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Rose-coloured crystal balls

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:42:00 -0400

It wasn't much fun reading the recent stock market doom-and-gloom commentary in the mainstream media, given my fairly high asset allocation to stocks, and my use of gearing. It's far more enjoyable to read optimistic (from my point of view) predictio
Source: Enough Wealth

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Corporate and Government Bond Yields

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:39:49 -0400

Over the last 2 months the yields on bonds have increased the discount rate has continued to decline. The spread between corporate bond yields and government bonds has decreased a bit as treasury yields have increased 37 basis points compared to ju
Source: Curious Cat Investing and Economics Blog

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Tags: books, taxes, tips, insurance, economy, china, data, economics, kids, entrepreneur, retirement, government, cool, debt, housing, investing, usa, saving, mortgage, stocks, asia, commentary, bonds, regulation, risk, chart, medicare, risks, capitalism, fed, health�care, real�estate, credit�cards, credit�score, social�security, personal�finance, customer�service, credit�crisis, curiouscat, externalities, federal�debt, interest�rates, jim�rodgers, microfiance, warren�buffett

Save Money on Food

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 17:38:29 -0400

With the drastic increases in food prices recently a home garden an attractive way to save some money. I have planted a garden for several years. Frankly the main reasons I did so had nothing to do with money. I find it cool to plant a seed or sma
Source: Curious Cat Investing and Economics Blog

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Tags: books, taxes, tips, insurance, economy, china, data, economics, kids, entrepreneur, retirement, government, cool, debt, housing, personal finance, investing, usa, saving, mortgage, stocks, asia, commentary, mortgages, regulation, mortages, chart, medicare, risks, capitalism, fed, health�care, real�estate, credit�cards, credit�score, social�security, personal�finance, customer�service, credit�crisis, curiouscat, externalities, federal�debt, interest�rates, jim�rodgers, microfiance, warren�buffett

Foreclosure Filings Continue to Rise

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 13:54:17 -0400

Foreclosure Filings Continue to Rise Foreclosure filings last month were up nearly 50 percent compared with a year earlier, according to one company’s count released yesterday. Nationwide, 261,255 homeowners received at least one foreclosure-re
Source: Curious Cat Investing and Economics Blog

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Tags: taxes, tips, quote, real estate, personal finance, saving

Spend, spend, spend

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 09:04:00 -0400

Today I ended up spending a bit more than I planned. This afternoon we drove down to the music shop where we'd bought DS1's clarinet (second hand) a couple of years ago. He started learning the clarinet this year, and playing in the school's training
Source: Enough Wealth

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Debt Consolidation

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 01:37:00 -0400

Many people have problems with debt - they start are using credit cards for convenience, and don't immediately appreciate that anything you charge has to be paid back! Of course, they know it in an abstract sense, but they are happy to not think abou
Source: Enough Wealth

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Forest Glen Preserve Photos

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:26:14 -0400

Photos from my hike in Forest Glen Preserve, Illinois 2 years ago. Other photos: Bull Run Mountain Conservancy Trail, Virginia - Yellowstone National Park - Devils Tower National Monument
Source: Curious Cat Investing and Economics Blog

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Money for nothing, and FX for free

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:20:00 -0400

DW and I attended a free CFD trading seminar provided by CityIndex this evening. It was held at the Sofitel Wentworth hotel this evening, and attendees received a bonus $250 match if they opened an account and fund it within a week of the seminar. Th
Source: Enough Wealth

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Monopolies and Oligopolies do not a Free Market Make

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:40:34 -0400

Pretty much everyone (certainly the vast majority of regulators and politicians) have no clue about capitalism. The concept that a “free market” should be allowed to operate is theoretical, based on “perfect competition” (whic
Source: Curious Cat Investing and Economics Blog

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30 Year Conventional Fixed Mortgage Rates Increase

Mon, 9 Jun 2008 18:20:02 -0400

This year, the average discount rate has fallen every month while the average 30 year mortgage rate has climbed all but 1 month (a 5 basis point drop). In January, 2008 the discount rate averaged 3.94% and 30 year conventional fixed rate mortgages a
Source: Curious Cat Investing and Economics Blog

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Tags: economics, personal finance, financial literacy

New Graduates Should Live Frugally

Sun, 8 Jun 2008 12:58:49 -0400

Graduates should put off living large after college Good habits are important to start early,” said Laura Tarbox, founder of Tarbox Group, a financial planning firm in Newport Beach. “Take your finances as seriously as you do your relatio
Source: Curious Cat Investing and Economics Blog

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Tags: tips, retirement, personal finance, saving

Getting things ready for the financial new year

Sun, 8 Jun 2008 04:58:00 -0400

Australia's financial year ends on 30 June, so I'm trying to tidy up some odds and ends and start the new financial year on the right foot. On Friday I finished off my assignments for the BTeach subject I was studying this semester, so this long week
Source: Enough Wealth

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Trail rebates and a free lunch

Sat, 7 Jun 2008 13:10:00 -0400

I got a couple of emails recently from YourShare.com.au confirming that they had finalised the paperwork required to nominate them as my 'broker' for my various various managed fund and margin loan accounts. They should now start to receive the trail
Source: Enough Wealth

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True Level of USA Federal Deficiet

Fri, 6 Jun 2008 12:54:24 -0400

What’s the real federal deficit? by Dennis Cauchon, 2006 The set the government promotes to the public has a healthier bottom line: a $318 billion deficit in 2005. The set the government doesn’t talk about is the audited financial statem
Source: Curious Cat Investing and Economics Blog

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Tags: taxes, economics

12 Stocks for 10 Years Update - June 2008

Thu, 5 Jun 2008 00:09:50 -0400

I originally setup the 10 stocks for 10 years portfolio in April of 2005. At this time the stocks in the sleep well portfolio in order of returns: Stock Current Return % of sleep well portfolio now % of the portfolio if I were buying today Googl
Source: Curious Cat Investing and Economics Blog

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Forex CFD Trading Update: May 2008

Wed, 4 Jun 2008 11:32:00 -0400

My AUDUSD CFD trading produced a small loss for the month of May. I did get my account balance up to $2600 a couple of times during the month, but a couple of losing streaks offset the steady trickle of small gains. I seem to be able to make small pr
Source: Enough Wealth

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Networth Update: May 2008

Mon, 2 Jun 2008 09:48:00 -0400

May showed gains in my stock and retirement accounts, but a drop in the valuations of our property portfolio more than offset the gains and I ended the month down (-0.32%) for the month, to $1,069,041: Property valuations -$14,527 (-1.71%) to +$834
Source: Enough Wealth

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Expectations

Sun, 1 Jun 2008 14:20:19 -0400

I would guess a majority of people that read this blog are in the top 2% of earnings in the world. Many might not think they expect to live with more economic wealth than 98% of the world but their expectations seem to indicate that they do. General
Source: Curious Cat Investing and Economics Blog

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Tags: economics

Tweaking my Portfolio Benchmark

Tue, 27 May 2008 22:21:00 -0400

The first attempt at creating a benchmark for my portfolio performance produced figures that pass the reasonableness test. But the benchmark would better represent my asset mix if I changed it from 50% Australian stocks to 30% Au stocks and 20% Inter
Source: Enough Wealth

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Want Huge Returns…Check This Out!

Mon, 26 May 2008 14:39:44 -0400

Just a heads up to all you Cramericans…if you are looking for HUGE gains you need to check out these stock picks! This site is full of great stock picks updated throughout the day with a system that truly works…you owe it to yourself t
Source: Make Mad Money Work

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Tags: off topic, mad money, cramer stock picks

Economist Challenges Government Data

Mon, 26 May 2008 02:34:18 -0400

Economist challenges government data By Williams’ estimation, the government’s calculation that unemployment was 5 percent in April and that inflation was 4 percent and economic growth 2 percent over the last year, is fantasy. It might ev
Source: Curious Cat Investing and Economics Blog

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Should I count on an inheritance in my reitrement plans?

Sun, 25 May 2008 13:13:00 -0400

My parents gave me a copy of their Will today. They'd previously discussed their intentions with me, so the contents came as no surprise. They expect to have enough capital to provide a reasonably comfortable reitrement income, and are leaving me a s
Source: Enough Wealth

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How I saved a few bucks on domain name renewals

Sat, 24 May 2008 08:13:00 -0400

Four of the domain names I have registered via Dotster were due for renewal in the next month or so. The normal fee for one year .com domain renewal with Dotster is $15.45 but I used the "NVU" coupon code I found at retailmenot.com to get a 15% disco
Source: Enough Wealth

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Inflation is a Real Threat

Thu, 22 May 2008 13:52:30 -0400

Inflation is a real threat. I guess it is good the Federal Reserve finally seems to be taking the risk somewhat seriously. They can’t be taking it very seriously with the fed funds rate at 2%. Inflation can create havoc in the economy once i
Source: Curious Cat Investing and Economics Blog

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My first taste of internet fraud?

Wed, 21 May 2008 14:41:00 -0400

I posted a couple of weeks ago about how I'd ordered a nice, new aluminium DICOTA briefcase for taking my new Dell laptop on holiday around Europe, and to replace my broken work briefcase. The order still hasn't arrived, and I'm beginning to seriousl
Source: Enough Wealth

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CFD trading platforms

Mon, 19 May 2008 09:29:00 -0400

I use CMC Markets for trading Forex, but there are many different CFD trading platforms out there. One of the CFD Providers available to those wishing to trade contracts for difference in the US is One Financial. This online stock market trading brok
Source: Enough Wealth

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Ohio Acts to Protect Citizens from Payday Loan Practices

Wed, 21 May 2008 13:34:54 -0400

Payday lenders likely doomed in Ohio. Good. A hotly debated bill that effectively would spell the end of the short-term, high-interest payday-lending industry in Ohio sailed through the Ohio Senate yesterday despite pleas from lenders that their sto
Source: Curious Cat Investing and Economics Blog

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Tags: economics, personal finance

Gold-Prices.biz: Portfolio Update 20 May 2008

Tue, 20 May 2008 07:50:28 -0400

Gold closed at $905.00 last night, little change from our update on the 5th April 2008 when it was $913.70, having paid a visit to the $850 level in the mean time. Gold has experienced a fall of around $150/oz followed by a bounce of $50/oz or about
Source: Gold Prices

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Agnico Eagle Mines Limited: Good Results!

Sun, 11 May 2008 22:26:22 -0400

Agnico Eagle Mines Limited has reported quarterly net income of $28.9 million, or $0.20 per share for the first quarter of 2008 with the First quarter 2008 highlights being as follows (more…) Related on Gold Prices:Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited:
Source: Gold Prices

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Yamana: Up 2.98% after close, on good results!

Thu, 8 May 2008 03:29:53 -0400

A consensus of analysts had anticipated profits of $0.15 per share however, Yamana Gold Incorporated beat those expectations with a $0.20 per share result, leading to an after hours jump in the stock price of $0.41 (more…) Related on Gold Pri
Source: Gold Prices

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The Battle for $900 Gold

Tue, 6 May 2008 21:59:38 -0400

To bring you a different viewpoint we are posting this article by David Galland, the Managing Director of Casey Research with the intent of adding some balance to the debate, please feel free to add your comments. Casey Research- International Specul
Source: Gold Prices

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How Much Further Will Housing Prices Fall?

Mon, 19 May 2008 14:10:19 -0400

Map of misery As of the fourth quarter of 2007, the S&P/Case-Shiller national index was down 10% from its peak, and an index of ten large cities had fallen by almost 16% by February. Although the Case-Shiller figures are not perfect—they miss m
Source: Curious Cat Investing and Economics Blog

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Tags: economics, real estate, personal finance

Crazy Watchmen

Sun, 18 May 2008 15:11:38 -0400

Who will watch the watchmen? The USA is in desperate need for some people in power that support the ideas of Jefferson et. al. Taking your laptop into the US? by Bruce Schneier (a leading authority on computer security matters). So your best defenc
Source: Curious Cat Investing and Economics Blog

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Real estate 'university'

Sat, 17 May 2008 04:45:00 -0400

I've done moderately well with real estate investing over the years. I bought a vacant 2.5 acre block of land at Winmalee in the blue mountains in the early 80's which more than doubled in a few years. I originally bought it with the intention to bui
Source: Enough Wealth

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Giving People the Opportunity to Succeed

Thu, 15 May 2008 14:12:11 -0400

Singapore’s Social Entrepreneur Diana Saw makes things Bloom in Cambodia You started Bloom in September 2006, how long was that after your Cambodia holiday which shocked you into action? The decision was swift as it was simple: move to Cambodia to
Source: Curious Cat Investing and Economics Blog

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Tags: economics, cool, personal finance

Building our Square Foot Garden (2)

Wed, 14 May 2008 10:23:00 -0400

I ended up not doing much work on the DS1's vegetable garden last weekend. I spent a while chatting with my parents on Sunday afternoon when I dropped DS1 off for a visit, and then when I started digging out the remaining grass and levelling the area
Source: Enough Wealth

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Dealing with Debt Collectors

Tue, 13 May 2008 16:12:16 -0400

The best method to avoid problems with debt collectors is to avoid debt problems (Create Your Cash Reserve - use your credit card responsibly - Buy less stuff). But if you do run into problems and get stuck dealing with debt collectors in addition t
Source: Curious Cat Investing and Economics Blog

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Horror budget?

Tue, 13 May 2008 12:46:00 -0400

Most commentators seem to think that the Australia Budget announced this evening was quite good. The Labor government has apparently delivered on it's election promises, has socked a large part of the surplus into various "Funds" ear-marked for futur
Source: Enough Wealth

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Gas Price Actually Reducing Driving

Mon, 12 May 2008 14:10:17 -0400

You might think that increased gas prices lead to less driving, but historically that has not been the case. Gas demand is very inelastic (or gas prices are very elastic): which means demand changes very little as prices increase. How much has consu
Source: Curious Cat Investing and Economics Blog

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Will it be worth having private hospital insurance any more?

Mon, 12 May 2008 12:09:00 -0400

The Australian Federal budget for 2008/9 will be unveiled tomorrow, but a lot of the details have already been "leaked" by the government in advance. One of the changes will apparently be an increase in the threshold at which the "medicare surcharge"
Source: Enough Wealth

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Net Worth of PF Bloggers: April 2008

Sun, 11 May 2008 09:05:00 -0400

Here's the current financial situation of some personal finance bloggers who post their net worth each month. Monthly Net Worth of some PF Bloggers for April 2008: Blogger Age Net Worth $ Change % Change An English Major's Money 24
Source: Enough Wealth

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Building our Square Foot Garden

Sat, 10 May 2008 14:07:00 -0400

I bought more materials today for constructing DS1's vegetable garden. It's loosely based on Mel Bartholomew's "Square Foot Gardening" concept, but I may end up compromising on the soil composition. The official "Mel's Mix" is supposed to be 1/3 comp
Source: Enough Wealth

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Is water frugality worth the effort?

Sat, 10 May 2008 09:58:00 -0400

There are many places on earth where water is a precious, finite resource. Sydney isn't one of them. Yes, Sydney recently had an extended drought - one of the worst in a hundred years - but our overall water storage never dropped below about 35%. Alt
Source: Enough Wealth

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Money info for UK readers

Fri, 9 May 2008 09:42:00 -0400

Anyone living in the UK reading this blog might be interested in visiting this interesting Money website. Aside from the usual information about the various Credit Cards on the market, it also has information regarding insurance and other money-relat
Source: Enough Wealth

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Continued Credit Card Company Customer Dis-Service

Thu, 8 May 2008 12:22:02 -0400

As the credit card companies continue to prove they are not interested in providing value to the customer and making a fair profit from the value they provide. Instead they attempt to do whatever they can to get money from customers. I would guess
Source: Curious Cat Investing and Economics Blog

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Fed Funds Rate Changes Don’t Indicate Mortgage Rate Changes

Wed, 7 May 2008 12:41:09 -0400

The recent drastic reductions again emphasize (once again) that changes in the federal funds rate are not correlated with changes in the 30 year fixed mortgage rate. In the last 4 months the discount rate has been reduced nearly 200 basis points, wh
Source: Curious Cat Investing and Economics Blog

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Tags: economics, cool, quote, real estate, personal finance, popular, financial literacy

Traveling To Avoid USA Health Care Costs

Tue, 6 May 2008 14:10:30 -0400

More who need major surgery are leaving U.S. Americans are going overseas for increasingly complex surgeries. In addition, more patients seem willing to accept that quality of care in some foreign hospitals may be the same or higher as that found on
Source: Curious Cat Investing and Economics Blog

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How I gave my personal financial risk management plan a check-up

Tue, 6 May 2008 11:17:00 -0400

A personal financial risk management plan is an important tool to help assure that I've adequate protection in place to look after myself and my family in the event that my assets or earning ability are impaired. Most people never develop a plan for
Source: Enough Wealth

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Silverado: Up 10.31% on resources estimate

Mon, 5 May 2008 22:34:13 -0400

Silverado Gold Mines Limited were up today following a news release suggesting that they have inferred stibnite resources with a calculated unit worth $41.2 million, on an increased turnover of 9.52 million shares (more…) Related on Gold Pric
Source: Gold Prices

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Tags: gold mining companies

Leveraged Gold ETF’s: The End of Gold Stocks

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 22:57:18 -0400

During the last major rally in gold prices, gold stocks made some great gains and investors such as yours truly were happy to take good profits on the gold mining companies we had bought over the summer doldrums. However we should have seen a much be
Source: Gold Prices

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Tags: gold, gold mining companies