Apr
28
Bush Announces Faster Payment Schedule for Stimulus Payments
April 28, 2008 | 347 Comments
President Bush announced that stimulus payments will be issued faster than previously announced. Tax filers who chose direct deposit can start receiving their payments as soon as April 28th.
I've updated the payment table from my original article on the stimulus payments below. You'll notice that the last payment coincides with the Independence Day holiday, a coincidence I'm sure. …
May
3
IRS Economic Stimulus Payment Article Index
May 3, 2008 | 9 Comments
… - Questions and Answers
If you still have questions, they may be answered here.
President Bush Announces Faster Stimulus Payment
President Bush said the payments were going out faster than planned. Based on comments from readers, I'm not sure if the payments really came out any faster. It appears a few people got their payments early.
IRS Stimulus Payment Rebate Calculator
An in depth look at the IRS payment calculator. I used the calculator with my tax return and found out …
Oct
6
Are Scandals Inevitable in Regulated Industries?
October 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment
… the airlines:
I made the comment that if a capitalist had been present at Kittyhawk back in the early 1900s, he should have shot Orville Wright. He would have saved his progeny money.
But seriously, the airline business has been extraordinary. It has eaten up capital over the past century like almost no other business because people seem to keep coming back to it and putting fresh money in.
Buffet Quoting Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf:
"I don't know why the banks had to find new ways to …
Sep
12
Evidence that the Stock Market is Efficient
September 12, 2008 | 1 Comment
… itself is necessarily correct.
Everyone knew that tech stocks were overvalued in the late 90's/early 00's. However, the holders of these stocks were hoping that there was a greater fool that could be convinced to buy the stock. So this is not a case where information is not known, in fact the information was known. Stocks were overpriced based on fundamentals, but based on the greater fool theory, people's greed and speculation was efficiently reflected in the price of stocks at …
Sep
3
Why First Time Home Buyer Programs Are a Bad Idea
September 3, 2008 | 1 Comment
… house needed some work. Actually it needed a lot of work. The previous owners let us move in early (they had pushed the closing back because their new home wasn't yet finished). As we were moving in we noticed a funny gas small. I called the gas company and they came out and told me the furnace was shot.
The home inspector had told us to get a furnace inspection as it was old and didn't look good. Since our offer was contingent on a good inspection, I wanted to get it looked at …
Jul
28
I believe that you should pay of your mortgage early. I did it and I still consider it one of the best things I've done. However, there are a number of people claiming that paying off your mortgage is foolish. Let's debunk some more of these myths.
The blog 7million7Years has an article about why paying off your mortgage is the dumbest move you can make. The author lists 4 reasons why paying off your mortgage is a mistake.
I've …
Jun
25
Should I Pay Off My Mortgage? The Easiest Test Ever
June 25, 2008 | 4 Comments
Should you pay off your mortgage early? It's a difficult question to answer. There are many factors to consider. However, there is one easy way to make the decision. I've created a simple test to answer the question " should I pay off my mortgage early ?".
Why Is It Such A Hard Question?
Vested Interest in the Mortgage Industry
In the old days, this was an easy question. Everyone tried to pay their mortgage …
Jun
6
Are We Spending Too Much On Our Children?
June 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment
… think this happens? I could tell you a few horror stories from my wife's tour of duty as an early childhood teacher. Parents go psycho over their kids clothing. It's not natural.
Time
If money is a small problem, time is huge one. No one has enough time. If you both work, you must find care for your child. More than likely your kid will attend day care more than eight hours a day. I think mothers feel especially guilty about that. However, it's not just mom's problem. …
May
29
Where Is My Stimulus Payment?
May 29, 2008 | 105 Comments
… If you have more questions, make sure you leave them in the comments below and I'll try to answer them.
Comment by Mary Lee: … to be mailed early last month. Mine came a month …
May
21
15,000 Stimulus Checks Sent to Wrong People by IRS
May 21, 2008 | 110 Comments
Just when you thought the stimulus payment mess couldn't get any worse, the IRS rises to the challenge and and really screws up. The IRS has apparently sent at least 15,000 checks to the wrong people.
I've been overwhelmed by the number of questions regarding the economic stimulus package and the payments from the IRS. Readers have posted thousands of comments (3,300 at last count) …
Comment by Gerri: … was hope for early this week.