Gear

What to buy, what to skip, and what the cheaper one actually costs you.

The BRO Gear GuideBuy once, fix it, pass it down: a cost-per-use calculator, a warranty decoder and a repairability checklist.Judge it before you buy

← Newer articlesPage 108 of 179

The HOA Documents to Read Before You Sign Anything

The resale packet lands as a 200-page PDF and you've got a few days to read it. Skip the wrong page and you inherit somebody else's roof bill.

GuideTravelNina CastellanSep 23, 20266 min

Plan the trip around the slowest walker and the earliest bedtime

Three generations under one roof can be the best week of the year or a five-day standoff. The difference is decided before you book anything.

Ask BRO

Give me something to do with my kids this weekend

Ask it

GuideRetirementRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

Hiring A Financial Adviser Without Getting Sold Something

Two words decide most of it, and you can verify them for free in about ten minutes before you ever shake the guy's hand.

Coconut.com — Tell us when. We find where the sun is.

PartnerCoconut.com

Real Estate6 min read

Buy The Access And The Water, Not The View

Raw land looks simple until the gate gets locked, the well comes up dry and the county says no. Do the checks in this order.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

GuideTravelDean ShawSep 23, 20265 min

Your $80 park pass and the parks worth using it on first

What the America the Beautiful pass covers, what it quietly doesn't, and the arrival window that decides whether the day is any good.

GuideRetirementRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

Move Your Old 401k Without Handing the IRS a Check

The difference between a clean rollover and a surprise tax bill usually comes down to one phrase you say on the phone.

GermProof.com — An invisible germ barrier on your skin for hours

PartnerGermProof.com

GuideReal EstateRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

Who Gets Paid At The Closing Table And What They Actually Do

Title search, escrow, the settlement statement and the wire. A plain-English walk through the last three weeks of a home purchase.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

GuideTravelDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

Your first Grand Canyon trip, without the rookie mistakes

Which rim, which trail, where to sleep, and the turnaround rule that keeps a great day from becoming a rescue.

GuideRetirementRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

Required minimum distributions don't have to wreck your tax year

The IRS eventually wants its cut of that 401(k). Learn how RMDs work, what the first year does to people, and the moves that soften the hit.

Ask BRO

Pressure-test my business idea

Ask it

GuideReal EstateRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

Scout The Small Town Before You Sell The House

Rent first, visit in the ugly month, read the county minutes, and price the insurance before you fall in love with the porch.

Delicious.com — Nine thousand recipes and a plan for tonight

PartnerDelicious.com

GuideTravelNina CastellanSep 23, 20265 min

The two-hour stop clock that keeps the back seat happy

A snack ration system, a stop rhythm you announce out loud, and four games that survive hour three of a long drive.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

GuideRetirementRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

What Part-Time Work Does to Your Social Security Check

The earnings test isn't a penalty, the money comes back, and the real traps are hiding in Medicare and your HSA.

GuideReal EstateRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

Selling your house yourself and what it really costs you

For-sale-by-owner can keep real money in your pocket, but only if you know which half of the commission you're actually saving and which jobs land on you.

Names.com — The name is the first thing you sell

PartnerNames.com

GuideTravelDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

Five days on the Blue Ridge Parkway, milepost by milepost

469 miles at 45 mph, no gas on the road itself, and the overlooks that are actually worth putting the car in park for.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next two weeks.

Retirement5 min

Which Retirement Account To Spend From First

Real Estate6 min

What a Property Manager Actually Does for That 8 Percent

Ask BRO

Rehearse the raise conversation with me

Ask it

GuideTravelNina CastellanSep 23, 20266 min

Where the family vacation money actually goes

The trip almost never blows up on the hotel bill. It blows up in $14 increments, three times a day, for nine days straight.

CancerDefying.com — The research, protocols and reading in one place

PartnerCancerDefying.com

Retirement6 min read

What to Check Before You Retire to a Small Town

The view sells the house. The hospital, the well, the tax bill and the internet decide whether you stay.

Poll

How many days a week are you actually training?

Older articles

Older Gear stories