The Cozy Room

We would always want to lie down on a soft bed to have a good rest. Or read some books while lying comfortably. Or maybe, just want to have an alone time and relax for some time.

Our Bedroom sometimes reflects our personality. It sometimes shows what our hobbies are. It is also a place wherein we keep our secrets and sometimes, this is the place in the house where we run when we want to cry or whenever we are upset.

We would always like our room to look based on what we desire. For example, a teenage rockstar would have a poster of their favorite band on their wall and dark colored bed sheets with a guitar or drumset beside their bed.photo from rilane.com

A teenage sweetheart will be having light colored bed sheets with light colored wallpaper based on their preferences, a gorgeous makeup dresser, a matching closet and study table and a lot of soft pillows.photo from foter.com

For infant rooms, we will be having a cozy crib with a crib hanging toy. A preferable color is blue  for baby boys and pinks for baby girls. We also like to put some dolls inside the baby rooms.

from classyclutter.net

from decorahome.tk

A master’s bedroom will be having dim-lighting, a casual white covered sheets, a wall mounted LED TV, lampshade on top of the side table and a casual white or dirty white wall color. A fireplace is required for those places wherein they experience winter and snow. While for others living in a tropical place, they have a balcony instead. For others, they put ceiling fans instead of chandeliers.

Other rooms were based on the theme they want to have. Some room reflects their favorite cartoon character or their favorite movie. For instance, a Hello Kitty themed Bedroom or Princess-like themed Bedroom

photo from dindak.xyz

photo from equu.rhgpublicity.com

photo from streetmeetsstyle.wordpress.com

photo from http://www.whizzersrose.com

Or a Frozen themed Bedroom

photo from http://www.magicalvacationhomes.com

photo from http://www.willa-holland.net

For kids and Big Boys, A Car themed Bedroom is the most common designs of their rooms

photo from pinterest.com

photo from chikazbooklet.tk

photo from pinterest.com

photo from bedroomdesigncatalog.com

photo from homedesignlover.com

photo from http://www.designdazzle.com

Bedroom designs depend on each and everyone’s unique personality. May it be a kid or a kid at heart. Whatever your room looks like, it is your place for relaxation, a place for serenity. a place to call your own. Disregard those negative comments about your bedroom. As long as this place makes who you are and gives you a peace of mind, All negative aura has no place inside your room. Just always keep your room clean. You don’t want bedbugs or any type of insects ruined your sleeping time.

For some bedroom ideas, provided you some links for your convenience

• 15 ways to make your bedroom the coziest place
• 5 honest reason to make your bedroom the Sacred place
• 104 bedroom decorating ideas
• 70 bedroom Ideas
• Bedroom Inspiration Ideas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bathroom Ideas

Whether you have small bathroom space or a spacious one, there are a lot of ideas you can do with your bathroom to make it a desirable one.

For Small Bathroom, use some classic sink to give your bathroom a big look as it will not use a lot of space. Put a right size mirror attached to the wall with toiletries storage. Have a mirror-like door for your shower and will also serve as a divider between the shower room and the toilet. You can use a bathroom mat on floors to add a style on your bathroom. For white bathrooms, you can use dark colored floor mats or a printed colored mats to give an aesthetic look.  An advantage of having a small bathroom is you can use an expensive material for your sinks, tiles, and storages as they don’t require a huge amount of space.

For some small bathroom ideas, click here.

photo from designerhowhouse.net

photo from youkitchendesigns.tk

If you have a spacious bathroom then you have a various option in designing your bathroom. This may also cost you a lot of money as the amount of materials to be used is being considered. You may choose different bathroom themes as you desire.

photo from ditrohome.com

photo from flashconf.net

photo from wowbathroomideas.com

If you’re looking for some bathroom ideas, here are some good reads

• 12 Bathroom Ideas
• Big Ideas for small to large bathrooms
• 12 Magnificent Master’s Bathroom
• 90+ Bathroom Designs

 

Living Room Ambiance

Photo from hngideas.com

Living Room is where families gather to bond or simply watch a movie together. It is the place where we entertain our visitors or have some conversation with friends. It is the first place we see once we enter our home. And, we would like to have a clean and nice living room to uplift our mood when we go home after a hard day work.

We reinvent our living room most of the time. Redecorate it if there are occasions, during holidays or whenever we feel like decorating it.

Here are some various ideas in remodeling your Living Room:

1. New Paint for your living Room – Tired of the same wall color of your living room? Try to repaint it with a different color. You may use a lighter color to create a refreshing look.
2. Change Curtains  – Curtains gives style in your living room. Sometimes, the color of the curtain that we use depends on the season. For example, If it’s Christmas Season, we use our Christmas-themed-like Curtain. It could be Red, Green or White Curtain for Christmas.
3. Have some Cushion for your sofa and change the cover often – Make it a habit to change your Cushion Cover. We would like to have a clean environment with free of dust especially if we have a baby or children. Choosing your Cushion covers gives different aura in your living room. We may use printed design or just plain colors.
4. Have some artworks, figurines or Fresh flower – Having some artful designs in your living room makes it more attractive. Aside from the hanging Family portrait and the Framed photo on top of your cabinet, you may also put some lovely figurines of angels or animals. A Fresh flower in a vase at the center of your living room table will give the room a fresh look. Or you may opt to use an artificial flower instead of a fresh one.
5. Rearrange your Living Room Furniture – This requires a hard work as you need to relocate your furniture to have a new and better look. For furniture that looks old, don’t throw them away. You just have to think of an idea to make it look like new again. For example, for the book shelves that has faded paint, you just need to repaint it or cover it using wall vinyl or any printed paper you wish. Use your creative mind and transform that old furniture into a new one without spending too much money.

For some visual Living Room Ideas, click the link below

• 7 Mini Living Room Makeover
• 30 Living Room Inspiring Ideas 
• Ways to update your Living Room

 

Taxes and Investors

Photo from www.nordicban.org

Filing of Taxes have already started and there are still a lot to learn about. As per Investopedia, there are various types of taxes that a business should pay depending on the company’s physical location, ownership structure, and the nature of a business. They may be required to pay the following:

1. Federal Income Tax
2. State or Local Income Tax
3. Payroll Tax
4. Unemployment Tax
5. Sales Tax
6. Foreign Tax
7. Value Added Tax

Though, Many are hoping not to pay taxes, Paying Taxes is a must. You must rather pay the taxes on or before its due date rather than regret it in the end.

For individual Investors, Investopedia has enumerated these helpful Tax Tips that can help you save money

Source: Tax Tips For The Individual Investor

1. Dividends – Reinvested dividends increase your investment in a fund and thus reduce your taxable gain (or increase your capital loss).
2. Bonds – When the stock markets perform badly, investors make the flight to quality and look elsewhere for places to put their money. Many find a safe haven in bonds. When you are calculating your taxes, remember to report the interest income on your tax return: you may not have to pay tax on all the interest you received.
3.  Write-Offs – For investors who invest in small business ventures or are self-employed, there are many operating expenses that can be written off. For homeowners who have moved and sold their home during the year, an important consideration when reporting the capital gain on the sale is the actual cost basis of the purchase of the home. If your home has undergone renovations or similar improvements having a useful life of more than one year, you will likely be able to include the cost of such improvements into the adjusted cost base of your home, thus reducing your capital gain incurred on the sale and the resultant taxes.
4. Tax-Deferred Programs Are Like Free Money – Every time you trade a stock, you are vulnerable to capital gains tax. Making your purchases through a tax-deferred account can save you a pile of money. Tax-deferred accounts come in many shapes and sizes. The most well known are individual retirement account (IRA) and simplified employment pension (SEP) plans. The basic idea is that you are not taxed on the funds until you withdraw, at which point you are taxed at the rate of your income tax bracket.
   
5. Match Your Profits and Losses in the Same Year – it is a good idea to match the sale of a profitable investment with the sale of a losing one within the same year. Capital losses can be used against capital gains, and short-term losses can be deducted from short-term gains.
   
6. Add Broker Fees to the Cost of Your Stocks – These expenses should be added to the amount you paid for a stock when determining your cost basis. When you sell the shares, subtract the commission from the sale price of the stocks. Think of these costs as a write-off because they are direct expenses incurred to help you make your money grow.
   
7. Try To Hold On to Your Stocks for At Least 12 Months – take a moment to consider the tax advantages of using a longer-term buy-and-hold strategy if you are not doing so already – the savings can be worth more than you think.
   
8. The Bottom Line – Part of a successful financial plan is astute tax management: ensuring you are actively taking advantage of tax avoidance opportunities that apply to your situation and also making sure you do not overlook any expenses or other income-reduction techniques that can reduce your taxable earnings.

 

GetSmarterAboutMoney.Ca explains that if you’re an investor, you’ll need to pay the taxes on interest-bearing investments, dividend-paying investment, capital gains and foreign investments. The amount of taxes you need to pay depends on the type of investment you made, the tax laws where you lived, if investments are held in tax-sheltered plan and based on your income. For Further information, click this link to read the full article.

TurboTax has also shared some Tax tips for Investors.

Source: Tax Tips for Investors

1. Put your Retirement Account to Work
2. Review your Portfolio Mix
3. Play the Match Game
4. Maximize Itemized Deductions

To know what to report on your investments and have an idea how they were taxed, You have to to categorized your investment –  if it generates interest income or you have sold the investment. Determining if its Ordinary income or Capital gain will help us understand how our investment is taxed. You must also understand what basis means. In investment, Basis means the amount of investment in an asset. You should also know how to compute your capital gain or loss. And learn to use your capital losses to reduce your tax liability. If things do not go according to plan, you can always ask for the assistance of a Tax professional or an Accountant. For further information, read the full article here.

 

 

 

Celebrity Houses in Los Angeles

Would you like to have a glimpse of your favorite Hollywood stars houses? Take a look and be captivated on these gorgeous houses of some famous artists.

1. Blake Shelton and Miranda LambertThis Los Angeles mansion has been rented by celebrities like Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert, Adam Levine, Heidi Klum and RuPaul. Source: Celebrity Homes: An Inside Look
2. Jonathan Rhys MeyersThe actor’s cool contemporary pad in Los Angeles features a secluded pool, a lush backyard and airy, open living spaces. Source: Celebrity Homes: An Inside Look
3. John Legend and Chrissy TeigenOnce owned by Rihanna. This house is now with five bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a billiard/party room with bar, theater, “9 flat screen TVs,” gym, sauna, “infinity soaking tub,” “fully integrated high-tech Crestron & security system,” and city and canyon views, all set on .86 acres at the end of a cul de sac. Source: Celebrity Real Estate
4. Michael MacDonaldSource: Celebrity Homes: An Inside Look
5. SIA Sia new 1.3-acre property in Toluca Lake includes a large, 4,500-square-foot guesthouse that has been used as a recording studio  plus the Traditional-style main house, a swimming pool, and an outdoor fireplace. Source: Celebrity Real Estate
6. Charlize TheronCharlize Theron sold this Los Angeles home for $3.8 million. Source: Celebrity Homes
7. Calvin Harris This property includes the 4,127-square-foot main house, a two-story guesthouse, and a pool that comes right up to the walls of glass at the back of the house. Source: Celebrity Real Estate
8. Denise Richards Denise Richards’ home in Hidden Hills, Calif., is listed at $7.749 million. Source: Real Estate
9. Tom Brady Football star Tom Brady, supermodel Gisele Bundchen, and their family live in this $20 million Los Angeles mansion.  Source: Celebrity Homes
10. Halle Berry  Source: Celebrity Homes

 

 

WHAT TO EXPECT IN HOMES SALES THIS YEAR?

photo from grandhomes.blog.com

Growing home sales

Source: http://ow.ly/X4Yeh

National Association of Realtors®  Chief Economist Lawrence Yun tells that existing homes sales are to expand in a more moderate pace in 2016. This is because of affordability pressure and meager economic growth. Yun points to pent-up demands, sustained job growth and improving conditions as his reason for an expected gain from 2015.

Based on the article by NAR posted last January 12, 2016,  Yun expects total existing-homes sales to finish the year up 6.5 percent from 2014 at a pace of around 5.26 million —the highest since 2006, but roughly 25 percent below the prior peak set in 2005 (7.08 million). The national median existing-home price for all of 2015 will be close to $221,200, up around 6 percent from 2014. In 2016, existing sales are expected to grow between 1 and 2 percent (5.30 to 5.40 million) and prices between 5 and 6 percent.

To further understand what to expect in Home Sales this year. NAR has provided an Infographic showing the housing outlook on Existing Home Sales, Median Home Prices, Mortgage Rates and Job Growth. It also shows the GDP percentage and the Potential Speed Bumps.

Provided here is the link to watch the full interview of Lawrence Yun.