rule of thumb

The first step to buying a used car is choosing a vehicle, or at least narrowing your options. Ask yourself: How many passengers do you regularly carry? What sort of trunk or cargo space do you need? What is the minimum gas mileage a car has that will stay within your budget? What would your [...]

Saving more money is a goal most of us share, but many Americans find that they have very little saved at the end of the month. The recent recession saw Americans saving more than we have in years, up to nearly 7% at one point. In recent months though, that number has been falling back [...]

I began investing in single family homes with a good friend and business partner about 4 years ago. In that time, we’ve purchases and remodeled 5 single family homes, all of which are rented by reasonably reliable tenants. Over that time we’ve learned a thing or two about investing in real estate. In this article, [...]

The other day, I wrote about getting cash through reverse mortgages.  Today, I want to explore refinancing to access money locked up in your home equity. I think it’s a good idea to learn about these options in face of the economic crisis and record high unemployment rate.  You never know when your home equity [...]

Diversification is a concept that I’ve embraced most of my life.  In the past, I have discussed investment diversification and also touched on the concept of income diversification.  Today, I want to explore the idea of diversifying your.
When you think about income, most of you will immediately think about your job.  However, if you want [...]

Last week the M-Network launched a new feature called Ask the M-Network where readers can ask any financial questions.  One of the questions submitted was from Ruth about paying taxes on whether you have to report side income from stuff you sell on eBay.  Here’s Ruth’s question:
I have recently started selling on eBay, trying to [...]

Bonds, or fixed income securities, are debt instruments issued by companies or the government that pay a certain amount of interest, and the full principal amount at the maturity date. The interest rate for bonds depends on a variety of factors, such as the current market interest rates, the maturity date, and the credit worthiness [...]

This is the 10th issue of the Ask The Expert column by Larry Swedroe. You can see Larry’s full biography and important disclaimer below. If you are interested in having your question answered by Larry, please send me an email via the contact page.
Now, let’s get to the questions and answers (please note that the [...]

This is the 6th issue of the Ask The Expert column by Larry Swedroe. You can see Larry’s full biography and important disclaimer below. If you are interested in having your question answered by Larry, please send me an email via the contact page.
Now, let’s get to the questions and answers (please note that the [...]

This is the 5th issue of the Ask The Expert column by Larry Swedroe. You can see Larry’s full biography and important disclaimer below. If you are interested in having your question answered by Larry, please send me an email via the contact page.
Now, let’s get to the questions and answers (please note that the [...]