Having a credit card you don’t have to pay an annual fee for is good. Having a card that pays you is even better. Since our objective is mortgage acceleration, for several years I have been using two credit cards that make payments to our mortgage principal based upon how much we charge in goods [...]

At a networking event I went to yesterday, I suggested we each introduce and describe the work of the person sitting to our left. But the gentleman on my right, though I’d talked with him the longest – actually listened to him the longest – didn’t know what I did. He didn’t ask. I’d interviewed [...]

I read an intriguing line today on a colleague’s website. The line is “After the crash, they went into therapy and rediscovered their inner squirrel.” The citation goes on to say we’re saving money, stashing away pine cones and acorns for winter. We’re also preparing for future thrift by planting vegetable gardens, building power plants [...]

Yesterday I mentioned mortgage acceleration is hot – hot – hot, but the term “equity cycling” is not – not – not. The process still works: you can cycle your income and expenses through a HELOC to slash tens of thousands of dollars off your mortgage interest. I know, because I did it myself–long before [...]

A few years ago, when I started out in the mortgage acceleration business, I rarely used the term mortgage acceleration in public, because it was not instantly recognizable. Here are a couple of examples to compare… If I say “high interest rates,” you immediately know what I mean. If I call you up and say [...]

The credit market seems to be alive and well again as sales in the bond market continue to rise. In the first half of this year, record amounts of debt have been sold in both the U.S. and in Europe. Even year-to-date, at the nine month mark of 2009, the credit market seems to be [...]

Even though home sales are improving and prices are increasing, the outlook for homebuilders doesn’t seem to be heading in the same direction. Moody’s Investor Service, in fact, recently reported that it expects homebuilder companies’ numbers to decrease by approximately 8% in the upcoming year. Moody’s expects the overall housing market to find itself in [...]

The U.S. Treasury is expected to join the ranks of other federal agencies launching programs to help homeowners avoid foreclosure. The official announcement was due out the week of October 19, 2009. However, some information was pre-released at the recent MBA convention. The Treasury has named the foreclosure avoidance effort Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives (HAFA). [...]

There were some interesting speeches, announcements and numbers released recently. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke delivered a speech at a congressional conference. Shortly after Bernanke’s pontifications, the new home sales forecasts were released. Housing permits issued for single-family homes for August didn’t move much over July’s, showing no increase for housing starts month-over-month. It was expected [...]

Choosing the right neighborhood to live is important, and it’s best viewed as a process.  It will have lasting effects on the daily life of your family, especially your children. Here are 5 steps you can take to help ensure you select the best neighborhood. Step 1- Make a list of what you want from [...]