Practical Ways to Keep Your Marriage Strong After 50

According to the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), divorces among people over the age of 50 have doubled since 1990. There are many reasons why the rates have skyrocketed, and understanding these reasons is one way to help maximize the divorce triggers. In addition to that, here are other practical tips for a happy marriage even until after your golden years.

Talk about it

One reason for failed marriages is avoiding issues rather than addressing them. Couples should get things out in the open and take time to talk to each other about anything that may be bothering them. If you think conversations like these will turn into shouting matches, you can always bring in someone else to serve as a mediator.

Laugh and smile

Humor plays a vital role in relationships, especially in long-term commitment. As you grow older, laughing and smiling are great ways to dissolve a heated situation. Instead of pointing the blame on each other, focus on laughing at mistakes. You can make fun of yourselves to resolve an issue and not take things too seriously. Laughter is the best medicine, right?

Practice selflessness

In some instances, all that is needed is a selfless act to rekindle a relationship. This little act of kindness goes to show how much you care for your partner. Remember, being selfless doesn’t mean losing yourself. Instead, it relieves moments from your younger days, when care was easier to express.

Spend time apart

When you retire, you and your spouse find spending hours and hours in each other’s company. While being physically together is beneficial, too much time together can also lead to feelings of suffocation. You may feel that you are no longer the same person. You can remedy this by doing things on your own, whether engaging in a new hobby without your spouse or spending time with friends. Short periods of separation can make the married couple's’ time together more meaningful.

Act like you’re dating

After many years of marriage, you often become less romantic with your partner. You may tend to forget the little details that made a relationship fun in the early years of being together. The sweet surprises, love notes, and flowers may slowly melt away after being together for some time. Now, in your 50s, make an effort to go on dates, exchange love notes and talk about what you love about each other. Cuddling, hugging, holding hands, and kissing is also a great way to show affection

Renew your wedding vows

Let’s face it. After 30 years of marriage, your wedding may only be a faint memory. To bring back the same passion you’ve felt during your wedding day, renewing your vows may be a great idea. You don’t need to spend so much like you did the first time, too. There are many resorts that offer all-inclusive vow renewal packages that are easy on the budget.

With the tips mentioned above, you can continuously enjoy a happy marriage and stay away from thoughts of divorce and separation.

About the author: Melissa Page is a professional writer based in San Diego, California. She writes about relationships and health on her group blog, Word Baristas. When she’s not writing, she’s bowling with her friends.

When Is It Worth it to Refinance Your Car? 4 Situations You Need to Consider Today

When it comes to getting your newly refinanced car loan, it is usually rather difficult to time these kinds of things perfectly. Having said that, there are still certain situations when it would definitely make sense for you to put yourself into a new car loan. You need to know when these situations arise because you will only get a certain amount of time to take advantage of them. Here are four different situations where refinancing your car loan could definitely make sense for your financial future. 

Interest Rates Have Gone Down

Any time interest rates go down, you should usually think about refinancing your car loan. Even if there is only a slight difference in the current interest rates when compared to the interest rates of the past, it is important to realize that the smallest difference can mean everything over the long term. If you are someone who is locked into a long term car loan, then you should always be on the lookout for a lower rate of interest.

An Improved Credit Score

An improved credit report is not really something that should catch you off guard. The fact of the matter is that you will have a higher credit score when you are able to pay off your debt and pay your bills on time. If you have been rather financially responsible over the past few months, then you may want to see if there has been an improvement in your credit score. Even a small improvement in your credit score can have a dramatic impact on your available interest rate.

You Didn't Shop Around

Whether you are trying to get the best car loan or trying to find California car insurance quotes from Worldclimate, it is important to remember that it always makes sense to shop around. If you did not take the time to wait for the best rate of interest when you were getting your new car, then you may want to backtrack a bit and do your shopping around now. Even if you think you got the best deal that you would be able to get, it still makes sense to take a look at what kinds of other offers are available right now.

Go Long Term

One last situation where it could make sense to refinance your car loan is if you need to lower your monthly payments. If you have found yourself in a situation where you cannot make your monthly payments, then lengthening your loan may be your only option.

4 Considerations to Make Before Financing Your Car

Buying your first car is a scary thing, actually buying any car is scary regardless of what number it is. Dealerships and lenders can also use jargon that you don't know. Consider these 4 factors before financing your car to make sure you get a good deal on a vehicle that meets your needs.

Know How Much Money You Can Spend

As a recent retiree or if your career is coming to an end, you probably have a lot of money for a down payment but don’t want to put your lifestyle at risk. That means you'll have the money for the down payment while leaving your investments in tact.

It's essential that you make a budget that tells you exactly how much money you can afford to spend on your vehicle. A good budget will include expenses and savings. Some items to put in your budget include your: 

• rent or mortgage payment 
• auto insurance 
• health insurance 
• food 
• entertainment 

You should also set aside at least ten percent of your earnings for retirement savings.

Once you have made your budget, you should know how much room you have for your monthly car payment. Don't exceed this amount. If you do, you'll have to reduce your spending in another area. That can make life difficult and less enjoyable.

Understand How Interest Increases Your Overall Car Payment

If you don't have an extensive credit history, then you might only qualify for a sub-prime loan. That means you'll pay higher interest than someone with a good credit score. This should influence how you see car prices.

Let's say you don't want to spend more than $15,000 on your car. If you qualify for a 5 percent loan with five-year term, then you should include the interest when comparing prices. A car priced at $15,000 will actually cost you close to $17,000 after you calculate interest.

That means you should look at cars with lower sticker prices or find a better interest rate. If you buy a car worth $13,500 with 4 percent interest, then you will spend a little under $15,000 over five years.

Explore Your Financing Options

Just because one dealership wants to give you a sub-prime loan doesn't mean that you can't get a better deal elsewhere. Your education and income prospects could qualify you for Lexus financing with an excellent interest rate. Then you can buy the car of your dreams without going over your budget.

Think About How Long You Plan to Keep the Car

$15,000 might fit into your five-year budget, but what if you plan to drive the car longer than that? Even pre-owned cars should last longer than five years.

Some people decide to budget more money to their car purchases because they know that they will eventually pay off the loan. If you drive the car for 10 years, then you could probably afford to spend $20,000 instead of $15,000.

If you know that you'll want to buy another car in five years, though, you should stick to what you know you can afford during the foreseeable future.

What other factors should buyers consider when they look into their financing options?

5 Marketing Tactics Your Business Hasn't Utilized

When your business wants to stand out, having a unique marketing strategy can help. Appealing to your niche of customers in untapped forums is essential for selling more products and services. By thinking outside of the box and using promotional products to enhance your business's image, you can connect with a large audience of customers. Here are some marketing tactics that any business can consider to improve the way that it connects with customers on a daily basis.

1. Give out promotional products at trade shows.

Trade shows are an excellent way to promote a business because they attract a targeted audience who may become clients because they’re interested in what you have to offer. Clients will typically go to trade shows to learn more about a business's products before they make the leap into investing in its products. By handing out promotional products with your contact information at trade shows, a business can distinguish itself from the hundreds of other businesses featured at trade shows and encourage prospects to hold onto their “business cards.”

2. Use Pinterest to host promotions.

Pinterest has already taken the business world by storm as a new social media marketing tool, but few businesses are using it apart from placing images of products online. A business can use Pinterest to actually host promotions and give away promotional products. Using Pinterest in this way can cause a spiral effect amongst customers and encourage them to also re-pin images for a business.

3. Host a Twitter feed contest.

Any business should also try hosting a Twitter feed contest with promotional products. The individual who tweets the most about a business can receive promotional rally towels, pens, totes or whatever is most appropriate for your audience. There is an endless list of promotional products that a business can use as a reward for the winner of a Twitter feed contest.

4. Post updates on Facebook.

It is also important for businesses to keep in touch with customers through a forum like Facebook. Facebook gives businesses the opportunity to post news updates about the latest products that a business has to offer. Businesses can take advantage of an excellent opportunity to get to know a customer base on Facebook.

5. Sending e-mail newsletters to clients.

In an e-mail newsletter, a business can inform customers about the latest promotions being hosted by a company. Businesses can inform customers about promo items, new products, or special sales on products and services.

Any business can improve the way that it markets itself to customers. With these marketing tactics, a business can easily get in touch with clients and develop a favorable reputation in the community.

Ways You Can Save Some Extra Pennies Monthly Around The Home

The country's financial situation is an accurate reflection of the kind of position the average American is in. Jobs are scarce, money is tight, and the expenses just keep rolling in. As a result, people have begun reaching for any possible way to save a few extra dollars every month. This can be hard at first, but the more you do it, the easier it becomes to find other ways to cut costs. Bills like utilities and insurance are pretty inflexible, so it's not wise to start looking here. It's better to analyze the budget you've set for more variable aspects like groceries and household supplies. Here are some tips that can save you some extra pennies around the house.

Re-Use It

During the course of their day, people throw out many potentially useful things. By identifying these and diverting them to other purposes, you could save a lot of money. The bags you put your produce in at the store can usually be re-used for anything else that requires a bag, such as snacks and leftovers. Plastic and paper grocery sacks make excellent liners for small trash cans and are completely free. Even wet paper towels can be left to dry and used again. The more substitutes you can make and the further you can stretch the products you buy, the greater your savings will be.

Be Your Own Salon

Going to a barber or stylist means you get the benefits of the skill without having to invest the time, but it can cost hundreds of dollars each month to maintain. You're much better off if you opt to do your own hair and shave. All you need is a good pair of scissors, a hair trimmer and a quality shaving kit from The Art of Shaving. Once you develop skill, there's even potential to sell your services to others.

Have A Vegetarian Day

Nobody can deny that meat is expensive. Taking one day each week where you restrict your animal protein intake to eggs and dairy will shave a tidy sum off of your grocery bill. It's even better if you can do this with one meal each day in addition to an all-vegetarian day.

Cook From Scratch

Heat-and-eat foods are convenient, but they're also phenomenally expensive. When you compare an equal serving of the same food made from scratch, you actually end up paying several times more for the pre-packaged one. Besides being cheaper, meals made from scratch also be healthier and more nutritious, which makes you feel better overall. With the right utensils and recipes, cooking wholesome and inexpensive meals is something even the busiest people can do.

Use Rags

Paper towels are another expense that can hit your wallet hard. They're great for mopping up messes, but you end up feeling like you're cleaning with dollar bills. An effective alternative is to use rags for anything that doesn't absolutely require a paper towel. Since they can be rinsed and washed, there's no waste. Plus, you can use either your worn-out washcloths or bits cut from old t-shirts to make effective and free cleaning rags. This also works as a replacement for disposable dish sponges.

Travel Nurses A Unique Specialty In A Medical Career

Travel nursing is a concept in the field of nursing that came about as a remedy to the shortage of nurses across various health institutions. What happens is that some segments of the medical sector sometimes provide nurses who are able to travel and work in various places that require them to fill temporary nursing positions. The nurses charged with these kinds of duties are the ones referred to as travel nurses. The nursing positions they go to fill are mostly in hospitals that are outside the area in which they work or reside. Despite the fact that the term travel nursing is regularly associated specifically with the nursing profession, the term is also used to refer to a wide range of healthcare positions, which could include physical therapy, speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, dentists or even doctors.

The requirements for travel nurses to meet include; they must have a minimum of 1 year of experience with a year being preferred in their particular specialty. They must also have a license in the state of which they have employment in. The states board of nursing usually grants this.

Travel nurses may at times receive some level of orientation when they reach the new hospitals that they are to work in, it is however minimal and in most cases, they receive no orientation at all. Travel nurses are required to have a high level of experience and knowledge. They are required to have the mental and physical capability to deal and adapt with their new environments while still being able to perform their duties.

Travel nurses play a crucial role and especially in hospitals where their expertises are in need. They help to offer services to patients who would have to wait in long queues or even days if they were not there. Their need and role cannot be underestimated in the medical sector.