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• Blogger vs. reader: Should the feds bail out homeowners?

  Posted Jul 31 2008, 03:02 PM by Karen Datko
  Filed under: Housing, Banking, Taxes, Karen Datko
  Rating:

  "JLP" at All Financial Matters bought a house he knew he could afford, even though he was told he could qualify for a much larger mortgage. He saved over the years to remodel the modest house into a dream home. Did we also mention that the homeowner bailout passed by Congress and signed by President Bush really ticks him off?

  He wrote, "As a responsible, taxpaying citizen of the United States of America, I find it offensive that our goverment is bending over backward to keep irresponsible people in houses they can't afford."

  His post, "Let people (and companies) fail," provoked a rebuttal from one of the homeowners hoping to keep her house with the government's help.   Read More...

  Discuss ( 28 comments) 2,451 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• The neighbors from hell are selling their house

  Posted Jul 20 2008, 10:47 AM by Karen Datko
  Filed under: Housing, Banking, Taxes, Karen Datko
  Rating:

  Do you want to purchase a Cape Cod with an asphalt front yard and an abundance of broken beer bottles and cigarette butts all about? Please, please buy this house and become the new neighbor of "Brainy Smurf," the blogger at Pants in a Can.

  You can't be any worse than the people who have the house up for sale. You'd think the very existence of these people would be enough to drive property values down (although, due to other factors, Brainy's property taxes have gone up).   Read More...

  Discuss ( 7 comments) 2,744 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• 7 schemes to get rich quick

  Posted Apr 01 2008, 04:02 PM by Karen Datko
  Filed under: Housing, Spending, Taxes, Karen Datko
  Rating:

  "Free From Broke" has some tips for you today about making a lot of money quickly: Speculate on stocks, use a home-equity loan to buy property and flip it, master blackjack, and use your tax refund and tax rebate to purchase lottery tickets.

  We especially like this one: "Blog. Anyone can blog. Really. Look at me, I'm no Dostoevski and you're reading this. There are so many ways you can monetize a blog."

  Also, claim lots of deductions on your tax return. "The money you donated to the orphanage? That's like having a whole bunch of dependents to declare!" Free From Broke says.

  Sorry, folks. We couldn't resist. Apparently Free From Broke noticed what today's date is.   Read More...

  Discuss ( 3 comments) 2,794 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• Blogger wins MVP honors in Superbowl of Personal Finance

  Posted Feb 11 2008, 01:59 PM by Karen Datko
  Filed under: Housing, Taxes, Saving, Karen Datko

  Congratulations to Peter of Plan Your Escape, whose post "8 reasons why small houses are better than big ones" edged out the closest competition by one vote to make him most valuable player in the Superbowl of Personal Finance. Overall, Team Finance defeated Team Frugal in total votes cast by readers.

  Noting that "one of the key characteristics of simplified living is knowing what is enough," Peter presented compelling arguments for opting for a small home. You'll spend lots less on the purchase price, taxes, utilities, maintenance and furniture. You'll be less tempted to accumulate clutter because you have less storage space. You'll also leave a "smaller environmental footprint." He wrote, "Huge homes aren't going to be sustainable in the long run."   Read More...

  Discuss ( 1 comments) 530 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• HouseMath 2.0

  Posted Dec 17 2007, 06:41 AM by Karen Datko
  Filed under: Housing, Banking, Spending, Taxes

  This post comes from J.D. Roth at partner blog Get Rich Slowly.

  Should you buy a house or continue to save for retirement? Balancing your present and your future can be difficult, especially where housing is concerned.

  HouseMath 2.0 is a Web-based app designed to help users explore the costs of purchasing a new home. You enter the numbers for the proposed transaction, and HouseMath runs the numbers to let you know the financial implications. Rather than bombard the user with a bunch of numbers, though, the program provides an easy-to-understand narrative summary.   Read More...

  Discuss (no comments) 475 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this