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Most people prefer to age in place. If you have a beautiful and gracious home that you love, why leave it? Yet common features in many homes—steeps stairs, “classic” plumbing fixtures, even hardwood floors—can actually make life less comfortable, or sometimes even dangerous, as you get older. Fortunately, there are many attractive home décor options that are also age-friendly. If you’re remodeling a home, putting a little thought into your likely future needs and planning for them can save you the hassle, expense, and possibly a trip to the emergency room.

A beautiful summer home on the beach or keeping a home of your grandparents for all family branches to gather, relax, and enjoy sounds ideal. What happens when your cousin comes with her five kids and three large dogs for a month? Or the taxes and maintenance are being split equally and you barely use the property? Or what if some family members leave the property in disarray? Unfortunately, sometimes a good idea intended to bring the family closer together can, if not managed properly, create more tension and conflict.

A chimney fire can be a significant event, in both monetary damages and trauma. The risk is heightened by the fact that chimney fires often begin out of sight, meaning they may not be noticed in time to prevent the flames from spreading to the home or causing serious structural damage. Luckily, a few simple measures can help reduce the damage from chimney fires—or prevent one altogether.

Extreme winter weather has been a major issue throughout much of the U.S. in recent years and can result in high insurance claims accounting for millions in losses—the majority of which were due to ice dams and frozen pipes. An analysis of the winter-weather loss claims yielded four common factors and valuable insights that can help you be more proactive about preventing these risks.