A favorite thing to do during fall is see the changing leaves on a color tour. The hues of red, yellow and orange leaves are beautiful, especially on a sunny day. There are a few different ways to do this; by foot, bike, or if you really want to have some fun…by packing into an RV and taking your adventure on the road!

The best time to schedule a trip to see fall foliage depends on where you want to go. According to Travel and Leisure, the colors are in full swing by mid-October in the Midwest and on the East coast. If you want to head to the Rockies or the West coast, plan your visit in early November.

Here are 15 must-see places to drive through this fall:

1. Mount Mitchell State Park, North Carolina
2. Michigan's Gold Coast, Traverse City
3. Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia
4. Coastal Maine
5. Olympic Peninsula, Washington
6. Ozarks, Arkansas
7. Moosehead Lake Region, Maine
8. The Green Mountain and Mad River Byways, Vermont
9. Lake Placid, New York
10. The Driftless Region, Wisconsin
11. Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
12. Cades Cove, The Smoky Mountains, Tennessee
13. Crested Butte, Colorado
14. The Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway, Taos, New Mexico
15. Eastern Sierras, California

It's a necessary task for any seasonal home owner, and you still have time to get it done: preparing your seasonal home for the rigors of winter. Properly planning now can help you avoid damage and expensive repairs in the spring.

The best preparation is to develop a checklist of tasks and then follow it faithfully. Here are the major areas for winterization that Foremost recommends your list includes:

Plumbing

This is one of the most important areas to address when winterizing a seasonal home. If your furnace fails, any water in the house could possibly freeze and cause major damage. Make sure the water system is turned off at its supply point and any pipes are cleared to prevent possible freezing and bursting. Further, the toilet as well as the shower and sink traps should be flushed and protected with non-toxic antifreeze.

Appliances

You should drain any appliance that may hold water, including the water heater, washing machines, dishwashers or ice makers Also make sure the refrigerator and freezer are properly defrosted and propped open to prevent mold and mildew from growing. Unplug all devices that don't need to be powered and shut off the valves for any gas appliances.

Furnace

Turn down the thermostat to about 55 degrees to help prevent freezing problems unless your home is an area that doesn't get too cold in the winter. If your heater will be turned off over the winter, follow the manufacturer's instructions for winterizing the system.

Structural repairs

Check the roof and siding to make sure it's secure and intact. If a shingle or piece were to blow off while the house is empty and go unnoticed, it could cause bigger water or structural damage problems. Examine the exterior around windows, doors and any pipe openings and caulk any areas that could let air, water, bugs or rodents into the house.

Outdoor work

Clean up the yard and trim back bushes from the home to make it harder for burglars to hide. Secure all outdoor furniture in a locked garage or shed.

Indoor cleaning

Thoroughly clean the house before closing it for winter to help prevent mold, mildew or insect and rodent problems. Remove all perishable items and any boxed food that animals could eat. Move electronics, TVs or computers from plain sight so anyone looking in the windows won't see them. Consider removing any other small valuables from the premises altogether.

Security

Make sure all windows are closed and locked and sliding doors are secured with bars in the track to prevent entry. Check door locks to make sure the latch plates are screwed into the wall studs and not just the door frame. Close the curtains and if any neighbors are permanent residents, consider giving a trustworthy one a spare key to check on the place. Otherwise, arrange to have someone check on the place weekly, or install a remotely monitored security system.

It's also important to do an insurance check-up with your insurance agency to make sure your home's policy adequately covers it while it's closed. Seasonal homes often require a specialized policy that addresses the specific situation of a homeowner who only occupies a residence for part of the year.

Cancer leaves families with a feeling of helplessness and devastation. Aside from the physicality’s- it also causes an enormous financial burden to families. Medical bills, treatments, and hospital stays are only a few of the expenses. In many cases, one or more parent needs to stop working to be available to attend appointments, causing extreme monetary hardship. Fortunately, there is hope for a cure through spreading awareness and donating to research, but families need immediate assistance on the road to a cure. Lallis & Higgins’ very own Anthony Lallis is doing just that!

As a survivor of childhood leukemia, Anthony knows firsthand the devastating impact a Cancer diagnoses brings to families- physically, mentally, and financially. In 2017 Anthony had successfully raised over $50,000 for Cancer research and was honorably titled Man of the Year by the Massachusetts’ Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The search for a cure is far from over, and neither is Anthony’s mission to help. With a new approach to raising money and awareness, Anthony hopes to raise another $50,000 by stepping into the ring, an d help lessen the financial burden to families by giving them direct funding for the expenditures that come with Cancer.

The Haymakers for hope Rock N Rumble event everyday people the once- in- a- lifetime opportunity to compete in their first sanctioned boxing event. The experience is impactful, challenging, and life- changing. Haymakers has raised over $14.5 million dollars over the last 10 years.

The event will take place on October 13th at Boston’s House of Blues. Ticket sales to the event go directly towards Anthony’s goal to “Knock out Cancer”. Click here to purchase tickets or to make a donation.

As one of the most common crimes, burglary is nothing to be taken lightly. And unlike common belief, most of these burglaries happen in the middle of the day. According to the National Council for Home Safety and Security, break-ins are more likely to happen between 6AM and 6PM, right in the middle of the day!

With the fall season upon us and the holidays approaching, it is important to make your home safe from break-ins. While there are many safety recommendations out there, HowStuffWorks has covered the seven most effective.

Don't showboat.

If you've just purchased a pricey new computer or television, breakdown the box and place it in the garbage bin instead of leaving it on the curb for everyone to see. Also, take a walk around your house to see how visible expensive items are with the curtains open. You may want to move some of them out of view to avoid enticing thieves.

Pretend to be home.

A break-in typically happens when no one is home, especially during the day while many people are at work. For that reason, create an illusion that someone is still there. You can leave a light on, along with music or your television.

Secure sliding doors and windows.

You can easily break into some older sliding doors by simply popping them off of their frame, even when locked. It's harder to do that with newer ones, but you should still take extra precaution to secure them since they can be an inviting entry for burglars. Simply take a strong dowel, steel bar or two-by-four and slide it into the back groove.

Although you should always lock your windows before leaving the house, you can install a simple pin or nail into the frame to stop it from raising more than a few inches. This will add an additional layer of security in case someone pops off the screen and you have left the window unlocked. Also remember to check window air conditioning units. If you can jimmy the window up from the outside, add a stopper to that frame.

Don't leave a spare key out.

It may seem like a good idea to leave a spare key hidden under a flower pot or doormat in case you get locked out of your house. But that's an open invitation for a burglar to walk inside without any difficulty. Instead, give a spare to a neighbor you know well or friend who lives nearby for safekeeping.

Remember to never put any identifying information on your house keys. If you lose them, and someone else finds them, it would be fairly easy to trace them back to your home and break-in.

Secure your yard.

Tall shrubs and overgrown trees are welcome hiding places for criminals to wait until the coast is clear to get into your house. That doesn't mean you need to cut down every plant in your yard. Just keep things manicured.

Prepare before vacation.

Alert neighbors you trust about your trip and ask that they keep an eye on your property during that time. More importantly, when you leave town, don't leave signs of an empty house. First, if you have a home phone, don't change your message to alert callers that you have left town. Also avoid having piled up mail, overgrown lawns and newspapers strewn about your yard that send surefire signals you're miles away. Last, but certainly not least, don't announce vacation on social media.

Lock it up.

More than 40% of break-ins happen without the use of force, which means a lot of people are leaving their houses without locking the doors and windows. If you have a thumb latch lock and a deadbolt on your doors, always lock the deadbolt. Double-check weaker doors such as patio and sliding ones to make sure their locks are strong enough to withstand kicks. When you leave your home, don't forget to lock up the door leading from the garage to inside. Even if your garage door is down, someone can easily open it.

Foremost.com

Meet the Williams Family

Happily married for eight years, Mike and Chris Williams are proud parents to four-year-old Peyton.

As avid cyclists, they first met at a bike race in downtown Chicago. When Chris had a flat tire, Mike stopped to help him. The rest was history. As the years went by, many of life’s important decisions were discussed on long bike rides. In fact, it’s where Mike proposed! Along with a ring, he gave Chris a small bicycle lapel pin with a diamond in the tire hub as a reminder of how their journey began.

The situation presented is hypothetical and not representative of any particular client.

Life Gets More Complicated

Once Peyton came along, long bike rides turned into short rides to a local playground, and long talks steered to the topics of daycare, student loans, the mortgage, and college planning. When Chris’ mother faced a terminal illness, he relied on Mike to boost his spirits and help take care of Peyton. That’s when it hit them. What would Chris do without Mike if anything ever happened to him? How would Mike function if Chris were not there?

They called a financial professional, who recommended term life insurance policies from Prudential. It was the answer they were looking for: affordable, reliable protection for the years their family needed it most.

The Unexpected Happens

Two years later, while they were training together for a race, Chris was hit by a truck. His injuries were serious, and he was taken to a nearby hospital. Mike rushed to Chris’ bedside but arrived just in time to say good-bye. Devastated, he removed the small bicycle pin and pinned it to his own shirt, over his heart.

Stability Despite Change

Facing life without his husband has been the hardest thing Mike has ever had to do. Although Chris often called Mike his rock, Mike thought the same of Chris. And now, amidst his grief and Peyton’s, he was faced with bills, childcare, and taking care of their home. When their financial professional reminded Mike that the death benefit from Chris’ policy could help cover funeral expenses, bills, childcare, and more, Mike was relieved. He could focus on his family instead of worrying about bills. He often shakes his head and smiles as he thinks about how Chris is still helping the family get through.

A year after Chris’ passing, Mike was ready to race again and, in Chris’ honor, entered the race they had trained for together. Wearing matching bicycle pins, each with a tiny diamond in the tire’s hub, Peyton cheered him on.

Chris and Mike were each other’s rock. Who’s yours?

Contact your financial professional today to get the life insurance protection you need. Life insurance is issued by Pruco Life Insurance Company (except in NY), and Pruco Life Insurance Company of New Jersey (in NY). All are Prudential Financial companies located in Newark, NJ.

All guarantees and benefits of the insurance policy are backed by the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company.

This material is being provided for informational or educational purposes only and does not take into account the investment objectives or financial situation of any clients or prospective clients. The information is not intended as investment advice and is not a recommendation about managing or investing a client’s retirement savings. Clients seeking information regarding their particular investment needs should contact a financial professional.

© 2021 Prudential Financial, Inc. and its related entities.
1051377-00001-00 Ed. 09/2021
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Source: prudential.assetserv.com