Our deficit and our debt are at record levels, even compared to WWII. Then, the debt was financed internally, not by other countries, so the interest we could pay was lower and the money was recycled in the U.S. Now, the debt and deficit are mostly financed by other countries through bond offerings and the like. And as they grow, those debtor countries will want higher interest rates on repayments, which drains money out of the U.S. [more inside]
posted by CollectiveMind on Oct 5, 2009 - 4 answers

How flexible is a mortgage lender likely to be on the mortgage for a second home that looks like an investment property? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Sep 24, 2009 - 1 answer

Where can I find solid nationwide savings statistics/data? [more inside]
posted by ejfox on Sep 24, 2009 - 2 answers

Does the backlash against the Efficient Market Hypothesis have another answer for my lazy-investing needs? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Sep 19, 2009 - 14 answers

We live in San Diego. We have 140k in cash after an inheritance, a mobile home we can't afford, crappy jobs, and have never had this much money ever. How do we best invest this money? [more inside]
posted by veritas on Sep 11, 2009 - 35 answers

Choice of retirement plans: TIAA-CREF, Vanguard, Fidelity? Mattress? [more inside]
posted by Clyde Mnestra on Sep 7, 2009 - 7 answers

Use cash to start a business or for a down payment on a home. [more inside]
posted by mintchip on Sep 1, 2009 - 10 answers

What do you wish you'd known before buying your first apartment building? [more inside]
posted by zeoslap on Aug 27, 2009 - 5 answers

I'm considering buying a place in Palm Springs as an investment property. I'm planning to get a property manager and put it into a VRBO type system and timeshare the place out. Is there a resource for gathering the info to research this? [more inside]
posted by escher on Aug 4, 2009 - 3 answers

What are the best investment habits for a college student with decent income to get into, in order to maximize yield in 3 years? [more inside]
posted by Ricket on Aug 2, 2009 - 12 answers

UK finance question: Just become a dad. What's the most beneficial way to invest a small four-figure lump sum, plus all of my child's Child Benefit for the next 18 years? [more inside]
posted by Blackwatch on Jun 18, 2009 - 6 answers

Any mortgage professionals in the house? I have a question about lending standards for small-scale real estate investors. [more inside]
posted by Sublimity on May 28, 2009 - 0 answers

First-time home buyer seeks help making a good investment [more inside]
posted by mintchip on May 22, 2009 - 6 answers

I will receive $30k (canadian) as an inheritance. I'd like to invest it to start getting some revenue out of it. I have a few questions. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on May 22, 2009 - 15 answers

For investing small amounts every month, is a S&P 500 index fund or a tax-free bond fund more beneficial? [more inside]
posted by stevechemist on May 13, 2009 - 11 answers

I am looking to make long-term low maintenance investments (e.g., index funds) in Euros in a tax-optimal way in France (assurance vie or PEA are what I understand are the real alternatives) but am shocked and appalled at the fees charged by French banks and mutual funds. I'd be quite grateful for any suggestions.
posted by 12trees on Apr 30, 2009 - 3 answers

I need to know what my options are for moving this thing, given that I have a negative net worth. Can I roll it into another brokerage-style Rollover IRA at a brokerage firm, not a bank, and avoid the money laundering law stuff? Or am I relegated to Bank IRAs until I'm out of school debt? Do I suck it up and take the $75/month hit until I can start depositing money again (I don't know when that will be), and hope that the investments make up the difference in the long run? I haven't lost as much as most in my portfolio, and I know I have time to make up the losses, the monthly fee just seems like an unnecessary loss I should be able to avoid. [more inside]
posted by blue andrea on Apr 20, 2009 - 5 answers

What will it mean for me if my new company goes public? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Apr 1, 2009 - 7 answers

I'm seeking an online tool that will project the present value of a monthly investment in a given stock, mutual fund or market index. [more inside]
posted by tomwheeler on Mar 30, 2009 - 8 answers

Starting a Canadian Investment Club in Ontario. 10 people will contribute $100 each per month for 5+ years. We are looking to do a stock buy every 1 - 2 months. What do I need to know from a tax standpoint? How should I structure the club (i.e. Incorporation has too many fees)? Also I'd love tips, advice or Canadian specific links from anyone who has done something similar. Google provides great American info but I didn't find stuff for Canucks!
posted by saradarlin on Mar 21, 2009 - 4 answers

Financial Filter: Picking a New Financial Advisor and Evaluating Their Plans [more inside]
posted by Coyote at the Dog Show on Mar 18, 2009 - 11 answers

I'm taking a introductory level macroeconomics course in college. In it, you need to collect a whole bunch of data about a single country (I chose Australia). I got almost all the information I need, but I'm stumped on one small part of it. [more inside]
posted by AZNsupermarket on Mar 3, 2009 - 13 answers

Should I buy a 1 bedroom or 2 bedroom condo? Specifics after the break... [more inside]
posted by crewshell on Feb 24, 2009 - 24 answers

I'm looking for examples where people invest work in projects that they know they will never live to partake in the outcome. [more inside]
posted by theefixedstars on Feb 21, 2009 - 13 answers

A friend of mine owns a house in Phoenix proper. He wants to rent it for nearly his mortgage amount and purchase a bigger house in Scottsdale, intending to have his money in property investment as opposed to sitting in the bank. Help me give him facts that may support or prove inauspicious his idea... [more inside]
posted by blastrid on Feb 20, 2009 - 9 answers

What to do with £5,000 in the next year? [more inside]
posted by like_neon on Feb 18, 2009 - 12 answers

I just received an inheritance. I want to figure out how to invest it, but I'm new to investing - and can't make sense out of this economy. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Feb 11, 2009 - 16 answers

How can a technology professional move into venture capital? [more inside]
posted by arimathea on Feb 2, 2009 - 10 answers

I'm 29, single (assume it's going to remain that way) female, and have spent the last few years saving an amount that's getting close to about $30k, which I presently have in my bank's equivalent of a your average ING Saver account, figuring by now I'd've figured out what I could/was willing to do with it, towards securing some kind of financial future that doesn't involve a cardboard box. I haven't, largely I suppose because I don't know what I need to be aiming for. Looking for advice. More inside. [more inside]
posted by springbound on Jan 27, 2009 - 27 answers

The best books , articles , gurus etc you have come across that can actually integrate most or much of the information out there, for investing purposes and for separating the signals from the noise. [more inside]
posted by cluelessguru on Jan 15, 2009 - 7 answers

How do I calculate the cost basis for stocks that were inherited by my father, who later gave them to me? [more inside]
posted by Elsa on Dec 30, 2008 - 4 answers

I am trying to figure out how to invest money for retirement and otherwise. I am in my late 20s, earn $55,000 annually, have no debt, and about $90,000 in savings. I am currently putting 5% of my salary into a 403(b) which is the maximum amount my employer will match. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Dec 2, 2008 - 11 answers

Legal/finance filter: Is it ok to advertise a business or investment for sale? So let's say I have a great business idea or investment idea or an actual business - and I want to sell part of it. Or garner investors. Can I just place ads (in papers or in direct mailings) asking for investors? Or am I bound by stacks of tricky SEC rules and Fed/State investment rules ? [more inside]
posted by Xhris on Dec 1, 2008 - 3 answers

So the price of oil is ridiculously low right now. But since we're running out of the stuff in the mid-to-long-term, can you explain to me why i shouldn't pour a nice big chunk of my investment egg into oil futures? [more inside]
posted by snortlebort on Nov 23, 2008 - 15 answers

Financial advice-filter. I'm a college student with no debt and negligible living expenses. Where should I be putting my income? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 27, 2008 - 8 answers

Should my savings be in a tax-free ISA or in a normal savings account with higher balance and higher interest? (I'm terrible at accounting maths.) [more inside]
posted by snarfois on Oct 22, 2008 - 10 answers

Two years ago, when the DJIA was at 11,200, I thought the market was approaching its peak, and I moved money from an index stock fund to government bonds. For the next two years, I kicked myself as the market hit 14,000. [more inside]
posted by CollectiveMind on Oct 12, 2008 - 15 answers

Where should I keep my money (to protect it from the US economy)? I'm American and it's in US$, but I don't live there and don't have any good reason to keep it there. [more inside]
posted by xanthippe on Oct 7, 2008 - 10 answers

A crazy financial question about the timing of my 401k rollover to and IRA in light of current economic events in the US. Is it even possible to time a rollover? [more inside]
posted by quadog on Sep 30, 2008 - 8 answers

Why do the lenders give short sellers the stock? [more inside]
posted by sophist on Sep 22, 2008 - 9 answers

How will the current credit crisis and bank failures affect the tech industry and particularly the availability and quality of venture capital? [more inside]
posted by jacobian on Sep 18, 2008 - 6 answers

In June 2007, I bought a 5-year bond with a 6.5% coupon on the day it was issued. I understand how bond prices rise and fall, generally as a result of interest rates and confidence that the bond issuer will be able to repay the debt. However, I have a few nagging questions about this investment... [more inside]
posted by kamelhoecker on Sep 13, 2008 - 4 answers

I have £10,000 which I made from the sale of my house. Eventually I want to use it as a deposit to buy a new house, but don't envisage this happening within less than a year. Where's the best place in the UK for me to save this money?
posted by mairuzu on Aug 29, 2008 - 13 answers

I have traded stock Options for a while but would like to have the following order type: Example - Option Price = 3.90 Put in a order to sell if price goes below 3.50 or sell if price goes above 4.50 I have looked at stop, stop limit, limit, trailing and the works, but is there a technical name for what I want, and do brokers offer it? Thanks! BB
posted by bright77blue on Aug 14, 2008 - 5 answers

Anybody have experience in investing in virtual world banks/businesses/markets (such as those in SecondLife.com etc)? Do they provide a serious way of making a sensible risk/reward on five or six figure investments? [more inside]
posted by vizsla on Aug 12, 2008 - 22 answers

Help me find a way to earn some money through blogging. [more inside]
posted by hadjiboy on Jul 21, 2008 - 13 answers

Is there anyone (especially online) who's collected reasonably well-informed stock picks from, say, 2, 5, or 15 years ago and explained why the recommendations did or did not work out? [more inside]
posted by ibmcginty on Jul 21, 2008 - 5 answers

Paying for medical school -- which money to use? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jul 15, 2008 - 2 answers

What, if anything, is a "Target Retirement" fund like VTIVX missing? [more inside]
posted by selfnoise on Jun 30, 2008 - 4 answers

How profitable is a golf course? I love playing golf and would love to own a golf course. However, with the price of real estate the way it is, I wonder if it is even really profitable? Is it more profitable to buy couple hundred acres and put a course on it or put some homes down? I would think that it would be more profitable to put homes down, because the course would take several years to get out of the red.
posted by CWitt on Jun 17, 2008 - 9 answers