(Also the term says "Cougar" to me to an extent that's completely cringeworthy.)
Oh me too! I picture them hitting on hot young delegates.
Mal: Does she understand that? River: She understands. She doesn't comprehend.
'Objects In Space'
Natter 60: Gone In 60 Seconds
Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.
Trudy Booth - Aug 28, 2008 10:16:19 am PDT #5882 of 10003
Greece's financial crisis threatens to take down all of Western civilization - a civilization they themselves founded. A rather tragic irony - which is something they also invented. - Jon Stewart
Nora Deirdre - Aug 28, 2008 10:16:35 am PDT #5883 of 10003
I’m responsible for my own happiness? I can’t even be responsible for my own breakfast! (Bojack Horseman)
A finance column that actually suggests that home ownership might not always be the best financial decision, including a discussion of the ever-popular mortgage-interest deduction: 10 Bank-Breaking Money Myths
If I click on that link, I will cry.
Steph L. - Aug 28, 2008 10:18:16 am PDT #5884 of 10003
this mess was yours / now your mess is mine
So rare I had to share. A finance column that actually suggests that home ownership might not always be the best financial decision, including a discussion of the ever-popular mortgage-interest deduction: 10 Bank-Breaking Money Myths
There's a financial blogger called Millionaire Mommy Next Door (I cheerfully LOATHE the name but like the blog in general) who espouses the same belief and has the net worth to prove it.
Gudanov - Aug 28, 2008 10:21:01 am PDT #5885 of 10003
Coding and Sleeping
The mortgage-interest deduction doesn't do much for me because I don't have a big mortgage, if you don't pay a lot of interest it can quickly become negligible.
OTOH, our mortgage payment is probably at least a couple hundred dollars less that it would cost to rent (call that a wash after maintenance costs), and almost half of that payment goes to principal.
megan walker - Aug 28, 2008 10:23:45 am PDT #5886 of 10003
"What kind of magical sunshine and lollipop world do you live in? Because you need to be medicated."-SFist
The mortgage-interest deduction doesn't do much for me because I don't have a big mortgage, if you don't pay a lot of interest it can quickly become negligible.
Well, it's just that few people seem to get that, while the MI deduction is nice to have if you have to have a mortgage, it always means you are paying more to the bank in interest than you are saving in taxes.
DavidS - Aug 28, 2008 10:24:10 am PDT #5887 of 10003
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."
Anybody like to collect excellent bon mots and cheap shots? Poison pen letters and bad reviews?
Jay Mariotti, asshole sports columnist in Chicago, got fired. His editor had this to say:
'We wish Jay well and will miss him -- not personally, of course -- but in the sense of noticing he is no longer here, at least for a few days,'' Cooke said.
Gudanov - Aug 28, 2008 10:24:22 am PDT #5888 of 10003
Coding and Sleeping
If I click on that link, I will cry.
If you stay in your home long enough, it will work out in your favor.
Scrappy - Aug 28, 2008 10:26:14 am PDT #5889 of 10003
Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
Also, if you own, you don't have to deal with things like people promising to fix things and then not doing it, or a landlord deciding they might like to sell the place you live.
Gudanov - Aug 28, 2008 10:29:07 am PDT #5890 of 10003
Coding and Sleeping
Well, it's just that few people seem to get that, while the MI deduction is nice to have if you have to have a mortgage, it always means you are paying more to the bank in interest than you are saving in taxes.
In my case if it were not for some charitable deductions, my mortgage deduction wouldn't be enough to itemize so I would have an effectively zero deduction for my mortgage interest.
We've got about nine years to go on our mortgage now, we're starting to weigh the pros and cons of getting a nicer house vs. not having a mortgage.
Jessica - Aug 28, 2008 10:32:42 am PDT #5891 of 10003
And then Ortus came and said "It's Ortin' time" and they all Orted off into the sunset
Even if you own a home, you still have to "throw away" money on expenses like property taxes and mortgage interest (and likely more than you were throwing away in rent). In fact, for the first five years, you are basically paying all interest on your mortgage. For example, on a 30-year, $250,000 mortgage at 7% interest, your first 60 payments would total about $100,000. Of that you "throw away" about $85,000 on interest payments.
That parenthetical's a biggie, though. Even including our coop maintenance fee, we're paying less for housing now (with a mortgage) than we were renting 2 years ago.
And since your rent is mostly paying your landlord's mortgage & property taxes...I'm not sure I really see what his argument is. You're paying those things whether you rent or own, the only difference is who you pay it to.