Help! My Debt Snowball Is Melting!
This post is from staff writer Sierra Black. Sierra writes about frugality, sustainable living, and getting her kids to eat kale at Childwild.com.
Reader Mailbag: Dream House
What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to five word summaries. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question.
1. 401(k) profit sharing
2. Online job application tips
3. Illness and challenges
4. College freshman advice
5. Mortgage decisions
6. Annuities for retirement?
7. Refinancing questions

Category: Personal Finance Tags:
Lack of Confidence in the FED would never happen almost never
Month end flow beats logic, even option expiries and market fix’s beat logic. Yesterday’s stronger US data wilted in its glory as individuals eager to accumulate EUR’s waited in the wings. Stronger manufacturing data out of China and Australia last night is yet to convince the market to go all-in before we get to see the employment data in the US. The market is nervous and lacks conviction proven by the trading strategies being employed thus far this week. Yesterday’s Fed minutes did not exude acute dissension amongst its members to the degree the market had been expecting.
Paying Down Debt With a HELOC
Are you swamped with high interest debt and looking for a solution? The airwaves are filled with ads for debt consolidation, but do you really need someone to do it for you? Why not do your own legwork and roll your debts into one low(er) interest loan?
One option for consolidating your debt is rolling it into a HELOC. But first… You might have some questions.

Category: Personal Finance Tags:
Avoid the Blame Game—Take Responsibility for Your Financial Affairs
The following is an excerpt from Your Life & Your Money.
We must become the change that we want to see in the world.—Mahatma Gandhi
We live in an age of delusion. It seems to be the inherent nature of mankind.

Category: Personal Finance Tags:
FED and BOJ Losing Investors Focus
Investors continue to test the Fed’s resolve. Is helicopter Ben overly optimistic on his economic outlook? And if so, what is he going to do about it? Yesterday’s equity and bonds reaction is telling us that there is little he can do if policy makers have got it wrong. The Fed, similar to the BOJ is entering ‘no-mans land’. Markets are turning their back on Shirakawa’s emergency lending facility expansion. Even direct yen intervention is futile without the ECB and Fed’s complimentary actions. This week focus on the details.
Friday Appears to be 1 Day Wonder
Showing how even when markets are mostly in 1 direction they remain difficult to make money in, Friday's dead cat bounce in retrospect did little other than scald bears who were pressing. As I review the news flow and time stamps Friday, it seemed very strange to see such a strong rally based on (a) a negative reaction to Ben Bernanke's comments initially [the market sold off post 10 AM] and (b) Intel's pre-announcement on earnings.

Category: Fundamental Analysis Tags:
BOJ intervenes to weaken the JPY; investors see this as “not enough”
G10 Advancers and Decliners vs USDJPY 0.17 GBP -0.03 CHF -0.26 EUR -0.37The USDJPY pared gains on speculation the BOJ’s decision to introduce more credit-easing measures won’t be enough to weaken the currency from near a 15-year low while the EURJPY also trimmed gains after the bank expanded a corporate loan program by 10 trillion JPY ($116 billion), falling short of expectations it would unveil more steps, such as buying Japanese government debt, to support the…
Read More …

Category: Fundamental Analysis Tags:
FED to mimic the BOJ
The FOMC is prepared to provide additional monetary accommodation through unconventional measures if it proves necessary, especially if the outlook were to deteriorate significantly. ‘Significantly’ is so subjective when you own a depreciating asset like a house, mortgaged to the hilt and are still unemployed. Let’s hope whatever Bernanke and Co. have up their sleeve will have more of an market impact that the BOJ’s foray in easing monetary policy over night.
Reader Mailbag: Shortcut Fixing
What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to five word summaries. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question.
1. Higher salary or better benefits?
2. Cheap land lines
3. Moving in with parents
4. Prepaying student loans in forbearance
5. The Hindenburg Omen
6. Post-graduation financial independence
Navigation
Tag Cloud
Popular Today
- 7Credit Cards and Minimum Purchase Requirements
- 6Cooking Up An Inverse Head and Shoulder Reversal
- 6Trading In Emerging/Exotic Currencies Increases
- 6Very Good Non-Farm Payrolls Report
- 6Guesstimates on September 3, 2010
- 5Daily Market Commentary: Low Volume Gains
- 5Link Roundup: Transmission Trouble Edition
- 5Star Money Articles and Carnivals for the Week of Aug 30
- 5Bookkeeping: Some Sales
- 554,000 US Jobs Lost Last Month
