While automated payments ensure your bills get paid with little-to-no effort on your part and keep service providers happy, it’s better to pay some bills manually.Otherwise, you may be setting yourself up for all-too-frequent fee hikes, surprise costs, and payments for services you never even use, according to Yahoo! Finance.

If you’re not expecting them or keeping a close eye on your account balances, those extra costs can bleed your account dry and easily overdraw your account, adding overdraft fees to your burden, Yahoo! Finance reports.

The online magazine recommends dropping these five fees from your automated payment list as soon as possible:

Mobile Phone Bills

Mobile phone bills are high enough, but if you go over your allotted minutes or

Timmy Duggan, the son of RE/MAX of Boulder Realtor®, Duane Duggan, was awarded the “Most Aggressive Rider” Jersey for Stage 6 of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge race which finished up in downtown Denver last Sunday in front of a massive crowd estimated to be over 200,000!

Timmy is currently riding for the Italian-based, Liquigas-Cannondale Professional Cycling Team. Liquigas- Cannondale had a successful week, impressively winning the final three stages and also picking up the overall Smashburger Sprint Jersey! Timmy, a Boulder, Colorado native, rode for the Boulder-based, Garmin – Cervelo Pro Cycling team for six years prior to signing with Liquigas-Cannondale for 2011. 

Timmy, along with former teammate, Ian MacGregor, founded the non-profit,

Rates across the board crept slightly higher throughout the week.  Some of the rise was in reaction to the downward push last week.  Some was due to uneasiness of the markets. Mortgage rates moved higher following rates in general but much of it is due to the fear of significantly increased refinance volume.  The big banks are expecting it but so far it is a blip, not a boom.  Thursday's 7 year treasury bond auction went well and the bonds kept their gains which hasn't been the norm recently.  The dollar headed back up slightly which turned the stock market negative.  Mostly a pretty uneventful week.
 
Quick Hitters:

Mortgage loan applications declined last week by 2.9% and purchase applications dropped to their lowest level since 1996. Click here to read

Selling a vacant home is more difficult than selling a furnished one, in any market. A vacant home—regardless of how nice the property—can seem eerily empty and lacking in character and warmth. However, if you are trying to sell a vacant home—whether it’s a second home or a space you were unable to sell before moving to a new location—there are a few key tips that can make the process easier and help provide a quicker selling time, and a better selling price.

Sweat the small stuff. Once furniture is removed from a space, even the slightest imperfections become apparent. An older carpet that was once disguised by a modern sofa and coffee table is now blaringly out-of-date. Holes in the wall or a hallway in need of a fresh coat of paint are now obvious.

Another week of interesting but inconsistent economic news, continuing the trend of not much of a trend.  The bond market is on a fantastic roll as treasury interest rates drop but mortgages are only "sort of" following the lead.  For instance, Thursday morning, the 10 year bond improved almost a full point, up 27/32's, dropping below 2% for the first time in history.  Mortgages improved a non-factor 3/32's and aren't even at their 52 week lows.  This just reinforces that investors have more faith in the US Treasury than mortgages. That being said, mortgage rates are still excellent, pushing towards their record lows of the past year but given the drop in Treasuries, I'd expect more.
 
A few quick hitters:

• Forbes lists Boulder, Ft Collins and Pueblo in

It may not be pretty, but as a homeowner, keeping your septic tank in top condition is a crucial investment. Ignoring your septic tank is a disastrous mistake made by even the most cautious of homeowners. Regular septic maintenance—including pumping out and inspecting your system every handful of years—is critical to the upkeep of your property. Often, homeowners don’t really realize how their septic systems work, so they don’t look into proper maintenance for them.

A septic system works by carrying wastewater from your home to your septic tank, where it separates solids, known as sludge, from grease and oil, known as scum. The waste-water then leaves the tank and enters the drainfield, and the solids remain. The septic solids should be pumped every

It’s been a wild week and the one part that is very obvious (at least to me) is that no one has a clear picture of where anything is headed.
 
Last Friday's downgrading of the US credit by S&P caused one of the worst one-day stock market drops in history.  Then the market turns around and gains 70% of it back.  Treasury securities see-sawed up and down trying to find a direction and then decided down was good as yields on the 10-year note dropped close to 2% from the 2.5% range. Shorter term notes didn't drop as much, but when a 1-month treasury is already trading a .025%, there really isn't too much room for a meaningful drop.  Mortgage bonds, which compete for investors with the 10-year treasury bond, haven't moved.  30-year loans remain in the mid 4%

RE/MAX of Boulder is pleased to announce three new Realtors® who have joined their company this past summer.  First, Art Schwadron, a Colorado resident for over 25 years and previously at the Louisville RE/MAX Alliance office for a year, brings his diverse background including spec construction projects here and in Telluride, new construction, remodels and investments to the Boulder area.

Second, Carolyn Bleicher, a proud RE/MAX agent for over 8 years in Chicago's NW suburb of Buffalo Grove, has moved to Boulder and brought her expertise to the office. Carolyn confides, “Although Chicago had been my home for nearly 24 years, I am originally from Louisville, KY--home of beautiful woman and fast horses.” Her tech savvy, great sense of humor and personal

Last week the market worried about the potential defaults and the lowering of the country's credit rating if Washington didn't have the debt ceiling issued resolved by August 2.  Congress came through at the last minute and managed to avert a crisis.  But in typical 21st century Washington style, no one seems happy.  Many Republicans are unhappy that there aren't enough spending cuts or enough specific cuts.  Many Democrats are unhappy that tax rates on the rich and on corporations weren't increased.  The press is condemning both sides and the public is both relieved and disgusted  A true Washington compromise - it passed and no one is willing to take responsibility for it.  Hopefully, over the course of the future months (years) some of the better ideas

Most people look forward to traveling, spending time with friends and family and playing lots of golf when they retire.

Jackie Thompson dreamt of making wine and sharing it with others who enjoy drinking it.

That dream became a reality in 2003 when Jackie, with the emotional and financial support of husband Mike, opened Boulder Creek Winery.

But Jackie, who is from Vermont, was anything but a novice when it came to making wine. Both sides of her family are French, and she grew up in a home in which making wine was common practice. She then went to college for a degree in plant and soil science with plans of applying it to a future in vineyards and winemaking.

When Jackie and Mike, who is from Massachusetts, met in Vermont, she was a