most recent 30 from http://www.cashcommons.com 2010-03-15T13:00:52Z http://www.cashcommons.com/feeds/ http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/rdf http://www.cashcommons.com/questions/627/take-the-old-refrigerator-from-our-old-house-to-our-new-one mbhunter 2010-03-10T03:57:49Z 2010-03-15T05:39:19Z

<p>My wife is looking for a (second) refrigerator for our new house.</p> <p>The one in our new house is nice in a number of ways, but it's a side-by-side unit (refrigerator next to the freezer) so the space inside the refrigerator part is smaller than we're used to.</p> <p>She's been looking on Craigslist but not having good fortune yet. My take was just to buy new.</p> <p>But then she said, "Why don't we just bring the one over from the old house?" That would leave the old house with no refrigerator, meaning that I'd need to sell it that way unless I found a replacement. (I'm not even completely convinced that I want to sell, but that's another question.) Prospective buyers would notice that there's no refrigerator, and they may only do lowball bids (or just walk away).</p> <p>Any thoughts?</p>

http://www.cashcommons.com/questions/382/privately-controlled-currency-supported-by-gold unknown (google) 2009-12-19T13:09:44Z 2010-03-15T05:22:56Z

<p>I read during the Argentinean financial crisis in 2002 that a private company was considering launching a private currency supported by gold (i.e 100 currency = 1 gram of gold). I consider the idea facinating as every private person would not have to gamble on a government acting responsibly, but could have a very safe hard currency which actually becomes more valuable when there is a crisis. Another issue is also that there would not be inflation in this currency unless the value of gold decreases.</p> <p>Why hasn't this idea succeeded earlier?</p> <p>This question has also been posted at <a href="http://www.investery.com/questions/74/privately-controlled-currency-supported-by-gold" rel="nofollow">http://www.investery.com/questions/74/privately-controlled-currency-supported-by-gold</a></p>

http://www.cashcommons.com/questions/588/anybody-have-sucesss-with-0-balance-transfers-on-credit-cards The Balanced Spreadsheet 2010-02-12T19:03:25Z 2010-03-14T18:17:15Z

<p>Does anybody have experience in taking out 0% credit cards for 6-12 months and putting them into a savings account and then paying them off before the interest rates kicks in? I know a lot of my favorite bloggers do this and a few have posted <a href="http://www.2millionblog.com/2006/02/guide%5Fto%5Ftaking%5Fadvantage%5Fof%5F0.html" rel="nofollow">step by step</a> <a href="http://www.mymoneyblog.com/best-pre-screened-no-fee-0-apr-balance-transfer-offers" rel="nofollow">guides</a> on how to do this. To me especially in this low savings rate environment it seems like a lot of work just to make a few hundred dollars. Curious to see what others think.</p>

http://www.cashcommons.com/questions/46/do-you-blog-about-money-share-your-blogs-here mbhunter 2009-10-15T06:21:05Z 2010-03-14T18:15:28Z

<p>If you blog about money in some fashion, feel free to answer and tell the community about your blogs!</p>

http://www.cashcommons.com/questions/633/i-am-already-receiving-teacher-retirement-from-trs-i-am-not-59-1-2 B D R 2010-03-13T23:41:33Z 2010-03-13T23:41:33Z

<p>I cannot get a mortgage due to foreclosure. I am not a first time buyer. I am already receiving teacher retirement. I really don not want to spend another 14,000 a year thrown away on rent. I like to borrow from my 401b to buy a small home and pay it back in three to five years which is the same time I would have to wait for a regular mortgage. </p>

http://www.cashcommons.com/questions/631/two-of-my-credit-cards-got-hit-with-fraudulent-charges-the-same-day-what-gives mbhunter 2010-03-13T04:21:58Z 2010-03-13T06:10:55Z

<p>This is bizarre and a bit troubling.</p> <p>Received a call from one credit card company questioning a charge. Turned out to be a fraudulent charge. Account was shut down.</p> <p>Around dinnertime receive <em>another</em> call about a <em>different</em> card. That one got hit with a fraudulent charge as well. That one's shut down, too.</p> <p>Now I'm down to one card until I get replacements.</p> <p>But anyway, what gives? It seems like this is more than just coincidence. What might have happened?</p>

http://www.cashcommons.com/questions/580/effective-ways-to-screen-craigslist-buyers mbhunter 2010-02-11T03:10:23Z 2010-03-12T08:29:24Z

<p>A friend turned in an old favor and asked me to help sell some of her things. I told her how I'd do it, and also wrote a post on <a href="http://www.mightybargainhunter.com/2010/02/10/how-to-enlist-gmail-to-sell-your-craigslist-items-for-you/" rel="nofollow">how to enlist Gmail to help sell things on Craigslist</a>.</p> <p>The post <a href="http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2010/02/10/the-simple-dollar-weekly-roundup-endless-winter-edition/" rel="nofollow">got the attention of The Simple Dollar</a> and some of the commenters thought that what I proposed to do (set up a Gmail account as an autoresponder to buyer requests for information, and link pictures on Flickr) was counterproductive and would deter some good buyers because I was withholding information in the ad and making them jump through a hoop to get the information.</p> <p>But at the same time, if I don't guard my time, who else will?</p> <p>If you've sold on Craigslist, what tips do you have to screen out tire-kickers?</p>

http://www.cashcommons.com/questions/630/what-kinds-of-factors-affect-liability-insurance-premiums mbhunter 2010-03-12T05:06:11Z 2010-03-12T05:06:11Z

<p>A class I attended this week talked briefly about umbrella liability insurance. The premium the instructor mentioned was something like $400/year for $1 million coverage.</p> <p>That seems quite reasonable. But just like obesity, smoking, family history, etc., can affect health insurance premiums, I imagine there are factors that affect liability premiums. Anyone know what they might be?</p>

http://www.cashcommons.com/questions/600/can-a-501c-type-organization-accept-advertising-on-its-website mbhunter 2010-02-16T15:44:25Z 2010-03-10T07:45:34Z

<p>I think I understand the concept of non-profit, but let's say a 501(c)(4) organization (a civic organization) has a website. Can they accept advertising on their website (a link to a for-profit business) in exchange for having the business host / maintain the site?</p>

http://www.cashcommons.com/questions/539/whats-the-difference-between-non-profit-and-not-for-profit mbhunter 2010-01-27T08:09:34Z 2010-03-10T07:35:10Z

<p>This is another pair of terms I tend to use interchangeably, but I don't think they mean the same thing.</p> <p>I do know that "non-profit" status can apply to charities, and other organizations, like credit unions for example, are "not-for-profit," but the rest of my understanding is fuzzy.</p> <p>Thanks in advance! </p>

http://www.cashcommons.com/questions/602/anyone-have-experience-with-reward-checking-accounts The Balanced Spreadsheet 2010-02-18T17:42:55Z 2010-03-10T07:31:34Z

<p>I am just wondering if anyone else has had experience in using reward checking accounts? <a href="http://thebalancedspreadsheet.wordpress.com/2010/02/18/are-reward-checking-accounts-worth-it/" rel="nofollow">I have been using reward checking accounts for about two years now</a> and have enjoyed using them for the most part. It seems like every small community bank or credit union is offering them. Anyone else have any good or bad experiences?</p>

http://www.cashcommons.com/questions/624/what-is-dividend-yield-on-cost mbhunter 2010-03-09T23:18:35Z 2010-03-10T00:30:01Z

<p>I'm putting together a blog carnival and ran across the term <em>dividend yield on cost</em> in <a href="http://dividendsvalue.com/5814/18-dividend-stocks-raising-their-yield-on-cost/" rel="nofollow">one of the posts</a>. Any idea what this means?</p>

http://www.cashcommons.com/questions/623/what-are-some-good-things-to-look-for-in-a-property-manager mbhunter 2010-03-09T02:31:07Z 2010-03-10T00:09:57Z

<p>We have yet to sign a listing agreement with a real estate agent. I know that if I were to try to rent our old house, I probably wouldn't have the stomach for dealing with tenants, and hence would want to have a property manager.</p> <p>What are some good things to look for in a property manager?</p>

http://www.cashcommons.com/questions/621/what-is-a-sweep-account nessili24 2010-03-05T04:15:13Z 2010-03-05T15:50:33Z

<p>My DH tried to make a pun about brooms and something called a "sweep account." However, his attempt fell rather flat, as I had never heard of a sweep account. Now he's being all sorts of ornery and not telling me what it is. Help?</p>

http://www.cashcommons.com/questions/619/what-does-it-mean-to-be-an-accredited-investor AskAboutGadgets.com 2010-03-04T05:21:24Z 2010-03-05T02:21:37Z

<p>What does the term mean "accredited investor"? How can I became one and what are the advantages, disadvantages? </p>

http://www.cashcommons.com/questions/192/is-it-permissible-to-deduct-interest-from-a-second-mortgage-on-federal-income-tax mbhunter 2009-11-10T05:12:27Z 2010-03-02T11:22:30Z

<p>I know that there are avenues for deducting mortgage interest against US Federal income tax, but what about interest paid on a second mortgage?</p> <p>For comparison, I receive a 1098 form from the lender showing my mortgage interest paid for the year. Under IRS rules I can deduct this. Under what circumstances, if any, would I be able to deduct interest from a second mortgage?</p> <p>(I don't have a second mortgage. I saw a Twitter discussion of the "which debt to pay off first" variety and a second mortgage was one of the debts.)</p>

http://www.cashcommons.com/questions/370/what-are-some-good-online-stock-screeners mbhunter 2009-12-16T14:10:36Z 2010-03-02T07:07:16Z

<p>I went back to <a href="http://finance.google.com" rel="nofollow">Google Finance</a> a few days ago and was pleasantly surprised with the stock screener there. What favorite online screeners do you use?</p>

http://www.cashcommons.com/questions/613/when-did-the-tax-deduction-on-mortgage-interest-start mbhunter 2010-02-28T23:37:00Z 2010-03-02T04:50:53Z

<p><a href="http://www.freemoneyfinance.com/2010/02/the-mortgage-tax-deduction-is-a-consolation-prize-at-best.html" rel="nofollow">This article</a> brought up a good point on the mortgage interest tax deduction being only a partial refund of the actual mortgage interest.</p> <p>When did this deduction go on the books? I was curious as to what the circumstances were that caused Congress to sign this one into law.</p>

http://www.cashcommons.com/questions/614/can-i-reverse-my-opting-out-on-a-credit-card debtmaven 2010-03-01T02:49:10Z 2010-03-02T04:49:12Z

<p>At the end of 2008, I opted out of a rate hike on my Citibank Mastercard. Now, I'm reconsidering having done so. I've had this card now for 18 years - all my other cards I opened up within the last 2 years (Discover &amp; US Bank Visa). I was really unhappy at the time, but I've not carried a balance on this card for quite some time, so my opting out was more a statement to them than to save money me money. I don't plan on using this card for other than basic charges, and I always plan on paying it off.</p> <p>My question: is it possible to call customer service and "opt back in"? I realize that opting out may have a strong impact on my credit score (currently in high 700s) when I close it (which I will do rather than have the credit card company close it for me, which would be worse for my credit score). So, can I undo that opt-out?</p>

http://www.cashcommons.com/questions/609/good-uses-for-extra-fabric mbhunter 2010-02-25T04:59:55Z 2010-02-26T13:49:31Z

<p>My wife was explaining how she used some of her fabric stash for curtains for our new house.</p> <p>Any other good uses for extra fabric? (Any size pieces is fine!)</p>

http://www.cashcommons.com/questions/608/what-is-your-strategy-to-picking-stocks AskAboutGadgets.com 2010-02-25T04:44:14Z 2010-02-26T03:36:55Z

<p>What is your strategy for picking stocks? Do you have a process for this, if yes how successful you are? </p>

http://www.cashcommons.com/questions/603/pay-down-variable-heloc-or-fixed-mortgage Daniel 2010-02-22T02:07:01Z 2010-02-23T03:11:52Z

<p>I got this question from a reader and wanted your opinions:</p> <p>I have both a mortgage on our house, and a home equity line of credit. The mortgage rate is fixed (4.4.%) for 15 years. The home equity is variable, right now, it is only 2.24%. I am trying to accelerate payments beyond the minimum to get out of debt more quickly. </p> <ol> <li><p>When the home equity rate is higher than the mortgage rate, it is a no-brainer - pay the minimum on the mortgage and throw any extra money into the home equity loan.</p></li> <li><p>However, when the home equity loan is lower, like now, it is a little more tricky. It may seem obvious to pay the minimum on the home equity and pay off more of the higher interest mortgage. That would be the clear choice, if I could count on not needing to tap the home equity line down the road. But, what if I anticipate some large expenses down the road, for which I would need to borrow? If my home equity is close to the ceiling, then I won't be able to borrow against it when I need it. No matter how much I've paid off my mortgage, I can't get more from that source if I need it. So, what's the best strategy in this situation? (And, you can ignore the issue that as the home equity gets closer to the ceiling, that hurts my credit rating a little. For the current purposes, I don't anticipate taking out any other loans, and I pay my credit cards off each month.)</p></li> </ol>

http://www.cashcommons.com/questions/346/where-to-rent-a-car-without-a-credit-card Cyrus 2009-12-09T16:07:46Z 2010-02-19T21:44:16Z

<p>Since I don't borrow money, that means I don't own any credit cards. Unfortunately, that makes it more difficult to rent a car, since most car companies have serious restrictions on reserving using a debit card. I've done some research on which companies are most accepting of debit cards, but my findings were very inconsistent. Has anyone else had good or bad experiences renting cars without a credit card?</p> <p><strong>Update:</strong></p> <p>My girlfriend and I recently tried to rent a car at the Miami airport, and all the major car rental companies except Enterprise required a credit check when reserving using a debit card. Enterprise was out of cars, so we went with Thrifty. We didn't think the credit check was a problem, since we still have decent credit scores dispute having not borrowed money in quite some time. However, my girlfriend's debit card was declined after the credit check with no explanation from Thrifty. Luckily, she had one of her mom's credit cards with her that we were able to use to reserve the car, but this is the second or third time we've had to do this and it's getting frustrating! Any other advice, anyone? I may just have to go with Enterprise every time, as they don't do a credit check (at least not yet!).</p>

http://www.cashcommons.com/questions/601/who-has-access-to-a-filed-hud-1-settlement-statement mbhunter 2010-02-17T16:07:46Z 2010-02-17T16:07:46Z

<p>Our closing last week used the new HUD-1 Settlement Statement. It has an extra third page that contains essentially two things: a comparison of the actual closing costs with those of the Good Faith Estimate, and a reiteration of the loan terms in more or less plain English.</p> <p>I didn't think twice about the second part, but realized after reading <a href="http://realestateoptimist.housingstorm.com/tag/the-new-hud-1/" rel="nofollow">this article</a> that this form, in essence, disclosed the terms of my mortgage to the seller. Apparently this was private information prior to the introduction of the new form at the beginning of 2010.</p> <p>So my question is: Who exactly has access to my HUD-1? Just the people involved in the transaction (me, the seller, the people servicing my loan, and others who helped with the settlement)? Or is it available to anyone who asks for it? </p>

http://www.cashcommons.com/questions/597/6-month-vs-12-month-balance-transfer-which-will-i-get Daniel 2010-02-15T16:43:38Z 2010-02-16T04:00:37Z

<p>In a few months, I will want to get a new credit card that offers 0% APR for 12 months. Many offers say either 6 or 12. How do I know which I'll be getting? I'd rather not apply and find out I'm getting 6 months. At that point, I think it counts as an account and I'd have to keep it or cancel immeditely - neither of which is idea.</p>

http://www.cashcommons.com/questions/541/advantages-of-using-a-lawyer-instead-of-a-title-company-for-real-estate-settlemen mbhunter 2010-01-29T07:38:25Z 2010-02-15T09:57:17Z

<p>We're set to close on a property (God willing) in two weeks.</p> <p>The first time I bought a house I had a lawyer do the title search and the closing. This time around the real estate agent recommended a title company to handle the closing. We accepted. He said that they were very good at what they did, he uses them all the time, they're fast, etc.</p> <p>So what advantages are there to retaining a lawyer for closing instead of a title company? Or do the advantages rest the other way (with the title company instead of with a lawyer)?</p>

http://www.cashcommons.com/questions/592/selling-a-house-better-to-lower-the-price-or-offer-concessions mbhunter 2010-02-14T03:25:18Z 2010-02-14T17:31:03Z

<p>We'll be trying to sell our current house now that we've closed on another.</p> <p>The Realtor that sold us our new house gave us a ballpark market valuation for our current house. He also told us to be prepared for a 3% concession for closing costs. We were able to get this from the seller for our new house. What it meant was that the seller covered up to 3% of the contract price in closing costs for us. These included things like loan fees, points, etc.</p> <p>Now, I can see from the Realtor's point of view it's better for him to have me take concessions than it is for me to lower the price. If my house sells for $200k, and I give up to $6k in concessions for closing costs, his commission is based on $200k. If instead I offer $194k with no concessions, it's a little better for me because his commission is now based on $194k. The buyer would have more out of pocket, but many of the other fees on her end would be less.</p> <p>Any other thoughts as to which way to go? Thanks!</p>

http://www.cashcommons.com/questions/589/can-unallocated-extra-mortgage-payments-really-just-evaporate mbhunter 2010-02-13T08:44:37Z 2010-02-13T17:05:18Z

<p>At closing on Thursday, the settlement attorney warned us to be sure to specify that any extra money we put toward our mortgage is to go toward principal, because if we don't, lenders could "rob us blind" by applying it toward interest.</p> <p>This surprised me, and didn't really make any sense to me. I mean, I can see how we might <a href="http://www.cashcommons.com/questions/286/what-advantages-are-there-to-making-mortgage-payments-in-advance" rel="nofollow">make mortgage payments in advance</a> if we don't specify, but having the money just go up in smoke (or into the banker's pocket)?</p> <p>Was the attorney correct?</p>

http://www.cashcommons.com/questions/557/good-zero-dollars-gift-ideas Frugallawyer 2010-02-04T22:38:22Z 2010-02-12T17:08:59Z

<p>This is a similar question to MBHunter's <a href="http://www.cashcommons.com/questions/554/some-good-frugal-valentines-day-ideas" rel="nofollow">great question about frugal Valentine's Day ideas.</a></p> <p>I hope someone here watches 30 Rock. For Christmas, Liz and Jack exchanged Christmas gifts, but they had to cost zero dollars. This trend picked up some steam with a few friends and there were zero dollar haikus and other fun things. </p> <p>This year my husband and I decided not to spend money on birthday or anniversary gifts since I am concentrating on paying of my debt. I made him a cute photo card for free with Smilebox for his birthday. </p> <p>Has anyone else made a creative zero dollars gift? I imagine that I can only get away with picture ecards for so long.</p>

http://www.cashcommons.com/questions/515/what-is-a-good-easy-process-for-monitoring-net-worth mbhunter 2010-01-23T09:13:57Z 2010-02-12T07:27:59Z

<p>For as much as I write about personal finance, I'm pretty haphazard about calculating my family's net worth: assets minus liabilities. As life goes on, I'm sure it won't get any easier.</p> <p>What's a good, easy process for getting some historical data going about what my family's financial worth is? Or, put differently, what things can I safely ignore for a big-picture look?</p> <p>If you have a system that works, what are the important components?</p>