January 2009

How to Improve Your FICO Score

January 31, 2009

Credit scores are one of those little things in life that while they can have a significant impact on people’s financial bottom lines and your ability to build wealth, many people don’t understand all of the ins and outs. Here are a few tips to improve or maintain a good credit rating. Keep in mind [...]

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Tip of The Day: Check Your Credit Card Statement

January 30, 2009

Hi All, While we’d like to think the world is a trustworthy place, sometimes it just isn’t. We have a friend who compared her credit card receipts with her statements for the year. In some cases she found that the amount she’d authorized for a tip had been changed. In some cases this was a [...]

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Is the Gold Standard That Great?

January 29, 2009

Hi All, With the economy under pressure, there has been some chatter among political circles that perhaps a return to the gold standard would help. The idea is that a gold standard could help to rein in deficit spending and strengthen the dollar. A stronger dollar makes it a heck of a lot easier to [...]

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One on One With Warren Buffett

January 29, 2009

Hi All, In case you haven’t seen this PBS’s Nightly Business Report is airing an interview with Warren Buffet for their 30 year anniversary. The interview addresses Buffets views on the market, advice on stocks, the financial crisis and his outlook for the Obama administration. Hint: Buffett is buying. Is there a chance to build [...]

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Paulson’s $140 Billion Surprise

January 29, 2009

Hi All, Where should I begin with this posting? Evidently last year around about when the treasury and the Fed were pushing the $700 billion TARP/bailout bill former Treasury secretary Paulson changed one of the tax laws to allow banks to deduct losses when merging. This allowed large banks to profit from merging with smaller [...]

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Reflections on Unemployment

January 29, 2009

With the continuous announcements of layoffs across the country I thought it was appropriate to voice my gratitude for experiencing only a brief two months of unemployment. With the severance I was given I never even had to go without a pay check for that time. Not only was my unemployment brief, I also found [...]

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Cost of Kids

January 28, 2009

In honor of my twin sister giving birth to her second child on Sunday, I wanted to do a quick post about the cost of kids. While we wouldn’t trade our fabulous Miss Makenna Rose for all the money in the world, the cost of having kids is certainly something to consider when planning a [...]

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Tip of the Day: Negotiate Your Rent

January 27, 2009

Hi All,  For most people, every year you get a letter from your landlord raising your rent. Well, if your local rental market is soft or your apartment is starting to get a bit run down, negotiate! Landlords value good tenants who pay their rent on time.  If you can come up with a good [...]

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CitiGroup Buys New Jet, Demonstrates Lack of Accountability

January 27, 2009

Hi All, Just saw this story. Evidently failing corporate giant Citigroup is buying its executives a brand new luxury jet – for a cool $50 million dollars. Their new “Limo of the Sky” Dassault Falcon 7X will be retrofitted with a luxury entertainment center, private bathrooms and kitchens and seats 12 in maximum comfort. When [...]

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Lehman CEO Fuld: Poster Boy for Whats Wrong With Capitalism

January 26, 2009

One of the downsides of widespread ownership of shares of common stock is that individual owners have a reduced say in how a company is run. This situation effectively allows corporate officers like CEOs and CFOs defacto control of companies. If you’re not sure about this argument check out John Bogle’s book, The Battle for [...]

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