Side Effect of Strong Rental Market, Miniscule Interest Rates For the vast majority of Sellers, threatening to rent if they can’t get their price is a bluff (see, “The Rental Bluff“). The exception to that? The owner of an older, dated home, with substantial equity, who doesn’t need the money for another home and isn’t about...Read More
Did you know that General Mills’ stock went up more than $1 today? And yes, I’m aware that that’s not the news headline. If you’re like most people . . . probably better not to look.Read More
Should You “Just Get Out?” That was the most provocative question posed to Liz Ann Sonders, Chief Investment Strategist for Charles Schwab, at a conference call with investors earlier this week (I saw a taped version the next day). Her answer? “No,” because there are no accepted, reliable metrics for deciding: a) when to get out;...Read More
Full Confession You may think that the current stock market swoon has to do with the economy slowing, the messy aftermath of the debt ceiling crisis, or disappointing job numbers. But I know for a fact that that’s not it. It was me. “Ross Kaplan, Contrarian Indicator” Two weeks ago, I took a maturing CD...Read More
The Demise of Buy-and-Hold? Did you know that waves are an optical illusion (at least to a physicist)? While individual waves move forward — often at a locomotive speed, as in the case of a tsunami — the water molecules in them are actually stationery (more accurately, they move up and down, but end up...Read More
Modern Greek Drama That seems to be the question of the hour — along with a certain Greek (financial) drama playing out in Europe (plus the winding down of the Fed’s QE II campaign). My take: with rental vacancy rates at 3% (and falling) in the Twin Cities, I see lots of demand for houses in...Read More
