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This is not good ... http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7BA7E50603%2DC65A%2D4608%2D9896%2D5ADE8E3F278C%7D&siteid=mktw And, the bad news about the SAR is this: the bank is under no obligation to inform you that it has filed a SAR with the U.S. Treasury. And that can't be a good thing...

I tried one of the on-line insurance quotes in the referenced article and learned that the BEST I can do to insure a family of 4 in MA is $1500/month. OUCH! ... Like having a mortgage payment that NEVER goes away. http://smartmoney.com/consumer/index.cfm?story=20030929 Here's what you have to look f...

Here's some ways to check the legs on your stool ... http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Retirementandwills/InvestYourSavings/P34680.asp Employees of one Connecticut company, for example, found that the administrator for their 401(k) plan had diverted their retirement-plan money for his own benefit;...

401ks should offer at least: total stock market index Wish mine offered the total stock market index. Can't complain too much ... a friend of mine said his 401K fund manager KEEPS THE DIVIDEND AS A FEE. I told him that was CRIMINAL! With no corporate matching funds, all they get is price appreciati...

Worth the read ... http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7BE9DCF1FD%2D3429%2D4B8B%2D9433%2D9115386809BE%7D&siteid=mktw The problem, Arnone said, is that defined-contribution plans were never intended to be workers' main income stream in retirement. Instead, the intent was that they wou...

Worked in a freezer as a "picker" for a frozen food distributor. But these guys beat me hands-down ... http://www.bcentral.com/articles/isyn/default.asp?newsid=20031012&cobrand=msn&LID=3800 It is a job that is not only dirty and smelly, but also can be dangerous. Gases that can bui...

I re-assesed the mortgage payoff question ... The issue seems easily addressed by determining what FIRE assets are needed to generate the mortgage payment. I'll use this simple equation: (FIRE assets needed) is (annual mortgage payment) divided by (SWR). For example, a 15 year mortgage for $150k at ...

Another way to retire ... http://www.msnbc.com/news/974169.asp?0cl=c3 Gates handed the operational reins of his company to Steve Ballmer, remaining as chairman and chief software architect, and has thus had more time to pursue philanthropy. A HANDS-ON APPROACH In a series of interviews on their rece...

The financing side/loan/mortgage/tax deductability of interest etc. is simply a gearing(like my margin loan at my broker) of your initial downpayment in my book ... but the mortgage interest rate can make or break the monthly cash-flow (when your only squeezing a couple hundred bucks per month out ...

Thanx John (I was looking for the same FMO posts). Howdydoday, I use a VERY basic qualifier .... Make sure the mortgage, taxes and insurance payment is 50% the rents or LESS. This allows: Maintenance (averaging around 15% of rents) Water (5%) Vacanacy (5-10%) Liability Insurance (2%) PROFIT (return ...

One of biggest Areas that SWR ignores is that Retirees should want to spend more money before age 80 than after age 80. That makes alot of sense! I tend to believe we all have circumstances too unique for any cook-book SWR. For example I'll retire with a few rentals and at MOST an equal amount of s...

It began this four-decade run with prices that averaged, from 1962 through 1963, 18 times expected earnings Our hero needs to be reminded that the market LOST 22% in secular BEAR market from February 1966 through August 1982 (16.5 years!!). Also noteworthy is that the P/E of the S&P was 7.3 in ...

The attached cites the largest deterrent to renting (rising costs).

http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.a ... iteid=mktw

Trex, I am not qualified to do taxes ... I 've used a CPA for years. So I called my accountant, here's the deal: 1. No requirement to rent the property to take the repair costs as a deduction. A schedule D is used (rather than schedule E). 2. A fix n' flip held for less than one year will be taxed a...

...also no need to "rent out" to get the repair expenses deducted.

I believe you could fix and flip and take the repairs with out renting. Just add to the cost basis of the property.

And of course I don't need to mention that judicious use of leverage can increase real return further Yes, if I divide by my purchase price (or better yet - deposit) then the returns are much higher. But I think it helps to understand what todays returns are in todays dollars (to determine if the i...

I have a few single families that are returning 6-8% (annual rents minus all expenes divided by current market value). It gets taxed as ordinary income (28% federal; 5% state) so that leaves ~ 4.6% ... minus inflation to get a "real return". Wow, not much left ! I guess it's all about the ...

Also if you're living off dividends the federal tax will drop significantly (from 28% to 15% for me) until of coure the law expires.

I am puzzeled ... Wouldn't the market swings simply be the middle classes impact on itself. The financial institutions are using the middle class $$ (401k, pension, 403D ...) The average joe-6-pack is not day trader. In fact he works a job which would simple not permit him to even track his portfoli...