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• Q&A (from print)
• Retirement

• Stay the Course, But Rethink Shelter

  By Scott Burns Q. My wife and I are 52 years old. We’re slogging through a lot of expenses, and we’re nervous about the market. Here are the basics: Our two children in private school cost $19,000 a year. College starts for one in 2 years. Both will be... Posted Apr 16 2008, 03:00 PM by admin with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Q&A (from print), Mortgages

• Hazard at the Extremes

  By Scott Burns A recent listing of mortgage foreclosure rates in 100 top areas drew a lot of attention. Released by RealtyTrac, a firm that compiles data on home foreclosures, the listing showed the number of foreclosure filings in each city, the percentage... Posted Feb 22 2008, 03:00 PM by admin with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: Mortgages

• Shouldn’t We Be Really Nice To Everyone?

  By Scott Burns Remember Gresham’s law? It’s the one that says bad money drives out the good money. Well, it also applies to lending. During the home price boom, bad money lending--- subprime mortgages and no-down-payment adjustable-rate mortgages--- displaced... Posted Feb 08 2008, 03:00 PM by admin with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: Mortgages

• Déjà vu, Texas

  by Scott Burns Lately I've been getting that déjà vu feeling. If you lived in Texas through the S&L debacle of the late ‘80s, you probably have too. If you didn't, listen up. What happened to houses in Texas back then may be the template for... Posted Oct 05 2007, 03:02 PM by scottb with | with 6 comment(s) Filed under: Mortgages

• Getting Out from Under Isn’t Easy

  Q . A couple of years ago, I purchased an investment property in Sacramento California. For a period of time all went well. But in 2006 I was without a tenant for the first half of the year. Making the mortgage payments ate through all of my cash reserves... Posted Sep 07 2007, 03:30 PM by admin with | with no comments Filed under: Q&A (from print), Mortgages

• Re-Thinking the Joys of Inflation

  This year may be the first since 1991 with a 4 percent inflation rate. After years of running just under 3 percent, a 4 percent rate will be a shock, particularly since it won’t apply to home prices. The combination of slowing wage gains, higher inflation... Posted Sep 05 2007, 03:00 PM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Mortgages

• How to Estimate Your Future Social Security Benefit

  Q. I am 56. I retired after 30 years of teaching at the age of 52. I plan to take Social Security at age 62. My understanding is that for the 10 years I will have been retired and have not contributed to Social Security, the benefit I will get will be... Posted Aug 15 2007, 04:30 PM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Retirement, Mortgages