This is what can happen in a "monthly payment" world. Is housing different than autos? By miles. But I sense a similar trend in homebuying with buyers trying to fit into a monthly payment....

I've added a "Psychology" category because it does enter into the overall money management picture more often than not. Here's an article arguing that we (Americans) are not model...

So it is inflation stupid? Fed Governor Donald Kohn gave a speech last week that is quite revealing of at least his thinking. It seems he has inflation in his crosshairs, housing be damned. But, in...

Since the internet exploded into the zeitgeist years ago, I always believed ebay was the most elegant business model around. Forget the Pez hooey, its founder sought to create the perfect marketplace....

With a seemingly unending stream of stories like this and this, it appears the bad guys are heeding Willie Sutton's advice to go where the money (data) is. We live in a digital world, bits and...

The Federal Reserve Board doesn't think one can identify bubbles in realtime. Thus, the housing market today is as rational as 5, 15 or 35 years ago according to this widely praised brain trust....

More color from the frontline. The AMT continues to fester, another elephant in the room.......

You may have discussed the Alternatvie Minimum Tax with your tax preparer. You may have been subject to the tax. You may not know what it is. You better get familiar with it because the number of...

The dollar has had a tough run the past few years. What's next? Nobody knows. But you can diversify away from the dollar a bit to hedge some currency risk in your overall portfolio. Check out...

April 15th is this Friday. If you won't get your taxes filed on time be sure to get an extension. In light of all things taxes, here is a short article discussing the intention of the IRS to...

Paul Volker, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve, has an opinion piece in the Washington Post. It is wise to consider what he has to say. I don't know whether change will come with a bang or a...

"The most powerful force in the universe is compound interest." - albert einstein From January 1980 to December 1999 the S&P 500 went from 108 to 1469. This works out to just about a...

Meg Richards, AP Business writer, details results of a Legg Mason study of mutual fund performance over the long term. She notes the active managers that outperformed have a lot in common with index...

USA Today is out with an article detailing the experience of investors who chased performance in 2000. The two exerpts below are quite striking. The bottom line is you should invest with blinders on -...

LA Times story about the US Treasury moving to fixed rates, as opposed to variable, on Series EE bonds - - the one's your kids often receive as gifts. Don't look now, but there may be an...

USA Today has an article in today's paper about the annual Retirement Confidence Survey conducted by nonprofit Employee Benefit Research Institute. I find this disturbing: ...65% of workers are...

If you're a lone wolf, someone who is truly self-employed, I hope you're taking advantage of the Individual 401(k). Sometimes called the UniK, SoloK etc., this is a 401(k) just like the...

Today is a great celebration of practical jokes. Have fun playing them or being played. When the jokes are over, it's a good idea to use today as a reminder to review your financial game plan. Are...