Larceny by Check, A Renter’s Horror Story

If you recall, a few months ago I was having an oh-so-awesome time trying to keep my old pad but after a failed attempt to convince the lords of the land not to extract more gold from my satchel, that exposé quickly digressed into me trying to find a new home in a hurry. I hunted all throughout the peninsula, (because the east bay is too ghetto even for me), and because I needed to find a place closer to my job. After two weeks of stalking renters on Craigslist, doing the whole song and dance of “I’m an excellent tenant” I found what I thought was the perfect place, but boy was I mistaken.
Continue reading

Clearly, You Are An Ass.

In ancient Rome, men and women who had been liberated from slavery wore a red liberty cap as a sign of their newfound rights as citizens of Rome. Over the centuries the memory of the red cap became a powerful symbol of freedom and equality for all people; it inspired revolution after revolution as free-thinking people united to adorn their hearts with this red hat and proclaim tyranny and oppression an enemy to all. These people gave their lives for the many freedoms we take for granted, and despite all their best efforts can we the sons and daughters of liberty truly consider ourselves free? I don’t think so.

Continue reading

Are You Destined For a Life of Mediocrity?

Judging from the perspectives shared among blog readers and writers I think it’s safe to assume that most people buzzing around the money blogosphere are “Middlesters” — that is to say that they, (like you and me), are a shade in the spectrum of middle class. Sure there are exceptions to this rule, but look at where the buzz is on blogs that talk about money: how to invest in your retirement fund, where the latest deals and promotions are, how to get out of debt, how to pay for college, how to find loopholes in credit card agreements to make an easy buck, and of course one of my favorite topics how to increase your credit score. These are all consumeristic middle-classs money topics at best, and while they have their place in creating a solid financial foundation they are not the keys to the rocket ship that are going to blast your life off into the stratosphere. No, no, they are the keys to the Lexus parked in valet.

Continue reading

Got Military? Get Access to the Best Bank in the Nation

Being in a military family, despite having to constantly worry about your loved-ones overseas, definitely has its perks. Getting access to USAA’s exclusive banking and financial services is a perk you don’t want to miss out on! It has excellent services for personal banking, the lowest rates for car and home insurance, a great internet-only experience that makes life easy, and possibly the best customer service of any financial institution in the country. Once you go USAA you’ll run away screaming from your typical brick and mortar bank.
Continue reading

Ask 1mil: How Can I Establish Credit with a Low Credit Score

Back in 2005 I had a dismal credit score, but a year later after I made some smart moves my credit score skyrocketed from around 500 to 744. Since I’ve been on the market to buy some real estate property having my credit score so fresh and so clean is of the utmost importance and so I’ve written about my score woes quite a bit. My most popular post (10 Ways to Improve Your Fico Score) gets a lot of questions from readers, here’s my answer to 3 questions from isotruth:

Continue reading