25
Getting Personal
Getting Personal
To view this content, Javascript must be enabled and Adobe Flash Player must be installed.
Pages
I was opening a Roth IRA and was looking at the client agreement from a major financial firm. One of the terms asked says "Securities in your account may be loaned to us or orthers." That seemed kind of odd; is that normal? Is that how short sales are done - by loaning the securities of other clients for short amount of times?
Thanks...Madhu
I am a homeowner in Tulsa, OK and would like to move to Jacksonville, Florida. Currently, I have no employment prospects but search limited because of current distance. The housing market in Tulsa is not as bad as in other markets. I feel confident that I can sell my house but will not get as much money from the sale as I would like to pay off about $15,000 credit card debt. I was thinking about selling and living in an apartment for a year to save money and pay down expenses. I can live in an apt for cheaper than housing expenses-no maintenance costs. I have reduced all of the housing expenses that I can. Does this plan sound logical? What additional things for me to consider can you offer?
I bought and remodeled a new house last spring. By the time I was done, the real estate market was flat, so I'm renting my old house until it picks up again. I own the old house free and clear. I have no debt other than the new house, but would like to put about another $30K into remodeling it. I've got one kid heading to college this fall and another in 2 years. I've got about $30K set aside for the kids' college. I'm 47 and would like to retire at age 55 (ha ha). I have my retirement plan, and one from my husband who passed away two years ago.
My question is: when I sell the old house, what is the best thing to do with the proceeds? Pay off the new house entirely? Pay it off partly and put the rest aside for something else? Don't pay off any of it and use the funds for...?
Thanks!
Want to know if it's a good idea to put a big chunk of our IRA into an IRA CD - 12 month. Currently, it's in a money market paying not even 1% through UBS. We each have about 50K in here. Broker says 4.25% is a silly thing to do because inflation will outdo any gains we make here. (frankly, I don't think there's anyway to outdo that anyway, but we hate to see the money just sitting there) I will leave my American Fund alone - that has about 30k and leans heavily into the market. We contribute the max to our IRA each year, I am 48, husband is 55, he is major earner. We are VERY VERY conservative and want nothing to do with risky investment at this point. I realize risk = gains, but we're not doing it. So, is the CD good for the interim? Thanks!!! We need to do SOMEthing!
Greetings, My wife and I are thinking of selling our current house in order to buy one we would be more satisfied with. Problem is it is at most worth what we paid for it in 2004 and more likely a little bit less. We purchased for 400k and we have seen sales all around this price, some lower some higher. Question is, assuming we end up selling it for less than we purchased it for, would it be better to wait for the market to recover so we did not take a loss or just sell it for the loss and figure we will buy the next house at a lower price and it will all work out in the end? Does not feel right to sell for less than we paid. BTW, numbers are about 120k in equity and thus 280 in mortgage. Thanks for any advice.
I am contributing money into a 529 plan to save for my twin daughter's college education. I am invested in the Wisconsin Edvest plan because of the state tax write-off and lower fees. Can I roll my money to a different state's plan that allows for more options? Will I lose the state tax write-off? Could I have 529 accounts in multiple states concurrently?
Thanks!
I am a novice to investing and want to take your advice and start an index fund tied to the stock market, not sure which index (Dow, S&P, etc.). I tried to find one by going to Morningstar but was overwhelmed with information and gave up. Is there an easy way to select such a fund? I think Vanguard had about a dozen or so index funds and I have no idea how to pick and choose.
Help!
Keith
jp noble:
Page 7 of Vanguard's <A href="https://personal.vanguard.com/us/content/Funds/FundsVIPERWhatMakesUnique... education about ETFs"</A> gives an example of determining the minimum initial principal for efficient ETFs. Their example does not take into account the impact of other fees (sale commission & expense ratio) over time because they can vary widely between different ETF/mutual funds. These costs are an important determinant in final returns (true performance).
I am installing a dual-fuel boiler in my house to escape the high cost of fuel oil this winter. I just received a credit card offer for balance transfers without a transfer fee and no interest for 15 months. I was thinking of putting the cost of the boiler (which is $18,000) on an existing card, then transferring the balance to the new card and paying it off interest-free over the 15-month period. I have excellent credit and my concern is whether this would have an adverse impact on my credit score, since I have no debt other than the mortgage on my house, and have never carried a balance on a credit card. Is my concern valid?
Pages
