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…
Money Monday: Real Estate Update
We looked at a whopping 7 properties yesterday: 3 in San Francisco and 4 in the East Bay (Rockridge, Berkeley). We saw some really nice gems. After rank-ordering, we determined that the ones in the East Bay just fell flat…
Money Monday: Median Rents in San Francisco
As of August 2013, rental site Zumper has created these graphics on median rents in San Francisco. ↑ The median rent for a 1 bedroom is $2,713. ↑ The median rent for a 2 bedroom is $4,075. Free Apartment Search App for…
Interracial Marriages on the Rise
Social and demographic trends analyzed by the Pew Center for Research determined the following: About 15% of all new marriages in the United States in 2010 were between spouses of a different race or ethnicity from one another, more than…
Money Monday: Getting a Return on Investment from Your Alma Mater
Think about when you graduated from college or graduate school, and you came out with a crackload of loans with interest rates up the wazoo. Didn’t you wish you had some wealthy relative who could write a check to take…
San Francisco Real Estate Update
Remember this stunning Bernal Heights home that we submitted this offer letter for? It was listed for $975,000. We offered $1.1 million. It went for $1.275 million. That’s $300,000 over the asking price! Anyhow, we’ve extended our search to the greater…
Money Monday: I’m paying your rent or mortgage for a month
Ok, let’s be clear, I can’t afford to pay your rent or mortgage, but someone I admire is running a contest to do exactly that. There’s no catch. All you have to do is comment and say what you’d do…
College Series: What to Look for When Picking a College
Did you see the news today that Obama plans to rank schools and tie federal aid to the ranking? Hell yes! The better the schools, the more financial aid they get. Hallelujah, now someone’s thinking! Why should poorly-ranked schools (schools…
Money Monday: How to Invest in Stocks without Losing Money
First a story. When I was a sophomore in high school, our Geometry teacher asked if anyone wanted to participate in his stock-picking exercise. We were to pick a stock and track its performance over the course of the semester….