Tulip Mania - The World's First Bubble
Tuesday, January 01
Tulip mania was a period in the 17th century during which Dutch contract prices for bulbs of the recently introduced tulip reached extraordinarily high levels and then suddenly collapsed. At the peak of tulip mania, in February 1637, some single tulip bulbs sold for more than 10 times the annual...
Groupon vs. Income Property
Thursday, December 27
The recent filing of an S-1 Document by Groupon for the purpose of an Initial Public Offering has led to many people speculating about the value of the company, especially in the wake of Google's $6 billion dollar acquisition offer that Groupon refused. When their stock lands on the exchanges, m...
Don't Underestimate the Power of Inflation
Wednesday, December 26
Inflation’s not exciting. Nor is it sexy. It’s not a blockbuster movie with mind-blowing special effects. All it does is sit there and grind the purchasing power of every single dollar you own down to a nub of its former glory. On the flip side, you can put the power of inflation to work for you ...
Refi 'Til Ya Die!
Tuesday, November 27
Today’s topic was inspired by a recent comment from a reader (thanks, Shanequa!) regarding the wisdom (or lack thereof) inherent in our philosophy of never paying off a mortgage but rather refinancing it every 7 to 12 years. First of all, we’re not here to claim absolute superiority when it comes...
How to (Legally) Make Someone Else Pay the Mortgage
Saturday, November 24
With most tasks we’re confronted with in life, there’s a right way to do it and a wrong way; or at least a better, smarter, more profitable way. Real estate investing is no different. While it’s certainly no crime to buy a piece of property with all cash and wait for it to appreciate - which it p...
Inflation Investing is the Ultimate Trend
Tuesday, November 20
Think inflation might be with us awhile? There have been a grand total of two years out of the last fifty-seven that haven’t seen at least some level of inflation in the United States. To us, that seems like a pretty strong trend that has only intensified since President Nixon took the country of...