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• For Retirees, Renting Can Be Better Than Owning

  Q. Our townhome will be paid for in 2 years. My husband and I will both be 61. If we sold at that time, we would probably walk away with $400,000 to $450,000. The townhome will be about 15 years old. I am sure there will need to be some repair--- new... Posted Jun 20 2007, 10:00 PM by scottb with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: Financial Planning, Home Ownership & Mortgages, Retirement

• Lacy Hunt: Expect lower interest rates

  AUSTIN, Texas -- Economist Lacy Hunt takes a measured view of things. That's what economists do, of course, except for the ones on television. But my regular pilgrimage to the offices of Hoisington Investment Management is a mission in grounding -- Hunt... Posted Nov 25 2006, 06:00 PM by scottb with | with 9 comment(s) Filed under: Financial Planning, Home Ownership & Mortgages, I Bonds & Tips

• Go mid-country, young woman, go mid-country

  Many older people believe that young people are spoiled and self-indulgent. Worse, they are blissfully unappreciative of how difficult things were in days of yore. The reality is just the reverse: Many older people are unaware that today's college graduates... Posted Jun 18 2006, 10:30 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Financial Planning, Home Ownership & Mortgages

• A Hidden Silver Lining in Parenting

  D.B. in Houston wrote with an interesting dilemma. "My wife and I are both 31 and have good jobs. Our combined income is about $175,000 a year and we have been saving about 20 percent of it during our 7 years of marriage. Today we have a net worth of... Posted Aug 23 2005, 12:22 PM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Financial Planning, Home Ownership & Mortgages

• It Costs Money To Market Mutual Funds

  Q. In a recent column you discussed "screening" techniques when selecting mutual funds. One restriction you mentioned in your analysis was the exclusion of loaded funds. In the past my financial planner has almost exclusively recommended no-load funds... Posted Dec 04 2004, 10:02 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Financial Planning, Home Ownership & Mortgages, Index & ETF Investing, Mutual Fund Investing, Q&A (from print)

• Financial Security Isn‘t The Same as “Debt Free“

  Q. My wife and I have an unsecured loan for $20,000 at 7 percent with about $17,500 left on the balance that we used to pay off a lot of doctor bills and other things. We pay $400 a month on the loan. We have about 4 years left on the loan. We have about... Posted Jun 03 2004, 03:20 PM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Financial Planning, Home Ownership & Mortgages, Q&A (from print)

• Patience, Patience, Patience

  Q. My father is quite ill and will only live a few more months. I need to help my mom plan for life as a single woman after 47 years of marriage. She will get Social Security, a partial military pension, and healthcare for life. I am trying to come up... Posted Jun 19 2003, 11:26 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Financial Planning, Home Ownership & Mortgages, Q&A (from print)

• Bikers Don‘t Need No Valet Parking

  Q. Like you, I am a biker (Harley). I'm nearly 62 and make about $32,000 a year. While reading your " less cash more time" column, I thought about having never saved much of anything, but I do have a 401k from work. What can I do now to have some thing... Posted Apr 24 2003, 10:07 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Financial Planning, Home Ownership & Mortgages, Q&A (from print)

• More About Finding The “Ownership Premium”

  Q. Could you explain more fully what you meant in a recent column about residential real estate? How do you calculate the premium you refer to? Are you comparing a mortgage payment to a rental payment? And if so, what down payment do you assume for the... Posted Mar 20 2003, 11:46 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Financial Planning, Home Ownership & Mortgages, Q&A (from print)

• When It Comes to Personal Debt, a Stretch is a Stretch

  Q. Can you help? I have a mortgage balance of $73,500 at 7.875 percent. It is an adjustable rate mortgage that started at 6.5 percent in early 1994. The house is appraised, for taxes, at $117,000. I also have credit card debt of about $29,000 and payments... Posted Jul 19 2001, 12:47 PM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Financial Planning, Home Ownership & Mortgages, Q&A (from print)

• Use Qualified Plans First, then Consider Cash Value Life Insurance

  Q. My wife and I are in our mid-forties and have been self-employed for 20 years. All but one of our children are married and on their own. Our home is paid for and worth about $175,000. We have no debts other than an auto payment. Unfortunately, we also... Posted Jul 05 2001, 11:17 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Financial Planning, Home Ownership & Mortgages, Q&A (from print)

• For Most, the Tax Benefits of Home Ownership Are Small

  Q. I have a few questions about a first time home purchase. I'm a single 28-year-old male making $4,500 a month. I'm looking to purchase a home in Ohio for about $135,000. I currently rent a condo for $800 a month and have a $286 car payment for 26 more... Posted Jul 27 2000, 01:55 PM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Burns at Large, Financial Planning, Home Ownership & Mortgages, Q&A (from print)