For rural workers whose income disappears every off-season, unemployment insurance can be a lifeline or a paperwork nightmare. Here’s how eligibility, base periods, and …
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The Cost of Distance
Child Care Deserts: Budgeting for Work When the Nearest Daycare Is 45 Minutes Away
In counties with no licensed daycare for miles, child care isn’t just a scheduling headache, it’s a hidden line item that reshapes …
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Banking Deserts & Access
Buy Now, Pay Later in Rural America: What These Loans Really Cost When There’s No Branch to Ask Questions
Buy now, pay later apps promise easy credit at the checkout screen, but for rural shoppers without a nearby bank or credit …
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Digital Banking on Rural Broadband
When Your Internet Subsidy Runs Out: Rebuilding a Banking Budget After the Affordable Connectivity Program Ends
For years, a federal broadband subsidy quietly kept a lot of rural households online enough to check balances, pay bills, and avoid …
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Seasonal & Irregular Income
Funding an IRA on a Harvest Check: Retirement Savings Strategies for Seasonal and Irregular Income
When your income arrives in one or two lump sums a year instead of a biweekly paycheck, saving for retirement takes a …
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Insurance & Emergency Planning
Insuring a Manufactured or Mobile Home in Rural Areas: What Standard Policies Leave Out
Manufactured and mobile homes make up a big share of rural housing, but many standard insurance policies don’t fit them well. Here’s …
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Seasonal & Irregular Income
Oil, Gas, and Wind Lease Royalties: Budgeting for Payments That Arrive on No Set Schedule
Royalty checks from a gas well, oil lease, or wind turbine easement don’t come like a paycheck. Here’s how rural landowners can …
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Insurance & Emergency Planning
Livestock Mortality Insurance: Protecting Your Herd’s Value When Death Loss Isn’t Covered Anywhere Else
Crop insurance covers your yield and farm property insurance covers your buildings, but neither pays out when a valuable animal dies of …
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Insurance & Emergency Planning
Long Commute, Higher Premium: How Rural Driving Distances and Farm-Use Vehicles Affect Your Auto Insurance Bill
Insurers price auto policies partly on how far and how often you drive, and rural households often lose on both counts. Here’s …
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Seasonal & Irregular Income
Patronage Dividends: How Co-op Refund Checks Fit Into a Farm Family’s Yearly Budget
That once-a-year check from your grain or fuel co-op isn’t a bonus—it’s part of your income plan. Here’s how to budget around …
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Credit Unions & Community Banks
Co-Signing for a Grandchild’s Truck or Trade School Loan: What Rural Grandparents Need to Know Before They Sign
When the closest lender is the credit union where everybody knows your name, co-signing for a grandkid’s first big loan feels like …
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USDA Rural Housing & Repair
USDA Section 523 Self-Help Housing: How Building Your Own Home With Neighbors Can Replace a Down Payment
USDA’s Mutual Self-Help Housing program lets low-income rural families build each other’s homes side by side, swapping sweat equity for the cash …
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