Archive for January, 2008
Thursday, January 31st, 2008
I just read a fascinating article in the New York Times titled: "What’s Behind Those Offers to Raise Credit Scores". It details some of the tactics that companies are using to artificially inflate individuals credit scores, including piggy-backing on stranger's loans. This practice, using "seasoned primary accounts", attaches an ...
Posted in Credit, credit score, hacks | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 30th, 2008
Photo: jenn jenn Terri Cullen, writing in The Wall Street Journal, shares a good technique for avoiding common money arguments: The '$500 Rule'. Here's how it works: she and her husband have a standing agreement that if she needs to spend over $500, she will check with ...
Posted in Budget, Planning, Relationships, life hacks | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 29th, 2008
The New York Times is reporting that sales of new homes fell by 26% last year. This is the biggest drop since the US government began keeping records in 1963. Prices are also declining. The December median new home price declined 10.9% from a year ago, to $219,200. For ...
Posted in Economy, Housing | No Comments »
Monday, January 28th, 2008
Photo: Andy Field
I just heard about a new method of identity theft that is pretty brilliant. I know this has been said a million times, but you would think that someone smart enough to come up with something like this could make a good living honestly. Anyway . . .
How ...
Posted in identity theft | No Comments »
Sunday, January 27th, 2008
I don’t agree with everything Dave Ramsey espouses, but one thing we definitely agree on is that you have to give your money a name. First off, I think it is extremely important to have a fully funded emergency fund of three to six months of expenses set ...
Posted in Budget, Planning | No Comments »
Thursday, January 24th, 2008
Photo: Susan Walsh, AP
UPDATE: The House and Senate have passed the final version of the Stimulus Bill. You can read the details in this post: Details on Final Stimulus Bill.
Congress and President Bush appear to have made a final agreement on the contents of the forthcoming economic stimulus bill.
Highlights:
Tax ...
Posted in Economy, Politics, Taxes | 1 Comment »
Thursday, January 24th, 2008
The Mortgage Bankers Association released their Weekly Application Survey yesterday, and it yielded some interesting statistics. Applications to refinance are up 92% since the beginning of November, while purchase applications are up 7%. Refinancing applications represented 66% of the total last ...
Posted in Interest, Mortgages | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008
Photo: exfordy I found an interesting article in the February, 2008 issue of money magazine titled: "Get Your Grown Kid to Leave Leave (Finally)". It's presented in a comic book type format, that illustrates how one needs to be prepared with ...
Posted in Family, Home, life hacks | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008
It's that time of year again, when the the super bowl "football squares" sheet begins to be passed around the office. While I don't think participating is a good financial decision, it is interesting to know optimal strategy. In case you are not familiar with the ...
Posted in Misc. | No Comments »
Monday, January 21st, 2008
Unless you have been following the mortgage markets closely, you may have missed the dramatic fall in rates over the last few months. According to Bankrate.com, the National Average rate for a 15 year fixed mortgage was 4.93% over night, and 5.42% for a 30 year fixed mortgage. ...
Posted in Interest, Mortgages | No Comments »
