Keeping up with…

Keeping up with the low interest rates: . I haven’t seen rates on a 30 year fixed this low in years. Yet for some strange reason people are playing the “wait and see” game. Personally I hate this game mainly because people don’t know jack about the mortgage market. The rate cut means nothing to the mortgage market. Nothing. My advice is simple, if rates are low enough for you to act, then act.

Keeping up with the Joneses: . I had an interesting discussion with a friend of mine in California who said “It’s hard to keep up with the Joneses especially when the Joneses are totally out of control.” Foreclosures are rampant in California and it’s getting worse. Maybe now people will try to keep up with their other neighbors, the ones with the older model cars.

Keeping up with Tom Brady. I have a lot of respect for Tom Brady, however, I seriously question why he’s in NY the week before the big game. Shouldn’t he be in Mexico where the weather is much warmer.

Keeping up with the weather: Being an avid skier it pains me to say that I hate snow and i’m looking forward to the 50 degree weather in Denver this weekend.

Keeping up with a 20 month old: Having a child means reliving your childhood. Except my childhood didn’t include visits to the stockshow.

Keeping up with DirecTV: I dropped satellite television the first week of the year. I was sick all week and instead of watching Rome is Burning and SportsCenter I had to endure Dr. Phil and Oprah. I must say that watching daytime television is more painful than watching Fox News.

Keeping up with the Rebate: The feds are implementing a rebate to invigorate the economy. Some people weigh in on what they’d do with the money. The Federal Government is giving us money to spend it elsewhere. Give a man a fish and they’ll keep up with the Joneses….

Video: The Subprime Meltdown of 2007

Reuters video on the Subprime meltdown via youtube:

Pavilions, Argonaut, and more

Interesting articles from the Denver newspaper conglomerate Post/News :

Denver Pavilions goes on market: The developers of the Denver Pavilions are putting the downtown retail development on the market.

Argonaut Liquor moves: The storied Argonaut, one of the oldest and most successful liquor stores in the Denver area, is getting a new home after about a half-century at its current site on East Colfax Avenue in Capitol Hill.

57-acre Evergreen estate on market for $24 million: Denver entrepreneur Richard Bard is selling a mansion on a 57-acre estate in Evergreen.

Treasury secretary: No simple fix for housing: The Bush administration is working to combat the country’s severe housing crisis but there is no simple solution, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Monday, adding that a correction in the housing market is “inevitable and necessary.”

Efforts to spark economy may be too little, too late: As leaders in Washington turn their attention to efforts to avert a looming downturn, many economists suggest that it may already be too late to change the course of the economy over the first half of the year, if not longer.

Why don’t we save?

I caught the New Hampshire debate on Saturday night in between watching the Pittsburgh and Jacksonville game. (Note to the NFL, enough already with the Jeep Liberty commercial with the singing animals.) Where was I? Oh yeah, the debate. While watching the debate I heard the politicians speak about the American Dream becoming harder and harder. They said that health care costs are rising. They said that gas prices are out of control. They said that it’s harder to feed a family today than ever before.

Not once did any of them mention that saving money is no longer a priority in America especially at the government level.

Why don’t we save? Saving is simply a habit. Just like watching television, eating healthy and exercise. Most people just don’t think about saving. Today while checking out my rss feeder, I came across 7 ways to save :

  • Look for discounted dinner entrees
      Don’t throw out the Valpak or Money Mailer they’re chock full of coupons for local restaurants. Skip the appetizers and the desserts while you’re at it skip the booze, the alcohol is always over priced and you shouldn’t drink and drive anyway.
  • Return unopened, unused items
      Lowes and Home Depot don’t even require a receipt if you bought it in the last 90 days or something like that and they automatically credit your credit card.
  • Look for extra grocery savings
      Cutting coupon sucks, ok it sucks big time, but if the coupon says $2 off 5 Lean Cuisine Panini sandwiches and you were planning on buying 5 Panini Sandwiches, go ahead and pick up a 6th, your wallet won’t know the difference.
  • Check out materials from the library
      If you live in Denver, our library system has the most unreal DVD collection in the world. Sure you wait a few more weeks for new releases and the mailman doesn’t drop it off or picks it up at your house but it gets you out of your house and you might run into an old friend who looks really good in wingtips but really bad in birkenstocks.
  • Bundle cable, phone and Internet services
      Get rid off cable and your phone altogether. Television is just more noise in an already noisy world. Sure you’ll miss watching Family Guy at 1 AM on Cartoon Network but you won’t miss spending $50 each month. To entertain yourself learn how to juggle or get DVD’s at the library. As for your telephone, it will only serve one purpose in 2008 – for politicians start calling you to ask for your support.
  • Negotiate with monthly service providers
      Sure the cleaning people clean great the first time. Sure the landscapers mow your lawn great the first time. Wait till they “forget” to show up or when they’re on the 3rd go around, you’ll be less than thrilled with their service and you’ll end up doing it yourself.
  • Stash money for easier savings next year
      Money will double in 7 years. I deposited $250 in a mutual fund in 2000 and it turned into $500 by 2007. The money even withstood the dot com and stock market drop off in the early 2000’s. I couldn’t buy a laptop for $250 in 2000 but I can definitely buy one for $500 today.

No more excuses.

Spanning the web

Interesting stuff from around the web:

Rocky Mountain News: File under nice hotel but will it give me Marriott Reward points? Ritz puts on finishing touches: It’s the home stretch for the $75 million Ritz-Carlton Denver, which opens its doors a week from today.

Paul Kedrosky: File under the misery gets worse or how California Dreaming is turning into a real nightmare Option ARM Misery

Calculated Risk: File under what happens when corporations don’t pay their debt Analysts: Corporate Defaults to Rise “Drastically”

Zillow: File under 2007 ends 2007 – It’s a wrap

Trulia: File under 2008 begins New Year’s Resolutions for Online Real Estate and Trulia

Alex King: File under now this is what I call a year end review 2007 in Review

4Realz: File this under A trip down the memory super-highway

AMG: File under Chop Suey Subprime Woes Gives the Chinese Politburo 10% Stake in Major US Bank

PhotoMatt: File under Misery is the key to happiness.

If you have an interesting link that you’d like to share, just post in the comments. I’m always on the lookout for interesting readz!

Mad World

2008 is predicted to be one of the worst years for the American Economy.

It’s also an election year and the year of the Summer Olympics.

Mad World indeed.

The good news: not all predictions (iMac) come to pass .

What will 2008 bring…

and where did 2007 go?

Everyone makes New Years resolutions: Lose weight. Save more. Read more. Get out of debt.

For 2008 I really only made one resolution – eat more fruits and vegetables.
What’s your resolution?