Laura Vecsey Journalist Profile

Articles

Short-Term Rentals: 10 Things to Know About Sites Like Airbnb

Nov 30, 2024 | kiplinger.com | Laura Vecsey

Short-term rentals for vacation travel have exploded in the age of mobile data. Since its founding in 2008, Airbnb has helped more than 2 billion guests book and stay at short-term rentals in over 220 countries. Whether you plan to stay in one of the cheapest countries around the world or a nearby town, you'll find diverse property types and prices. But Airbnb’s explosive growth isn’t without its nightmares.
Benefits of Moving Closer to Family

Nov 11, 2024 | seniorsguide.com | Eric Wallace |Annie Tobey |Laura Patrecca |Laura Vecsey

Downsizing and Real Estate 11/11/2024 | By Eric J. Wallace Did you know that maintaining strong social connections later in life can bring major health benefits? Moving closer to family can make that a lot easier to achieve. A landmark scientific review of 148 studies, for instance, showed that decreased social contact and greater isolation increases the chance of early death by 50%.
Hitting the Road in Retirement

Aug 8, 2024 | seniorsguide.com | Laura Patrecca |Brian Marsh |Laura Vecsey |Amy Dickinson

Downsizing and Real Estate 8/8/2024 | By Laura Patrecca Retirees Kay and Steve Parish have taken downsizing to the extreme. Earlier this year, they sold their 1,575-square-foot house and moved full-time into an Airstream trailer one-eighth that size, hitting the road in retirement. They then set off to explore the country, with Steve driving a Ford pick-up that towed their new home behind them.
Three Ways to Save Money on a Fixed Income

Jun 14, 2024 | seniorsguide.com | Hunter Boyce |Annie Tobey |Laura Vecsey |Kimberly Lankford

Retirement Planning, Elder Law, and Senior Finance 6/14/2024 | By Hunter Boyce Living on a fixed income in 2024 can be a tough task for U.S. retirees. Here are some tips to help you save money on a fixed income and make the most of your budget well into your golden years. DownsizeFrom scaling back on personal possessions to moving into a smaller home, downsizing for retirement is all about improving affordability.
Tips for Downsizing in Retirement

May 23, 2024 | seniorsguide.com | Laura Vecsey |Brian Marsh |Amy Dickinson |Cathy Hobbs

Downsizing and Real Estate 5/23/2024 | By Laura Vecsey Downsizing in retirement? In addition to deciding where to go, most retirees also need to sell an existing home – perhaps one they have lived in for decades. Here are tips for selling your home. Know what your home is worth. Homeowners can get a basic understanding of what their home is worth by tooling around on Zillow, Realtor.com and other online sites that have estimator tools.
10 Things You Should Know About Selling Your Home to Downsize in Retirement

Apr 21, 2024 | kiplinger.com | Laura Vecsey

Kay and Jim Schlembach could be considered America’s poster children for downsizing. After a career at ExxonMobil in Houston, Jim retired at age 62, and the couple bought a 3,200-square-foot contemporary on a wooded lot in Clifton Park, N.Y., near Albany. It was a big house to entertain their kids and grandkids. But the Schlembachs had a strict 10-year timeline.
Resilience, Not Recession

Jan 26, 2024 | boomermagazine.com | Jill Schlesinger |Emma Patch |Laura Vecsey |Annie Tobey

Whatever happened to the recession that we were told was right around the corner? Business analyst Jill Schlesinger explores the 2024 U.S. economy and what we experienced instead of recession. A year ago, the vast majority of economists were warning that the 2023 economy would be haunted by the letter R, as in RECESSION. As it turns out, the letter was correct, the word, not so much. In retrospect, 2023 was a year of RESILIENCE for the U.S. economy, led by the pundit-defying labor market.
Real costs of active adult communities

Jun 10, 2023 | gmtoday.com | Laura Vecsey

A tour of 55+ active lifestyle communities can be a whirlwind of swimming pools, golf courses and nightly cocktail parties. There’s a Shangri-La effect that can sweep people up into the feel-good frenzy, and it’s easy — sometimes too easy — to make a decision without weighing all of the angles of a pricey financial commitment. What are the real costs? Homeowner association fees? Taxes? Utilities? And what happens to the value of a place in a retirement-focused community?
What the Retirement Community Property Market is Like

Apr 20, 2023 | kiplinger.com | Laura Vecsey

Bob Anckaitis had no intention of moving to Florida’s well-known retirement community, The Villages. Ten years ago, while on a family trip to Disney World with their kids and grandchildren, the retired U.S. Army officer and his wife, Kathy, decided to stay in Florida for an extended visit. “We saw an ad about a preview week for The Villages,” Anckaitis recalls. He and Kathy had no plans to buy a place, but that changed when they settled into their vacation home.