As you know, we’ve been in the market to buy a house for some time now–even made the move from drizzly, expensive Seattle to sunny Atlanta and, to us, the land of affordability. But we haven’t yet even made one offer on the beautiful homes we’ve been walking through each weekend, and we probably won’t. [...]

[Read more →]

When Warren Buffett talks, people listen. Last Friday, the famed investor spent three hours talking to CNBC’s Becky Quick live from Omaha. Here are a few highlights from their conversation that are worth sharing.
When asked about the state of the economy Buffett said, “The country will be doing far better five years from now than [...]

[Read more →]

While it’s dropped in recent weeks, it’s no secret that the price of oil is at record levels, jacking up how much you pay each week for a gallon of gas. And while it’s been likely a non-factor over the past few months in terms of how much you’re paying to keep your house warm [...]

[Read more →]

The tug of war in the stock market ended in just about a draw last week as the Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose a fraction.
Since the beginning of the year, the S&P 500 index has traded in a range roughly between 1,215 and 1,450, according to data from Yahoo! Finance. However, when you consider [...]

[Read more →]

It’s no secret subprime mortgage borrowers default. But now it’s getting worse. Borrowers of prime mortgages are starting to default, and that spells trouble for a housing market already grasping for air.
Prime mortgages, or mortgages made to borrowers with good credit, are normally seen as safer bets for lenders, at least until now, anyway. Last [...]

[Read more →]

A big drop in oil prices helped fuel a significant rise in stock prices last week. However, is there normally a neat and tidy inverse relationship between oil prices and stock prices?
Crude oil prices dropped 7.9% last week while the Dow Jones Industrial Average popped 3.6%, according to The Wall Street Journal. The Dow’s [...]

[Read more →]

Stocks took another little hit today on more financial sectors doldrums, higher consumer borrowing costs, and weaker spending. But for the good news, I saved money on my car insurance. Just kidding (although, truth be told, Georgia is a cheaper state than Washington in terms of car insurance).
The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 220 points, [...]

[Read more →]

If you simply look at the trend of our gross domestic product (GDP) over the past three quarters, you might get the impression that the economy is poised for takeoff. But, just like you shouldn’t judge the quality of a bottle of wine based on the beauty of its label, you shouldn’t trust statistics without [...]

[Read more →]