My Budget 360

Today a reader sent in a link to an article that was published in the Fort Worth Weekly regarding predatory lending and how Americans are being put in the poor house.  Does this story sound familiar?  For all the rhetoric about people not seeing this crisis coming there has now been a release that the [...]

There have been many theories floating around the financial press that the world markets are now independent and that having a global depression like times in the past was highly unlikely.  For the most part, since the credit crisis took on a full head of steam in August of 2007 most world markets are falling [...]

The idea of a housing bottom is intriguing.  First, we need to put the entire housing rise to fame in perspective.  Housing has never declined on a year over year basis since the Great Depression (that is until this current housing market).  That is an astonishing accomplishment in itself and it is easy to understand [...]

I’ve done my best to remain diversified. I don’t mean simply having 10% in a global mutual fund, 20% in a small-cap fund, 40% in a blue chip fund, and 30% in bonds. You can rearrange the numbers a bit but there is this intense belief bordering on religion that by having your money in [...]

I’ve been seeing many articles asserting that currently the housing numbers for states like California are not reflecting the actual housing inventory on the market. Many of the articles argue that lenders through the process of taking back properties via auction are holding off on putting properties onto the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). As I [...]

Information is true power.  The idea that only certain experts can explain economic phenomena is falling by the wayside.  What has occurred over the past few years is a rapid shift in how people digest their information.  In the housing sector, information is absolutely vital.  Not only is information important but having accurate information.  You [...]

One of the most stressful events in life has to be losing a home.  Not losing a home through a disaster but losing it through a foreclosure.  The foreclosure process is a long drawn out drama that can put undue stress on a family’s financial bottom line.  Home to most people means a place over [...]

Learning to become wealthy is hard enough during good economic times.  It may feel downright impossible when the economy hits a slump.  It is a fascinating case study the past decade we have lived in.  The concept of “money” and “wealth” and “debt” have all been used interchangeably.  I think this is a common misconception [...]

Most Americans would probably agree that housing and the credit crisis is the number one issue.  Even though many are seeing fuel as the major story of the day, ultimately the most expensive line item for most Americans is housing.  Not only does it create the largest monthly outflow, it is also the single biggest [...]