By this time each year, the Canada geese have flown south for the winter - and so have about 9 million "snowbirds," fleeing below-zero wind chills and snowy drive-ways for their place in the sun.
The "I lead two lives" routine may sound grand. But what about the reality of two homes - and two banks and two sets of doctors and dual utilities and, well, you get the idea. Here are some tips to make it easier:- Take advantage of new banking technology.
Authorize your bank to pay regular bills, such as your mortgage and utilities for you. You don't have to worry about a second check-ing account or the hassle of trying to cash out-of-state checks if you get a debit card. It looks like a credit card, but the charges are deducted from your checking account. If you have access to the Internet, you can probably bank by computer.
- If you have a traditional fee-for-service health insurance or med-igap policy, you can choose any doctor or hospital anywhere. If you don't want to start a relationship with a new doctor in your wintertime habitat, at least scope out the local urgent-care facilities and emergency rooms. Keep the phone num-bers of your doctors back home with you in case you need to get in touch.
If you belong to an HMO, see if your plan has a branch in your winter destination.
- Notify your local police and connect at least two lights and a radio to an automatic timer. Leave a key with neighbors you trust and make sure they have your phone number - and you have theirs - in the event of an emergency. Ask them to set out some of their trash in front of your house on collection days and to park in your driveway oc-casionally.
And arrange to have the lawn mowed and snow shoveled in your ab-sence.
- Check with your insurance agents about whether your long-distance lifestyle will affect your homeowners policy. You might not be covered for vandalism if your home is vacant for more than 30 days.
- Direct your local post office to forward your mail. But remember, im-por-tant tax documents and finan-cial statements often carry "do not forward" instructions. That could cause real problems if you are away during tax season, so check with your broker and mutual funds about how to be sure you'll receive your statements.