Love is lovelier the second time around, according to the 1960 Frank Sinatra song. But what about money and second marriages? That’s a more complicated story, especially for couples with adult children. After all, most people who are 52 or 62 have more money when they marry than those who tie the knot when they…
Read More “Getting married after 50? Read this before merging money with your mate.” »
The housing market is finally catching a breath after a two-year sprint. These five charts break down how the frenzy unfolded. The charts, published in a report called the ‘State of the Nation’s Housing 2022’ by Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, reveal the steep rise in costs associated with owning, or renting a home,…
By now even the most ardent tech and growth-stock enthusiasts realize the bull market is over. John Kornitzer’s approach to selecting high-quality stocks for the Buffalo Flexible Income Fund is one that has worked well during the bear market. High inflation, uncertainty in so many industries amid supply-chain issues and labor shortages, the Federal Reserve’s…
Read More “This dividend fund is down 3% vs. S&P’s 20% drop. Here are its top stock picks” »
I am very fortunate to have a steady career and a 401 (k), and I have been able to put money aside for my children’s education. This was not always the case as I had several years of education and a six-figure debt that I accrued, and I have learned to be very cautious with…
Dear Quentin, My boyfriend and I have been together for seven years, and in that time I bought a house. I used my own savings and spent about $ 10,000 on renovations. My house is a three-bedroom family home, and the tenants cover most of my mortgage. I still have other bills, two cars, insurance,…
Pity those first-time house buyers. On Wednesday, the US Federal Reserve raised the benchmark interest rate by 75 basis points to a 1.5% to 1.75% range, the biggest increase since 1994 as it tries to tame rising inflation, which has reached a 40-year high. Eric Finnigan, a director at John Burns Real Estate Consulting, wrote…
Angelenos, congratulations – you officially live in one of the worst metro areas for first-time home buyers, according to a new study by Bankrate.com. Out of the 50 largest metro areas studied, Los Angeles ranked 49th in affordability, 48th in employment factors, 30th in safety, and 39th in housing-market tightness, as the supply of homes…
Read More “The ‘best’ and ‘worst’ places in America for first-time home buyers” »
Say you own a highly-appreciated vacation home that you’re ready to unload for whatever reason. If you simply sell it, you could face a whopping big income tax bill. See my earlier column on that unfortunate outcome. Ugh. But if you’re still bullish on real estate and not a fan of paying taxes unnecessarily, you…
This article is reprinted by permission from The Escape Home, a newsletter for second homeowners and those who want to be. Subscribe here. © 2022. All rights reserved. Have you ever thought about buying a second home but can’t afford one? Escape Home contributor Timothy Harper shares his story co-owning a lake house: After spending…
Read More “Can’t afford a vacation home? Consider sharing one” »
If you’re a serious real estate investor, you probably know about tax-deferred Section 1031 exchanges, AKA like-kind exchanges. They allow you to swap appreciated real property for other real property without paying any federal income tax. While real estate values are still surging in many areas, you may hold appreciated property that you think has…
Read More “How to do a tax-free Section 1031 exchange for appreciated real estate” »
