The May 2006 issue of Money Magazine has an article on how to deal effectively with contractors and what to look for in hiring one for any remodeling work. Several good checklists and tips, including what to get in writing (things like exactly what’s to be done, estimated timeline, mediation and arbitration clauses, etc.), whether … Read more
Oh boy — silver blew through $14 an ounce today and almost hit $15 before retreating a little. It hit $10 only six weeks ago! Gold still doesn’t seem to be getting much respect, but it’s above $630/ounce now. Silver’s getting even less, apparently. How high does it have to go before it gets some … Read more
This article was written originally on April 18, 2006. This is my gut feeling. I’ve made this prediction to a few people. I don’t think we’ll see gas below $2 again, let alone $1. Here are a few reasons why: Our dollars are being inflated away. This puts upward pressure on useful commodities, including oil. … Read more
Scott Burns of MSN Money speaks on old-age poverty: Stave off old-age poverty The phrase that is the title of this post comes from 1963: The shopkeeper of a corner store in a slum looked at the kid and said, “Do you want to know what it’s like to be old?” He pulled a 2-pound … Read more
Something for everyone in this MSN article from Liz Pulliam Weston: Spring-clean your finances She talks about The benefits of using personal finance software Trimming the number of financial accounts you need to keep track of Using online bill payment Reviewing your bills to see if there are opportunities to save money Checking your credit … Read more
Every Friday, Gary North answers readers’ questions in his free e-newsletter, Reality Check. His answers are very blunt — so blunt that he suspected it as a reason for only getting about one in 500 of his readers to submit a question in the first place! He’s a straight shooter. (I haven’t submitted a question … Read more
After my “oops!” at the auction a couple of weeks ago, like any good masochist, I thanked them and asked for another. Though I spent most of the evening getting outbid on coins, there was some silk-screening equipment up for auction. My wife and I are working to get a small business in (mostly) baby … Read more
JLP just sent me an e-mail about a forum that chats about autosurf programs and HYIP programs. HYIP stands for High Yield Investment Plan. Before you get too excited, let me explain what they are. Often HYIPs have as their core website advertising sales called autosurf programs. These are scripts that automatically cycle through websites … Read more