Steadfast Finances

 Administration, Financial Crisis         1 comment

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I haven’t posted a Best Reads article in some time due to the monster snowstorm that knocked out power and web access subsequently throwing a monkey wrench in my schedule, as well as the chaos revolving around the holiday season, so it’s time to highlight a few posts from around …

 Advertising, Banking, Financial Crisis         14 comments

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I’ve been asking for months now: why haven’t credit unions and small regional banks created a nationwide “Anti-Too Big To Fail Bank” advertising campaign for the sole purpose of taking market share?

Why haven’t they capitalized on this incredible marketing opportunity to draw upon the public’s resentment for fat cat bankers …

 Consumer Education, Financial Crisis, Frugal Living, Public Awareness         2 comments

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A fascinating talk on how 72% of the American Gross Domestic Product — consumers — are changing their spending behavior, relying on old school frugality tips to save more money, and deleveraging (e.g. saying goodbye to credit) to reduce their liability and financial risk. Mr. Gerzema compiles an enormous amount …

 Investing 101         2 comments

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One of my biggest pet peeves with the financial media is the near fixation on one side — the Buy! Buy! Buy! side — of the story.
If an analyst or money manager speaks out with a bearish forecast, it’s a reasonably good bet that you won’t see them …

 Financial Crisis, Real Estate         9 comments

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Who would have thought during the peak of the housing crisis that we would witness such a sight as this?
Brand new homes located in a suburban California neighborhood being demolished because they were costing Guaranty Bank (a TARP recipient of bailout funds) too much money in fines to allow the …

 Financial Planning, Mortgages, Vulture Investing         1 comment

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If you’re like most people, you’ve probably heard a new financial phrase in the news called “mark-to-market accounting” and wondering just what it’s all about.
Mark-to-market is really nothing but a pseudo confusing accounting practice that says you should price your goods at prices the market is willing to pay for them.
Meaning, you take an asset like your …

 20s Something Advice, Financial Crisis, Green Living         7 comments

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Imagine a future where a guy who shovels cow manure is a multimillionaire.  How about a foul mouthed pig farmer with questionable hygiene becoming the new upper class of society?
You’re probably looking at that opening paragraph and thinking I’ve lost my mind.
That’s possible I suppose.
But after watching the EG08 Talk …

 Consumer Education, Financial Planning, Mortgages         46 comments

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Every now and then you see one of those news stories that make you shake your head and say…
What???
CNN ran an all too common story today about a family who is, sadly, about to lose their $800,000 home due to foreclosure (see video below).
Such stories are becoming commonplace and subsequently losing their newsworthy …

 Financial Crisis, Politics, Taxes         No comments

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Normally I give forwarded emails a quick glance and a quicker delete, but today I received this hilarious picture from a friend and had to post it.
I immediately thought — Hey, this is what I feel like as a taxpaying citizen!
If you have ever given a single dollar to the U.S. …

 Consumer Education, Documentary Films, Financial Crisis         No comments

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Niall Ferguson’s popular book, The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World, made it’s debut as a documentary film tonight via PBS.
I will not bore or insult you by doing a review, because quite honestly, the film is so well done that it would take several days for me to write a review that …

 Global Economy         No comments

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The New York Times just released one of the more disturbing videos on global business trends that I’ve seen in some time.
With the U.S. recession trickle down effects being fully evident, foreign nationals on a Work Visa or American citizens who speak a country’s national language are being recruited to work …

 Bargain Hunting, Consumer Education, Real Estate         2 comments

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Every now and again, you stumble across one of those rare comic strips that compresses years of utter stupidity into ingenious simplicity.  At the same time, you hope it grabs your funny bone and gives it a good shake.
I found one of those this week with good ol’ Dilbert.

Now that …