Buying a car? I’d always heard that your vehicle was a depreciating asset. Outside of classic cars, the joke was always “you lose 50% of the value the minute you drive it off the lot.” Then COVID came along and it seemed that the reverse might be true. Used cars were suddenly appreciating … [Read more...]
I Bonds for Individuals
I Bonds have been getting a lot of attention lately. They are currently paying 9.62% due to the inflation component of the interest calculation. The other part of the interest calculation is fixed. While these bonds cannot lose value, it is possible that the interest rate (due to negative inflation) … [Read more...]
Emergency Fund Check-In
In the last two years, we have seen wide ranges in our monthly spending. Two years ago, many people saw their savings increase as they stopped commuting and going out due to COVID-19. When interest rates dropped, individuals lowered their monthly housing costs by refinancing their mortgage. A year … [Read more...]
Home maintenance planning
Most of us spent more time at home during the pandemic. We saw an increase in home maintenance projects that had been deferred but suddenly were elevated on the priority list. Personally, 2021 gifted me the purchase of a pellet stove and a water softener, the repair of a broken sprinkler line, and … [Read more...]