Category: Finance

2015 July Don’t Raid the Cookie Jar By Liz Lent

Sometimes the future seems like it’s an awfully long way away. If a roof is going to last 30 years, why should we worry about it today? Same with that shiny new air conditioner or that flat, crack-free pavement just poured two summers ago.…

2015 July Dealing with Code Violations By Tom Lisi

Those of us without engineering degrees tend to take the buildings in which we live and work for granted. We simply assume that if we go indoors, the ceiling isn't going to suddenly collapse. Of course, buildings can remain upright and str…

2015 July In The Black By Raanan Geberer

Taking care of a co-op or condo building’s budget and finances is a big job. Handling such large sums of money is an important responsibility, and not every shareholder or unit owner has the expertise to do the job well. Sure, most people …

2015 July Money Talks By Lisa Iannucci

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…

2014 December Pay Up! By Danielle Braff

The slowly-ebbing recession that’s been going on in South Florida and across the nation since the mid-2000s has affected far more than home prices and mortgage rates; it also has a huge effect on monthly HOA fees. The great majority …

2014 July Financial Firestorms By George Leposky

In an upscale lakeside community near Orlando, the pace of home sales unaccountably accelerated in 2009. At first, the new owners paid their assessments and fees. Then some of the homes were rented to subtenants, and others changed hands a…

2014 July Cutting Costs – Without Cutting Corners By Danielle Braff

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…

2014 July Budgeting and the Bottom Line By Anne Childers

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. Communities, businesses, individu…

2013 August It's a Capital Idea By Lisa Iannucci

These days, just about everyone is cutting back on spending, whether to make ends meet, save for something special or a rainy day, pay off debt or fund their retirement. Consumers are cutting coupons, looking for deals and keeping a cl…

2013 July Follow the Money By Raanan Geberer

 If you want to find out about the history of a 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. And…