The Perfect Ten Year Mortgage

Posted by Madison on June 26, 2008

It’s not exactly perfect, but I found something pretty close. We just refinanced with a 5/5 Adjustable Rate Mortgage. The terms actually equate to very inexpensive 10 year mortgage if you choose to use it that way. Adjustable Rate Mortgages We previously had a 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage. I discussed our original reason for having […]

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Help a Reader Payoff Debt

Posted by Madison on June 24, 2008

Last night I got a call from a friend looking for some financial help. He has $14,300 in debt and has a goal to be debt free by November. Before I put together a plan for him, I’d like to hear what you have to say about it! Debt Details Here are the details of […]

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We Sold My Car! What Worked and What Didn’t

Posted by Madison on June 10, 2008

After going back and forth about selling my car, I finally said goodbye to the car last week. It was a little sad, because I loved that car! But since the kids didn’t fit, it truly wasn’t working. Here’s a recap of the sale process and a summary of what worked and what didn’t. Getting […]

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Turn Your Wasted Money Into a Debt Reduction Plan

Posted by Madison on May 20, 2008

According to some estimates, every household, on average, wastes 15% of its income (if you make $4,000 a month, this amounts to $600). This wasted money disappears into needless things that do not offer any real and lasting value. Things like lattes and money for useless knick-knacks that do nothing more than gather dust. Impulse […]

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Rearranging our Finances to Refinance the House

Posted by Madison on April 2, 2008

I’ve been running the numbers like crazy and I’ve determined that it will be worth it to jump through hoops to rearrange our finances to refinance. If you are considering a refinance, see when it makes sense to refinance. I’ve calculated a minimum gain of $12,000 over the next 5 years less any opportunity costs […]

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Are You Considering a Refinance?

Posted by Madison on March 24, 2008

Photography by: bookish in north park We’re considering refinancing our house. It’s been two years since we refinanced our construction loan into our existing mortgage and rates are lower now than the interest rate we got two years ago. If you are considering refinancing, here are some situations where it might make sense to refinance.





Car Buying Tips

Posted by Madison on February 26, 2008

The car frenzy is in full swing at our house. Once I decide to do something, it’s usually pretty hard for me to think of anything else. So it’s no surprise that I’m still busy with the car search! Background First I made the commitment to sell my car, then I asked readers to tell […]

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What is your favorite family car?

Posted by Madison on February 25, 2008

I took the first steps and committed to selling my car. I’m ready to move from a “car I love” to a family car. Now I’m moving to the planning and research phases. I revisited my old criteria that I set in the fall and updated it to reflect our needs instead of wants. Here’s my […]

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Selling My Car: The First Steps

Posted by Madison on February 24, 2008

So you’ve got a debt? What’s the first step in getting rid of it? Let’s take a look at one of my hot-button items in our budget and work through it. In the fall we decided not to sell my car just yet. However, now that spring is almost here it’s time to do something […]

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Why We Have an Adjustable Rate Mortgage

Posted by Madison on January 30, 2008

We have an adjustable rate mortgage and it’s a good thing! Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARMs) have been blamed recently for a lot of the housing troubles going on. However, adjustable rate mortgages do serve a purpose and meet the financial needs for some people, including us. We carefully selected the best product to match our financial […]

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