Archive for posts by Kent Irwin

Gasoline prices have trickled down in the last few weeks, however they are still about double what they were 4 years ago, making it important to get the most mileage out of each gallon of gas as possible. Some of these tips come from “20 ways to save gas this summer” Popular Mechanics 7/2012 magazine. Here… Read More »

The presidential campaign had me wondering which presidential candidate would have been the most pro-business. Investors in business might not think Obama is great for business, when you consider the 313 point drop in the DOW yesterday. Let me say at the outset that I am not taking political sides in this article. During the… Read More »

PQVZCCWKQENX Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) is expensive insurance that protects the lender if you foreclose, not you but you have to pay for it. It is required if you put less than 20% down when you purchase a new home, unless you can prove that your total equity is equal to or exceeds 20% (22%… Read More »

College costs are going through the roof! You’ve seen the headlines. How are you going to pay for college, and what is going to cost you or your kids? A 4-year college costs on average  $21,447 for in-state public and $42,224 for private per year for tuition, room, and board. That’s a total of nearly $100,000 for… Read More »

Question: I lost my job several months ago, and have exhausted my savings. However, I have some money in a 401(k) Plan from an old employer. I need to get to some of it to pay my rent, but I don’t want to pay tax on the entire amount in the Plan. What is the… Read More »

When you buy a car, what is most important to you: purchase price, cost of ownership (regular maintenance, repairs, insurance, MPG, depreciation), utility, performance (how fast and how well it handles), safety, image or the green factor?  Maybe you consider them all, but some prioritize the list differently. Strangely, many people do little research and… Read More »

Most financial articles are self-help so I thought it might be good idea to discuss how to help others. I suspect most people can’t fix their own finances without some kind of help from someone else. Yes, ultimately it is still up to each individual person to apply financial wisdom, but they need your help…. Read More »

Interesting articles worth checking out: Homeowners qualifying for new mortgage after short sale. Auto purchasing and the various fine print costly add-ons. Estate planning: Naming a trustee for your trust, and living wills. Roth IRA escape hatch, for those that already converted, but now regret it. Buyers are Back After Foreclosure. They didn’t have to… Read More »

Here are a few very good and interesting student loan and college finance articles I’ve run across you might be interested to read: You Paid for College How? How Not to Blow it Financial Aid The Minuses of Parental Plus Loans

A new study shows that prior to the current economic crisis, it was the highly educated people that were more inclined to have unmanageable levels of debt. The percentage of Americans with more than 40% of their income going to debt payments increased from under 15% in 1991 to 27% in 2008. You would think… Read More »