Interest rates have never been lower and a refinance boom is underway. Homeowners are saving hundreds of dollars each month on mortgage payments and refinancing out of adjustable rate mortgages. Before you move forward, do your homework.

Interest rates have never been lower and a refinance boom is underway. Homeowners are saving hundreds of dollars each month on mortgage payments and refinancing out of adjustable rate mortgages. Before you move forward, do your homework.

Many people are rethinking their investment strategies and taking a more conservative approach. Adrian Zangirolami with Preserve First of Houston has been steering his clients with a conservative hand for years now. While Americans have lost $15 trillion in personal wealth during this recession, Adrian’s clients haven’t lost a penny.

Adrian advises many of his clients to utilize a conservative tool called a fixed annuity. “To be conservative, you have to approach investing in a different way,” said Adrian Zangirolami on the Homework Houston radio show. He suggests that fixed annuities act more like savings accounts than investments but have more advantages than certificates of deposit. Those advantages include tax deferral, protection from law suits and no fees or commissions charged to the consumer. Fixed annuities have a fixed rate of return. “It is like a savings account run by an insurance company instead of a bank.”

Video cameras are becoming a more popular choice for homeowners looking for home security systems. The sight of a video camera is a greater deterrent to burglars than the loud noise of an alarm system according to Reed Newberry with Homewatch Security Cameras of Houston.

“Cameras are the future. It’s the way people are going to secure their homes,” said Newberry on the Homework Houston radio show.

Successful home sellers in this economy are preparing their homes for the time period when they get the best offers. Ronnie Matthews, owner and broker at RE/MAX Legends of Houston, told Homework Houston radio listeners that time period is typically when the home is first listed. “Generally speaking, the very best offers we get are in the first 30 days on the market.” Which offer is the best one to consider? “When you get that first offer, 90% of the time, that’s going to be your best offer,” said Matthews.

Doc Greene, president of Audio Video Designers says that’s because the sets are in “torch mode.” Torch mode is the factory setting that makes the picture look good under the florescent lights of a video store and appear brighter when compared to other screens. Most consumers leave their new TV’s in the factory settings which is much too bright and has too much contrast for home viewing.

Buy and hold is dead. Whether you’re purchasing equities in one company or selecting a mutual fund, the rules of successful investing have changed. Craig Wear, a registered investment advisor, says success in these turbulent economic times follows new rules. “Active markets require active management,” he said on the Homework Houston radio show.

Before you pick an advisor to help you manage your investments, do your homework. Craig Wear warns that just having an advisor doesn’t guarantee success. He offers 4 steps that will help you pick an advisor that will work in your best interest.