I live in San Francisco where a million dollars will buy you a 2-bedroom, 2-bath, 1200 sq. ft. condo in a nice neighborhood. Not only are home prices and rents sky-rocketing, the path to securing a home or apartment has…
Do You Have Enough to Retire?
I had an ex-boyfriend who was a computer science major and I remember asking him if he could build me a computer. When he said he wasn’t able to do that, I gave him a lot of flak. “How is…
The Buck Stops Here: When Your Children Steal from You
I was reading an article in Money magazine that posed the question, ‘How much should you help your adult kids?’ I was appalled at the real-world situations that were featured. Most of the parents were delaying retirement as they continued to…
Money Monday: Flying High on Financial Security
This week has been tough. Moving is stressful. I wish I could go on vacation–that’s a picture of me paragliding in Turkey. Add to the mix that my stolen Honda coupe still has not been recovered and I’m a visually-impaired…
Dude, Where’s My Car?
This past weekend, we went from renting a 1-bedroom apartment in Lower Nob Hill to homeowners of a duplex in Glen Park. Yes, Glen Park is still in the city of San Francisco! How people can live in the Bay…
Closing on a Home
Has anyone taken out a mortgage or closed on a home recently? Holy shit! There isn’t a single day that’s gone by where I haven’t had to email or fax statements, transactions, and responses to questions from the real estate…
Real Estate Update: We’re Moving to…
We’re going nowhere. Neither of our offers were successful and we can’t compete with irrational buyers/investors who are submitting bids that remove all contingencies. That means if your offer is chosen and you find out, through an inspection, that your…
Real Estate Update: 2 Offers, 2 Days
Heads up that I’ll be out of commission for a while. Starting yesterday, I’ll be working 12 days straight. That means, while you’re all watching the NFL playoffs and the Golden Globes this coming weekend, I’ll be going blind staring…
Are You Harming Your Child’s Financial Future?
I’m lucky. Even though I was born in America, the land of abundance and excess, I was raised by parents who were extremely thrifty. I’ve joked with other friends born from immigrant parents that we need to compile a book…
Money Monday: Devastation in the Philippines
If there is one thing that Filipinos are known for, it’s warm service and generosity of spirit. There’s always an abundance of food and food-to-go in a typical Filipino household! My parents are from the Philippines. Even though our immediate…