Disqus - Latest Comments for Brian

Re: The Declining Value of the MBA

Brian — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 14:12:49 -0000

This is absolutely happening across the corporate world as well.

In my recent job search, I flat out asked many of the finance managers how different they would look at me if I had an MBA. Most answered that they would not hire me for a higher position, but may throw an extra $5k to the salary offer. $5k is nothing if you go to a Harvard or Northwestern that charges upwards of $100k for tuition.

Re: Bank of America Raises ATM Fees: How Do You Avoid?

Brian — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 16:56:06 -0000

My strategy is similar to the previous commenters - I rarely use an ATM. In the rare instance I need cash, I just drive to my local branch and make a withdrawal. Of course, this rise in fees doesn't affect me as I bank with Bank of America anyway.

Re: 10 Tips for Buying a Residential Rental Property, Part 6: Beware of Houses Built on a Cement Slab

Brian — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 13:38:28 -0000

Thanks for the tip, Quinton. I'll definitely look into that. I didn't even know it was possible.

Re: 10 Tips for Buying a Residential Rental Property, Part 6: Beware of Houses Built on a Cement Slab

Brian — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 14:37:59 -0000

Although slabs do have some negatives, I'm not totally peachy about crawl spaces either. In my current home, my crawl space continues to have moisture issues even after another layer of plastic and gravel was laid. I'm looking into the possibility of putting a dehumidifier down there that empties directly into the sump pump. This way I don't have to worry about changing it constantly.

Re: Do You Waste Two Hours Every Workday?

Brian — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 12:20:59 -0000

Not having enough work to do and not being challenged are, in my opinion, side effects of employers catering to their average employee for that position.

For instance, if an employer has a team of low level analysts, they try to make sure the average person in that position does not quit from overload. They assume the top performers will ask for more work and eventually get them promoted.

It is so important if you are in that ~30% of people who don't have enough work to do or are not challenged to go to your boss and ask for more work or a raise. This is especially true at lower levels when you are started in the same position as others regardless of work ethic.

Re: Consumerism Commentary Now Uses SezWho

Brian — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 18:06:55 -0000

Is this a plugin for wordpress? I think this thing could be a great boon to high traffic blogs that receive a lot of worthless posts if you can restrict posting to those above a certain rating.

Re: Market Update: July 23, 2007

Brian — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 22:01:39 -0000

I'm not a market guru, but I agree with Bill that the fundamentals underlying a bull market of this magnitude are missing. Some market signals show that we may be entering, or close to entering, a recession, yet the market continues to set records.

Only time will tell...

Re: Giveaway: Complete Real-Estate Investing Guidebook by David Crook

Brian — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 10:23:03 -0000

Still worries me that it is written by a guy with the last name of Crook, but count me in!

Re: 10 Money Tips for Baby Preparation

Brian — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 09:36:29 -0000

I think many of those things are good ideas whether you have a child or not.

As for my experience, raising my two children has been FAR more expensive than I could have ever dreamed. Even the staples like diapers and formula can add up to a hefty sum over a month. Luckily my wife is an avid garage sale shopper, so the clothing and toy purchases have been far less than they otherwise could have been.

My recommendation would be to sit down and make a detailed plan of your finances before deciding to have a child. Some friends of mine had to quit contributing to their 401k and other savings vehicles to alleviate the financial burden.

That being said, I'm not sure I would wait until you are in your perfect financial situation. Kids are wonderful and are worth the added expense.

Re: Market Update, July 19, 2007

Brian — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 00:26:39 -0000

Although I have no clue when the DOW will break 15K (I'll guess October 15 for the cookie), it's hard to believe that only a year ago it was around 11K and five years ago it was around 8K.

It almost makes me a bit nervous that we may be on the verge of a bubble. However, I'm not a stock market guru, so I'll defer to those who are.

Re: Question for Readers: Get Rid of Debt Before Investing for Retirement?

Brian — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 13:37:26 -0000

Joe,

If I understand the situation correctly, the best financial thing to do would be to take the company match and find a new home for the debt on the high interest credit card. Try calling the companies you have cards with and asking them to give you a low interest rate for a balance transfer. Be sure to pay attention to the "catches" like a high interest rate after the promotional period, high transfer fee, etc.

As some have mentioned, though, the financial answer may not help you sleep better at night. If you are really worried about your credit card debt, perhaps you can split your money between the retirement account and your credit cards. This way you sleep better and can still provide for your retirement.

Re: Second Quarter 401(k) Results Are In

Brian — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 17:24:46 -0000

I'm doing 85% stocks for the moment. As you and the other commenter said, I still have a long way to go before drawing the money, so I can handle the fluctuations.

That being said, I've been tempted to switch the international exposure in my portfolio to domestic stocks. I just can't see how they can continue their current growth for much longer.

Re: Go to College Without Going Into Debt: An Example

Brian — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 23:34:45 -0000

I couldn't agree more. This is the type of advice I really could have used about 12 years ago. My parents truly believed that a private university offered a superior education to the public schools where "everyone" was accepted.

Today, I can't tell a difference between those employees who graduated from public school and those that graduated from a prestigious private school (besides ego maybe).

Oh well, at least my student loans are set at 4.125%.

Re: linkling: hands across the blogosphere edition

Brian — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 22:04:46 -0000

I realized after I wrote my article about the gurus that I may have sounded harsher than I meant to about Kiyosaki. To be honest, even though he is not totally honest or forthright, there are thousands of people that would never hear the "assets are good and liabilities are bad" ideology which I think is important.

That said, I would point someone to Mr. Ramsey over Mr. Kiyosaki any day of the week.