Home

Going beyond Post-it Premium Content

By Alison Rogers, Sunday, October 5, 2008.

I am trying SO HARD to be a grown-up, and the world just keeps socking me in the face.

For one, I decide that 2009 would be the year that I start advertising. Since I've been making minimal money, I've been spending minimal money -- and what I've been doing so far is buying nice gifts and meals for my most intimate circle. That is appreciated but I want to do more, and I'm finally at the point where I'll be able to afford a little more spending.  more...

Buying fixer-upper? Don't expect goldmine

By Dian Hymer, Sunday, October 5, 2008.

Fixer-upper properties come in many varieties. Cosmetic fixers usually offer the biggest return on your investment. And, they tend to be a lot less costly than homes that require major renovation.

An ideal cosmetic fixer would be a house that had been somewhat neglected, but that has no serious structural problems. It could be passed over by other buyers because it needs an exterior paint job, new landscaping, new kitchen appliances, floor coverings, updated lighting fixtures and interior paint.  more...

Walkaway paves path to prison

By Benny Kass, Sunday, October 5, 2008.

DEAR BENNY: I know someone who has qualified to obtain a second house by stating that he will rent his first house; however, he has no intentions of actually renting it. Upon obtaining the new house, he plans to walk away from the first house, letting it go into foreclosure. He will already own his new house before his credit is hurt by the foreclosure, and he plans to live in the new house until the foreclosure is removed from his credit report in seven years, so he sees it as the perfect plan.  more...

Americans rush to judgment on 'bailout'

By Jack Guttentag, Sunday, October 5, 2008.

Whenever government is involved in a program to assist a private firm in trouble, much of the press reports it as a "bailout." Back in the 1980s when the savings and loan industry was in trouble, the operations of the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC), which the federal government chartered to manage and liquidate the assets of failed associations, were frequently, yet erroneously, described in this way, and they still are.

For readers who don't bother absorbing the details, the term "bailout" suggests that everybody connected to the troubled enterprise is being rescued, including those who were responsible for its plight.  more...