Weekly list of curated personal finance articles from around the web.

What money says: When you buy a home (Money Talks Matter). Many homebuyers are shocked to discover how much it costs to maintain a home. As the article says, “Houses…don’t just sit there quietly. They interact with water, gravity and time — and they charge for it.”

The unexpected factor that could be driving up your homeowners insurance rates (Money). A three-digit number that matters greatly when buying a home also matters greatly when protecting it.

Comparing financial aid awards (The College Financial Lady). It’s important to understand the terminology so you’re comparing apples to apples.

What the world happiness report reveals about social media and the world’s happiest country (AP News). It’s simple: less social media equals more well-being.

A.I. agents: They’re fun. They’re useful. But don’t give them the credit card. (NY Times via Archive.Today). If the machines get control of your money, watch out! 

Investors don’t need to win the World Series (A Teachable Moment). When it comes to investing, a steady stream of base hits works really well.

Silence is golden, but it hurts your heirs more than you think (Kiplinger). Far better to have the conversations with your loved ones while you can.

Should Christians own nice things? (Relevant Magazine). Great topic with lots of gray areas. It brings to mind 1 Corinthians 10:23, which points out that what is permissible may not be beneficial.

To weigh in on any of the above, just leave a comment below. And if you haven’t done so already, sign up for a free subscription to this blog.