This is a fun calculation for both homeowners and renters.  What does your home cost you daily?  We can use 30 days a month, and we should try to add in everything.  For homeowners this includes the mortgage, property taxes, insurance, maintenance, utilities.  For renters the same.  Obviously it’ll cost less if you rent than [...]

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Yesterday I talked about categorizing the budget.  I said we spent 28% on our gross income on PITI and home maintenance last year.  We didn’t have huge maintenance expenses last year our PITI includes our mortgage, taxes, home association fees, and property taxes.
So did we buy too much house?  We’re under the correct guidelines according [...]

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When you buy real estate the first thing you hear is location is everything.  Or there are three things in real estate to consider, “location, location, location”.  So when choosing a home everyone considers the location.  The question is what should you consider?
I mean do you consider safety?  Is it important that the home you [...]

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A reader asked, is it worth staying in a relationship/marriage for financial reasons?  When do you walk away and lose everything?
Honestly? I think you just leave.  Money or no money.  Pack your bags and start walking.  If you are unhappy and unable to start over without leaving, then leave.
But what if you want to keep [...]

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I’ve talked about not paying off a 30 year mortgage because you are saving for retirement.  Or for college savings.  I’ve even mentioned that not paying off the mortgage is a hedge against inflation.  In 30 years if you are still paying on the mortgage it’ll be substantially cheaper than rent because of inflation.  Or [...]

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Boomeranging home is a new trend with 20-somethings. If you are wondering what that is, it’s where a child leaves for college, maybe gets a job outside for a few years and lives independently but then returns home. Or maybe returns home after college before finding a job.  Either way it’s boomeranging back into your [...]

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