We visited the DMV website the other day and noticed a recent scam warning. It’s one that could affect our customers here in the Utica area. It’s about scams using text messages and emails to lure the unsuspecting to criminal websites. We’ve talked about online scams before: Phishing Attack Costs Town Banking and Charity Scams […]
April 12, 2022
A friend of ours spent last summer getting his kitchen remodeled. That included knocking everything out down to the studs. And new windows and window placement. Doors inside and out and new door placements. New ceiling, floor, countertop, appliances…the works. He hadn’t thought much about energy efficiency. We got curious. Could he and his wife […]
April 5, 2022
It’s too cold to be cleaning out the garage in winter. But come spring, it’s time to tidy up! We take stock. Decide what to keep and what goes in the trash. Or think about a donation to our local Habitat for Humanity ReStore on French Road in Utica. So while you’re mired in all […]
March 29, 2022
Your homeowners insurance policy covers lots of stuff. But there are things that are excluded. Such as flood, a big issue here in the Utica area. But today we’re concerned with property coverages that are limited in the home insurance policy. Limited, that is, in the amount the insurance company will pay. And/or the kind […]
March 22, 2022
We’re excited about spring! It’s coming March 20 and it’s got us into a golfing, gardening, and traveling mood. Or how about sun, fun, and a pre-America’s Greatest Heart Run and Walk run! But first order of business…post winter clean up. That’s the thing here in the Utica area. Our lawns get littered with fallen […]
March 15, 2022
Can you imagine an American city experiencing no traffic deaths in three years? It happened in Hoboken, New Jersey, a city about the size of Utica, NY. How did a city of 54,000 people pull this off? The mayor, Ravi Bhalla, credits the city’s Vision Zero program. So what’s Vision Zero? From the Vision Zero […]
March 8, 2022
A town in Massachusetts suffered a phishing attack last December. And what seemed a routine transaction turned costly. To the tune of more than $100,000. An employee received an email from what they believed was one of their vendors. The “vendor” wanted payment with a wire transfer. This wasn’t unusual. The town did pay some […]
March 1, 2022
“I’ve got to check my credit report today!” Is this your first thought waking up in the morning? Probably not! But, believe us, maybe it should be. Online scams are a major problem. But you can monitor them via your credit report. And don’t forget, your credit report is a major factor in the decision-making […]
February 22, 2022
The trend in home renovation is up the last few years. We know this from a preliminary report from the Home Improvement Research Institute. It shows growth in the home improvement product industry of 13% in 2021. This, combined with 13.3% growth in 2020 confirms a phenomenal increase over two years. People have been locked […]
February 15, 2022
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg talked recently in the online magazine, Slate, about a national trend we’ve written about before. That is, the spike in traffic deaths in 2020 reported by the DOT in its National Roadway Safety Strategy. The final figures are in (we reported slightly more deaths from a preliminary report). It turns out […]
February 8, 2022
