Serena Russell ~ Bay Area Real Estate Specialist

An IRA is an Individual Retirement Account, and provides either a tax-deferred or tax-free way of saving for retirement. There are many different types of accounts within the world of IRAs, depending on the financial goals and situations of each individual, though traditional and Roth IRAs are the most common choices.

If you haven’t contributed to an IRA yet, you have until April 15, 2010 to open or contribute for the 2009 tax year.
Please consult your tax advisor for tax-related details.

Home Fire Safety
When buying, building or renovating your home, make sure all roofing materials are fire resistant.
Never leave candles or other open flames burning unattended.
Douse cigarette and cigar butts with water before dumping them in the trash.
Don’t leave hot irons, or burning stovetops and outdoor grills unattended while in use. Double-check that you’ve turned them off after use.
Regularly clear and dispose of dry or dead vegetation in your yard or areas near your home.
Make sure the lid stays on your trash can, and store firewood and other combustibles away from your home.
Install smoke alarms on every level of your home. For the best detection and notification protection, install both ionization and photoelectric-type smoke alarms. Put them inside or near every bedroom. Test them monthly to make sure they work. Put in new batteries once a year.
Don’t have deadbolts that lock with an inside key. You need to get out fast if a fire starts. A missing key could trap you inside. Also, don’t nail windows shut. Make sure they open easily.
Make a fire escape plan for your family. Find two exits out of every room. Pick a meeting place outside. Practice makes perfect – hold a family fire drill at least twice each year.
Be sure your street address is visibly posted so that firefighters can identify your home in the event of an emergency.

Whether you are buying and selling a home today, you should hire a Realtor who knows the market and is willing to spend the time to really understand your needs.

Consumers are becoming confident about the economic recovery and their finances are on the mend, according to a new survey of consumer retail spending and trends from Deloitte. More than half (55 percent) of consumers think the economy has started to recover from the recession, and nearly two-thirds (64 percent) indicate their household financial situation is the same or better compared with a year ago. In addition, nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of survey respondents said they are planning to spend the same or more at retailers this year than they did in 2009. “Consumers appear to be picking up on the signals that point to brighter days ahead,” said Stacy Janiak, vice chairman and Deloitte’s retail leader in the United States. “The majority of those surveyed indicate their net worth is stabilizing, if not improving. Despite this show of confidence, consumers are mindful of events that could impact their financial situation. More than half of consumers (54 percent) say rising energy prices could cause them to hold back their spending in coming months; more than four out of 10 say higher taxes (45 percent) and lack of improvement in the job market (41 percent) could do the same. Roughly one out of four (27 percent) believe that the economy is recovering but may fall back into recession. While one-third (33 percent) are purchasing more online compared with a year ago, the Web has become an integral part of the in-store shopping experience as well, with three-quarters (75 percent) of consumers indicating that they look online for store, price or product information before or during their in-store shopping. More than half (56 percent) of respondents indicate they use social networking sites, and among them, more than four out of 10 (43 percent) interact with retailers through these channels. Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of them do so to find out about promotions, almost half (48 percent) browse products and more than one-third (35 percent) review the recommendations found on those sites.