Financial Fellow

Written by J.P. Wicklein

     Last week Indian car maker, Tata, announced the commercial launch of the new Tata Nano. The Nano, currently available in India only, starts at $2,400. That price point makes it the cheapest, new car in the world. From the looks of it I’d describe the Nano as a poor man’s “Smart Car”. Here are some of the specs: 

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Written by J.P. Wicklein

     Every now and again I feel the need to climb on my soap box and tell people how it is. Today is one of those days. I love my country but, our nation and fellow citizens do some things that really upset me. With that in mind, here’s what I hate about America:

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Written by J.P. Wicklein

     I closed on the sale of my home late last week (a one bedroom, high-rise condominium in Chicago). The total market time from listing to closing was just over 5 months. I unloaded it in the worst real estate market in years, during the winter, and at a profit. Here’s how I did it:

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Written by J.P. Wicklein

     I need a new suit.  I’ve been able to get by over the last several years with one I bought for my first job interview but, it’s old and outdated. I’ve reached a point in my life where it’s time to get a nice suit. The question I’m struggling with, though, is how much to spend.

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Written by J.P. Wicklein

     Recently a friend of mine asked me whether he should take money out of his 401k account to use as a down payment on a home. There are two ways you can tap into your 401k for a down payment on a home: 1) Simply withdrawal the funds or 2) take a loan from your 401k. Should my friend take the money from his 401k? If so, which option should he choose?

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Written by J.P. Wicklein

In light of my article on Tips to Profit from Residential Real Estate I thought it would be interesting to present an article on why you should rent your home instead of buying it. Here are some other financial tidbits I came across this week:

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Written by J.P. Wicklein

     Although the recession is wreaking havoc with the stock market it has created a silver lining for some investors: Real estate is cheap and interest rates are low. For those cultivating a passion for real estate investing now may be a great time to acquire rental property. Here are 10 tips that will prove helpful should you decide to invest in residential real estate:

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Written by J.P. Wicklein

     Lately, I’ve heard financial talking heads throwing around the “D” word…Depression.  It’s still too early to tell if we are officially in a depression. Without question, though, things are ugly and getting uglier each day. This week, five stories about the recession caught my attention:

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Written by J.P. Wicklein

     With major stock market indexes at their lowest levels in over a decade now may be a good time to increase your exposure to stocks. If you’re a long term investor, you may find yourself deciding between an actively managed mutual fund and a passively managed index fund. (Index funds are passive investments because their managers don’t buy and sell stocks in an attempt to earn more than the return of the index, whereas managers of actively managed mutual funds attempt to beat the return of the index.)

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Written by J.P. Wicklein

     If you’re considering switching online stock brokers TradeKing may be worth a look.  Last month TradeKing announced that they will refund any transfer fees charged by your current broker up to $150. Here’s a closer look at how TradeKing stacks up:

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