This video covers 5 options for Americans who want to retire abroad, focusing on Costa Rica, Italy, Spain, France and Ireland.
Numbers of underwater mortgages plummets The number of underwater mortgages is plummeting as the housing market continues to recover. This will have huge ramifications for the finances of millions of people and families.
The housing recovery is one of the main reasons why we can now start getting optimistic on the US economy. So many people were stuck in impossible situations, and now that burden is being lifted. The Fed has been a huge driver of this improvement, along with the billions in private investment looking for deals on under-priced homes. Posted in: Budgeting, Personal Finance, Real Estate Tags: family budgets, home buyers, home loans, home mortgage, home ownership, home prices, housing industry, housing recovery, housing sector, mortgage loans, mortgage payments, mortgage rates, mortgages, real estate industry, real estate prices, rebounding real estate prices, underwater mortgages Buy? Hold? Sell? What’s the Answer? The economic recession and resulting volatile stock market has almost become cliché. Advertisers overuse the situation and analysts overthink the problems until we almost stop listening – but still, we want answers. Being able to discern between the nonsense and the facts is an ability that can be quite beneficial. It’s necessary to understand the ways that a shaky economic system can affect your investments and the actions you can do to counteract the effects. What can we do to protect our financial security and future in a market such as this? Don’t Panic Think Long Term Too many investors look at gains monthly or yearly. The real value of our investments isn’t short-term; it’s the value they accumulate over decades of solid investing. We know the concept of diversifying investments, but we don’t recognize the importance of diversifying our investment plans. Invest some money for short return, say five years from now. Make other investments for a return in 10 years, 15 years and 20 years. This strategy hedges investments in the same way as diversifying our portfolios with a mix of high risk and low risk stocks. Turn Off the News Up, down, up, down…. we know how it goes. Once you’ve made sound investment decisions, ignore the buzz of the day and concentrate on the future of your investments. Historically, the market sees solid gains after a recession subsides. Even this world leading financial adviser Kenneth Fisher can’t say exactly when things will level out, but almost all economists believe the market will eventually recover. Instead of fretting over market swings due to daily news events and political situations, keep your eye on the end goal. Is it easy to turn a blind eye when it seems like the global marketplace is in turmoil? No, it isn’t. But investors who keep their cool and continue to make sound investments not only see returns financially in the long run – their investments are helping drive the market forward into a better, more sound future for us all. Posted in: Investing, Personal Finance Tags: buying stocks, financial advisors, global marketplace, picking stocks, selling stocks, stock market
We’re starting to see new regulations from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau trying to regulate the mortgage market and prevent some of the outrageous abuses we saw leading up to the 2008 financial meltdown.
This will make it harder for some people to qualify for mortgages, but that’s reality. There will be a phase-in period. I’m also curious to see how people in markets like New York react where prices are so high. But in the grand scheme of things these reforms were needed. Should you consider a biweekly mortgage? This video does a pretty good job of explaining exactly how a biweekly mortgage works and the benefits. The benefits really go to making extra payments each year which can cut years off of your mortgage. It also aligns well with your biweekly paychecks, so it’s extremely convenient. Just be careful in case you bank ties fees to this payment structure. |