The economic crisis has affected a large number of people, leaving many unemployed and unable to pay back their mortgage. But the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) is showing that with the right assistance, most people can back on their feet and get rid of their liabilities. [Read more…]
New York Gains, London Slips as Favored Destination for Financial Companies
A recent report released by the City of London Corporation has ranked New York as the top destination for financial companies. The top spot was held by London six months ago, but New York scored the joint highest rating in the latest study. [Read more…]
Keep This in Mind before You Strike a Real Estate Deal
Buying a house requires serious thought and planning. It is a major investment and it could significantly stretch your finance and affect your lifestyle. That is why striking the right deal is critical. Here are some important aspects you must consider before you come to your decision.
Make a Commitment
Firstly, make sure you are likely to live in the same area for at least a period of 5 years if you intend to buy a house there. Buying and selling are costly affairs and the housing market is volatile, with prices changing frequently. As with any investment, it is wise to consider a decent lock-in period so that you can get optimum returns. By buying and selling a house too often, you would end up paying a huge amount as transaction costs, including brokerage, mortgage closing, processing a new mortgage etc.
Maintain Good Credit History
A good credit record will help you get attractive deals on mortgages and keep you in a strong bargaining position when you are negotiating your loan terms and even the house price. When shopping for the best mortgage, look for lenders who are willing to offer lower down payments. If your past record is good, you may even get a loan with a down payment of just 3% of the purchase price. Pre-approval is another good way to strengthen your bargaining position and make the process of buying the house faster.
Avoid a Deal that Puts Your Finances in Severe Stress
Look at houses that have affordable price tags. There are many online calculators that can help you assess the ideal investment amount for you based on your income and current liabilities. Get a professional to tell you whether the house you like is worth the price quoted by the seller. He can also help you make the right bid.
Understand the Trend
Review the recent sales in the area and understand the prevailing trend and pricing before you make your bid. A look at the previous three month period sales in that location should usually give you a good idea of what a competitive offer would be for a particular property. Start with about 5% lower than the recent sale prices for comparable properties.
With some planning and research on recent sales, and understanding your financial situation, you can find the right house at the best possible price.
Investment Lessons from the Financial Crisis
The financial crisis and the painful recession are behind us now. Although the unemployment numbers are still very high, there are many reasons to believe that things will soon start improving on that front too. These have been major events, and it is important to learn from them as an investor.
If you were invested in stocks just before the collapse of the stock market, you would understandably be skeptical right now. Many investors lost their faith in the market and have refrained from investing since then. But you have to put your money in some assets, and as the rebound in the stock market since March 2009 has showed, if you time your investment correctly there are still some great opportunities to earn profits. Here are some lessons that you should take away from the crisis to become a better investor.
Don’t Panic
When the stock market was at its lowest levels in 2009, almost everyone had a pessimistic outlook. More bad news was in store, we were told by the so-called financial experts. But investors who were able to shut out the noise sensed an opportunity and their investments have grown by more than 60% since then. The important lesson is to not go with the hype. Analyze the satiation with a calm mind and try to find opportunities.
Think Long Term
Anyone who tells you that you can make assured quick money in the market either has no idea of what he is talking about or is simply fooling you. In the short term, the market is nothing more than a casino. You’ll win some, you’ll lose some, and then you’ll realize that it was a total waste of time. Keep your investment horizon long term. Treat your investments in good stocks as an asset and not as a bet. You should target modest but assured returns instead of going for risky investments.
Diversify
One of the oldest tenets of investing is still one of the most important. When you invest, you should never concentrate all your risk in a single stock. By creating a diversified portfolio, which also has bonds in it, you spread your risk. So if the price of one of your stocks collapses, you would still be able to make up for that loss with profits from other stocks.
Keep these tips in mind and be smart about your investments. Don’t make investment decisions because they feel right, you need to think them through.
Krugman Blames Lack of Regulations for Financial Crisis
Paul Krugman, the Nobel Prize winning economist, has blamed lax regulation for the financial crisis. He said that unless there is an agency that has the sole responsibility of protecting consumers, we will not be immune from similar crises in future. [Read more…]
Interest Rates Could Remain Low for a Long Time
All indications are that there would not be any serious interest rate hikes in the near future. The unemployment rate is still quite high and there is no hint of inflation rearing its head. These should be good enough reasons for the Fed to keep interest rates low for a long time, and the view is supported by many monetary policy makers and prominent economists. [Read more…]
700 Banks Still Can’t Give Out Loans
The GDP numbers may show that the economy is out of recession and the worst of the crisis is behind us, but most of the banks in the country are not out of trouble yet.
According to the latest report on the health of the banking system from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or FDIC, more than half of the banks in the country are not being able to give out any new loans. The problem is that bad loans on the books of these banks are constantly rising. With their interest income drying up, they don’t have any money to lend to new customers and are just waiting anxiously for things to improve. [Read more…]
Trouble Brewing in Commercial Real Estate
As the economy continues on its gradual path to recovery, signs of another major crisis are emerging – this time in the commercial real estate sector. If the problems in the sector are not dealt with quickly and ruthlessly, they have the potential to throw the recovery off track and plunge the economy back into recession. [Read more…]
Average Hourly Wages Have Risen by 1.9%
There is some good news for the economy. Even though the unemployment numbers have not shown a positive trend for a long time now, the wages are steadily rising, getting more money into the hands of consumers.
According to the recently released government’s monthly job report, the average hourly wages have risen by 1.9% over the past one year. In another analysis done by TrimTabs Investment Research, it was found that the wages and salaries have grown by 0.7% in February compared to the same period last year. [Read more…]
Will Greece be The Next Fallen Economy?
While investors are finding some solace and showing a modicum of approval in Greece´s plans to cut spending and raise taxes in order to meet their debt payments. The same investors are greedily licking their chops wondering who will be the next to fall victim to mismanagement and future debt default. [Read more…]
Job Cuts Data Shows Improvement
There’s good news for the economy as it continues on its path to recovery from the worst recession since the 1930s. ADP Employer Services, a payroll processing company, has announced that February saw only 20,000 job cuts, which is a major improvement from the 60,000 cuts seen in January. It is also a 77% improvement over the job cuts seen in the same month last year. [Read more…]
The Fed Hit Another All Time Low
In a move to stave off potential impediments to recovery The Fed last week moved to continue lending at an all time low. Bernanke in his high-handedness and roll as senior jackass gave a rousing speech outlining the fact that The Fed will do what he says until he deems that as silly as it sounds. While the average American still feels the dry mouth of someone going to a dry well, the lending industry, a voice of reason has chimed in on the subject. [Read more…]
