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How to make your home hurricane resistant amid climate change

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Making your home hurricane resistant can be a significant financial undertaking. But it’s one that has the potential to pay off as such storms become more intense amid climate change.

In 2024, the national average cost to upgrade an entire house with hurricane windows runs between $1,128 and $10,293, or $100 and $500 per window, including installation, according to This Old House. And that’s just one project.

Upgrades could help consumers protect their home, typically one of their most valuable assets, from windstorms and other natural disasters.

About $8.1 billion could be saved annually in physical damages from windstorms if homes had stronger connections between roofs and walls, or tighter nail spacing, according to a 2022 analysis on hurricane-resistant construction by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

‘Now’s the time to prepare’

Hurricanes are among the most expensive natural disasters in the U.S., and experts say the storm-related damage is likely to become more significant as storms become more severe.

Some of the projected effects of global warming on hurricane activity include sea level rise increasing coastal flooding, higher rainfall rates and storms that are more intense and strengthen rapidly, according to a research overview from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory.

“Warmer sea surface temperatures intensify tropical storm wind speeds, giving them the potential to deliver more damage if they make landfall,” notes the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, a think tank.

Projections from reinsurer Swiss Re show that since the 1970s, hurricane residential-loss expectations have been on the rise, in part due to an increase in hurricane activity and changes in property value from population growth. Improvements in building standards have offset some of that increase, however.

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Scientists anticipate an “extremely active” hurricane season in 2024 due to record-warm tropical and eastern subtropical Atlantic sea surface temperatures, according to hurricane researchers at Colorado State University.

The latest forecast calls for 23 named storms, 11 of which are slated to spiral into hurricanes. Of those, five are expected to reach “major” levels, or category 3, 4 or 5 storms with sustained winds of at least 111 miles per hour.

This year, the water temperature across the tropical Atlantic on average are about 1 degree Celsius, or 1.5 to 2 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than normal. While it doesn’t sound like much, it’s a big difference, said Phil Klotzbach, a senior research scientist at the Department of Atmospheric Science of Colorado State University.

“The tropical Atlantic right now is record warm,” he said. “That means more fuel for the storms that are trying to form.”

While atmospheric and water conditions may change, it’s wise for residents of storm-prone areas to think about undertaking home projects sooner rather than later.

“Now’s the time to prepare and have a plan in place,” said Klotzbach. “You don’t want to be making these preparations at the last minute.”

Hurricane resistance is about preventing ‘pressurization’

Hurricanes are different and unpredictable storms, said Jeff Ostrowski, a housing analyst at Bankrate.

“You don’t know if you’re going to be dealing with storm surge, or high winds or heavy rains. You’re trying to prepare for all those things at once,” he said.

It’s like a balloon that blows up, and when it blows up so much … it pops.

Leslie Chapman-Henderson

president and chief executive officer of the nonprofit Federal Alliance for Safe Homes

There are two key elements in your home to help prevent wind-related damage in a hurricane, according to Leslie Chapman-Henderson, president and chief executive officer of the nonprofit Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, or FLASH. You want to:

  1. Make sure the structural strength between the roof and the wall can withstand wind pressure and impact of debris.
  2. Protect all the openings in your home: the doors, windows and the garage.

“What we’re working to prevent is pressurization. It’s like a balloon that blows up, and when it blows up so much … it pops,” she said. “That’s what happens to your house when the wind comes in.” 

Ways to make your home more hurricane resistant

1. Have an inspector assess your house

Having an inspector come out to see your house is a good starting point for your projects. They will provide a report of what areas in your home need to be redone or reinforced against harsh weather.

2. Reinforce your roof

The average cost to replace a roof in the U.S. is about $10,000, but the exact cost will depend on multiple factors, like the size of your roof, according to the Department of Energy.

For someone getting ready to re-roof their house, Fortified, a nonprofit organization re-roofing program that helps strengthen homes against severe weather, will offer guidelines on how to make the roof sturdy to withstand challenges in your area, said Jennifer Languell, president and founder of Trifecta Construction Solutions, a sustainable consulting firm in Florida.

“It tells you want you need to do to make your roof more sturdy,” she said.

If you’re not ready to completely re-roof your house, adding caulk or an adhesive to strengthen the soffits of your house (that is, the material connecting the roof edge to the exterior walls) will reduce the probability of wind and water gushing into your attic in a storm, said Chapman-Henderson of FLASH. Repair jobs for the soffit and fascia, a horizontal board usually outside the soffit, can cost between $600 to $6,000, according to Angi.com.

The roof-to-wall connection is another thing to secure in an existing home with an attic. Installing metal clips and straps strengthens the hold-down effect, essentially anchoring your house, she said. While the exact cost will depend on factors like the size of your home and the scale of the project, such retrofitting costs span from $850 to $1,350, according to Kin, a home insurance company.

You can do all this stuff in terms of hardening the house, but you’re still kind of at the mercy of whatever storm comes.

Jeff Ostrowski

housing analyst at Bankrate

3. Secure your windows and doors

“Do you have hurricane-impact windows? If not, can you put them in?” said Melissa Cohn, regional vice president of William Raveis Mortgage.

If installing new hurricane windows aren’t in the budget, shutters are lower-cost options to protect windows and other openings, said Chapman-Henderson.

Different types of shutters vary by material, installation and price. Removable galvanized storm panels made of steel are $5 to $6 per square foot, making them the most affordable option, according to information compiled by FLASH.

It may be worth installing shutters as an extra layer of protection, even with impact-proof windows, said Trifecta Construction Solutions’ Languell.

Meanwhile, garage doors are the “largest and weakest opening,” said Chapman-Henderson. Replacing the entire garage door for a wind-rated or impact-resistant version can span from $2,000 to $9,000, according to FLASH.

Emergency bracings can be a lower-cost solution: temporary 2-by-4 wood braces can reinforce your nonwind-resistant door for approximately $150 for materials and installation. A garage door storm kit can run up to $750, FLASH data found.

“You can do all this stuff in terms of hardening the house, but you’re still kind of at the mercy of whatever storm comes,” said Bankrate’s Ostrowski.

4. Talk to your insurer about possible discounts

Strengthening your home against disasters may help lower your insurance cost.

Insurers typically factor in natural-disaster risks when deciding what properties to underwrite and at what cost. That’s why some are pulling back in high-risk areas, or raising prices significantly.

Insurance costs also tend to be higher for existing homes than newly built ones, because such properties were constructed under less stringent building codes.

The hidden reason some U.S. homes are losing value

Once you have an inspector visit your house and recommend projects to make your home more hurricane resistant, talk to your insurance agent about which of the suggestions are most likely to reduce your premium, Ostrowski said.

Keep in mind that each state is different in terms of what premium reductions are available and to what extent, and it depends on the risks, the company’s exposure and the regulatory environment, said Loretta Worters, a spokeswoman for the Insurance Information Institute.

Homeowners’ insurance premium rates are based on measurable risk and while mitigation efforts might help reduce the risk, the scientific measurement of catastrophe risk and mitigation efforts is still evolving, she said.

“All analysis of premium pricing related to mitigation efforts is a question of degree of risk, and not removal of risk entirely from the policy,” Worters said.

Grants, financing can help mitigate costs

If the cost to prepare your home against hurricanes is daunting, there may be grants, tax credits and other programs to help lessen the burden.

Some states have set up matching grant programs for disaster retrofits, said Chapman-Henderson.

In Florida, residents may be eligible to apply for matching grants that go up to $10,000 dollar-for-dollar match for approved upgrades like shutters, roofing and strengthening your garage door roof-to-wall connections, she said. There are similar programs in Alabama and Louisiana.

To find out more, homeowners can search for loans, grants or tax credits available in their state through dsireusa.org, which lists all of the funding opportunities and incentives to harden your home against disasters, Languell said.

For people with poor credit or who live in states that don’t have matching-dollar programs, Property Assessed Clean Energy programs allow a homeowner to finance upfront costs of eligible improvements on a property and pay the costs over time through the property tax bill, said Chapman-Henderson.

Energy-efficient mortgages, also referred to as green mortgages, may also be worth exploring. These loans are meant to help homeowners finance eco-friendly home upgrades or outright buy homes that help reduce energy consumption and lower utility bills, although they often have strict loan limits and require additional information during your application, according to LendingTree.

Depending on your hurricane-resistance project, that might be a fit: Sometimes, energy efficiency goes hand-in-hand with durability, Languell said.

“Sealing the underside of your roof sheathing would also help you from an energy standpoint because it’s sealing all the cracks and crevices,” she said, as this repair both keeps your roof on your house and helps avoid water or air leaks.

The same goes with window replacements: “If you are going to replace your windows from a single-pane window to an impact window that has a better energy performance, it’s saving you on energy,” Languell said.

In this new series, CNBC will examine what climate change means for your money, from retirement savings to insurance costs to career outlook.

Has climate change left you with bigger or new bills? Tell us about your experience by emailing [email protected].

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The U.S. government is phasing out paper checks. What that means for you

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Checks are printed at the U.S. Treasury Philadelphia Finance Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Dennis Brack | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Paper checks were already dying a slow death.

President Donald Trump on March 25 signed an executive order mandating that all federal departments and agencies end their use of paper checks and switch to electronic payments by Sept. 30.

The U.S. Treasury now has about six months to phase out the paper checks it uses for various purposes, including tax refunds and the roughly 456,000 Social Security checks that are mailed monthly.

The executive order will “modernize how the government handles money, switching from old-fashioned paper-based payments to fast, secure electronic payments,” the administration said in a fact sheet on the order.

“Paper-based payments, such as checks and money orders, impose unnecessary costs, delays, and risks of fraud, lost payments, theft, and inefficiencies,” the White House said.

Under the order, all government departments and agencies will have to issue disbursements via electronic transfer methods, like direct deposit, debit or credit card payments, digital wallets and real-time transfers.

Consumers will have until then to set up an online bank account or some form of digital payment option, with limited exceptions for those who do not have access to banking services or electronic payment systems.

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Banking groups applauded the move.

“We welcome President Trump’s executive order mandating that the federal government cease issuing paper checks for all disbursements, including government benefits and tax refunds,” Rob Nichols, president and CEO of the American Bankers Association said in a statement. “Despite a continued decline in business and consumer use of checks, check fraud has continued to rise.”

Check fraud, mail theft and identity scams have exploded in recent years, according to Haywood Talcove, CEO of LexisNexis Risk Solutions’ government group. A 2024 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office estimated that the federal government could lose between $233 billion and $521 billion a year to fraud.

“Checks aren’t safe anymore,” Talcove said. “It’s where the criminal groups are feasting.”

As part of the executive order, payments made to the federal government — such as fees, fines, loans and tax refunds — must also be made electronically.

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With significant advancements in security — thanks to authentication, monitoring and data encryption — retailers’ and consumers’ shift to contactless and digital payment methods will only continue to grow, accelerating the move toward a “check zero” world, according to Scott Anchin, vice president of operational risk and payments policy for the Independent Community Bankers of America. 

However, there are still certain groups that rely on paper checks, including some of the nation’s most vulnerable populations such as social security beneficiaries and those who receive rental assistance, or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

Check writers generally skew older and are likely at the margins of the banking community, according to Anchin. Americans over the age of 55 were most likely to write checks every month, the survey from GoBankingRates found.

But these groups are also most at risk of being targeted by scammers, Talcove said. “The elderly are significantly disadvantaged by the antiquated systems and you have to get them into digital payments.”

The death of checks

Although checks, as we know them today, first originated in the 11th century, they didn’t become mainstream until the early 20th century following the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, according to a historical survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

But back then, “everyday people didn’t have checking accounts, that was for rich people,” Stephen Quinn, professor of economics at Texas Christian University and co-author of the Atlanta Fed’s report, previously told CNBC. “It wasn’t until after World War II that checking accounts were a common thing.”

Postwar prosperity greatly expanded the use of checking accounts to middle-class households, making checks the most widely used noncash payment method in the U.S., according to the Atlanta Fed.

Personal checks continued to gain steam until the mid-1990s, when credit and debit cards largely took over. Since 2000, check-writing has plummeted by nearly 75%, according to the U.S. Federal Reserve Board of Governors.

Despite the rapid decline, “a form of payment with a thousand-year history is unlikely to vanish overnight,” the Atlanta Fed report said.

And yet, today’s young adults are increasingly eschewing the traditional banking and credit infrastructure altogether in favor of peer-to-peer payment apps.

Quinn said his students rely almost exclusively on digital wallet payments such as Apple Pay, Venmo and Zelle — hardly anyone carries cash, and it’s likely that few even know how to write a check.

Mobile payment apps have become de facto bank accounts even though, unlike banks or credit unions, these financial services are not FDIC-insured.

Still, there remains a place for personal checks, Quinn said.

“The paper check might linger where it began, at the high end — for large one-off payments,” he said, such as charitable donations or real estate transactions. “In this way, checks might hold on for some time.”

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Social Security changes may impact customer service, benefit payments

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A Social Security Administration (SSA) office in Washington, DC, March 26, 2025. 

Saul Loeb | Afp | Getty Images

Fast-moving changes at the Social Security Administration by the Trump administration’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency have prompted concerns that it may be more difficult for beneficiaries to access the agency’s services.

Some experts are raising concerns that efforts to update the agency’s systems could impact the continuity of benefits.

“Now I’m concerned that benefits could get disrupted,” said Jason Fichtner, a former deputy commissioner at the Social Security Administration who was appointed by President George W. Bush.

Recent changes that have been announced by the agency are cause for concern, experts including Fichtner say.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly vowed not to touch Social Security benefits. Yet recent changes could make it more difficult for eligible Americans to access benefits.

The SSA under the Trump administration has moved to eliminate 7,000 Social Security employees and close six regional offices, Fichtner and Kathleen Romig, a former Social Security Administration senior official, wrote in a recent op-ed. Romig is the director of Social Security and disability policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

The cuts will affect the service Americans receive when they either visit Social Security’s website, which has experienced glitches; call its 800 number, which has long wait times; or visit a field office, which can be crowded, they wrote.

That may make it more difficult for eligible Americans to claim benefits, particularly those with disabilities, who may run the risk of dying before receiving the money for which they are eligible.

The Social Security Administration is in crisis, and people’s benefits are at risk,” Fichtner and Romig wrote.

‘You have to understand the complexity of the programs’

Fichtner said his worries are elevated following reports that the Social Security Administration under DOGE plans to move “tens of millions of lines of code” written in a programming language known as COBOL within an accelerated time frame of a few months.

“If you start messing with the system’s code, that could impact those who are currently getting benefits now, and that’s a new front-and-center concern,” said Fichtner, who is a senior fellow at the National Academy of Social Insurance and executive director at the Retirement Income Institute at the Alliance for Lifetime Income.

While the Social Security’s systems could use an upgrade, projects of this size are typically handled over a period of years, not months, Fichtner said. Moreover, they typically start out with smaller tests, such as with one state, to identify bugs or other issues, before expanding regionally and then nationally, he said.

“You can’t just flip a switch one night and expect to be able to upgrade,” Fichtner said. “It takes due diligence, and you have to understand the complexity of the programs.”

Before the COBOL transition reports, Fichtner said he had not been worried about benefit interruptions, though he had been concerned that changes at the agency may impact customer service and that applicants for benefits may see delays.

“There is no validity to these reports,” a Social Security Administration spokesperson told CNBC via email.

In an email statement, the White House also said, “There is no validity to these reports.”

Bigger reforms should be focus, experts say

As DOGE seeks to eliminate fraud at the Social Security Administration, some experts say the focus is misplaced.

To that point, focusing on the agency’s administrative side takes away from the bigger issue the program faces of the looming depletion of the trust funds it uses to help pay benefits, experts say.

DOGE may have good intentions to make the Social Security Administration more efficient, but its actions may not “meaningfully change the financial trajectory of the program,” said Romina Boccia, director of budget and entitlement policy at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank.

If DOGE makes changes that have to be reversed, that could get in the way of the benefit reforms that Congress must also consider before a projected 2033 trust fund depletion date, she said.

“Current erratic actions have the potential to undermine those much more important, bigger reforms in a misguided attempt to root out very small levels of fraud,” Boccia said.

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The Social Security’s trustees in 2024 projected the program’s combined retirement and disability trust funds may last until 2035, at which point just 83% of benefits will be payable unless Congress finds a way to fix the situation sooner.

Those 2024 projections also found the retirement trust fund on its own faces a sooner depletion date of 2033, when 79% of benefits may be payable. A new law that provides more generous benefits for certain public pensioners is expected to move the projected depletion dates closer.

Because the Social Security Administration’s administrative budget is less than 1% of outlays, it’s not the best area to focus on to make the program more cost-effective and efficient, said Charles Blahous, a former public trustee for Social Security and Medicare and deputy director of President George W. Bush’s National Economic Council.

“There’s just not enough money there to make serious headway,” said Blahous, a senior research strategist at George Mason University’s Mercatus Center.

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How entrepreneurial military spouses build retirement security

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It’s scary enough for individuals to take a chance on themselves and start their own business, but the spouses of military servicemembers are often grappling with a unique set of hurdles on the journey toward entrepreneurship.

Certified financial planner Adrienne Ross can speak to that personally. She and her now-retired Marine Corps husband were constantly on the move during his military career, and that made the complicated process of earning her bachelor’s degree a yearslong process.

“We would move, and it would be like going through the process all over again,” recalled Ross, a partner at Clear Insight Wealth Management in Spokane, Wash. “I went to multiple colleges to complete a degree, and we were never in one place long enough.”

She ultimately completed her education at the University of Illinois Springfield through an online program while she and her family were living outside the U.S., but the ordeal informed her decision to become a financial planner, hang out her own shingle and work with military families toward financial stability.

“The client base I focused on serving is military families because I understand what it’s like to move all the time and have so many disruptions to your work life and personal life – and how it impacts your financial journey as well,” she said.

Unique advantages and disadvantages

The itinerant lifestyle that Ross grappled with as she worked on her degree can be a handicap for military spouses who are trying to build out a business.

“The number one additional hurdle would be things like business licensing,” said Bill Sweet, CFP and CFO at Ritholtz Wealth Management and U.S. Army combat veteran. “Each state and municipality will have its own licensing requirements, and there isn’t always reciprocity.” That’s often the case for teachers and nurses, for example.

“If you’re moving around every two to three years to follow your spouse, it becomes difficult to redo your nursing license on a business income,” he said. “But when it comes to things like retirement savings, I think there are a lot of neat things you can do.”

Servicemembers can enroll in the federal government’s Thrift Savings Plan, for instance, which offers benefits and savings like the 401(k) plans available to private-sector employees.

Private assets in 401(k) plans: Here's what to know

A spousal individual retirement account might be a good starting point for military spouses, even if they themselves aren’t yet employed. The servicemember can sock away up to $7,000 in 2025 ($8,000 for those age 50 and older) into the spouse’s IRA. To make this work, the married couple must be filing jointly.

“Most families today live on two incomes, so they should plan on retiring on two incomes,” said John Power, CFP at Power Plans in Walpole, Mass. “Every military spouse should have a spousal IRA. The IRS allows you to deduct from your income to contribute to your spouse’s IRA – and if you can do that, you should do that.”

While the spousal IRA is enough to start stashing money away for retirement, entrepreneurs can take other steps to beef up their savings as their business grows.

In Ross’s case, she started out with a Roth IRA – a retirement account where contributions are made on an after-tax basis but grow tax free and, most importantly, are free of tax upon withdrawal. “I love Roth IRAs,” she said. “They are super flexible, available to many people and very attainable, especially if you’re getting started with a small business.”

Roth IRA contribution limits are capped at $7,000 for those under 50 ($8,000 for those 50 and over). Be aware that if you have both a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA, the contribution limit of $7,000 is an aggregate amount. The upshot of Roth IRAs? You don’t need a whole lot of money to start saving in the first place.

“You can start with as little as $50 a month, and in most places fees are very reasonable,” Ross said.

Graduating to more complex savings options

When Ross’s business grew, she shifted into using a simplified employee pension plan, or SEP IRA, for retirement savings. These plans are specifically for small businesses, and they don’t come with the hefty start-up costs you might see in conventional retirement plans.

The upshot for young businesses is that the annual contributions to SEP IRAs are flexible, which can be handy in the early years when cash flow is inconsistent. Generally, these accounts allow for a contribution of up to 25% of an employee’s pay (or up to $70,000 in 2025). It should be noted that participant loans are not allowed under these arrangements, however.

“In terms of planning your own retirement, treat the business like a job and treat yourself as an employee of that business,” said Sean Gillespie, president of Redeployment Wealth Strategies in Virginia Beach, Va. “Take the proceeds and feed your retirement the way you would if you were [a W-2 employee] working for someone else.”

Eventually, Ross and Gillespie partnered with another advisor to form a registered investment advisory firm called Apforia. Because of this arrangement, they had the assets and the economy of scale needed to start a 401(k) plan.

In 2025, individuals can put away up to $23,500 in a 401(k) plan, plus $7,500 if they’re 50 and over (or up to an additional $11,250 for employees aged 60 to 63).

It’s OK to seek help

Military spouses seeking to make the leap into entrepreneurship should leverage their connections to peers.

“Having that connection to other military spouses who have their own businesses was really important,” said Ross. “They have that same understanding of what it’s like to be living a nomadic life and trying to build a business or career for yourself despite all of that.”

They should also invest in themselves by calling in a financial planner or an accountant who can help them build a resilient and healthy business.

“Ultimately, I think working with a professional will pay off, and being proactive,” said Sweet. “Pay a little out of pocket and talk to a CPA or CFP about setting up a business.”

JOIN the CNBC CFP® Circle for Mission: Money Management on April 1. This exclusive virtual roundtable, held in partnership with The Association of Military Spouse Entrepreneurs, will focus on how to best manage money effectively. Get your free ticket today!

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