Posts made in February, 2012

Your House is NOT an Investment

Posted on Feb 28, 2012 in Economy, Investment, Real Estate

The housing market appears to be emerging from critical condition.  Home prices in the 90′s and 00′s certainly exceeded historical norms and we are now experiencing a “regression to the mean.”  Given the current and shadow inventory levels, prices are not likely to rise appreciably over the next five years.  If you are a buyer, it certainly makes sense to make the move now.  But think hard before you buy new or build, as prices for resale properties are up to 30% lower than new construction.  

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Notes from Women Building Wealth Meeting- How To Manage Your Cash Flow

Posted on Feb 22, 2012 in Budgeting, Cash Flow, Women and Money

We had an excellent session at the Irmo Chamber of Commerce and, as always, many insights were gleaned from our group discussion.   Here were some of the top line lessons learned.

  • We opened with an introduction with each woman sharing a story about a recent item that they wanted and whether they purchased that item or not.  Many of you delayed your purchase decisions and, only after much research and careful consideration, did you make the purchase.  Regardless of whether the purchase was a fun item (ornamental tree stand) or needed (new Prius) you felt better(less remorse) when you deliberated about the item and got a good deal.

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How to KISS Your Investment Plan

Posted on Feb 21, 2012 in Behavioral Finance, Bonds, Commodities, ETFs, Investment, Mutual Funds, Passive Investing, Video

Many Americans think that investing is difficult. They spend time searching for the best performing funds or asset classes, yet most investors consistently underperform the market. If your portfolio is still recovering from the financial crisis and you are looking for a way to get back on track, here is a way to KISS your investment plan to maximize your returns. The KISS method uses some time-tested principles that can help even novice investors outperform the majority of Americans.

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How to Keep College Costs Low

Posted on Feb 20, 2012 in Plan for College, Video

I spoke with Nat Roers today on the set of WLTX and responded to some questions young viewers had regarding saving for college in the face of a huge pricing bubble and how to handle loans when you can’t get a job out of college.  Here is the clip which includes some tips and pointers to minimize the cost of a college education.

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How to Maximize Your Savings

Posted on Feb 16, 2012 in Budgeting, Cash Flow, Plan Retirement, Video

Do you have adequate savings for your future and are you prioritizing your savings goals?  Here are some tips to get you in tip top shape.

The current savings rate is running 4% of income, in the 70s Americans were savings double that amount.  Compare this to the savings rates of Asian countries, like China and India, where savings rates are close to 30%.

Why are we such poor savers and how can we save more? 

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