Taking a Short Break from SmarterSpend while I move!

Dear readers,

First of all…. Happy Memorial Day! I have been receiving a few e-mails a day asking me if I had disappeared and if my site had gone inactive. The answer is no. I just wanted to let everyone know that I am moving (from CA to AZ) and have been up to my neck in work, remodeling, and getting everything together. Buying, fixing, and furnishing a new house took a lot of effort. The new house doesn’t even have Internet yet  Read more...

5 Important Things I Learned First-Hand About Buying a House

Things Every Home Buyer MUST Keep In Mind

If you follow me on Twitter, you probably know that I am starting Pharmacy School in June in Phoenix, Arizona (actually Glendale, a suburb of the Phoenix). The process of moving out has led me to purchasing a foreclosed house 3 miles from my school. I am currently in escrow and the house will be mine on May 25th.

The process of searching for homes, interacting with real estate agents on both sides, and the entire process has allowed me to gain valuable experience that I can share with you.  Read more...

7 Great Qualities Shared by the Rich and Successful

This is a guest post from Galina Vardanyan. Galina has lots of experience investing in stocks and financial blogging and volunteered to write this motivational piece for SmarterSpend readers.

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Most Rich People Share a Few Common Traits

There are several qualities that are shared by almost everyone who has “succeeded” in their career or hobby. Most of these skills can be acquired by everyone and must be closely followed. If you have ever wondered about the answer to the following questions, this article is for you:

What makes rich people “rich”?  Read more...

4 Real Reasons the Economy Won’t Recover Until 2011

The Economy Stinks

Let’s face it guys – the economy is not really recovering. Sure, Dow Jones was up for like 9 straight weeks (before yesterday’s selling Bonanza) and some economic indicators were pointing to recovery, but has there really been a change in consumer spending, unemployment and easing of credit? The answer is a loud no.

In this article, I will prove to you that no matter what you hear – we are still in a recession and have not started to recover. Usual economic graphs would have a bottom. In this case, our bottom is a plateau. The same is true around the world. There is way too much uncertainty, risk factors, and negative reports to leave any hope of recovering from the worldwide economic downturn.  Read more...

Effects of the British Petroleum Spill and Arizona Immigration Law on the Economy

Will the events of last week send shocks into the barely recovering economy?

Last week, two highly publicized events occurred in the United States that could shake the foundations of the limping economy. The first one, the passage of the Arizona immigration bill, has already led to boycotts and broken agreements. The second, an oil spill of epic proportions in the Gulf of Mexico by the huge British Petroleum oil corporation, is becoming one of the worst man made environmental disasters of all time.

We will skip all the political and environmental ramifications and concentrate on the effects on the economy.  Read more...