• It’s a new and challenging world for both mortgage lenders and customers

  The mortgage lending industry on Cape Cod is adjusting to rapid – and often unprecedented – challenges. It’s not just the succession of interest rate increases and a slowing sales market. It’s also increased competition created by a surfeit of mortgage products and providers, combined with advances in technology that lets customers find lenders as far away as California.

• Sell smart!

  Charitable gift annuity trusts can reduce the tax burden on the sale of your home.

• Home staging hits the Cape

  Home staging is a relatively new trend, but it has begun to take a foothold on the Cape, where real estate is a profession for many and a hobby for many more. We have profiled a few of the firms on Cape Cod exploring this new field.

• Does a modular home make sense?

  If pre-fabricated housing conjures an image of a trailer home, think again. On Cape Cod, modular residences easily could cost $1.5 million or more.

• Strategic reversal

  Should you consider turning your equity into income during retirement?

• What’s ahead in 2007

  Cape Business met with its panel of home builders and suppliers to gauge their mood about the housing economy and to hear their predictions for the year. We hope this report provides guidance to you as you build and protect your real estate investment on Cape Cod.

• Beyond lawns

  Not long ago, landscaping on Cape Cod was limited to seeding and mowing lawns – maybe some sod, if you wanted to get fancy – and trimming hedges. And it was reserved for front lawns; back yards were by and large left alone, with pine needles providing a carpet for bare feet.

• Home insurance market remains frustrating

  The New Year did not bring good news on the homeowner’s insurance front. Cape Cod continues to see the effects of hurricane modeling; insurers are leaving this market and rates are continuing to rise.

• At your service

  More homeowners and renters demand to be treated as they would at an elite hotel or quaint B&B.

• What Cape Cod builders are saying – and doing – about the housing economy in 2007

  Just as we did last year, Cape Business editors met with its homebuilder’s panel to gauge their mood about the economy and forecasts for the coming year.

• Commercial real estate: Supply low; demand high

  Cape Cod commercial real estate is an anomaly. Demand is as strong as ever. Vacancy rates are low. Long-term fundamentals are good, as population, income and jobs increase. Capital is available for commercial construction.

• Who’s who in commercial real estate

  Companies selling and leasing commercial real estate here are as diverse as the Cape itself. Their business models vary like night and day.

• Workforce housing: Can we make a difference?

  Cape Business asked Rick Presbrey, founder and CEO of the Housing Assistance Corporation, about a call to action recently released by HAC and the Cape Cod Business Roundtable on workforce housing.
  

• Making working at home work

  Whether you are managing your business or your investments, consider these tips for working from your home.

• The boom in wealth management

  Investment group Merrill Lynch and consulting company Capgemini recently calculated that there are 8.7 million millionaires worldwide. A large number live right here on Cape Cod.

• We keep getting richer

  There is a reason national brokerages such as Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch have moved to bigger, more lavish offices in Hyannis.

• A financial planning checklist

  Once you’ve finished with your tax planning for the year, and your return is safely on its way to the IRS, you’re at an excellent point for a quick financial check-up.

• How do you find the right financial adviser?

  There is a deep and diverse pool of talented financial advisers on Cape Cod. But finding just the right one for you and your circumstances is a challenge.

• House of cards

  Just how easy is it to have credit card debt take you down? Very easy, according to Jennifer Morrow of Consumer Credit Counseling Services in Hyannis.

• Young, smart and rich

  It’s possible for young people to get ahead – if they have a good financial background.

• When is a Roth IRA right for you?

  A tax-free source of retirement income would seem to have almost universal appeal. Yet only 13 percent of U.S. households own a Roth IRA, a retirement investment vehicle that offers tax-free qualified withdrawals.

• Long-term care insurance

  If you read many consumer finance articles, you might wonder whether long-term care insurance is a necessary protection or merely profit for insurers.

• Options for long-term care insurance

  There are a variety of options when selecting long-term care insurance.

• The economics of assisted care

  The cost of assisted living ranges from $1,500 to $5,000 a month, with the average around $2,500 to $3,500 per month. Base monthly rent also depends on whether the accommodations are semiprivate or private rooms, suites sharing bathrooms, studios with kitchens or one-, two- or three-bedroom apartments.

• Why women need to plan for their retirement

  If you’re looking forward to enjoying a peaceful, comfortable retirement someday, you’re not alone. By age 65, five out of six people have hung up the briefcase or tool belt and retired. The fly in the ointment: If you are a woman, you may have to put in more effort before you get to enjoy a worry-free, financially secure retirement.

• Cape Codopoly: Maximizing real estate investments

  Real estate holdings on the Cape are great investments, despite boom-bust cycles. But there are more decisions to make than simply location, location, location.

• Financing college – with retirement not far behind

  At 47, this successful Hyannis businessman knows a bit about planning ahead. With three young children speeding toward college, he and his wife recently sat down to consider their financial future.

• Your stock portfolio: How to avoid risky concentration

  Despite the proven risk-reducing benefits of diversification, many portfolios are under-diversified. A concentrated stock position is natural for the founder of a company or for executives who are expected to own stock to keep their interests aligned with shareholders. Inheritance and exercise of stock options also can lead to concentration in too few stocks.

• Survivorship life insurance

  If you haven’t looked at your life insurance in a few years, do so now to find new ways it can work for you.

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