Below is an email interview with Brent Kessel, author of It’s Not About the Money: Unlock Your Money Type to Achieve Spiritual and Financial Abundance*, a book that I reviewed earlier this week.

Why did you decide to write a book?

Without wanting to sound cliché, I never really feel like a made the decision. I had observed so many people suffering around financial issues, and barking up the wrong tree, as it were, that I felt compelled to write it. It was one of the easiest things I?ve ever done professionally.

What do you think is the number one reason people fail financially?

They don?t understand what payoff their financial habits are giving them. If they?re chronic overspenders, there?s a need that their purchases are filling, an emotional need, and buying purses or cars or new furniture allows them to feel good about themselves for some time. In order to change the financial habit, they have to replace the payoff with some other payoff that fills the same need. But most people never question what?s motivating their financial habits.

You say in your book that the ideal person would be balanced among the eight financial archetypes. How do you recommend a person obtain that balance?

It?s very difficult work, but very rewarding. It?s very hard to answer this question in a generalized way, which is why there are about 60 highly customized exercises in the book, so that each archetype can create the balance that they need. One way to say it, is that we often need to cultivate the positive attributes of the archetype which is most dormant in us. So for me, that?s mostly been the Innocent. Being willing to have faith and trust that things will work out, without putting quite so much focus on the numbers, given that I?m a Guardian/Saver/Empire Builder predominantly.

Which of the eight archetypes do you think is most prevalent in today?s society?

Pleasure Seeker and Innocent were prevalent until Summer 2008, which is why we?re in this mess. Today, it?s much more Guardian and Saver. People seem to be returning to the values of the ?30?s ? 50?s, but we?ll see how long that lasts.

How do you explain the archetypes to your clients?

I usually don?t. This is part of why I wrote the book, so that they could read the complete story about each archetype in there. As an example, I?ll more intuitively give a client ?homework? to spend more money on things which bring sensory pleasure, in the case of an overly frugal Saver, or have an Innocent hire a bookkeeper or sign up for an internet-based service like mint.com which shows them where the money?s all going.

What is the typical response from your clients once they learn about the different archetypes?

?Wow, I had no idea you had me so pegged.?

Do you ever have clients who deny the findings?

?Not really. The most I?ve had is someone who felt they couldn?t find themselves in any of them, which is usually a sign of the Innocent. Some people feel that they?re a balance of many, or that it?s constantly changing. Both of these are good signs.?

Once you know a client?s financial archetype, how do you cater your financial advice to fit the archetype?

Again, this is very customized. The Appendix of the book has specific financial planning recommendations tailored to each archetype, and it?s many pages, so it?s hard to summarize. But one example might be to have a Pleasure Seeker sell their vacation home and art collection and deploy that money in more income-producing assets (which don?t produce sensory pleasure), like stocks, bonds, or income properties.

Since writing the book, do you find yourself trying to figure out the archetypes of the people you meet?

Sometimes. It?s mostly intuitive though. If you go to my first MSN story, there?s a video of me walking around Central Park interviewing people and guessing their archetypes. Kind of humorous. The other stories there may give you some good blogging ideas too.

Finally, is it natural for a person?s archetype to change over the years or do people tend to stay the same throughout their lifetimes?

The healthiest people I?ve met with money are able to express different ones at different times. But there?s a whole class of people who, especially when the going gets tough, go back to their tried and true archetypes. Financial habits are hard to break, because unless we very intentionally try to cultivate those which have been dormant, they?ll stay dormant.

Thanks, Brent!

Also, I want to go ahead and announce the winner of the “It’s Not About the Money” book giveaway. There were forty-nine entries and the randomly-selected winner was commenter #31, Walter. Congrats, Walter. I hope you enjoy your book!

I have another giveaway coming up soon. Stay tuned…

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If you’ve purchased a used car from a dealership in the past few years, you’ve undoubtedly encountered the extended warranty option. To be clear, while most of these are described by the salesmen as warranties, most are actually service contracts. A warranty is built into the price of the vehicle, whereas a service contract costs extra and is purchased in addition to the vehicle itself. A warranty and service contract both generally achieve the same goal, just keep in mind that if you have to purchase it on top of the vehicle itself, it’s probably a service contract.

On the surface, the added protection of covering your vehicle for an extended amount of time seems like a good idea, but before you jump in, make sure you understand what you’re getting yourself into. These are products that are pushed because they make money for the dealer and salesperson. There are times when buying the service contract can be a great idea and save you money, but there are plenty of situations where it is completely unnecessary and will just end up costing you money. And worst of all, there are actually some companies that are little more than scams.

Consider Your Situation First

Before you decide on whether or not you could use an extended warranty or service contract, consider your situation. First, does the vehicle you’re intending to buy have an existing manufacturer’s warranty that will carry over to you? If so, how many miles or years are left before it expires? Many auto manufacturers are including longer warranties that in most cases are transferable. So, if you’re buying a car with a 70,000 mile existing warranty and it has 15,000 miles on it when you plan on buying it, that’s entirely different than buying the same car with 65,000 miles on it. In the first scenario, buying the extended warranty would be a bad idea with so much life left in the existing warranty, whereas the second scenario might point to an opportunity.

Consider the Cost

To be blunt, many of these service contracts are expensive. That doesn’t automatically mean they are all a rip off, but you do need to consider the likelihood of needing repairs, what those repairs would cost, and then determine if it makes sense. Depending on a number of factors such as what is covered (i.e. is it comprehensive, or just powertrain?), the deductible, and the length of contract, prices can vary from just a couple hundred dollars to a couple thousand dollars.

What you’re ultimately doing is placing a bet that you think your repair costs over the length of the contract will be more than you paid for the contract itself. For instance, if you paid $800 for coverage that will last you about two years, you have to ask yourself if there is a good chance that over the course of those two years you’ll need to have $800 or more worth of work done. If it isn’t very likely, you might as well save your money. But if you think that is clearly a possibility, it might make sense. It’s like buying insurance. You never know if you’re going to need it, and if you don’t use it, it feels like wasted money. But if you do need it, you’re sure glad you have it.

Other Benefits to Consider

Another thing to consider with these types of service contracts or warranties are the possible other benefits. Many will offer a free loaner car when you have to bring your vehicle in for service. That can be extremely helpful if you’re in a situation where you need a car or don’t have many options for sharing a ride. Some may also pay for the cost of a rental car as well. So, if you’re in the shop for a few days, this can be a nice benefit to have.

In addition to getting a spare car when yours is in for repairs, some contracts also provide free towing service in the event you break down. While this isn’t as big of a concern if you have AAA or some sort of roadside assistance, if you don’t have these, it can be a fantastic benefit. Again, it’s something you hope to never have to use, but if you do, you’ll be thankful you have it.

Dealership Repairs vs. Mechanic

One thing you need to consider is the cost difference between dealership repairs vs. having your local mechanic handle it. Obviously, the dealership is going to charge more for parts and labor. It’s what they do. And if you buy a service contract, that generally means you have to take it to the dealer, or at least an approved location in order to have the work covered. Of course, if you have the coverage, you’re not paying for it out of pocket, so you don’t think much of it.

But, that’s where you have to decide if it’s really a value or not. If you’re shelling out money for additional coverage, what would happen if you took your vehicle in to a local mechanic instead? You would have to pay out of pocket, but since you’d be paying less for the same repairs, it still might end up cheaper than buying the service contract to begin with.

My Personal Experience

I’ll give you an example with a personal experience I’ve had with used cars and service contracts. We have two used vehicles. In one case, it was clear that buying additional coverage would be a waste. With the other, it was a little bit harder of a decision. With the second car, it had 23,000 miles, and the manufacturer’s warranty only went to 30,000. Since I would be the one driving and I put on around 18,000 miles a year, the prospect of running out of coverage after just three months from the purchase was the first indication we might want to consider adding coverage.

Then we had to decide what type of coverage we wanted. Just powertrain coverage, or something more comprehensive that covered everything from a broken door latch to the electrical system. Looking back at my scenario, I do a lot of driving, on rough roads, and harsh winters. The chances are pretty good that there will be more than a couple repairs needed over the coming years, so comprehensive was looking like a better option, but that all depends on price.

After all said and done, we were able to get a 100,000 mile service contract for $1,500 with a $50 deductible. Sound expensive? Yep. But, that’s where you have to decide whether or not you think you’ll need $1,500 or more in repairs over the course of 77,000 miles, or in my case, a little over four years. If you’ve ever had to pay for car repairs out of your own pocket, you know just how fast things can add up. So, I felt it was a pretty safe bet given the situation.

Sure enough, after about 8 months, we had a problem with the transmission. Total bill? Around $1,200. A year later, a few more problems developed. The radio wasn’t working right, the seat didn’t recline properly, and just a few other little misc. problems. Another $500. And just a few weeks ago, took it in for a terrible clicking problem with the master relay, a rapidly deteriorating wheel bearing, a leaking axle seal, and a leaking exhaust manifold, for another $1,800.

Now, that $1,500 + $150 in deductibles doesn’t look so bad considering the $3,500 in repairs, and the loaner car for about the 10 total days it’s been in the shop. Could the work have been done cheaper than that by taking it somewhere other than a dealer? Probably. But I also would have been in a situation where I would have had to rent a car, and a small shop may have required more time to get the repairs done. Of course, we could have been “lucky” and the car could have never had any problems, and it would have felt like throwing money away. You just never know.

The Verdict?

You have to be very careful. Any dealer is going to try and sell you one of these. They will make it sound like a great deal, but it’s up to you to do the research to determine whether or not it’s really worth it. I’d say that for most people, given the cost, these warranties or service contracts aren’t going to be worth it. But, if you do the math and find out that it could be beneficial, then it might be worth considering. But don’t let the salesman bully you into a contract.

A better option for most people would be to set aside a “vehicle fund” to work as your own extended warranty. If you put $1,000 or $2,000 into a high-yield savings and sort of earmark that for unexpected vehicle repairs, your money can actually earn interest while it’s there and ready in the event you need it. While you might miss out on some of the added benefits of buying coverage, you’re in better shape if you’re fortunate enough to have a car that doesn’t need any, or only minor repairs.

The bottom line? Generally, these are unnecessary and costly. In some cases, if your situation warrants it and the price is right, it can be worthwhile. Just make sure you know what you need, how much it will cost, and what you’ll actually get out of it before rushing into a decision. And most of all, read all of the fine print! Make sure you know what’s covered, what isn’t covered, and what all of the limitations are. This is where a lot of inexpensive contracts snag you. They offer a good price, but you find that a lot of stuff isn’t really covered and you really are just throwing money away.

Is an Extended Warranty on a Used Car Worth It? The Good, Bad, and Ugly of These Service Contracts

Yes! What if your wallet is lost or stolen? Many of us have our driver's license, social security cards, etc. in them. Chuck Jaffe at MarketWatch lays out why credit monitoring is a good way to know whether your identity has been stolen....

Full article: http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Story.aspx?dist=newsfinder&siteid=google&guid=%7B5D8BA284-55D6-49AC-8DCD-9E15E6EEB064%7D&keyword=

After a little over a year of constant downturns in the economy and stock markets, some discussion is coming to light in terms of people reconsidering what retirement means, and how they are going to get there. I know I’ve seen this in my practice, as I’m encountering many more people who are approaching retirement in 10 years or less and they are seriously thinking about extending how long they work, or even changing their retirement plans.

It’s understandable that if you’re just a few years from retirement and you had a large stake in the stock market, the losses experienced this year are enough to rattle even investors who are typically risk adverse. But, what about the younger generation that typically reads this site? The bulk of readers here are in the 25-45 year old range, which puts a typical retirement at anywhere from 20-40 years away. With a longer time horizon, I wonder if the recent economic climate has forced younger people to begin thinking more critically about their retirement expectations.

Is retirement still too far off to really worry about at this point? Are you reconsidering how your investments for retirement are structured after what’s happened? Do you plan on working longer, or change your retirement goals?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

Poll: Have Recent Economic Conditions Changed Your Expectations for Retirement?

We’re nearly midway through December already. That means 2009 is just around the corner. In the spirit of the new year, I’d like to ask:

What are your 2009 Financial Goals?

Here are mine in order of importance:

1. MAX OUT my wife’s 401(k). We haven’t maxed out her 401(k) in years. The market’s down so it’s the PERFECT time to get back into the habit. The IRS raised the employee contribution limit to $16,500 for 2009. My wife gets paid twice a month so that means she will be contributing $687.50 per paycheck. Wowza!

On top of that, she’ll also get a generous employer-match of 75% of the first 6%, or 4.50%. The employer-match should easily put her over the $20,000 contribution mark for the year (and maybe even closer to $25,000 if we get profit-sharing).

2. Recommit to our budget. I know, I know,…we should already be doing this. However, I got kind of lazy and complacent and haven’t stuck to our budget. We make decent money so it’s really silly of us not to using our income wisely. We do save money each month but we could do a lot better with some discipline.

3. Continue building up our emergency fund. Our efund is nowhere near where I’d like it to be. So, the third goal for 2009 is to get it to $10,000.

Those are my financial goals. What are yours?

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Well we're a few weeks beyond Hurricane Ike, and our collective attention has turned from tropical storms to financial ones - a topic that I'll write about shortly. 

Most of Houston is back to normal.  Among the properties that I own we suffered a few downed fences and an uprooted tree or two, along with a tenant who appears to have disappeared and abandoned her lease (I'll write about that as well).  All and all I've been pretty lucky - and thanks to those of you who sent your best wishes. 

But take a look at the JPMorganChase tower in Downtown Houston.  Looks like they've cornered the local plywood market. 

Finance Findings is Binary Dollar’s periodic link dump.

• My Personal Saving and Investing System [Sun’s Financial Diary]
• What Have You Got Against Credit Cards? [Tao]
• Curb Appeal: One Of My Best Investments Yet Or How I Turned $80 Into $5,000 With Minimal Risk [Digerati Life]
• Understanding the Fine Print of a Loan Can Save You Money and Grief [Generation X Finance]
• Alternative Income Streams Progress - June 2007 [Lazy Man and Money]
• Are Real Estate Agents Worth the Money? [Money Smart Life]
• The Best Online Brokers [Free Money Finance]
• Eight Things To Consider When Buying Someone Out [Mighty Bargain Hunter]
• Four Reasons You Should Get A Payday Loan [Blueprint]
• Eco-Friendly Energy Savings [Five Cent Nickel]

Send your submissions for Finance Findings to henry@binarydollar.com.

Sponsor: Parlayer - Henry and Matt blog about sports and stuff.

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My sister-in-law has cancer.

Last week, a biopsy revealed that Stephanie has a cancerous lump on her thyroid. She’ll likely have her thyroid removed, meaning she’ll need to take medication for the rest of her life. (She’s 37 years old.) She’ll also probably need a handful of radioactive iodine chemotherapy treatments.

Prognosis positive
Jeff and Stephanie have both settled down a bit after the initial scare. They’ve heard from many sources, including Steph’s grandmother, that this form (and location) of cancer is easy to eliminate, and has a low chance of spreading or recurring. Steph’s grandmother had her thyroid removed years ago (due to a growth on it), and she is now 77 years old.

Still, this is cancer, which no member of my family takes lightly. My father died from cancer ten days before his fiftieth birthday. Last summer, cancer killed a cousin at age 47. Other family members have died from the disease as well.

A lucky mistake
A situation like this has enormous personal finance implications. Steph’s case is especially interesting because it demonstrates that sometimes the “right choice” isn’t.

Before the birth of their daughter in February 2006, Stephanie obtained a supplemental hospital/short-term disability insurance policy because she knew she would need a C-section. After Emily was born, Steph tried to cancel the policy, but the agent talked her into switching to a cheaper cancer/accident policy instead.

Inspired in part by Get Rich Slowly, Jeff and Steph have been taking control of their personal finances. This past May, when it came time for her office to renew policies, Stephanie asked to have her cancer/accident policy canceled because she wanted to save the $70 recurring monthly expense.

After the cancer diagnosis came through, Jeff and Stephanie were kicking themselves for having canceled the policy — it would have offset some of their upcoming costs. Then Steph remembered that both of her June paycheck stubs still had the deductions listed. She called her agent to see if her policies were still in force. Sure enough, the official cancel date was July 1st, so the agent was able to revoke the cancelation.

“I don’t know if it will pay out enough to compensate for all the premiums we’ve paid in the last two years,” Jeff writes, “but at this point I don’t care. If it helps with the medical bills that are bound to accrue, that’s all that matters.”

A calculated risk
Stephanie’s situation highlights just how difficult it can be to know how much (and what kind of) insurance to carry. It seemed unlikely that she’d need the cancer policy, so she canceled it. From a Big Picture perspective, this was probably the right decision. But in her individual circumstance, it turned out to be the wrong move.

Last fall, in his brief introduction to insurance, Aaron Pinkston wrote that “insurance is the cheapest and most immediate way for a person to displace risks that are too great to assume individually”. That is, insurance allows groups to pool their money to offset unexpected large individual costs.

But how can you decide how much insurance you need? And what types? Later today, I’ll share a guest post about making informed insurance choices.

Meanwhile, friends and family are ready to help Jeff and Stephanie through this crisis. And although they have bigger things to worry about, it gives them a degree of comfort to know they have a little insurance to help with the financial challenges that loom ahead.

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Related Articles at Get Rich Slowly:

• Ask the Readers: Personal Finance During a Health Crisis?
• Daily Roundup: Bringing Home the Bacon Edition
• Daily Links: My Favorite Stories from the Past Two Years
• Drama in Real Life: “You’re Fired!”
• Get Rich Slowly’s Greatest Hits (2007 Edition)

How you see yourself is likely how others will see you as well. Here’s a few examples of how you can implement this to your advantage.

- You’re unemployed. No you’re not. You’re advancing in your career, you’re an ambitious person looking to move up.

- You do freelance graphic design. No you don’t. You’re an artist.

Think of yourself as a product. You’re selling yourself to others. From your clothing to your way of speaking, you are a product to everyone you meet. Everyone from strangers to business owners subconsciously ask themselves if they want to buy you. So sell them your product. If you don’t market yourself or brand yourself in the way you want, others will most certainly do it for you.

- Edwin, CashTheChecks.com

Times are tough out there and a lot of Americans are getting caught in the squeeze. As real estate investors we feel this in a number of ways: bargain foreclosures to buy (good!), a glut of rental properties depressing rental rates (bad!), fewer competing bids for quality properties (good!), longer waits to sell properties (bad!)...and the list goes on.

One thing I’m noticing is the challenge to get quality tenants. I have some properties that rent like hotcakes w/ zero vacancy time. But others, for some reason, have been more challenging. Like most property owners, I have a number of rules-of-thumb that I follow when it comes to screening tenants. But rules of thumb aren’t written in stone; they’re just guidelines. Every now and then I come across an applicant who I think will make a great tenant, but there is something or other that makes me second guess myself.

The fact of the matter is that good people get caught in bad situations sometimes, and a quality applicant can sometimes appear brandishing a blemished credit report. Don’t get me wrong – my mantra #1 is that renting to a bad tenant is twice as expensive as sitting on a vacancy for an extra month – but what is a landlord to do when her gut tells her that she should take a chance on an applicant? Well here are three steps I sometime take::

• Ask for first and last months' rent upfront, plus one month’s deposit. This does three things for you. First, the applicant will have to cough up three months’ rent upfront before he moves in. If the applicant can do this it is an indicator that he’s not living paycheck to paycheck, a good sign that he will be responsible. Secondly, it mitigates your risk by ensuring the final month is paid. Lastly, that final month’s rent sits in your bank account collecting interest (or, better, is out in the market working for you) for the entire time the tenant resides in the property. I write the lease to state that the last month’s rent paid upfront will be credited to the final month that the tenant resides in the property.  PROs:  will scare off bad/risky applicants.  CONs:  may eliminate some good applicants as well. 
• Shorten the term. Write a lease with a short term; four months or six months. Agree to renew if the tenant pays each month on time; you can put this in writing in the contract if you wish. If there is a problem you’re still going to suffer, but you wont’ have a deadbeat sitting in your property with a contractual right to stick around for an entire year.  PROs:  limits the period you're at risk.  CONs: no financial benefit to the landlord, who is still stuck with evicting the tenant if he doesn't work out. 
• Charge a higher rent. This doesn’t do much for you in the risk mitigation category, but if you’ve trust yourself as a judge of character and you’re willing to rent to an applicant that other landlords have turned away, you should get compensated for the extra risk you’re assuming.  PROs:  higher return on the property, a good thing.  CONs: doesn't lower your risk.

Smart landlords use these strategies in combination. Increase the rent and offer a shorter term. Offer a shorter term w/ first and last month paid upfront (great risk mitigation).

With a divorce rate of around 50% and many people not marrying until they are in their thirties, it is surprising to find that there are still many women who aren't financially educated. Most of this can be traced back to two factors: upbringing at home and society. In both cases, boys have often been given much more training and many more resources than girls have and the effects are damaging women financially today as they face a world in which they have to take care of monetary issues on their own but have never developed the skills to do so.

The Safe, Secure 1950's

In the 1950's most women quickly married and settled down to raise families. Very few of them worked outside the home, and finances were handled by the men. It was a financially prosperous time and women were expected to focus on the home and child-rearing. This focus on home-making was passed on to daughters while sons were groomed to the "breadwinners" of the family.

The obvious separation between girls and boys activities also managed to keep girls "sheltered" from financial concerns. They weren't expected to pay for anything on a date and parents didn't often expect them to hold down jobs. Boys, on the other hand, were expected to get a job at a young age, even if it was merely a paper route. The expectation was that a young man needed to "take on some responsibility" and "contribute."

As the generation raised in the 1950's grew up and raised families of their own, they passed on the financial biases that had been instilled in them to their own children. Many of today's parents have made the same mistakes their own mothers and fathers did, ignoring the obvious need for women to understand and learn to handle their own finances in favor of hoping that their daughters wouldn't have to face the harsh financial facts of life.

The belief that men would take care of women's financial needs was so ingrained that many of the "big picture" financial lessons were overlooked. Women tended to learn how to shop for bargains at the grocery store, stretch the budget at the holidays and that was about it. More complex lessons such as long-term investments, retirement planning and stock portfolio development were not a part of the picture.

Boys learned how to manage their money, save for a rainy day, and make smart investments and a host of other financial strategies.

Play and School Contribute to Gender Gap

Interestingly, boys more than girls tend to develop habits that are more geared toward understanding numbers and how they relate to finances from a very young age. While girls tend to be "collectors," says Joline Godfrey, founder of Independent Means, "boys develop informal economies based on relative value from the age of six on while trading cards and other items. By the time boys start trading stocks and bonds, it's just another form of the game." Independent Means is a company which promotes economic independence and growth for girls and women aged 14 to 24.

Even in school settings, boys are rewarded more consistently for being risk-takers, and investing is often perceived as a risky venture. Girls aren't encouraged to take risks and aren't rewarded for these types of behaviors and instead are likely to be cautioned to be careful. When faced with the prospect of learning about investing in the stock market or learning about retirement options, these same girls - now women - are more fearful of making decisions and less sure of themselves in making choices for themselves.

Statistics Show Gender Bias

A recent survey showed some startling discrepancies even today between teenage boys and girls and how much education they have received in the very basics of finance. Some of the findings include:

* Many more teenage boys than girls report understanding of how to write a check and how a credit card works, including accrued interest. * Teenage girls are much more likely to be in debt than boys, with almost 50% reporting credit card debt as opposed to less than a quarter of teen boys having any debt. * Girls are more likely to report that learning about investing is boring, while boys report a real interest in learning about it. When asked to elaborate, girls often pointed out that this wasn't something they would be doing in the future, while boys indicated that it was important to learn so that they could be successful.

The perception that girls shouldn't have to worry about their financial future in the long term (based upon the faulty premise that a man will take care of her or that she can hire a financial consultant to handle all of the boring stuff) is still present in many homes. Fortunately, the balance is beginning to shift as more parents realize that women who are successful in their careers must also be able to guide their own financial futures, not rely on others to do it for them.

Programs Aim at Closing the Gap

Today's girls are more likely to learn how to handle money at a young age. Cautionary tales in the news and on talk shows about women left destitute and the fear that social security can no longer support an individual in their golden years has, perhaps, contributed to this. After all, with most women outliving their spouses and more than half of women divorced, it's likely that today's girls will be supporting themselves in their retirement years - understanding Roth IRAs suddenly becomes very important.

Companies and organizations are also stepping to the forefront with programs designed to educate teens in general and girls in particular. Boys and Girls Clubs of America, in collaboration with Charles Schwab, offer Money Matters: Make It Count programs in cities across the country.

Visa works with Girl Scouts of the USA to provide two resources, the Cashin' In workbook and the Makin' Cents web game, to teach girls aged 13-17 financial responsibility. The web game specifically challenges players to find real-world solutions for characters' financial challenges.

With such programs increasingly popular and the need for women to understand finances now a hot topic, it's to be hoped that this generation of fathers will teach their daughters as much about finance as they teach their sons.

Carrie Carter: Author of: Think Your Way to Riches Kids' Style

For more information or to arrange an interview with Carrie Carter at 810.252.2281 e-mail: carrie114cr@aol.com or visit: www.ThinkYourWayToRichesKidsStyle.com

Carrie's passion is to help people on their inner journey to discover their personal road map for abundance, peace, and happiness. Her main passion is to give children worldwide the "Tools" which are lacking in the normal educational system and understanding to create the abundant lifestyle they are all worthy of. Experience Carrie's educational seminars, workshops, and private life coaching.

About the Author

Carrie's passion is to help people on their inner journey to discover their personal road map for abundance, peace, and happiness. Her main passion is to give children worldwide the "Tools" which are lacking in the normal educational system and understanding to create the abundant lifestyle they are all worthy of. Experience Carrie's educational seminars, workshops, and private life coaching.

I made 12 phone calls today. 2.5 hours of talk time. Here’s what I learned:

1. All mortgage companies cost the same-ish.  If their rates were lower, their closing costs were higher.  If their rates were higher, the closing costs were lower.
2. Some mortgage companies sell your loans.  3 of the mortgage companies I called today gave me an unsolicited aside:  “We buy loans.  We don’t sell them.”  Does that mean that you should always go with a direct lender?  Nope.  It just means that the mortgage company might not be able to view or change things if the mortgage is owned by someone else.
3. You don’t need to give out all your information (address, social security) to get rates and closing costs.  You can get ballpark numbers as long as you provide the purchase price, the down payment amount, and the type of mortgage.
4. If you call a company and they won’t give you any estimated numbers without giving all your information, hang up.  Call again.  A different mortgage specialist will be glad to help you without giving all your information.
5. Closing cost fees are where you can differentiate a mortgage company from another.  Ask the mortgage people to break down their closing fees.  Fees can include:
   • Property appraisal
   • Credit report
   • Lender’s inpsection
   • Mortgage insurance application
   • Assumption
   • Mortgage broker fee
   • Tax related service fee
   • Application
   • Commitment
   • Rate lock
   • Processing
   • Underwriting
   • Wire transfer
   • Abstract or title search
   • Title examination
   • Document preparation
   • Notary
   • Attorney
   • Title insurance
   • Recording
   • City/county tax stamps
   • Transfer tax
   • Survey
   • Pest inspection
   • Condominium application
   • Prepaids for interest
   • Prepaids for hazard insurance
   • Prepaids for property taxes
   • Prepaids for mortgage insurance
   • Prepaids for flood insurance
6. The rates and payments assume you have great credit and good stability.  They want to quote you the best rate and closing costs possible so they pretty much assume you’re a model citizen.
7. Lenders don’t like it too much if you’re quitting your job and you don’t have a job secured yet.  Hopefully you have a wife or wife-to-be who looks more stable to lenders.
8. They ask you if the down payment is gift money or if you saved it on your own.  No one gave me a clear answer on why they ask that question.
9. Do your research even if your wife-to-be’s sister’s soon-to-be husband is a mortgage specialist.  You never know…
10. Every mortgage person you talk to will give you a piece of advice.  The advice that resurfaces the most is probably important.

Did I apply for a mortgage yet?  Nope.  This whole day just narrowed down my choice to 2 or 3 mortgage lenders.  Time to talk to Miss Soon-To-Be-Wife…

Sponsor: Brohans Video Blog - It’s Like Binary Dollar. Except you don’t learn anything.

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Check out this letter to the editor that was in today’s Wall Street Journal:

In your Dec. 1 editorial “Messing With Malpractice Reform,” you urge the Illinois Supreme Court to “side with the patients and the rule of law” in considering a case that could overturn the state’s cap on damage awards. Yet the editorial never mentions the patient who is at the center of that case.

She is a three-year-old little girl named Abigaile LeBron, whose life has been forever changed by the severe brain damage she suffered as a result of medical negligence. It is likely that Abigaile will have to be fed through a tube for the rest of her life. She will never develop cognitively or physically as her peers do. And she will likely never live independently. It is inarguably a very painful tragedy for Abigaile and all who know and love her.

The insurance industry and its brethren in the tort reform world have argued that Abigaile’s compensation for lifelong disability, pain and suffering should be arbitrarily limited, despite what a jury of average citizens may decide. The question before the Illinois Supreme Court is whether the Illinois Constitution allows Abigaile’s rights to be limited in this fashion to the benefit of insurance company profits. Twice before, our state’s highest court has decided in favor of patients and against the insurance companies that would limit these rights to protect their own profits. No new arguments have been offered by the insurance industry.

You argue that a reduction in malpractice premiums and the return of doctors to the state have resulted from the law containing caps. Nothing could be further from the truth. Not one case has been litigated under the new cap in Illinois. The simple fact is that those positive developments have resulted from strong, long-suppressed insurance reforms in the legislation. That law has now forced malpractice insurance companies to provide greater transparency on rate-setting and payouts that has in turn spurred competition, motivated more companies to enter the marketplace, and lowered premiums for doctors. Important to the discussion for your readers is the additional fact that Illinois’ largest malpractice insurer has reported that payouts have remained flat for the past 13 years. By the way, it’s the same insurance carrier that admitted during the run-up to this legislation in 2005 that capping awards would not guarantee lower premiums for its doctors.

The Illinois Constitution was put in place to ensure individual rights and freedoms. While corporations and profit-hungry executives often stack the decks against individuals in the marketplace and the halls of government, the courtroom can still provide all parties with a level playing field. The Illinois Supreme Court will now decide whether that standard remains in place for patients like Abigaile LeBron. You should let it do its job.

Philip Harnett Corboy Jr.
President
Illinois Trial Lawyers Association
Chicago

Here’s the problem I have with juries being able to award money damages:

They have no concept of how much money they are awarding. It’s not their money so why not be a cheerful giver?

I’m not saying that what happened to the little girl in the editorial isn’t a tragedy. It is.

I just think it would be nice for lawyers to stop hiding behind the sad stories, be honest and say, “I don’t like tort reform because it severely limits how much money I can make!” It’s silly to talk about “greedy” insurance companies when the lawyer gets a nice percentage of the winnings.

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In my mind, Ben Stein will always best be remembered as the teacher from the classic 80’s movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”.

But beyond his acting career, Ben Stein is a lawyer, economist and former presidential speech writer. He’s a smart guy and a good writer. I don’t always agree with his conclusions, but I think he nails it in his latest piece.

In his latest writing — an article in the New York Times — he asks, “Where Are the Grown-Ups When You Need Them?”

This is a great article which tells it like it is. Click here to read it.

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As I mentioned on Monday, May brought the highest numbers of visitors this site has seen so far.  I decided to take a look at what people were most interested in over the course of the month.

Tracking your stimulus check was the most popular article, there must be a lot of people waiting to get their rebate money.

Gas prices are obviously on everyone’s mind, the topics of riding the bus to save gas money, different ways to save gas money commuting to work, and the best gas credit cards were popular with readers as well.

The series on personal finance issues for college graduates has garnered alot of interest from former college students entering the working world for the first time this summer.

People are getting ready for their summer trips and have found the saving money on vacation series useful in making their preparations.  This one is only partially complete with several more articles on the topic coming up soon.

With high gas prices, people must be looking for more in home entertainment. Saving money on online movie rentals with a free trial of Blockbuster Total Access was another popular one for the month.

Here are some of the more popular articles from The Money Writers during the month of May:

• Investing in the Stock Market Over the Past 10 Years: How Did Dollar-Cost Averaging Fare?
• how to make money without a job and why you should
• Frugal Tips I Can’t (or Won’t) Do
• Save Money on Gas Tips from Consumer Reports
• The Future of Personal Finance Tools
• Is Investing In Rental Property A Good Move?
• Why your Retirement Account is NOT an Emergency Fund