Home Ownership Gets Tougher – That’s a Good Thing

Business week reported this week that major banks are imposing tougher standards on FHA loans. Last week NPR ran a similar piece about tightened mortgage underwriting standards in general. In each story, folks (potential buyers, real estate agents, etc.) were complaining how tough it was for folks with less than stellar finances to qualify for a loan.

Stop the whining already! Read more

Visualizing a Lost Decade

Would you like to see an ugly picture of long term investing in the last decade? Read on. Read more

Can You Hold Your Financial Breath for Two Days?

Today and tomorrow are set up to be quite tumultuous for the world of personal finance. The new look of the House and Senate may determine whether federal income taxes (for those of us who pay taxes) will go up on January 1.  Of course none of our chicken-sh— politicians wanted to vote on tax rates before the election, but no surprise there. Read more