Thought Leaders

Shawna Woodward

Real Talk Real Estate: Next Steps After Storm Damage: How to Restore or Sell with Help from Homeowners Insurance

As I sit here today, overwhelmed with the sound of chainsaws still whirring in the distance and a second storm hitting Florida, thoughts of what will come next burst into my emotions. Many of us are dealing with storm damage to our homes. This can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re faced with the daunting task of excessive repairs or even the possibility of totaling your property. The emotional and financial toll will be significant. However, homeowners’ insurance should be there to help shoulder the burden and guide you through the

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B2B Stories

Simon Says: Lessons from Hurricane Helene

It brings out the best in people and the worst. Best: Neighbors helping clear trees, providing water, offering lifts. Worst: Impatient drivers who yell at electricity workers repairing the infrastructure because they can’t go down their preferred road. Workers getting out of their vehicles to yell and point fingers at fellow workers. From an economic point of view, the free market is a great way to allocate resources. Publix understood what customers would demand and quickly got water, ice, and charcoal grills into their National Hills store (where I shop).

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Shawna Woodward

Real Talk Real Estate: Homeowners Insurance Woes

Editor’s note: In the wake of Hurricane Helene’s damage across the CSRA, homeowners and renters have many questions about what their insurance covers and how FEMA might help with disaster assistance. For more information: Go online to DisasterAssistance.gov, use the FEMA App, or call 800-621-3362. Lines are open every day and help is available in most languages. In the Best of Real Talk Real Estate, Shawna Woodward offers more practical advice for homeowner and renter insurance. In recent months, I’ve noticed some concerning trends affecting homeowners across the country. You may have

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Human Resources

Health Concerns Following a Hurricane or Flood

A natural disaster can be one of the most devastating events in a person’s lifetime. Families can be uprooted, and entire neighborhoods can be destroyed in the blink of an eye. As our local CSRA community, along with many other neighboring states begin to recover from Hurricane Helene, it is important to know what resources can help in the wake of a disaster. As a local business owner, making your employees aware of health concerns, as well as the available resources to assist them will help bring a quicker recovery

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Shawna Woodward

Real Talk Real Estate: Sweaters, Swimsuits, and Gutters: Your Ultimate Guide to Fall Home Prep in Augusta

It’s here! Thanks to September 22, it’s officially fall in Augusta. Even though it was a nice breezy 89 degrees and a hurricane is landing, fall is a beautiful time of year that comes with home maintenance challenges. Taking a few proactive steps now can save you time, money, and stress later. So, grab a cozy sweater, or in our case, your swimsuit, and pour yourself a pumpkin spice latte, and let’s discuss the top five things you should do to prepare and maintain your home for fall. 1. Clean

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Consumer Stories

Payroll Taxes: Why Time Really Is Money

The goal of every business is to grow and maintain a strong bottom line. However, managing time efficiently can make or break that goal. For small to medium-sized businesses, tasks like payroll taxes often become a burden, especially without the proper staff or expertise. Left unmanaged, payroll tax issues can quickly escalate, leading to significant financial penalties and credit problems. Here’s why payroll taxes deserve your attention: Payroll taxes are cumulative, and delays in filing or payment can snowball into larger issues. Penalties for late submissions can accumulate quickly, impacting

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Consumer Stories

Best of Real Talk Real Estate: Unlocking Real Estate Secrets: 3 Top Googled Questions Answered

We all do it, take all our questions about real estate to the infamous Google! Initially, they mostly revolve around the same topic everyone is curious about: “When is the housing market going to crash?” Frankly, I’m a bit tired of that one, so let’s talk about a few other commonly searched questions. Can You Sell a Property After Probate? This is a common question, but not one many people are familiar with. Probate is the legal process of settling a deceased person’s assets and debts. Depending on whether there’s

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Human Resources

Destress Your Open Enrollment

Open enrollment comes at the same time every year, but just like the arrival of Christmas, it can catch us off guard if we are not careful. It often leads to last-minute scrambling and stress with the potential to impact employees and employers. A little preparation helps to smooth out those wrinkles while getting all the pieces into place. To get ready for open enrollment, employer groups have several things to consider and should review the design of their health plan to make sure that any necessary updates can be

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Consumer Stories

Real Talk Real Estate: Refinancing Your Home Mortgage: The Comedy of Rates, Points, and Perpetual Uncertainty

If you’ve been keeping tabs on the real estate market recently, you may have noticed something strange — it’s been a bit like trying to read the stock market while blindfolded…on a roller coaster…with a squirrel in your lap. In other words, it’s wild, unpredictable, and slightly ridiculous. But, whether you’re looking to buy your dream home, refinance your mortgage, or simply get a handle on the market, there are some essential things to know. So, let’s look into the essentials of refinancing your mortgage in today’s bonkers real estate

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Consumer Stories

It is time… for time in the cloud!

Everyone in a management capacity has faced the dread of tracking down employees to get the information needed to update timecards for payroll processing. Multiple slips of paper, emails, and recollections of prior conversations all play a part in this never-ending merry-go-round subsiding only momentarily after a payroll has run before starting all over again. Technology, however, can help and although it may never wholly prevent the need for occasional time punch clarifications with employees, it will introduce a faster and more accurate process. Employee timekeeping can be a major

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