With a home mortgage, the average American family will pay nearly twice as much as the monetary value of their home in interest alone. Now that’s a sobering thought.

Imagine you could pay off that 30 year mortgage in half the time; that sounds rather appealing, doesn’t it? Apparently there is a mortgage solution, the Money Merge Account, that can help you do just that.

In a nutshell, here’s how it works: the MMA is essentially a financial software program that helps you reduce the principal on your mortgage, thus dramatically decreasing the interest you will pay on the loan. I have not used the Money Merge Account (though I am considering it) but I have a couple friends who tried it and have nothing but positive feedback for the program. Visit the United First Financial (the brokerage that created the MMA) website for further information and details.

States are not legally required to report the number of private domestic adoptions that take place each year; the most recent data was gathered in 1992, nearly 15 years ago. However, despite a lack of inclusive information, studies have shown that domestic adoption is considerably on the rise.

A National Adoption Attitudes Survey found that almost 40% of adults in the United States have considered adopting a child. If only one out of every 500 of these individuals were to adopt a child from foster care, all 134,000 children in the system waiting for adoption would be placed.

64% of American individuals have close ties with adoption, either in their own families or among close friends, another statistic that shows how much adoption has increased in popularity.

Domestic adoption can be an answer not only to infertility difficulties or an unplanned pregnancy, but can provide young children the loving families and homes they need. Contact an adoption agency or service to see how domestic adoption can help you start your family.

Looking for some all American fun for the family this summer? How about visiting some of the country’s scenic national parks? You can enjoy some of the most picturesque and pristine landscapes and natural wonders, such as the Grand Canyon, Niagra Falls, and Sequoia National Park.

Zion National Park is one of the most popular parks and offers a myriad of outdoor Utah recreation such as camping, hiking, and rock climbing. Walk among towering sandstone cliffs and through narrow slot canyons. Everglades National Park in Florida is the United States’ largest subtropical wilderness and is filled with rare species such as the American crocodile, the Florida panther, and manatees. Yellowstone National Park (stretching through parts of Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana) is some of the country’s most pictorial forest and woodlands with a variety of wildlife such as grizzly bears, elk, and wolves. The park also boasts some of the world’s most marvelous geysers and hot springs; the famous Old Faithful resides in Yellowstone.

Visit the official National Park Service website to start planning your getaway.