Wednesday, January 12, 2011

The Sarcasm Report v.79

Last chance to grab the cheap money

Interest rates are starting to rise as the era of cheap debt comes to an end. If you can afford to borrow and put that money to good use -- say, on a home or car -- new debt may actually save you money.

This is your last chance to take on debt to save money.

Stocks should benefit as a natural inflation hedge, and they're coming off of the worst 10-year performance since the 1930s.

This is your last chance to buy stocks.

For consumers, there are plenty of other ways to take advantage of this interest rate shift before borrowing costs rise.

That will usher in a period of austerity as households and governments cut debt loads, slow borrowing and learn to live within their means.


This is your last chance to live beyond your means.

There's also a case to be made for using ultralow mortgage rates to buy a second home as a rental property.

This is your last chance to be a landlord.

I don't know about you, but the idea of driving around in an old, tired ride that costs a fortune to maintain and repair doesn't sound like fun.

This is your last chance to buy that new car.

Why does it suddenly feel like we're all moving to Detroit?


October 21, 1989
Can Detroit Schools Improve?

New millage may be last chance for progress

Detroit (AP) - Edwina Brown says she'll give the Detroit Public School system one more chance to improve before she decides to send her daughter to private school.

Keep the faith Edwina. Keep the faith.

January 12, 2011
Without aid, DPS may close half of its schools

Detroit — Detroit Public Schools would close nearly half of its schools in the next two years, and increase high school class sizes to 62 by the following year, under a deficit-reduction plan filed with the state.

4 comments:

Mr Slippery said...

Anthony Mirhaydari, the same genius who told us last week that austerity leads to prosperity. I smell a catchy new blog title somewhere in there.

MSN and CNN money articles are the entrance ramps to the sheering factory. What else would millions of drooling workers do with their 401k money anyway?

I especially love the rental property play. There is no better time to buy a depreciating asset with borrowed money.

Score!

Stagflationary Mark said...

Mr Slippery,

Last chance to lock in a USDA home loan!

I know what you are thinking. What does the Department of Agriculture have to do with home loans?

Zero-down mortgages endure in rural areas

People buy houses without down payments or mortgage insurance under the Department of Agriculture's rural development housing program. The catch? The property must be in a designated rural area. The surprise? Some eligible properties are in places that most people would not consider rural.

No mortgage insurance? Really? So the following fee is for what exactly?

The borrower pays an upfront guarantee fee of 3.5 percent of the loan amount, which most opt to roll into the loan.

Charles Kiting said...

Mark,

Can't you find any msn or cnn articles about never being a better time to invest in muni bonds?

Stagflationary Mark said...

Charles Kiting,

Almost.

December 22, 2010
Stop panicking over muni defaults!

It has an exclamation point in the title so that probably counts, lol.

In the end, Whitney is right to raise the alarm about the fiscal troubles facing state and local governments. But defaults and bankruptcies seem to be the last resort for municipalities in dealing with their fiscal deficits. Many have been able to kick the can down the road with assistance trickling down from the federal government or through accounting tricks allowing them to roll over their debt. Eventually, the states will deal with their problems and they will more than likely choose to tax, cut, or refinance before they choose to throw in the towel.

I love the "seem to be", "kick the can down the road", and the "throw in the towel" parts. If I was panicking then I probably still would be, lol.