Ugly Headlines Existing U.S. Home Sales Pace Down 6.3% Year-Over-Year in March –USA Today U.S. New Home Sales Unexpectedly Decline to Record Low –Reuters Existing Home Sales Drop 9.6% –Marketwatch.com Scan the latest headlines, and you’d conclude that the housing market is a wreck. What the headlines omit, however, is context: one year ago, Spring...Read More
The 5% Solution In keeping with my Mad magazine motif this week . . . remember the Spy vs. Spy comic strip they used to run? That came to mind reading a Wall Street Journal article almost two months ago that presaged the latest upward spike in gold prices (now over $1,500 an ounce). See if you can tell who’s...Read More
Four Two for the Price of One Checking online for a rental car in the Bay Area this summer, I’ve been shocked at what appears to be the going rate for a minivan for a week: anywhere from $850 to more than $1,200(!). Really. Which inspired Plan B. Namely, rent two economy cars instead. The...Read More
Obama: More Like Kevin Garnett — or Kwame Brown (Kwame who??) [Editor’s Note: this post originally ran a year ago, right after the 2010 NFL draft. The day after the start of the 2011 draft, it still seems topical — plus, I’m too swamped to otherwise post right now. And yes, I saw that Auburn QB Cam Newton went first,...Read More
Jewish Lent If you’ve ever been curious about traditional Jewish food like borscht (beet soup), matzo (unleavened bread), or gefilte fish (fish meatballs), now is the time to stock up: with Passover ending tonight, all those foods and more are on sale at local Twin Cities grocery stores. My personal favorite: chocolate macaroons. I actually...Read More
Your List May Vary •A full tank of gas . . . • . . . . in a car that works. •A small mortgage (or none). •A freshly bathed and groomed Golden Retriever. •Healthy kids. •Four closings in the next 2 weeks. •Health insurance. •Free time on a glorious Minnesota Spring afternoon. •Having someone...Read More
