By Robert Lipply

Imagine a little piece of Greece transplanted to the northern part of Pinellas County. The delightful town of Tarpon Springs, which has a population of around 20,000 is famous for its unique Greek heritage and culture. It also has the distinction of being the oldest town in the St Petersburg area.

The first Greek immigrants were attracted to the area during the 1800s when they were employed in the thriving sponge industry. The town was given its name after residents spotted fish jumping out of the water and in 1905 sponge diving was introduced to the town. By 1930, millions of dollars a year were being generated by the sponge industry.

Today, although the sponge industry isn’t as profitable as it once was, Tarpon Springs retains its unique Greek culture and not surprisingly, has the largest percentage of Greek-Americans in the country. Today, more than 20 restaurants offer authentic Greek cuisine and the downtown area offers antique shops, boutiques and specialty stores.

The town is also well known for its Epiphany celebrations every year in January – the largest such festival in the United States. Naturally, delicious Greek food and traditional music feature large in the festivities, as well as several religious services.

Undoubtedly though, the highlight of the event is the spectacle of several young men of the town diving into the cold waters of the bayou to retrieve a wooden cross. Tradition says that whoever recovers the cross will be blessed for the next year, and the proud winner is carried triumphantly through the town.

And, if like many others before, you have the urge to buy a home, a second home, a vacation home – or even relocate – to this unique and fascinating town, property in Tarpon Springs is affordable and plentiful.

Homes for sale in Tarpon Springs range from sprawling waterfront properties such as Anclote Isles to exclusive gated golf course communities like Wentworth or Crescent Oaks to imposing mansions in and around Craig’s Park. The more affordable end of the market has a wide selection of condos, modest single family homes, and mobile homes as well. Greece never seemed so easy to get to!

About the Author: Bob Lipply and his team of full time, full service Tampa Bay Realtors, will work hard to find you the perfect home. View available properties at Tampa Bay Real Estate, or you can also call toll free at 1-888-423-5775. We answer all calls promptly.

Source: isnare.com

Permanent Link: isnare.com/?aid=131582&ca=Real+Estate

Get Your 401(k) Plan on Track

by

Ishan Goradiya

For many people, their 401(k) plan represents their most significant retirement savings vehicle. Thus, to make sure you have sufficient funds for retirement, you need to get your 401(k) plan on track. To do so, consider these tips:

* increase your contribution rate. With investment values down and future stock market returns uncertain, you need to boost your savings to help increase the value of your 401(k) plan. Strive for total contributions from you and your employer of approximately 10% to 15% of your salary. If you’re not able to save that much right away, save what you can now and increase your contribution rate every six months until you reach that level. One way to accomplish that is to put all pay increases immediately into your 401(k) plan. At a minimum, make sure you’re contributing enough to take advantage of all employer-matching contributions.

* rebalance your investments. You can’t select your investments once and then just ignore your plan. Review your allocation annually to make sure it is close to your original allocation. If not, adjust your holdings to get your allocation back in line. Selling investments within your 401(k) plan does not generate tax liabilities, so you can make these changes without tax ramifications. Use this annual review to make sure you are still satisfied with your investment choices and your allocation is still appropriate for your situation. Avoid potential common mistakes made when investing 401(k) assets, such as allocating too much to conservative investments, not diversifying among several investments, and investing too much in your

Employer’s stock.

*don’t raid your 401(k) balance. Your 401(k) plan should only be used for your retirement. Don’t even think about borrowing from the plan for any other purpose. Sure, that money might come in handy to use as a down payment on a home or to pay off some debts. But you don’t want to get in the habit of using those funds for anything other than retirement. Similarly, if you change jobs, don’t withdraw money from your 401(k) plan. Keep the money with your old employer or roll it over to your new 401(k) plan or an individual

Retirement account.

* seek guidance. It is important to manage your 401(k) plan carefully to help maximize your future retirement income. If you’re concerned about the long-term impact of the recent market declines, call For a review of your 401(k) plan. Rebalancing, asset allocation, and diversification do not assure a profit or protect against loss in declining financial markets.

Ishan Goraydiya is passionate writer and loves writing about Retirement and Financial Planning. These days he is writing on

ingplans.com

Article Source:

eArticlesOnline.com

}