Category: personal finance

It’s Not a Joint Venture, It’s a Marriage

Dear Dave, When my wife and I got married, she had about $70,000 in savings and I had a lot of debt. We bought some property from her parents to build a home on, and she made a 20 percent down payment on the land from her savings. We’ve paid off some debt, and she…


My ‘Ivory Tower’ Is in the Basement of a Suburban Split-Level

I got an interesting email (actually, it was more like a rant) from a guy who was upset about an encounter he had with the Social Security Administration. It went on for a couple pages. I’m used to rants. After all, you just can’t please everyone all the time. But here is the part of…



Closing Prices for Crude Oil, Gold, and Other Commodities (June 6)

Benchmark U.S. crude oil for July delivery fell 41 cents to $71.74 a barrel Tuesday. Brent crude for August delivery fell 42 cents to $76.29 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline for July delivery rose 4 cents $2.56 a gallon. July heating oil fell 1 cent to $2.37 a gallon. July natural gas rose 1 cent to…


How Major US Stock Indexes Fared June 6

Stocks drifted on Wall Street amid a vacuum of market-moving data. The S&P 500 rose 0.2 percent Tuesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 10 points while the Nasdaq added 0.4 percent. Banks were some of the bigger gainers, recovering from their struggles earlier this year after high interest rates helped cause several high-profile…


[PREMIERING 7:30PM ET] David Stockman: Debt Default, the ‘Doomsday Budget Machine,’ and Failed Fiscal Restraint Explained

“For capitalism to work, you have to have effectively functioning, solid capital markets. And in order to do that, you need savings—real savings, not money printed by a central bank, but real savings from businesses and households,” says David Stockman, who served as budget director for President Ronald Reagan. “Back then, the public debt was 30-40…


[PREMIERING NOW] David Stockman: Debt Default, the ‘Doomsday Budget Machine,’ and Failed Fiscal Restraint Explained

“For capitalism to work, you have to have effectively functioning, solid capital markets. And in order to do that, you need savings—real savings, not money printed by a central bank, but real savings from businesses and households,” says David Stockman, who served as budget director for President Ronald Reagan. “Back then, the public debt was 30-40…


David Stockman: Debt Default, the ‘Doomsday Budget Machine,’ and Failed Fiscal Restraint Explained

“For capitalism to work, you have to have effectively functioning, solid capital markets. And in order to do that, you need savings—real savings, not money printed by a central bank, but real savings from businesses and households,” says David Stockman, who served as budget director for President Ronald Reagan. “Back then, the public debt was 30-40…


How to Set a Fair Rent Price for Your Properties

By Dave Spooner Renting at below-market rates is a common problem among new real estate investors. How do you know what constitutes a fair rent rate? And what if that rate leads to vacancies or losses? Setting the right rent rate is a skill that requires practice. There are many things to consider in your…


Pay Down, or Pay Ahead? It Can Be Confusing

Years ago, I learned a lesson I won’t have to learn again. It was that poignant. It was during a time when mortgage interest rates took a nosedive and we benefited by refinancing our high-rate mortgage. The transaction closed in late August with the first payment due in October. Rather than take a month off…