reclaim 40 hrs/week

1. Clothes: Go Steve Jobs: Same outfit every day, or create a minimalist wardrobe.
2. Meals: Use grocery delivery, meal prep, or eat similar meals daily.
3. Distracted Work: Use "Airplane Mode" for deep work.
4. Long Meetings: Schedule in 5-minute blocks or skip them.
5. Netflix: Cancel your subscription, and live your own life.
6. The News: Batch news weekly, avoid daily distractions.
7. Personal Inventory: Automate buying essentials via subscription.
8. Home Cleaning/Laundry: Outsource when possible.
9. Say ‘No’ More: Avoid overcommitting—only say yes to what excites you.

Total Hours Saved: 47-67 hrs/wk

Small changes, big results! Source: Ben Meer.

Read the paper, things have never been worse.  Read history, things have never been better. Fergus Cullen.

🏡 7 Ways to save on homeowners insurance

With insurance costs rising by 23% in just one year, protecting your home has never felt more urgent—or more expensive.

1. Compare rates
2. Bundle policies
3. Seek discounts (Senior, Military, Occupational) 
4. Improve your credit (Raise your credit limit. Remove authorized users)
5. Upgrade home systems (Security, Electrical, and Plumbing)  
6. Avoid risky additions to reduce future costs
7. Raise your deductible to lower premiums

🏆 3 Secrets to get free iPhone, Nike and Lululemon & more!

🏆 5 Secrets to get free iPhone, Nike and Lululemon & more

1. Get free new air pods or iPhone (if stolen) with your credit card. Credit card benefits have theft protection.
2. Get free Nike shoes - if your shoe has a tear, you can get a new pair. Nike has a 2-year warranty, so you can get a new shoe or a gift card.
3. Lulu has a Quality promise, if their product doesn’t perform within the practical lifetime you can take it back and get a gift card.
4. How to get a spa-quality facial of $130 value for $30. (And a plethora of discounted esthetic services) Contact local esthetic schools. Their students use professional-grade products.
5. If you have condo insurance in St. Louis and your luggage or personal items got stolen out of town - your items still can be covered by insurance. Make sure to file a police report. We went dancing to a Salsa club in San Francisco and someone nefariously shattered the window of our car and stole our luggage. After listing the items and their current market value, I was able to recoup my losses via condo insurance.

💰 Mortgage Rate Reduction program at no cost to you.

💰 Mortgage Rate Reduction program at no cost to you.

Welcome Home RateBreak is here to save you THOUSANDS!

💰 No cost to you when using HomeReady or HomePossible loans

🔻 2% off your rate in Year 1

🔻 1% off in Year 2

☎ Reach out today to see if you qualify.

Disclosures:

HomeReady/Home Possible - Welcome Home RateBreak: The 2-1 temporary buydown offer is funded by the lender. Clients will receive an effective rate reduction of 2% below the note rate in the first year and 1% below the note rate in the second year. Offer only valid on HomeReady® or Home Possible® loans. Maximum loan amount of $350,000. Offer is subject to changes. Additional restrictions/conditions may apply. This is not a commitment to lend.

🔑 Realtors!

Forward this newsletter to people you may think could benefit:

• Help more people with mid to low-income call a home their own
• Offer value that sets you apart
• Attract more clients

🏡 STL Home & Health Hub subscribers:

Please consider sharing this with others who might benefit.

Together, we can help more people with low to

mid incomes find a place to call home.

He who said money can’t buy happiness hasn’t given enough away!

See if we can cover your closing costs while lowering your monthly payments!

🔑 Your rate above 7%? Contact me for a refinance quote!