There is hope for some in foreclosure

Friday, November 30th, 2007 | Money, Real Estate | No Comments

ow about a glimmer of hope for some people who are struggling to catch up with their house payments?

There is a new program that is offering grants of up to $5,000 to help people bring their mortgage current. But before you get too excited, you need to understand the rules about who is eligible.

First the background. HSBC is the company behind the program. It’s offering a total of $1 million to help homeowners in trouble. The money is being administered through the debt counseling company, Money Management International.

The article

Seniors have lost 40% of their buying power

Monday, November 26th, 2007 | Investment, Money, Statistics | No Comments

Seniors have lost 40% of their buying power since the beginning of the decade. New study: Cost-of-living adjustments have increased average Social Security benefits only 22% since 2000, while typical senior expenses, such as food, heating oil, drugs and trasnportation, have risen by 71%. Problem: A majority of seniors on Social Security depend on it for at least 50% of their total income.

Shannon Benton, research director, The Senior Citizens League, nonpartisan seniors group, Alezandria, Virginia, www.seniorsleague.org 

How do mortgage interest rate change?

Tuesday, November 13th, 2007 | Investment, Money, The Economy | No Comments

By Terri Cullen
From The Wall Street Journal Online In Home School, Wall Street Journal personal finance columnist Terri Cullen will try to answer your questions about the housing slowdown. If you have a question about shopping for mortgages, buying or selling a home (or both!), what’s going on in the real-estate market or any other topic relating to housing, email her at fiscallyfit@wsj.com.

Question: My fiancée and I are in the process of buying a new home. Does a drop in the Federal-funds rate influence the fixed-rate mortgage? Thanks for your help and guidance.
- Victor Prosper

The Answer 

Did you miss “Get Motivated”

Monday, November 12th, 2007 | Investment, Money, Real Estate, The Economy | No Comments

If you see that Peter Lowe is organizing a function that you have the ability to attend, Cheryl and I recommend you make sure you don’t miss the event. On Tuesday the 30th of October Cheryl and I attended the “Get Motivated” event in Phoenix. We knew some of the speakers so we didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to hear them.

First up in the morning was Brian Tracy. When it comes to personal improvement, we think Mr. Tracy is the best. Our iPods have several of his albums so we can listen to him. I have a FM attachment and am able to listen on my car radio instead of the same old talk or music. Brian spoke for about half an hour and we figured that just hearing him was worth more that the aggravation get to the event.

Next up was Suze Orman. I have seen her on TV before but never listened. She gave us some great ideas in our quest of wealth building. Having been introduced to her in this format has given me the desire to read more of her books and CDs.

Speaker after speaker gave us ideas and information that we found necessary in filling some personal and financial goals. Imagine having someone who has been rated one of the top 100 entrepreneurs in the last century speak to you about how he thinks you can do better. Bill Bartmann to me was the crown jewel of the event.

Watch for the next ”Get Motivated” event near you! We recommend that you find a way to attend.