Have a fireplace? Make sure you properly store your firewood to avoid insect infestations and other problems. Read more

I decided to write about this topic after talking to my recently married son and his new wife about some aspects of getting their finances in order that they hadn’t thought about. After a wedding, it’s easy to get distracted writing thank-you notes instead of doing important paperwork and planning related to your new legal status as a married couple.

The first thing that may come to mind is taxes. According to Geoffrey Kulik, a partner at Sterck Kulik O’Neill Accounting Group, Inc., newlyweds have to file their taxes for the entire year as either “married filing jointly” or “married filing separately.” “Because of the way the laws are written, this change of status could result in a significantly higher, Read more

The other day, I was about to hop in the back seat of my friend’s SUV, but I quickly changed my mind. The child safety seats—one for an infant and one for a preschooler—had been carefully installed and appeared to be permanently locked down.

Car seats have improved dramatically in both safety and design since they gained more widespread use in the ’70s. Today, most people know that young children should sit in the back of a car and use some kind of safety seat until they’re about 12 years old, depending on their weight. Read more

Recently, when I needed a new set of tires for my Toyota Avalon, I got just what I wanted: no-nonsense customer service.

I called a tire shop and scheduled an appointment for the next day. When I arrived, the salesman waited on me right away and gave me a straightforward explanation of my options with no upselling. When I asked him to find out where the tires were manufactured (Consumer Reports had recommended against some brands made in China), he had the answer for me in a few minutes. Read more

Remodels can add style, function, and safety by way of updating electrical and plumbing systems to current building codes. Not only can this enhance your enjoyment of your home, it can also add value to your house upon resale. The most popular rooms to remodel are kitchens and bathrooms—they’re the most used rooms in the house and the spaces where we interface the most with materials, so they require the most planning and attention to detail. It’s your designer’s job to take the information you provide and develop a plan that targets your needs and budget.

Serious customers prepare for satisfaction.
Here’s a simple formula: if you get what you want, you’ll be satisfied. Read more

If you hate getting phone calls from telemarketers, you’ve probably done what I’ve done: signed up for the Do Not Call list, which the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) created in 2003. So, why are we still getting illegal robocalls?

While the Do Not Call registry has reduced the number of unwanted calls from legitimate companies, according to EndRoboCalls.org, the FTC received more than 3 million complaints from annoyed consumers in 2014. (EndRoboCalls.org is an advocacy arm of Consumers Union and Consumer Reports magazine.) Read more

We believe every consumer deserves superior performance, so we back each transaction with a Diamond Certified company with our mediation services and the Diamond Certified Performance Guarantee. Here’s how it works:

The Performance Guarantee is designed to help you in the event that you have a dispute with a Diamond Certified company. This dispute may arise from an unmet expectation or a simple misunderstanding. Many disagreements are resolved after the parties work with each other using the contract and industry standards for guidance. Read more