Hi All,

Here is whats come across our radar screen that’s noteworthy.

First, It looks like your costs to eat out are going to increase. According to the latest numbers from the Consumer Price Index, food away from home figures increased at a rate of about 5% per month for the first quarter of 2009. Projections are you’ll be hit with another 4% before the year ends (1). If you are only saving and not investing and creating more wealth, you will have more trouble adjusting to the increases over time.

Second, My Dollar Plan has a good posting on shared finances in a marriage. They go over the various models for integrating your finances and offer some tips for managing difficulties. There is very little discussion of marriage dynamics in the personal finance blogsphere, so its nice to see these kinds of discussions. Here.

Third, if you are thinking about refinancing or taking out a new mortgage, Jane Bryant Quinn’s latest column has a great breakdown of the realities of obtaining mortgage financing in the current lending climate. Bottom line: if you don’t have a 20% down payment, good credit and some solid income, its going to be a LOT harder to get a mortgage. Here.

Best,

James

MANAGE YOUR MONEY TOGETHER

Here are some simple guidelines for DINKS to build wealth:

1) Collaborate: Meet regularly to talk about money, set goals together, track and monitor them.

2) Understand and respect your partner. Take time to understand your partners values about money.

3) Watch the numbers. Get a budget, monitor your spending and track your net worth.

4) Max your retirement. Maximize contributions to your tax deferred retirement accounts.

5) Invest in stock. Stocks perform better than bonds or cash.

6) Avoid high interest debt. Credit cards and title loans are financial cancer.

7) Diversify. Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

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