When was the last time you you had a vehicle that get 60, 70,80 or more miles per gallon? Well, the right brand of scooters will not raise any concerns for you as gasoline prices soar
Say sayonara to gas-guzzling SUVs, trucks and all the others, choose to purchase a scooter. All over the country, a new phenomenon has been appearing. More and more drivers are becoming riders of some famous motorcycles brands. Now a new problem also surfaces. New riders have no clue about what they are doing. They have no idea about safety. Safety gear is the most important investment a rider can make. I have been riding for a long time to know it can make the difference between life and death. Appropriate jackets and pants can help avoid stupid accidents and road burns. Why do you not think about investing in proper riding shoes and boots?
As scooter sales soar after the soaring of gasoline, more and more parents, teenagers and older people will ride a scooter. Some of the motorcycle or scooter brands you may take a look at are: Vespas, icons of a European motorscooter. There are also Japanese-made Yamahas, Italian-made Aprilias and Piaggios. Local motorcycle dealers can not keep enough of these motorscooters. They are sold out. Who can forget about the most fuel-efficient scooter around, the Thompson Electric which can get a penny a mile? Buyers should not forget about safety gear such as a basic helmet, pants and shoes. Taking a safety class is also important.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
The Basics of Financial Health: Personal Finance Rules to Live By
When economic times turn tough, governments urge their citizens to spend. Economists think of citizens as "consumers" and rely on them to put their "disposable income" to work. By doing this they will support the economy, which translates into higher stock prices.
However, in times like early 2008, when consumers were reeling from the perfect storm of inflation, a global credit crunch, a global housing market in decline and concerns about stagflation, there is often a conflict with the governmental cry for consumers to spend. It's a bewildering scenario. What's the best course of action for a concerned consumer to take? The following strategies provide a road map for surviving economic downturns.
1. Do Not Buy What You Can Not Afford
We all want that designer sweater, leather handbag, or cute sports car, but most of us just can't afford to make the purchases. There's a simple solution to this dilemma. If you can't afford it, don't buy it. This is often the easiest point to understand, but it is one of the hardest to implement when all those goodies are staring you in the face and all your credit companies are telling you it's OK.
2. If You Can't Pay Cash, You Probably Can't Afford It
In our credit crazy world, amassing debt no longer carries a social stigma. Everybody has a car payment, a house payment and credit card payments. Well, remember what your mother said about everybody jumping off of a bridge? Just because "everybody" is doing it, doesn't make it a good idea. Buying something you can't afford now, especially when the economy is unsettled, can double the pain of paying later. For example, if you purchase a $450,000 home today and the market goes into a slump and devalues your home by $200,000, you will be paying the bank twice what the home has come to be worth. Just because it was easy to get the credit to buy that home, doesn't mean it was the right time for you to buy in.
3. Paying Interest on Anything Makes Somebody Else Rich
When you pay interest on a purchase, you are overpaying for that item for the luxury of getting to use it now. The simple act of paying interest means that the price you are paying to make the purchase is greater than the sale price of the item. You are giving away even more of your hard-earned money in order to own that item than the manufacturer thought the item was worth. For example, if you buy a car for $25,000 with a loan at 7% interest for five years, in the end, you will pay almost $30,000 for the car. Once you factor in depreciation, you're left with a very cheap car that cost you thousands more than it should have.
4. If You Are in Debt, stop Spending Money
Sometimes, such as when purchasing a home, the cost of the item is so great that you simply cannot afford to pay cash. This should be the exception rather than the rule. When it cannot be avoided, you need to close your purse and stop spending. Getting yourself further in debt doesn't help your financial situation. Making a realistic budget in this case is the key to success. Once you know how much you're actually spending on those daily trips to the grocery store and coffee shop, you'll be able to find room to cut costs realistically.
5. Don't Count on Somebody Else to Save You
In times of economic uncertainty, people often think the government will be able to help them, but unfortunately this is often the time when the government has the least amount of money and freedom to help its own citizens. In most cases, the government won't save you, so you'll have to save yourself. When the economy is in a downturn, you can't just look at what you are spending, you also need to look at where the money is coming from. Your employer is facing the same difficulties you are: trying to make bill payments, balancing the flow of capital, all while sales are slowing. Just like you, your employer will be looking to reduce its costs, which could be in the form of layoffs. You could be in big trouble if you haven't planned for this possibility. The plan here is to start saving now for that eventual rainy day, and prepare an emergency fund for yourself. If it is too late to start saving and you already need the money, many financial institutions will let you defer a payment or two if you prove you have a smart financial plan to eventually pull through.
When People Don't Spend
But wait! If we're all hanging on to our money rather than feeding the economy, what will happen? Will stock prices plummet? Will economic growth grind to a halt? Will we all be poor? No. For a real world example of this, let's take a look at Japan, where saving more than consuming has been commonplace in its people's history.
While being a net lender is a concept that the West abandoned some time after World War II, it continued to be practiced in Japan. During the mid-1970s, Reuters reports that Japanese consumers saved some 20% of their disposable incomes. During Japan's economic slump in the 1990s, the Nikkei 225 fell from a peak of 39,000 in 1989 to 16,000 in 1992. Gross domestic product growth averaged less than 1% per year, but personal savings remained in the double digits. Although the unemployment rate rose from less than 2.5% in 1990 to just under 5% in 2000, with an average of 3% percent according to the U.S. Department of Labor, it still remained lower than the rate in most industrialized nations. The net result? Japan remained a healthy, vibrant, wealthy country with a poorly performing stock market. If you've got savings and a smart financial plan, a weak market won't break you.
Live Now Like You Face Tough Times
These five strategies work equally well when times are good, so there is no need to wait until you are in trouble to start making smart decisions.Your lifestyle will be characterized by things you can actually afford, such as a house that won't get repossessed, a car that might not impress the neighbors but will still get you to work and back, and long, restful nights free from financial worries. It might not be the fairytale lifestyle of the rich and famous that corporate marketers having been trying sell you, but at least you won't have to worry about how to keep up on the payments for a lifestyle you can't afford.
However, in times like early 2008, when consumers were reeling from the perfect storm of inflation, a global credit crunch, a global housing market in decline and concerns about stagflation, there is often a conflict with the governmental cry for consumers to spend. It's a bewildering scenario. What's the best course of action for a concerned consumer to take? The following strategies provide a road map for surviving economic downturns.
1. Do Not Buy What You Can Not Afford
We all want that designer sweater, leather handbag, or cute sports car, but most of us just can't afford to make the purchases. There's a simple solution to this dilemma. If you can't afford it, don't buy it. This is often the easiest point to understand, but it is one of the hardest to implement when all those goodies are staring you in the face and all your credit companies are telling you it's OK.
2. If You Can't Pay Cash, You Probably Can't Afford It
In our credit crazy world, amassing debt no longer carries a social stigma. Everybody has a car payment, a house payment and credit card payments. Well, remember what your mother said about everybody jumping off of a bridge? Just because "everybody" is doing it, doesn't make it a good idea. Buying something you can't afford now, especially when the economy is unsettled, can double the pain of paying later. For example, if you purchase a $450,000 home today and the market goes into a slump and devalues your home by $200,000, you will be paying the bank twice what the home has come to be worth. Just because it was easy to get the credit to buy that home, doesn't mean it was the right time for you to buy in.
3. Paying Interest on Anything Makes Somebody Else Rich
When you pay interest on a purchase, you are overpaying for that item for the luxury of getting to use it now. The simple act of paying interest means that the price you are paying to make the purchase is greater than the sale price of the item. You are giving away even more of your hard-earned money in order to own that item than the manufacturer thought the item was worth. For example, if you buy a car for $25,000 with a loan at 7% interest for five years, in the end, you will pay almost $30,000 for the car. Once you factor in depreciation, you're left with a very cheap car that cost you thousands more than it should have.
4. If You Are in Debt, stop Spending Money
Sometimes, such as when purchasing a home, the cost of the item is so great that you simply cannot afford to pay cash. This should be the exception rather than the rule. When it cannot be avoided, you need to close your purse and stop spending. Getting yourself further in debt doesn't help your financial situation. Making a realistic budget in this case is the key to success. Once you know how much you're actually spending on those daily trips to the grocery store and coffee shop, you'll be able to find room to cut costs realistically.
5. Don't Count on Somebody Else to Save You
In times of economic uncertainty, people often think the government will be able to help them, but unfortunately this is often the time when the government has the least amount of money and freedom to help its own citizens. In most cases, the government won't save you, so you'll have to save yourself. When the economy is in a downturn, you can't just look at what you are spending, you also need to look at where the money is coming from. Your employer is facing the same difficulties you are: trying to make bill payments, balancing the flow of capital, all while sales are slowing. Just like you, your employer will be looking to reduce its costs, which could be in the form of layoffs. You could be in big trouble if you haven't planned for this possibility. The plan here is to start saving now for that eventual rainy day, and prepare an emergency fund for yourself. If it is too late to start saving and you already need the money, many financial institutions will let you defer a payment or two if you prove you have a smart financial plan to eventually pull through.
When People Don't Spend
But wait! If we're all hanging on to our money rather than feeding the economy, what will happen? Will stock prices plummet? Will economic growth grind to a halt? Will we all be poor? No. For a real world example of this, let's take a look at Japan, where saving more than consuming has been commonplace in its people's history.
While being a net lender is a concept that the West abandoned some time after World War II, it continued to be practiced in Japan. During the mid-1970s, Reuters reports that Japanese consumers saved some 20% of their disposable incomes. During Japan's economic slump in the 1990s, the Nikkei 225 fell from a peak of 39,000 in 1989 to 16,000 in 1992. Gross domestic product growth averaged less than 1% per year, but personal savings remained in the double digits. Although the unemployment rate rose from less than 2.5% in 1990 to just under 5% in 2000, with an average of 3% percent according to the U.S. Department of Labor, it still remained lower than the rate in most industrialized nations. The net result? Japan remained a healthy, vibrant, wealthy country with a poorly performing stock market. If you've got savings and a smart financial plan, a weak market won't break you.
Live Now Like You Face Tough Times
These five strategies work equally well when times are good, so there is no need to wait until you are in trouble to start making smart decisions.Your lifestyle will be characterized by things you can actually afford, such as a house that won't get repossessed, a car that might not impress the neighbors but will still get you to work and back, and long, restful nights free from financial worries. It might not be the fairytale lifestyle of the rich and famous that corporate marketers having been trying sell you, but at least you won't have to worry about how to keep up on the payments for a lifestyle you can't afford.
Russian and Chinese Consumers Want iPhone: Growing Contraband Market for iPhones in Russia and China
Russian and Chinese Consumers Want iPhone: Growing Contraband Market for iPhones in Russia and China
FreeiPhonesWanted: Hot Unlocked iPhones Sell Well in China and Russia: Can't Find Enough to Ship Out
Russian and Chinese consumers can practically buy anything they want. But there is something they can not quite get, Apple's iPhone. In the past, Russians and Chinese relied on friends and American travelers to bring other products in their suitcase. They used to bring blue jeans, rock records and other Western goods that were rare in those countries.
Once Chinese and Russian consumers are able to purchase an iphone, they spend about $100 to have the device unlocked for local use. They prefer the original iphone which does not force them to use services which subsidize the new iphone 3G. While Apple is negotiating with local mobile service providers, black marketers are making huge amount of money. So sites such as freeiPhoneswap is making top money on unsuspecting consumers or owners. Are the owners of the site letting you believe that they are recycling for important parts? Continue to read this rumor report and various others elsewhere.
Do you know why the new iphone, iphone 3G is sop inexpensive? Well, mobile carriers have been able to subsidize it. This way, buying consumers are forced to activate their service. Nothing is free! With a reduced price, more users are able to afford the slick, flashy gadget. The 3G high-speed networks place the new iphone owners into an exclusive club, a special group of consumers in countries where the iphone has not arrived. In the meantime, underground iphone will continue to be found. Has anyone wondered whether Cubans own some iphones? The answer may be positive.
http://app3g.blogspot.com
http://appiphone3gandmore.blogspot.com
http://politicalchurch.blogspot.com
========
FreeiPhonesWanted: Hot Unlocked iPhones Sell Well in China and Russia: Can't Find Enough to Ship Out
Russian and Chinese consumers can practically buy anything they want. But there is something they can not quite get, Apple's iPhone. In the past, Russians and Chinese relied on friends and American travelers to bring other products in their suitcase. They used to bring blue jeans, rock records and other Western goods that were rare in those countries.
Once Chinese and Russian consumers are able to purchase an iphone, they spend about $100 to have the device unlocked for local use. They prefer the original iphone which does not force them to use services which subsidize the new iphone 3G. While Apple is negotiating with local mobile service providers, black marketers are making huge amount of money. So sites such as freeiPhoneswap is making top money on unsuspecting consumers or owners. Are the owners of the site letting you believe that they are recycling for important parts? Continue to read this rumor report and various others elsewhere.
Do you know why the new iphone, iphone 3G is sop inexpensive? Well, mobile carriers have been able to subsidize it. This way, buying consumers are forced to activate their service. Nothing is free! With a reduced price, more users are able to afford the slick, flashy gadget. The 3G high-speed networks place the new iphone owners into an exclusive club, a special group of consumers in countries where the iphone has not arrived. In the meantime, underground iphone will continue to be found. Has anyone wondered whether Cubans own some iphones? The answer may be positive.
http://app3g.blogspot.com
http://appiphone3gandmore.blogspot.com
http://politicalchurch.blogspot.com
========
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Homowners Can Renegotiate Old Mortgages: That is Banks Want to
RENEGOTIATING MORTGAGES Part of the bill is devoted to the creation of a program that may allow some people to cancel their old mortgage loans and replace them with new fixed-rate loans lasting at least 30 years. The amount of the new loans would be no more than 90 percent of what their property is actually worth now.
So who is eligible? You need to have originated your troubled loan or loans on or before Jan. 1, 2008. The loans in question must be on your primary residence. Vacation homes and investment properties are ineligible. You will also need to verify your income, which many borrowers did not have to do in recent years.
Also, as of March 1, 2008, your monthly housing payment (including the principal on all your various mortgage payments, interest, taxes and insurance) has to have been at least 31 percent of your monthly household income. So if you were earning $5,000 a month and had housing payments of $3,000, you are eligible. But if you had payments of just $1,400, you would not be, presumably because that loan is affordable given the size of your income.
Lenders, however, are not required to give you a better deal under the new law, even if you do meet the qualifications. They may not be willing to negotiate unless they think you are truly on the cusp of foreclosure.
If you manage to get a new loan, you cannot take out a home equity loan for at least five years after you get the new mortgage. You will also have to pay a 1.5 percent fee each year on the remaining balance. Finally, you have to hand over no less than 50 percent of any appreciation on the home to the government once you sell. Sell the house in less than five years, and you will have to turn over as much as all of the gain.
This program ends on Sept. 30, 2011. While it does not officially take effect until Oct. 1, lenders may be willing to start their negotiations with borrowers now.
So who is eligible? You need to have originated your troubled loan or loans on or before Jan. 1, 2008. The loans in question must be on your primary residence. Vacation homes and investment properties are ineligible. You will also need to verify your income, which many borrowers did not have to do in recent years.
Also, as of March 1, 2008, your monthly housing payment (including the principal on all your various mortgage payments, interest, taxes and insurance) has to have been at least 31 percent of your monthly household income. So if you were earning $5,000 a month and had housing payments of $3,000, you are eligible. But if you had payments of just $1,400, you would not be, presumably because that loan is affordable given the size of your income.
Lenders, however, are not required to give you a better deal under the new law, even if you do meet the qualifications. They may not be willing to negotiate unless they think you are truly on the cusp of foreclosure.
If you manage to get a new loan, you cannot take out a home equity loan for at least five years after you get the new mortgage. You will also have to pay a 1.5 percent fee each year on the remaining balance. Finally, you have to hand over no less than 50 percent of any appreciation on the home to the government once you sell. Sell the house in less than five years, and you will have to turn over as much as all of the gain.
This program ends on Sept. 30, 2011. While it does not officially take effect until Oct. 1, lenders may be willing to start their negotiations with borrowers now.
The Economics of Randy Paush's Last Lecture: Farewell to A Good Man!
Randy Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist whose "last lecture" about facing terminal cancer became an international sensation and a best-selling book, died Friday. He was 47 years old.
University spokeswoman Anne Watzman said Mr. Pausch died early Friday at his home in Virginia.
The Last Lecture
In the September 2007 lecture, Mr. Pausch began by showing his CT scans, revealing 10 tumors on his liver. But after that, he talked about living. If anyone expected him to be morose, he said, "I'm sorry to disappoint you." He then dropped to the floor and did one-handed pushups.
On September 18, 2007, computer science professor Randy Pausch stepped in front of an audience of 400 people at Carnegie Mellon University to deliver a last lecture called “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.” With slides of his CT scans beaming out to the audience, Randy told his audience about the cancer that is devouring his pancreas and that will claim his life in a matter of months. On the stage that day, Randy was youthful, energetic, handsome, often cheerfully, darkly funny. He seemed invincible. But this was a brief moment, as he himself acknowledged.
TheLastLecture by Randy Pausch
University spokeswoman Anne Watzman said Mr. Pausch died early Friday at his home in Virginia.
The Last Lecture
In the September 2007 lecture, Mr. Pausch began by showing his CT scans, revealing 10 tumors on his liver. But after that, he talked about living. If anyone expected him to be morose, he said, "I'm sorry to disappoint you." He then dropped to the floor and did one-handed pushups.
On September 18, 2007, computer science professor Randy Pausch stepped in front of an audience of 400 people at Carnegie Mellon University to deliver a last lecture called “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.” With slides of his CT scans beaming out to the audience, Randy told his audience about the cancer that is devouring his pancreas and that will claim his life in a matter of months. On the stage that day, Randy was youthful, energetic, handsome, often cheerfully, darkly funny. He seemed invincible. But this was a brief moment, as he himself acknowledged.
TheLastLecture by Randy Pausch
Two more Banks Failed and Seized by FDIC
The FDIC took over two more banks. According to The Wall Street Journal, "The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, a division of the Treasury Department, revoked the charters of First National Bank of Nevada, based in Reno, Nev., and First Heritage Bank of Newport Beach, Calif. The FDIC was appointed receiver of both banks." The Nevada bank had over $3 billion in deposits.
Current estimates are that less than 100 banks will fail during the current credit crisis, a much smaller number than closed during the saving and loan debacle of the late 1980s.
Federal regulators on Friday declared First National Bank of Nevada and its affiliates insolvent and the FDIC was named receiver. The FDIC Board of Directors approved the assumption of more than $3 billion in deposits by Mutual of Omaha Bank. FDIC will retain most of First National's loan portfolio.
"We would first like to reassure all customers of First National Bank of Nevada and First Heritage Bank that all their deposits are safe and accessible." Schmid said. "Their deposits will automatically transition to Mutual of Omaha Bank and we will be open for business on Monday morning."
First National Bank of Nevada operated 15 branches in Arizona and 10 branches in Nevada. First Heritage Bank, which specializes in commercial banking, operated three locations in the Los Angeles area. As of Monday, all became branches of Mutual of Omaha Bank. The acquisition also includes two First National operations: the Wealth Management Division and Community Association Banc, which serves neighborhood and condominium homeowners associations.
Current estimates are that less than 100 banks will fail during the current credit crisis, a much smaller number than closed during the saving and loan debacle of the late 1980s.
Federal regulators on Friday declared First National Bank of Nevada and its affiliates insolvent and the FDIC was named receiver. The FDIC Board of Directors approved the assumption of more than $3 billion in deposits by Mutual of Omaha Bank. FDIC will retain most of First National's loan portfolio.
"We would first like to reassure all customers of First National Bank of Nevada and First Heritage Bank that all their deposits are safe and accessible." Schmid said. "Their deposits will automatically transition to Mutual of Omaha Bank and we will be open for business on Monday morning."
First National Bank of Nevada operated 15 branches in Arizona and 10 branches in Nevada. First Heritage Bank, which specializes in commercial banking, operated three locations in the Los Angeles area. As of Monday, all became branches of Mutual of Omaha Bank. The acquisition also includes two First National operations: the Wealth Management Division and Community Association Banc, which serves neighborhood and condominium homeowners associations.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Washington Mutual's Report Not So Good
Washington Mutual reported a $3.3 billion quarterly loss Tuesday -- far worse than Wall Street was anticipating -- as it set aside more money for bad loans.
The Seattle-based thrift reported a net loss of $6.58 a share, which included a charge related to a $7 billion capital raise the company announced in April.
Excluding the charge, WaMu reported a loss of $3.34 a share. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters were expecting the nation's largest savings and loan to report a loss of $1.05 a share on this basis.
The Seattle-based thrift reported a net loss of $6.58 a share, which included a charge related to a $7 billion capital raise the company announced in April.
Excluding the charge, WaMu reported a loss of $3.34 a share. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters were expecting the nation's largest savings and loan to report a loss of $1.05 a share on this basis.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Easy Access to Credit cards Will Mess Up Students' Credit For Years to Come
Businessweek.com is publishing a series on the impact of easy access to credit by students on our campuses. The following is an excerpt from its published material
"Over the next month, as 17 million college students flood the nation's campuses, they will be greeted by swarms of credit-card marketers. Frisbees, T-shirts, and even iPods will be used as enticements to sign up, and marketing on the Web will reinforce the message. Many kids will go for it. Some 75% of college students have credit cards now, up from 67% in 1998. Just a generation earlier, a credit card on campus was a great rarity."
You can read the rest of the story at its website. I think all students should read this series before leaving their parents' home for college. It should be required reading by all of them. Parents should advise them to read it too.
For many of the students now, the cards they get will simply be an easier way to pay for groceries or books, with no long-term negative consequences. But for Seth Woodworth and a growing number like him, easy access to credit will lead to spending beyond their means and debts that will compromise their futures..."
"Over the next month, as 17 million college students flood the nation's campuses, they will be greeted by swarms of credit-card marketers. Frisbees, T-shirts, and even iPods will be used as enticements to sign up, and marketing on the Web will reinforce the message. Many kids will go for it. Some 75% of college students have credit cards now, up from 67% in 1998. Just a generation earlier, a credit card on campus was a great rarity."
You can read the rest of the story at its website. I think all students should read this series before leaving their parents' home for college. It should be required reading by all of them. Parents should advise them to read it too.
For many of the students now, the cards they get will simply be an easier way to pay for groceries or books, with no long-term negative consequences. But for Seth Woodworth and a growing number like him, easy access to credit will lead to spending beyond their means and debts that will compromise their futures..."
What is InGodWeTrustFinancial all About? Turn to InGodWeTrustFinancial In Good and Bad Times
InGodWeTrustFinancial helps you make the ends meet when the financial times are hard. It helps you pay the bills, find new jobs which you can hold on too. InGodWeTrustFinancial aims at providing you with all the tools you need to live in tough economic time.
InGodWeTrustFinancial is all about giving advice to face tough economic times.
Find help at http://personalfinancemoneymatters.blogspot.com
InGodWeTrustFinancial is all about giving advice to face tough economic times.
Find help at http://personalfinancemoneymatters.blogspot.com
InGodWeTrustFinancial: In God We Trust Financial Basics: Earning Money to Keep, Paying Down Debts, Saving for the Future, Diversifying and Investing
In God We Trust Financial Basics: Earning Money to Keep, Paying Down Debts, Saving for the Future, Diversifying and Investing
How do we, Americans, get into this financial mess?
All this mess over Fannie and Freddie and the housing crisis mask the real problem in this country - that's the fact that wages have not gone up for average Americans in a long, long time. The economy has been fueled by consumers spending their supposed home equity, while incomes have stagnated for all but those on the highest rungs of corporate America or pop culture. The average Americans do not know what it is like to have lots of discretionary income in a long time. They only work and earn enough money to make ends meet or to pay the bills. For sure, most would envy the large contracts offered and signed by a few athletes, rap moguls, musicians, and hip hop artists. That is why shows such as American Idol and America's Got Talent will continue to be popular. Lottery enters the mix too. They are a sure way to reach success in this country. All young kids dream about making it big in sports, music or some sort of entertainment industry. When they can not make it, they go to places such as Las Vegas, Florida and San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles to try to make it in alternative adult industries. By then, they may become disillusioned and deceived. Where is the power of hard work, saving and living within one's limits?
What has the recent real estate exuberance taught us as a nation?
During the real estate boom, people used their homes as piggy banks, tapping into their equity to pay off their car loans and their credit card debt and their student loan debt. With home prices dropping in most places (Riverside, California, Florida and Las Vegas, the home equity has dried up. Credit was easy to get and many people went for it. For sure, debts piled up. Now we are a nation of people in debt. We, Americans, are saddled by debts. We are at the mercy of foreign investors who continue to trust in our systems by lending and investing more money to our institutions. Yes, it is a global economy right now. It becomes more important for our leaders to reassure those foreigners who are seeing Americans snaking in long lines and making a run on their banks. God forbid these foreign investors, also fearing a crash, start to pull their money too! While this is going on at the financial institution level, everything is getting more expensive: food, gas, school supplies, textbooks, basic products, even movies are soaring in price. Unfortunately wages are not keeping up. So if people are struggling just to pay for the basics, what are they going to have left over to pay off their massive debt?
This bleak situation we have just described partly explains the foreclosure epidemic that has ravaged local neighborhoods. The brown grass that was once green and immaculate becomes common fixture in most neighborhoods. Show me a neighborhood, a community even the best and richest one, that has not had to deal with unsold houses whose for sale signs have been up for months and years.
Indeed, it is time to return to the basics. We need to manage our finances, save and diversify our funds. The good old days are long gone. The home equity cash register is long gone. In most cases, easy money led to waste and overspending. Credit card offers led to the indebtedness of the American individual. In most cases, they led to excess and overweight. It was a false sense of tranquility and wealth. The foundation was shaky, to begin with.
Now is the time to rethink our ways and start saving and spending what we have, but not what we do not have.
How do we, Americans, get into this financial mess?
All this mess over Fannie and Freddie and the housing crisis mask the real problem in this country - that's the fact that wages have not gone up for average Americans in a long, long time. The economy has been fueled by consumers spending their supposed home equity, while incomes have stagnated for all but those on the highest rungs of corporate America or pop culture. The average Americans do not know what it is like to have lots of discretionary income in a long time. They only work and earn enough money to make ends meet or to pay the bills. For sure, most would envy the large contracts offered and signed by a few athletes, rap moguls, musicians, and hip hop artists. That is why shows such as American Idol and America's Got Talent will continue to be popular. Lottery enters the mix too. They are a sure way to reach success in this country. All young kids dream about making it big in sports, music or some sort of entertainment industry. When they can not make it, they go to places such as Las Vegas, Florida and San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles to try to make it in alternative adult industries. By then, they may become disillusioned and deceived. Where is the power of hard work, saving and living within one's limits?
What has the recent real estate exuberance taught us as a nation?
During the real estate boom, people used their homes as piggy banks, tapping into their equity to pay off their car loans and their credit card debt and their student loan debt. With home prices dropping in most places (Riverside, California, Florida and Las Vegas, the home equity has dried up. Credit was easy to get and many people went for it. For sure, debts piled up. Now we are a nation of people in debt. We, Americans, are saddled by debts. We are at the mercy of foreign investors who continue to trust in our systems by lending and investing more money to our institutions. Yes, it is a global economy right now. It becomes more important for our leaders to reassure those foreigners who are seeing Americans snaking in long lines and making a run on their banks. God forbid these foreign investors, also fearing a crash, start to pull their money too! While this is going on at the financial institution level, everything is getting more expensive: food, gas, school supplies, textbooks, basic products, even movies are soaring in price. Unfortunately wages are not keeping up. So if people are struggling just to pay for the basics, what are they going to have left over to pay off their massive debt?
This bleak situation we have just described partly explains the foreclosure epidemic that has ravaged local neighborhoods. The brown grass that was once green and immaculate becomes common fixture in most neighborhoods. Show me a neighborhood, a community even the best and richest one, that has not had to deal with unsold houses whose for sale signs have been up for months and years.
Indeed, it is time to return to the basics. We need to manage our finances, save and diversify our funds. The good old days are long gone. The home equity cash register is long gone. In most cases, easy money led to waste and overspending. Credit card offers led to the indebtedness of the American individual. In most cases, they led to excess and overweight. It was a false sense of tranquility and wealth. The foundation was shaky, to begin with.
Now is the time to rethink our ways and start saving and spending what we have, but not what we do not have.
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