Feb
7
February 7, 2009 | Leave a Comment
First, read this article: http://blog.stealthmode.com/2009/02/06/an-open-letter-to-my-two-mortgage-companies/ I, at first, wanted to join in the bashing that was going on in the various internet forums. I scrimped and saved and paid off my home mortgage in about 6 years. I do coding/teaching/projects on the side and used it to pay off all my student loans and mortgages. [...]
Dec
22
Best Investmetns in a Depression Part 2
December 22, 2008 | 1 Comment
Right now is a terrible time for investors. Risk exists everywhere. Banks won't loan to each other let alone you. If you do have cash right now. Where is the best place to put it? In part of Best Investments in a Depression, I discussed paying off your debts as a way to get 100% [...]
Sep
3
Why First Time Home Buyer Programs Are a Bad Idea
September 3, 2008 | 2 Comments
Another home remodeling project is almost complete. My back hurts, my hands are scraped up pretty good and I'm tired. Working on my house always makes me wonder if I made the right decision about buying a home. If I could go back in time and give a younger me advice, what would I say? [...]
Jun
17
What Is Flood Insurance?
June 17, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Every year people and property are devastated by floods. Floods can strike anywhere. The government established National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to help deal with the financial cost of flooding. Find out how the flood insurance works. Even with modern management techniques, floods happen every year. Look at the recent Katrina disaster or the flooding [...]
Jun
16
IRS Withholds $842 Million in Stimulus Payments
June 16, 2008 | 21 Comments
If you're missing your stimulus check, you're not alone. The IRS is withholding $842 Million from stimulus payments. How do you know if you're stimulus payment will be withheld? According to this CNN/Money article, stimulus payments have been withheld from 1.5 million people. Over 50% of the money has gone for back child support. About [...]
May
9
More frequently asked questions regarding the Economic Stimulus Payment (Rebate): What if my spouse owes money? What will happen to our stimulus payment? Will the IRS keep it all even though part of that money is for me and my children? The IRS Will Keep Your Money The IRS can keep your stimulus money (and [...]
May
6
It seems a lot of people still have questions about how the amount of the stimulus payment is determined. The IRS provides a calculator on it's web site. So it's easy to find out how much should should get, but it's not so easy to see why you are getting that amount. The IRS Stimulus [...]
Apr
18
Prosper Increases Maximum Interest Rates
April 18, 2008 | 1 Comment
I’m a Prosper.com lender. One of the problems I’ve noticed is the low maximum interest rates for borrowers in some states. Prosper has now fixed this problem for most states. Previously max rates had been as low as 6%. Now most states in the US have a maximum interest rate of 36%. Some states have [...]
Apr
15
Taxes Not Done? File an Extension
April 15, 2008 | 3 Comments
Your taxes are due every year on April 15th. Do you have your taxes done? There are many reasons you may not have your taxes filed by the deadline. If you’re not finished with your taxes, make sure you file an extension with the IRS. Why Should You File an Extension? If your taxes aren’t [...]
Apr
9
Lending Money on Prosper: My Results
April 9, 2008 | 10 Comments
This is the 4th post in a series of articles about Prosper.com. Prosper is a person to person lending site with an auction format similar to EBay. I’ve been lending money on Prosper for awhile. In this article I’ll write about my results. In my previous articles, I’ve discussed how Prosper.com works and the risks [...]