For the first time since Fiscal Year (FY) 2001, New Jersey's state budget does not rely on tax or fee increases. Gov. Jon S. Corzine signed a $33.47 billion state budget for FY 2008 that is committed to no new taxes, substantial tax reli…
Cons and hustles are as old as civilization itself. For as long as there have been goods and currency to collect and divide, there have been unscrupulous individuals who are ready to relieve the unwary consumer of their holdings. Banking to…
Almost everyone, whether they're financially successful or not, knows what it's like to feel the pinch of financial insecurity at one time or another—those moments when an unexpected expense looms on the horizon like a storm, or the real…
Money matters are important to any homeowner, putting much pressure on those board members in charge of creating a budget—no easy task. Within a budget, condo boards and associations must try to predict expenses for the upcoming year, in…
Instances of out-and-out fraud are rare in the world of condos and homeowners associations, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't look out for them and know how to spot signs of trouble. Consider this—most board members are volunteers…
Although New Jersey housing cooperatives may be rare compared to the numbers of co-ops in New York City, suburban co-ops face the same types of issues as their big-city neighbors. One of the primary concerns of nearly all co-ops is the b…
Many HOAs would like to know how their association compares with others in their area. Measuring one's own financial situation against that of one's peers is often a good way to gauge financial solvency and level of preparation for things l…
There are times when even prudence, foresight and good planning, cannot prevent significant and unforeseen challenges, and circumstances occur which are beyond a board's control. This article identifies some of these situations, and prov…
Prices of most co-ops and condominiums in the New York metropolitan area—which nowadays extends as far west as eastern Pennsylvania and as far south as the lower Jersey shore—have reached stratospheric proportions. In once-blighted urban…
Sue Stevens became president of her Arlington, Texas homeowners association in 2003, one of her first orders of duty was solving a vital security issue to the residents—how to protect their homes, which were highly visible from several m…