Saturday, February 24, 2007

Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/ing Us

Macro issues that do and will affect us all

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Beat the Credit Card Loan Sharks at their own game

http://finance.yahoo.com/loans/article/102365/Credit-Card_Debt_Vs._Home-Equity_Debt

Credit Card Analyzer

http://moneycentral.msn.com/banking/services/CreditCard.asp?iSearchId=3&Go=Go

Have fun with balance transfer offers

http://www.smartmoney.com/dealoftheday/index.cfm?story=20070123

The Science of Getting Rich - for free!!

There is a book, written in 1910, that was the inspiration behind a movie currently circulating called The Secret. The book is by Wallace D. Wattles and is in the public domain. That means that there is no copyright, so it is available for FREE on the internet. Here is one place to get it:
http://project.jtchandler.com/

I downloaded the audiobook for free from Califa
All you need is a library card.

Defer Capital gains on sale of primary residence

1034 rollover exchange(sale or exchange of the residence)

Tax-free exchange that allows a seller two years after escrow closes on his former principal personal residence to buy like-kind property and defer taxes. Profits from the sale of a principal residence are not taxed if, essentially, the purchase price of the new residence is equal or greater than the sales price of the old residence. Also, the new residence must be acquired and personally occupied within 24 months before or after the sale of the old residence, for a 48-month period. To accurately set the amount of profit deferred, the net sales price and adjusted sales price of the old residence must be calculated. From these respective figures are derived the actual profit and minimum purchase price of the new residence to fully avoid taxes on the profit. The 24-month sale-to-replacement period offers the homeowner the opportunity to use the net sales proceeds from the old residence for short-term, high-yield money market investments. These investments are liquid and generally more lucrative than real estate acquisitions during periods of high interest rate.

Thursday, February 01, 2007

Americans are spending too much

WASHINGTON (AP) - People once again spent everything they made and then some last year, pushing the personal savings rate to the lowest level since the Great Depression more than seven decades ago.

The Commerce Department reported Thursday that the savings rate for all of 2006 was a negative 1 percent, meaning that not only did people spend all the money they earned but they also dipped into savings or increased borrowing to finance purchases. The 2006 figure was lower than a negative 0.4 percent in 2005 and was the poorest showing since a negative 1.5 percent savings rate in 1933 during the Depression.


Friday, January 05, 2007

Housing Inventory Snapshot


Housing Inventory Snapshot December 31, 06

Average List PriceMedian List PriceAverage Days On Market
Santa Clara County, CA
Single Family under $1M$721,783$699,00069
Single Family over $1M$2,257,991$1,599,000101
Condo/Townhome under $600K$450,500$440,00072
Condo/Townhome over $600K$759,967$679,00069
San Mateo County, CA
Single Family under $1M$762,286$756,00071
Single Family over $1M$2,747,889$1,695,00099
Condo/Townhome under $600K$454,885$479,00076
Condo/Townhome over $600K$987,557$799,00067
Santa Cruz County, CA
Single Family under $1M$689,591$695,000102
Single Family over $1M$2,026,651$1,499,000116
Condo/Townhome under $600K$469,410$485,000105
Condo/Townhome over $600K$974,405$784,000111
Monterey County, CA
Single Family under $1M$629,528$599,99597
Single Family over $1M$2,610,313$1,810,000128
Condo/Townhome under $600K$404,504$385,000115
Condo/Townhome over $600K$930,379$800,000113
San Benito County, CA
Single Family under $1M$643,312$599,99995
Single Family over $1M$1,427,412$1,397,500124
Condo/Townhome under $300KN/AN/AN/A
Condo/Townhome over $300K$463,987$435,00091
Alameda County, CA
Single Family under $1M$608,993$590,00058
Single Family over $1M$1,715,385$1,399,88873
Condo/Townhome under $600K$431,658$429,00055
Condo/Townhome over $600K$689,821$659,00064
Contra Costa County, CA
Single Family under $1M$578,153$549,00063
Single Family over $1M$1,755,934$1,448,00068
Condo/Townhome under $600K$369,448$357,00065
Condo/Townhome over $600K$717,450$689,00067

MORTGAGE. National Averages (December 31, 06)*
30-year fixedRate - 5.73%APR - 5.92%
15-year fixedRate - 5.5%APR - 5.79%
5/1 ARMRate - 5.58%APR - 6.91%