[blahblahblah]

That info from the realtors is very telling — basically there are few if any first time homebuyers using savings at all. Almost everyone has cash from a previous sale or another source; and it sounds like many are quite well-to-do. Based on this, I’ll estimate that things are going to deflate really slowly in the nicer neighborhoods. There will always be this sort of buyer that has a lot of cash from prior investments, inheritances, what have you. As they move around, trade up/down, they’ll be losing a little of their nest egg every time as the houses depreciate slightly year to year. There are probably enough of these sort of folks to buy a lot of the inventory in the good areas, but without first time homebuyers entering the market on the lower end, they’re not going to keep rising.

[blahblahblah]

Where I grew up 1 and 2 hour commutes each way many via public transportation are common and well accepted.

The key words here are “via public transportation”. On a train, you can read a magazine, a book, relax, close your eyes, chat with the guy next to you, etc… Versus sitting by yourself in a deathtrap burning gasoline wondering if this will be the day you join the 50000 of your fellow Americans that die in auto accidents every year. Big difference. Driving is extremely stressful and dangerous, especially on a busy high-speed freeway like the 15. So many people are injured and killed every year, yet that’s rarely considered when someone signs themselves up for an hour commute.

[blahblahblah]

Where I grew up 1 and 2 hour commutes each way many via public transportation are common and well accepted.

The key words here are “via public transportation”. On a train, you can read a magazine, a book, relax, close your eyes, chat with the guy next to you, etc… Versus sitting by yourself in a deathtrap burning gasoline wondering if this will be the day you join the 50000 of your fellow Americans that die in auto accidents every year. Big difference. Driving is extremely stressful and dangerous, especially on a busy high-speed freeway like the 15. So many people are injured and killed every year, yet that’s rarely considered when someone signs themselves up for an hour commute.

[blahblahblah]

Keep it! It sounds like a gem. It might also be a nice place to live when you get older and need to lower your expenses. That prop 13 tax is gonna look great in 30 years…

[blahblahblah]

Keep it! It sounds like a gem. It might also be a nice place to live when you get older and need to lower your expenses. That prop 13 tax is gonna look great in 30 years…

[blahblahblah]

The beautiful irony of all this is that the over-educated Asian’s will all end up working for some lazy caucasian with an MBA.

If only. Many management positions are headed overseas as well. Many MBAs (especially the ones working for big companies) aren’t creative enough to think of any way to grow a business, so they just implement “cost-cutting” measures (outsourcing to China & India, etc…) to increase profit and grow the share price instead. As a result, the heart of many companies has relocated overseas, and guess what — the head is soon to follow. American managers can’t manage foreign assets effectively because of timezone problems, communication issues, etc… Is the solution to hire more Americans then? Of course not, the solution is to move management to India and China and limit American operations to marketing and sales.

[blahblahblah]

The beautiful irony of all this is that the over-educated Asian’s will all end up working for some lazy caucasian with an MBA.

If only. Many management positions are headed overseas as well. Many MBAs (especially the ones working for big companies) aren’t creative enough to think of any way to grow a business, so they just implement “cost-cutting” measures (outsourcing to China & India, etc…) to increase profit and grow the share price instead. As a result, the heart of many companies has relocated overseas, and guess what — the head is soon to follow. American managers can’t manage foreign assets effectively because of timezone problems, communication issues, etc… Is the solution to hire more Americans then? Of course not, the solution is to move management to India and China and limit American operations to marketing and sales.

[blahblahblah]

Take up your arms, Mexicans.

Better make sure you finish that fence first — the last time they had a revolution down there, almost a million Mexicans fled to the US to escape the carnage.

[blahblahblah]

Take up your arms, Mexicans.

Better make sure you finish that fence first — the last time they had a revolution down there, almost a million Mexicans fled to the US to escape the carnage.

[blahblahblah]

All good points about the estate tax, FLU — unfortunately they’re not borne out by the facts. Just as your maximum 401K contributions are adjusted every few years for inflation by Congress, so are the minimums for the estate tax (you can see the details on that IRS page I posted a link to earlier). They will likely increase in the future as our dollars devalue — our congressmen definitely listen to those people affected by it. As for how many people are affected by it, it’s 2% of the population (see the article about Gates, Sr for that number). Again, if you’re one of those 2%, it’s kind of a drag but let’s face it your kids need to get out there and work to improve this country, not sit on a big pile of daddy’s dough. I guess seeing all of those worthless rich families in Europe and South America that haven’t done anything of value in 1000 years has sensitized me to this topic! I really don’t want that to happen here, even if it means my kids might have to buck up and work a little harder, just like their daddy did.

Oh, and of course there’s a very easy way to keep that extra cash from going to Uncle Sam — just give it away to the charity of your choice. The threat of the estate tax has been invaluable in preserving our institutions of higher learning, in advancing our medical research, etc… FWIW, I would never let the government take my estate either, I’d donate it for diabetes or MS research before I’d let that happen.

[blahblahblah]

All good points about the estate tax, FLU — unfortunately they’re not borne out by the facts. Just as your maximum 401K contributions are adjusted every few years for inflation by Congress, so are the minimums for the estate tax (you can see the details on that IRS page I posted a link to earlier). They will likely increase in the future as our dollars devalue — our congressmen definitely listen to those people affected by it. As for how many people are affected by it, it’s 2% of the population (see the article about Gates, Sr for that number). Again, if you’re one of those 2%, it’s kind of a drag but let’s face it your kids need to get out there and work to improve this country, not sit on a big pile of daddy’s dough. I guess seeing all of those worthless rich families in Europe and South America that haven’t done anything of value in 1000 years has sensitized me to this topic! I really don’t want that to happen here, even if it means my kids might have to buck up and work a little harder, just like their daddy did.

Oh, and of course there’s a very easy way to keep that extra cash from going to Uncle Sam — just give it away to the charity of your choice. The threat of the estate tax has been invaluable in preserving our institutions of higher learning, in advancing our medical research, etc… FWIW, I would never let the government take my estate either, I’d donate it for diabetes or MS research before I’d let that happen.

[blahblahblah]

The “death tax” is too funny, the Republican spinmasters named it that so that Alabama Joe Sixpack would think it’s an awful idea and that it needs to go. Little does Alabama Joe Sixpack know that unless he’s got $2M in assets his estate won’t be taxed a penny when he dies. (Alabama Joe Sixpack doesn’t know how to use “the internets” or “the google” to look up the info on the IRS website, so he lets Fox News tell him everything he needs to know). As for those family businesses, they can definitely be stung by it but a good estate plan can help minimize the effects.

How many people in the US even die with a $2M estate? It is so funny that people will vote to get rid of it when all they’ve got is $50K in their 401K. And of course some of the world’s richest men are big supporters of the estate tax.

We’re all doomed!

[blahblahblah]

The “death tax” is too funny, the Republican spinmasters named it that so that Alabama Joe Sixpack would think it’s an awful idea and that it needs to go. Little does Alabama Joe Sixpack know that unless he’s got $2M in assets his estate won’t be taxed a penny when he dies. (Alabama Joe Sixpack doesn’t know how to use “the internets” or “the google” to look up the info on the IRS website, so he lets Fox News tell him everything he needs to know). As for those family businesses, they can definitely be stung by it but a good estate plan can help minimize the effects.

How many people in the US even die with a $2M estate? It is so funny that people will vote to get rid of it when all they’ve got is $50K in their 401K. And of course some of the world’s richest men are big supporters of the estate tax.

We’re all doomed!

[blahblahblah]

Maybe I didn’t read intiendo right, I fudged, don’t know that word and couldn’t find a xlate on it.

It’s a misspelled first-person conjugation of “entender” (to understand). The correct spelling is “entiendo”.

[blahblahblah]

Maybe I didn’t read intiendo right, I fudged, don’t know that word and couldn’t find a xlate on it.

It’s a misspelled first-person conjugation of “entender” (to understand). The correct spelling is “entiendo”.

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