http://www.millionaireorbust.com teaching you how to think about your finances Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:00:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en Copyright 2006-2008 David van Sunder http://www.millionaireorbust.com/feed david@millionaireorbust.com (Flying Squirrel Media) david@millionaireorbust.com(Flying Squirrel Media) Personal Finance 1440 saving,investing,wealth,creation,frugal thinking about your finances This podcast is dedicated to overcoming the odds in this consumer driven world. Our goal is to help you to save money (without any painful sacrifices) and increase your net worth, so that you can bask in financial security. We?ll give you useful tips, helpful tools, links to invaluable resources and occasionally an insightful guest. Along the way, we?ll make sure that there is a lot of information to help you, even if you?re not (yet) wealthy. David van Sunder No no http://www.millionaireorbust.com/images/podcastlogosmall.jpg http://www.millionaireorbust.com 144 144 Copyright 2006-2008 David van Sundersaving,investing,wealth,creation,frugalBusiness/Business NewsBusiness/InvestingBusinessEducationdavid@millionaireorbust.comDavid van Sunder http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/503352112/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0071/#comments Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:00:40 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=94 This is the first episode of Millionaire or Bust for 2009. We covered a lot of ground in this show. Even though the week on Wall St. was shortened for the second straight week, there was a lot of news. We talked about the Santa Claus rally which led into the first day of [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/503352112" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0071/feed/ 25:29 This is the first episode of Millionaire or Bust for 2009. We covered a lot of ground in this show. Even though the ... This is the first episode of Millionaire or Bust for 2009. We covered a lot of ground in this show. Even though the week on Wall St. was shortened for the second straight week, there was a lot of news. We talked about the Santa Claus rally which led into the first day of trading on Wall Street helping the Dow close up above 9,000 for the first time since November. We also talked about oil and gas because, just like America is addicted to oil, we're addicted to talking about the prices of oil and gas. Then we got into the completion of the mergers of Bank of America with Merril Lynch and Wells Fargo with Wachovia. With the economy being bad, we talked about two of the more popular purchases this holiday season, the piggy bank and the personal safe. Plus, we got into the potential for thousands of stores to disappear in '09 due to the failure of some major big box retailers in 2008. Then we warned Macy's shoppers about Macy's reports of overcharging their customers' debit cards for just under 2 hours on Saturday, December 20. We also couldn't miss discussing the $4 billion loans that both GM Chrysler received last week. Then we talk about why now might be the best time to buy a car and how to decide which of Detroit's cars and trucks are worth buying. Since it's a New Year, many of you might be making resolutions. If you want some tips on how to keep them, check out an article on Talli's blog about "Achieving Your New Year's Resolution." It's on Talli's health site, BeingHealthy.tv, but it is applicable whether the resolution is health or finance related, so check it out if you're interested. If you enjoy Millionaire or Bust, please head on over to iTunes and give us a nice review. If you have some feedback on how to make the show better, shoot us an email and help us improve the show. We appreciate all your comments. Thanks for listening everyone! podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0071/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/94/0/Show_71_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/497772052/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0070/#comments Mon, 29 Dec 2008 13:00:11 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=93 This is the last episode of Millionaire or Bust for 2008. We covered a lot of ground in this show. Even though the week on Wall St. was shortened, there was a lot that happened. Of course, we had to start off by talking about oil, which bounced back above $37 despite the U.A.E. announcing [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/497772052" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0070/feed/ 30:10 This is the last episode of Millionaire or Bust for 2008. We covered a lot of ground in this show. Even though the week ... This is the last episode of Millionaire or Bust for 2008. We covered a lot of ground in this show. Even though the week on Wall St. was shortened, there was a lot that happened. Of course, we had to start off by talking about oil, which bounced back above $37 despite the U.A.E. announcing their plans to make their portion of the cuts necessary to meet the oil production reduction announced last week by OPEC. Then we decided to go with more good news and discuss Amazon's announcement that 2008 was their best holiday season ever. We also discussed why that was the case. Then, before we all started flying too high on good news, we talked about the mixed news of the bankruptcy judge approving Circuit City's financing. Then we got into two plans that were designed to stimulate the economy. The first is an energy conservation plan the incoming administration might consider implementing and the second is three periods of national sales tax holidays that the National Retail Federation is calling for in 2009. In case you have an appliance break, we discuss what you should do when an appliance breaks. Should you fix it? Or replace it? If you need a place to access to thousands of reviews of local service providers, the article recommended Angieslist.com, which is a consumer rating site that charges $5 to $10 a month for membership. If you're looking for free DIY instructions or to order parts they recommended RepairClinic.com. And if you're looking for a second opinion on what to do with that broken appliance, they recommended Applianceguru.com, which is an appliance repair forum. Then, in case you were considering buying a house, we discussed the ten worst real-estate markets for 2009 and falling mortgage rates which reached a new record low. And before wrapping up the show, we took a look at a CNN poll which says that 74% of Americans think behavior like Bernie Madoff's (the guy with the $50 billion fraud we discussed recently) is common. And no, I didn't forget. Here's the Rent vs. Buy Home Calculator I promised, to help you decide if it's a better idea for you to buy a home or keep on renting. Talk to you all again in 2009! Have a great New Year's Eve and New Year's Day everyone! If you enjoy Millionaire or Bust, please head on over to iTunes and give us a nice review. If you have some feedback on how to make the show better, shoot us an email and help us improve the show. We appreciate all your comments. Thanks for listening everyone! podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0070/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/93/0/Show_70_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/492246541/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0069/#comments Mon, 22 Dec 2008 13:00:44 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=92 On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we covered the big three stories. We discussed the Fed reducing the benchmark rate to as low as zero, Bush providing loans to save the automakers and how oil did when OPEC announced a major production cut. We then discussed how gas prices edged lower after going up for [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/492246541" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0069/feed/ 29:51 On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we covered the big three stories. We discussed the Fed reducing the benchmark rate to as low as ... On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we covered the big three stories. We discussed the Fed reducing the benchmark rate to as low as zero, Bush providing loans to save the automakers and how oil did when OPEC announced a major production cut. We then discussed how gas prices edged lower after going up for four straight days. Then because of Talli's question in a prior show about whether the luxury car manufacturers were suffering in this economy, I pulled a story about Porsche sales falling as the crisis reduced demand for their cars. Next, we talked about the housing market and how new housing starts fell more than expected last month. Then we talked about a survey of employers that showed that about half of businesses will cut back on raises, citing the weak economy. We discussed how, despite the way they feel about their jobs, workers are afraid to change jobs during this economy. We talked a little about why switching jobs might be a good move for some, even though it can be risky in some circumstances. Then we discussed whether or not these are tough economic times. People are stealing Christmas trees and selling their gold and jewelry for cash. You be the judge. Then, since we were fed up with hearing about bonuses for the heads of failing companies, we talked about the fitting bonuses given to the executives at Credit Suisse this year. Finally, bonuses that we can get behind! Then, in case you wanted to fly to Switzerland to congratulate the board for their choice of bonuses, we discussed how jet fuel prices dropped, but airfares haven't yet and why that is. Before we wrapped up the show, we had to call out a country for a Millionaire or Bust Gold Star award. We talk about how Portugal told its banks to lend or else they would have to give back their bailout loans. About time someone in some part of the world actually made the banks use the money they were given for the purpose it was intended. If you enjoy Millionaire or Bust, please head on over to iTunes and give us a nice review. If you have some feedback on how to make the show better, shoot us an email and help us improve the show. We appreciate all your comments. Thanks for listening everyone! podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0069/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/92/0/Show_69_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/485543068/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0068/#comments Mon, 15 Dec 2008 13:00:20 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=91 On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we give you the bad news before we give you the good news. This week, two more regional banks fail. One is in Georgia and the other is in Texas. We also discuss the state of the auto industry, the White House&#8217;s intention to bail them out and what [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/485543068" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0068/feed/ 30:01 On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we give you the bad news before we give you the good news. This week, two more regional banks ... On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we give you the bad news before we give you the good news. This week, two more regional banks fail. One is in Georgia and the other is in Texas. We also discuss the state of the auto industry, the White House's intention to bail them out and what effect the current and potential issues the automakers are experiencing are having on government tax revenues and expenditures. With all these bankruptcies, foreclosures and job losses occurring, we discuss what seems an inevitable rise in homelessness. Times are tough, so if you can help out someone in need through donation to a charity or through volunteering your time, consider doing so. From a financial stand point, it's a write off. From a personal standpoint it'll make you feel good and improve your health. Don't believe me? Check out Talli's article on it at BeingHealthy.tv. Then we discuss the largest fraud since Enron, which was allegedly perpetrated by Bernard Madoff to the tune of $50 Billion. We also discussed what areas of the economy were experiencing job growth, the public transport boom and the 10% rise in U.S. Video Game Sales. If you enjoy Millionaire or Bust, please head on over to iTunes and give us a nice review. If you have some feedback on how to make the show better, shoot us an email and help us improve the show. We appreciate all your comments. Thanks for listening everyone! podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0068/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/91/0/Show_68_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/478456742/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0067/#comments Mon, 08 Dec 2008 13:00:30 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=90 On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we dive right in with an update on the state of the recession. And yes we&#8217;ve been in a recession for a year now according to the announcement by the NBER. Of course, that was obvious to everyone who saw that Georgia Community Bank became the 23rd bank [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/478456742" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0067/feed/ 34:57 On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we dive right in with an update on the state of the recession. And yes we've been in ... On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we dive right in with an update on the state of the recession. And yes we've been in a recession for a year now according to the announcement by the NBER. Of course, that was obvious to everyone who saw that Georgia Community Bank became the 23rd bank to fail this year and that employers cut 533K jobs in November, which is the most since 1974. Of course, the fact that November auto sales sank to the worst level since 1982 might have been a clue as well. So, we discuss that as well as the UAW's agreement to make concessions to help automakers, which must have been helpful because it preceded President Bush and the Democrats reaching a deal to extend enough aid to tide the automakers over until the next President takes office. Then we discussed Obama revealing his five part job-creation plan. Since the show was feeling a bit too heavy, we discussed PNC Financial Services Group's Index of 'The Twelve Days of Christmas'. Unfortunately the song items' cost rose 10.9% in 2008 and yes we did sing...badly. So if you need a laugh, this might be the part of the show designed for you. Maybe next time we need to practice first. Then we discuss an article that details how you can use this down economy to your advantage, to get the home remodeling that you've put off for cheaper. Then we quickly check in on the dropping prices of oil and gas. Before we end the show, we listen to some feedback from Bill from Ohio about the idled GM workers. If you enjoy Millionaire or Bust, please head on over to iTunes and give us a nice review. If you have some feedback on how to make the show better, shoot us an email and help us improve the show. We appreciate all your comments. Thanks for listening everyone! podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0067/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/90/0/Show_67_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/471226399/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0066/#comments Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:45:48 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=89 On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we have plenty to talk about, as always. The majority of it revolves around shopping and Black Friday. So, we jump right into discussing how the holiday sales are for the small retailers. Then we get into buyer behavior on Black Friday including how consumers are spending. [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/471226399" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0066/feed/ 25:23 On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we have plenty to talk about, as always. The majority of it revolves around shopping and Black ... On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we have plenty to talk about, as always. The majority of it revolves around shopping and Black Friday. So, we jump right into discussing how the holiday sales are for the small retailers. Then we get into buyer behavior on Black Friday including how consumers are spending. Unfortunately, it seems that the holiday buying season is off to a slow start, but we do touch on a couple bright spots in online sales. Then we discuss what seems an unlikely group that might be helping Black Friday sales, foreign shoppers. We take a look at how US retailers are slashing prices to drive sales, but we're uncertain whether that will be enough to drive sufficient sales. We also dispense some advice regarding which gift cards to avoid. While this episode is mainly about shopping, we couldn't leave without discussing the large drop in mortgage rates and OPEC's thoughts on raising oil prices and how that might affect you. If you enjoy Millionaire or Bust, please head on over to iTunes and give us a nice review. If you have some feedback on how to make the show better, shoot us an email and help us improve the show. We appreciate all your comments. Thanks for listening everyone! podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0066/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/89/0/Show_66_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/463792681/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0065/#comments Mon, 24 Nov 2008 11:30:47 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=88 On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we have plenty to talk about. We start off by discussing how the DOW did this week and how President-Elect Obama&#8217;s nominations for cabinet positions may have affected it. We also discussed the still falling gas prices. Then in banking news, we discussed three more bank failures, [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/463792681" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0065/feed/ 31:23 On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we have plenty to talk about. We start off by discussing how the DOW did this week ... On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we have plenty to talk about. We start off by discussing how the DOW did this week and how President-Elect Obama's nominations for cabinet positions may have affected it. We also discussed the still falling gas prices. Then in banking news, we discussed three more bank failures, Citigroup's slashing of 52,000 jobs, Genworth's deal to buy a bank in a bid to receive TARP money and GMAC filing for bank holding status in order to get TARP money, as well. Then of course, we had to discuss GM hitting it's lowest price since the Great Depression and their desire of a bailout. Before we left the subject of GM, David had to get in a rant about how they earned their spot near bankruptcy. Since Thanksgiving is coming up this Thursday and Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year follows it, we covered two stories. The first talked about how households intend to spend less this year on Christmas gifts than last year and how the sale of gift cards will also be down this year. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! If you enjoy Millionaire or Bust, please head on over to iTunes and give us a nice review. If you have some feedback on how to make the show better, shoot us an email and help us improve the show. We appreciate all your comments. Thanks for listening everyone! podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0065/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/88/0/Show_65_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/455932081/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0064/#comments Mon, 17 Nov 2008 12:25:28 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=87 On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we cover the week after the US election (which also happened to be a one week trip up to the Yosemite area for us). The financial markets were pretty volatile again this week. So, we had to discuss that volatility a little bit. We also touched on [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/455932081" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0064/feed/ 26:11 On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we cover the week after the US election (which also happened to be a one week trip up ... On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we cover the week after the US election (which also happened to be a one week trip up to the Yosemite area for us). The financial markets were pretty volatile again this week. So, we had to discuss that volatility a little bit. We also touched on the current mortgage rates. Of course, we had to mention that GM closed under $3 for the first time since 1946 and had their lowest close since WWII. We talked a little about what they were trying to do about it, what the government is thinking about doing to help them and the stance of the UAW on concessions. Unlike General Motors, not all companies are suffering. Both Walmart and McDonalds reported increases in sales. We discussed why that was and who it was at the expense of. We also discussed how U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said on Friday that recapitalizing banks would be the most effective use of a $700 billion financial bailout war chest rather than the purchase of "toxic" assets held by the banks. Speaking of the financial bailout, the Fed OK'd American Express being reclassified as a bank holding company in order to make them eligible to receive bailout funds. Then, despite signals from OPEC that it may slash production again, the price of oil continued to decline. That of course has been accompanied by the continued fall of gas prices, which has been welcome to consumers. Finally, we discussed the Commerce Department's Friday report that we had the largest ever October plunge for retail sales and a sharp drop in business inventories. If you enjoy Millionaire or Bust, please head on over to iTunes and give us a nice review. If you have some feedback on how to make the show better, shoot us an email and help us improve the show. We appreciate all your comments. Thanks for listening everyone! podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0064/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/87/0/Show_64_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/448256500/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0063/#comments Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:00:53 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=86 On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we cover the week of the US election. The financial markets were pretty volatile, so we had to talk about how the markets did and how President-Elect Obama figured into that. We talked about the huge drop in the markets Wednesday and Thursday and the market rally on Friday. [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/448256500" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0063/feed/ 26:42 On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we cover the week of the US election. The financial markets were pretty volatile, so we had to ... On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we cover the week of the US election. The financial markets were pretty volatile, so we had to talk about how the markets did and how President-Elect Obama figured into that. We talked about the huge drop in the markets Wednesday and Thursday and the market rally on Friday. Of course with 51 consecutive days of oil price drops, we had to talk about that and about the drop in gas prices. We also took a look at the rate drops by the UK and the European Central Bank. And we had to talk about the latest two banks to fold: Franklin Bank and Security Pacific. That brings the current tally for the year up to nineteen. For our penultimate topic, we looked at the new baggage check fees that Delta instituted, including the one on the first bag checked. Finally, we looked at an article from Money Magazine on the job outlook for 2009, how it might affect you, what the least and most affected industries will be and how you can best prepare yourself for what you might face. If you enjoy Millionaire or Bust, please head on over to iTunes and give us a nice review. If you have some feedback on how to make the show better, shoot us an email and help us improve the show. We appreciate all your comments. Thanks for listening everyone! podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0063/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/86/0/Show_63_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/444281792/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0062/#comments Thu, 06 Nov 2008 11:30:30 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=85 This episode of Millionaire or Bust is our short midweek episode. This is where I take a few minutes to catch you up on the week so far in financial news. First, I had to announce that Barack Obama was elected President of the United States on Tuesday. Then I had to get into how [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/444281792" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0062/feed/ 6:50 This episode of Millionaire or Bust is our short midweek episode. This is where I take a few minutes to catch you up on ... This episode of Millionaire or Bust is our short midweek episode. This is where I take a few minutes to catch you up on the week so far in financial news. First, I had to announce that Barack Obama was elected President of the United States on Tuesday. Then I had to get into how the economy reacted this week in general and how the election may or may not have affected it. I covered the DOW and other indexes dropping, increased layoffs, a drop in oil prices, an increase in dollar vs the euro, the worst monthly auto sales in 25 years and a drop in gasoline prices. I also explained what it means for you to have the dollar gaining strength against the Euro. Before wrapping up the show, I announced that there will be no midweek update episode next week, just the main Monday episode. After this week, the midweek update will occur on weeks when the news appears to warrant it. I'm, hoping for a little more stability and less need for constant updates on the economy. I'm also looking for some feedback on what would make Millionaire or Bust more useful and/or interesting to you. Please contact us and give us feedback so that you can help us shape the show. Thanks everyone in advance. Until next time, I wish you all increased fortunes! podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0062/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/85/0/Show_62_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/440877896/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0061/#comments Mon, 03 Nov 2008 10:30:24 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=84 On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we start off the show by summarizing the month of October. Things got pretty crazy during the month, so we needed to talk about the economy shrinking in the third quarter, the beating the stock markets took, the falling crude oil prices and the rising mortgage rates. Then we [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/440877896" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0061/feed/ 26:49 On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we start off the show by summarizing the month of October. Things got pretty crazy during the month, ... On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we start off the show by summarizing the month of October. Things got pretty crazy during the month, so we needed to talk about the economy shrinking in the third quarter, the beating the stock markets took, the falling crude oil prices and the rising mortgage rates. Then we got into a story about the rising bank fees that we're all starting to see at our banks and how we can protect ourselves from paying out more of our hard earned money for those fees. That way, we'll have more money to go towards building our wealth rather than padding the bottom lines of our banks. Before wrapping up the show, we remind everyone that Talli was nominated for Best Health Podcast in the 2008 Podcast Awards and invite them to check out Talli's other podcast, Being Healthy for Busy People, if they haven't already. If you like it, you should support it and Talli by voting. Voting can be done once per day until Nov. 6, 2008. So, if you like the show, vote early and vote daily at PodcastAwards.com. If you enjoy Millionaire or Bust, please head on over to iTunes and give us a nice review. If you have some feedback on how to make the show better, shoot us an email and help us improve the show. We appreciate all your comments. Thanks for listening everyone! podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0061/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/84/0/Show_61_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/436804397/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0060/#comments Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:02:08 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=83 This episode of Millionaire or Bust is our short midweek episode. This is where I take a few minutes to catch you up on the week so far in financial news. First, I got into the swings on the stock market including some of the news that drove it. I touched on the volatile Wednesday [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/436804397" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0060/feed/ 6:34 This episode of Millionaire or Bust is our short midweek episode. This is where I take a few minutes to catch you up on ... This episode of Millionaire or Bust is our short midweek episode. This is where I take a few minutes to catch you up on the week so far in financial news. First, I got into the swings on the stock market including some of the news that drove it. I touched on the volatile Wednesday trading first, including the possibility that GE or profit taking drove a late session loss of earlier gains. Then I covered the rise in both new home sales and existing home sales. I also touched on Delta's purchase of Northwest Airlines and how it might affect you. Then finally I touched on oil and gas prices. Before closing the show, I mentioned that for those of you who want to vote for Talli's other podcast, Being Healthy for Busy People, in the Podcast Awards you have until November 6 to vote. Voting is allowed daily. Thank you all for your support! podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0060/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/83/0/Show_60_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/433434045/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0059/#comments Mon, 27 Oct 2008 10:25:04 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=82 On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, I started off the show by congratulating Talli for her nomination for Best Health Podcast in the 2008 Podcast Awards and reminding our listeners that if they haven&#8217;t checked out Talli&#8217;s other podcast, Being Healthy for Busy People, you should. If you like it, you should support [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/433434045" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0059/feed/ 25:29 On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, I started off the show by congratulating Talli for her nomination for Best Health Podcast in the 2008 ... On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, I started off the show by congratulating Talli for her nomination for Best Health Podcast in the 2008 Podcast Awards and reminding our listeners that if they haven't checked out Talli's other podcast, Being Healthy for Busy People, you should. If you like it, you should support it and Talli by voting. Voting can be done once per day until Nov. 6, 2008. So, if you like the show, vote early and vote daily at PodcastAwards.com. With the congratulations out of the way, we started discussing a week in the financial markets that deserved few congratulations. We discussed the drop in the DOW, the extreme volatility of the market, dropping oil prices and of course the dropping price of gasoline. We also discussed the bailout, including some developments in how it is being managed that really disturbed us. Of course, part of that was the announcement by PNC of their intention to buy National City and where they got the money to do that. (Hint: It was from all of us.) Then we discussed a possible impending interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve and a potential second stimulus package sometime next year. Finally, we dipped back into the deep well of foreclosure news and talked about how bad the situation looks and the opportunities that provides for some and challenges it creates for others. If you enjoy our podcast, please head on over to iTunes and give us a nice review. If you have some feedback on how to make the show better, shoot us an email and help us improve the show. We appreciate all your comments. Thanks for listening everyone! podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0059/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/82/0/Show_59_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/429512653/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0058/#comments Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:30:31 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=81 This episode of Millionaire or Bust is our short midweek episode. This is where I take a few minutes to catch you up on the week so far in financial news. First, I mention the battering stocks took on Wednesday. I also get into the prices of oil &#038; gas which are looking better for [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/429512653" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0058/feed/ 5:18 This episode of Millionaire or Bust is our short midweek episode. This is where I take a few minutes to catch you up on ... This episode of Millionaire or Bust is our short midweek episode. This is where I take a few minutes to catch you up on the week so far in financial news. First, I mention the battering stocks took on Wednesday. I also get into the prices of oil gas which are looking better for consumers. Then I mention the improving credit landscape. Then for those with long commutes, I have a little good news in regards to OPEC and gas prices. Finally, I touch on talks that the world governments are going to be having to further stabilize the world economy during a proposed global summit. For those who are tired of news and want something they can do to improve their own financial situations, I have a link to an article with 20 money saving tips. Some of them are less common, so you might find something new that you can use. Before I wrap up the show, I mention that my co-host Talli has had her other podcast, Being Healthy for Busy People, named as a finalist in the Health category of the Podcast Awards. Voting starts today and continues until Nov. 6. So, if you have a moment, go vote for her there. You can vote once per day, so please help out as much as you can. If you haven't checked out her show yet, you might want to do that also. If you're interested in your health, you'll be glad you did! Until next week, I wish you all good finances and increased fortunes! podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0058/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/81/0/Show_58_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/426253892/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0057/#comments Mon, 20 Oct 2008 09:30:46 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=80 On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we start off the show by discussing some economic indicators, including the price of oil, interbank lending rates, consumer confidence and jobless rates. We also discuss the speculation that mortgage rates are headed to 7%. Then we discuss the story of a Pasadena woman who chooses death over eviction. It&#8217;s [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/426253892" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0057/feed/ 26:20 On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we start off the show by discussing some economic indicators, including the price of oil, interbank lending rates, ... On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we start off the show by discussing some economic indicators, including the price of oil, interbank lending rates, consumer confidence and jobless rates. We also discuss the speculation that mortgage rates are headed to 7%. Then we discuss the story of a Pasadena woman who chooses death over eviction. It's reminiscent of the 90 year old woman we discussed last week who shot herself in the chest when faced with eviction. This story was stranger with a darker ending, but left us with some questions. Finally we spent a large portion of the show posing some questions discussing some ways of addressing your financial weaknesses. We discuss debt, emergency funds, worst case scenarios insurance. If you enjoy our podcast, please head on over to iTunes and give us a nice review. If you have some feedback on how to make the show better, shoot us an email and help us improve the show. We appreciate all your comments. Thanks for listening everyone! podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0057/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/80/0/Show_57_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/422496744/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0056/#comments Thu, 16 Oct 2008 10:00:10 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=79 This episode of Millionaire or Bust is our midweek short episode. I wasn&#8217;t sure if I should give you the bad news first or the good news. So, I started with the bad news. First, I mention the economic crisis we are in right now. Then I revisit a phrase that most of us [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/422496744" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0056/feed/ 6:20 This episode of Millionaire or Bust is our midweek short episode. I wasn't sure if I should give you the bad news first or ... This episode of Millionaire or Bust is our midweek short episode. I wasn't sure if I should give you the bad news first or the good news. So, I started with the bad news. First, I mention the economic crisis we are in right now. Then I revisit a phrase that most of us heard growing up and could stand to hear right now in order to get a little perspective. Finally, I hit some positives of this financial crisis. Believe it or not, there are some positives. podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0056/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/79/0/Show_56_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/419313794/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0055/#comments Mon, 13 Oct 2008 08:15:12 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=78 On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we start off the show by discussing the news of the week, which included: Federal antitrust regulators clearing Wells Fargo&#8217;s $11.7 billion acquisition of Wachovia. The Fed dropping the fed loan rate by half a point. The U.S. announcing it is going to be buying nonvoting stakes in U.S. [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/419313794" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0055/feed/ 23:47 On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we start off the show by discussing the news of the week, which included: Federal antitrust regulators clearing Wells ... On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we start off the show by discussing the news of the week, which included: Federal antitrust regulators clearing Wells Fargo's $11.7 billion acquisition of Wachovia. The Fed dropping the fed loan rate by half a point. The U.S. announcing it is going to be buying nonvoting stakes in U.S. banks to get them more capital. The drop in mortgage rates. Fannie Mae forgiving the mortgage debt of a 90 year old woman who shot herself in the chest. Finally, we discuss 10 questions that you must ask yourself to discover and address your financial weaknesses. In one of the points, we mention a Budget Calculator that can help you set up an initial budget if you're not sure where to start or if you want to check if your breakdown of categories seems reasonable. If you enjoy our podcast, please head on over to iTunes and give us a nice review. If you have some feedback on how to make the show better, shoot us an email and help us improve the show. We appreciate all your comments. Thanks for listening everyone! podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0055/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/78/0/Show_55_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/415647565/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0054/#comments Thu, 09 Oct 2008 10:10:16 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=77 This episode of Millionaire or Bust is our midweek short episode. I mention the economic crisis we are in right now, but decided that looking into whether or not we each have our own personal financial crisis was more important. To look into the issue, I talked about 10 solutions to a personal credit crisis [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/415647565" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0054/feed/ 7:41 This episode of Millionaire or Bust is our midweek short episode. I mention the economic crisis we are in right now, but decided that ... This episode of Millionaire or Bust is our midweek short episode. I mention the economic crisis we are in right now, but decided that looking into whether or not we each have our own personal financial crisis was more important. To look into the issue, I talked about 10 solutions to a personal credit crisis from an article from money.cnn.com. I talked about how to tell if you have a personal financial crisis and some tips on handling it, if you do have one. Resources mentioned: For a free copy of your credit report: annualcreditreport.com To find a debt counselor: The National Foundation of Credit Counseling podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0054/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/77/0/Show_54_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/412629152/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0053/#comments Mon, 06 Oct 2008 09:00:06 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=76 On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we start off the show by discussing the biggest news of the week, the Congressional approval of the government&#8217;s $700 billion financial rescue plan Friday. We talk about what the bailout entails, including extra tax breaks for some businesses and the raising of the FDIC limits from $100,000 [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/412629152" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0053/feed/ 24:57 On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we start off the show by discussing the biggest news of the week, the Congressional approval of the ... On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we start off the show by discussing the biggest news of the week, the Congressional approval of the government's $700 billion financial rescue plan Friday. We talk about what the bailout entails, including extra tax breaks for some businesses and the raising of the FDIC limits from $100,000 to $250,000. Unfortunately, we also had to talk about how that didn't send the economy soaring immediately afterward and about the increased strain it will put on the U.S. Treasury as a result of the bailout. We mention some shortages on gasoline from Georgia up to North Carolina that made it hard for some to find gas for a couple days and more expensive when they could. We also discuss rising 30 year mortgage rates and an article from news.yahoo.com that says that the U.S. economy shed the most jobs since 2003 in the month of September. Things aren't all bad though, there are deals out there to be had, including Toyota announcing 0% financing on 11 models. Also, a Chicago woman bought a house for $1.75 on eBay. Talking about a good deal gone bad (for Citigroup), Wachovia Bank walked away from a deal with Citigroup to take a better deal from Wells Fargo. What can you do with the economy fraying around the edges? We discuss some fundamentals of responsible personal finance. We also toss out a few coupon saving sites to help you stretch the money you have a little farther. Retailmenot.com Coolsavings.com Couponcravings.com Then last we address some voicemail feedback we received. If you enjoy our podcast, please head on over to iTunes and give us a nice review. If you have some feedback on how to make the show better, shoot us an email and help us improve the show. We appreciate all your comments. Thanks for listening everyone! podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0053/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/76/0/Show_53_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/409089935/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0052/#comments Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:20:17 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=75 This episode of Millionaire or Bust is our midweek short episode. I cover the status of the United States government&#8217;s bailout proposal, the purchase or nationalization of several banks world-wide and the market implosion on Monday. I take a moment to put the DJIA&#8217;s Monday 777 point drop in perspective. It was the 17th largest [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/409089935" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0052/feed/ 6:30 This episode of Millionaire or Bust is our midweek short episode. I cover the status of the United States government's bailout proposal, the purchase ... This episode of Millionaire or Bust is our midweek short episode. I cover the status of the United States government's bailout proposal, the purchase or nationalization of several banks world-wide and the market implosion on Monday. I take a moment to put the DJIA's Monday 777 point drop in perspective. It was the 17th largest drop in percentage terms. Here's a list of the largest daily DJIA percentage losses in history. With all this turmoil, you might be wondering what will happen to your accounts. If you're with Washington Mutual and want to know what the bank failure and purchase by JP Morgan means to you, you can check out the FDIC's FAQ. If you're not with Washington Mutual and you have any questions about what will happen if your bank fails, the FDIC has a more general bank failure FAQ for you as well. For a more detailed account of what happened this week, catch our Monday episode when we have more time to go into depth. Thank you all for listening. podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0052/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/75/0/Show_52_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/406141364/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0051/#comments Mon, 29 Sep 2008 10:20:24 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=74 On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we start off the show by giving a recap of the events of the week, including the purchase of Washington Mutual by JP Morgan after its seizure by the FDIC, the next most likely bank failures, the possible fate of British mortgage lender Bradford &#038; Bingley, and an [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/406141364" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0051/feed/ 24:31 On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we start off the show by giving a recap of the events of the week, including the purchase ... On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we start off the show by giving a recap of the events of the week, including the purchase of Washington Mutual by JP Morgan after its seizure by the FDIC, the next most likely bank failures, the possible fate of British mortgage lender Bradford Bingley, and an update of the major us stock indexes. Then we get into the current consumer credit limit crackdown by many credit card companies and how it might impact you, what you should do and why. Finally, with the political season in full swing, Talli and I take the last portion of the show to present and explain the platform for the MOB party. We stand for: No Debt Having an emergency fund Having and sticking to a budget Retirement savings before education savings Regular investment Taking care of your own retirement Having appropriate insurances Financial education If you approve of our platform as we presented it in the podcast, please head on over to iTunes and give us a nice review. A vote for us is a vote for teaching others how to provide for their own financial futures. If you disagree, leave us a voicemail feedback with your ideas explained clearly and calmly (unlike the politicians), so that we can play it on the show. Thanks for listening everyone! podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0051/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/74/0/Show_51_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/402687271/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0050/#comments Thu, 25 Sep 2008 10:40:49 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=73 On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we have our second midweek short episode. The financial markets are still very rocky, so first off, I had to give an update on the markets, including Warren Buffet&#8217;s purchase of 9% of Goldman Sachs for $5 Billion on Tuesday. Then I talked a little bit about the details [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/402687271" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0050/feed/ 7:51 On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we have our second midweek short episode. The financial markets are still very rocky, so first off, I ... On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we have our second midweek short episode. The financial markets are still very rocky, so first off, I had to give an update on the markets, including Warren Buffet's purchase of 9% of Goldman Sachs for $5 Billion on Tuesday. Then I talked a little bit about the details of the $700 Billion financial rescue proposal made by the Bush administration. I'm not too keen on how much latitude might be given to the Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Paulson. Then going back to the roots of the show, I pull out a tool and a tip for debt reduction. The Tool is a Debt Reduction Planner courtesy of money.cnn.com. It helps you to figure out how quickly you can pay off your debt or how much you need to pay a month to reach a time related credit payoff goal. The tip is courtesy of me, by way of a slight disagreement with Dave Ramsey. He seems like a great guy and he's helped a lot of people, but he made one small mistake with the Debt Snowball and I'll tell you what it is. Not only that, I'll tell you a way to address the issue that led him to suggest the Debt Snowball in the first place. Have a listen, you just might find it helpful. podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0050/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/73/0/Show_50_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/399967796/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0049/#comments Mon, 22 Sep 2008 12:00:03 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=72 On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we try to shed a little light on the roller coaster ride that was the world&#8217;s financial markets for the past week. Everything was crashing at the beginning of the week, but had mostly rebounded by the end of the week, even if it still was a bit [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/399967796" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0049/feed/ 26:58 On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we try to shed a little light on the roller coaster ride that was the world's financial markets ... On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we try to shed a little light on the roller coaster ride that was the world's financial markets for the past week. Everything was crashing at the beginning of the week, but had mostly rebounded by the end of the week, even if it still was a bit shaky. We start off by giving a little wrap-up of what happened and where the price of oil was by the end of the week. Then we cover a story from Reuters via globeinvestor.com that talked about the U.S. proposed bank asset buyout plan. To get a little more insight into how important our economy is to the world economy, we pull some numbers from an AFP article we found via news.yahoo.com that showed how global stocks soared as the US took steps to avert a collapse of the financial market. All in all, it was a crazy week for the financial markets and was definitely one of the worst in our lifetime for stability. We'll have to take a wait and see approach on how this will all shake out over the next few months. If you like the show, please head on over to iTunes and give us a nice review. It's a great way to thank us because it gives us some nice exposure and can help us to get more listeners. Thanks for listening everyone! podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0049/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/72/0/Show_49_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/396044159/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0048/#comments Thu, 18 Sep 2008 09:15:45 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=71 On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we have our first midweek short episode. What a week to have a first short episode! The financial markets were imploding, so rather than get to a couple quick money saving tips, I had to give an update on the markets. I caught you all up on what had [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/396044159" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0048/feed/ 6:07 On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we have our first midweek short episode. What a week to have a first short episode! The financial ... On this episode of Millionaire or Bust, we have our first midweek short episode. What a week to have a first short episode! The financial markets were imploding, so rather than get to a couple quick money saving tips, I had to give an update on the markets. I caught you all up on what had happened since the last episode was recorded. I talked about Lehman Brothers' bankruptcy, Merrill Lynch's possible sale, AIG's bailout by the United States government, the start of trading on Thursday, home mortgage rates and so much more. In order to keep the show short, I wasn't able to explain the ramifications of the week's events too deeply. That will have to wait until the next full length show on Monday when we'll have a little better idea of what hit us this week. podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0048/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/71/0/Show_48_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/393149567/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0047/#comments Mon, 15 Sep 2008 11:55:23 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=70 On this week&#8217;s Millionaire or Bust, we start off telling you about the new release schedule of Millionaire or Bust. The show will be coming out at 8:00 am EST, so that you will have more timely coverage of any news stories. We also discuss the possibility of releasing a mid-week show either [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/393149567" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0047/feed/ 31:15 On this week's Millionaire or Bust, we start off telling you about the new release schedule of Millionaire or Bust. The show will be ... On this week's Millionaire or Bust, we start off telling you about the new release schedule of Millionaire or Bust. The show will be coming out at 8:00 am EST, so that you will have more timely coverage of any news stories. We also discuss the possibility of releasing a mid-week show either Wednesday night or Thursday morning. That show would be 3-5 minutes long to cover any exceptionally important story from early in the week or a couple tips or money saving tools if no high impact stories need to be covered. Then we talk about oil prices, OPEC and Hurricane Ike. For more information on oil prices, read this article from news.yahoo.com. We also touch on how the major indexes in the Unites States were up for the week, but way down for the year and how the dollar is doing against the Euro and the UK Pound. As a callback to our prior discussion on Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, we give the 30 year fixed mortgage price quoted from bankrate.com. We also touch on what some experts believe the mortgage rates might drop to. Then we give this year's forecast for corn and soybean harvests and their possible impact on future prices, touch on other factors in the U.S. Economy and some interesting issues in Russia's. Of course, we can't neglect the troubling mortgage issues that are rocking the US and world markets and how they're impacting Lehman Brothers, AIG Washington Mutual. If you want to see some ways to save money while buying food, check out Episode 11 of Being Healthy for Busy People which comes out this Thursday. In strange news, we touch on how an old story about UAL going into bankruptcy in 2002 touched off the loss of 76% of United Air Lines' stock value in a few hours this week. This event is a concern to investors and is being investigated by the SEC. To wrap up the show, David gives a review of "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki. The book was requested to be reviewed by a listener over a month ago. If anyone else has any books that they'd like to have reviewed, let us know. If not, we'll be looking for a few on our own. If you like the show, please head on over to iTunes and give us a nice review. It's a great way to thank us because it gives us some nice exposure and can help us to get more listeners. Thanks for listening everyone. podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0047/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/70/0/Show_47_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/389032021/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0046/#comments Wed, 10 Sep 2008 21:00:36 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=69 We start Millionaire or Bust off with a tragic story about a local man who was killed by an SUV as he was getting into his car while picking his autistic son up from middle school in our town. We discuss some worrying issues with the way that the newspaper exposed their bank account information [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/389032021" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0046/feed/ 26:35 We start Millionaire or Bust off with a tragic story about a local man who was killed by an SUV as he was getting into ... We start Millionaire or Bust off with a tragic story about a local man who was killed by an SUV as he was getting into his car while picking his autistic son up from middle school in our town. We discuss some worrying issues with the way that the newspaper exposed their bank account information in a story trying to raise money for the family. Because of those issues, we won't link to the story here. Then we quickly mention another way banks hit you harder than you might expect with overdraft fees. Information is courtesy of an article from money.cnn.com. Next, we hit the story you've probably all waited for us to cover. That's right, we talk about what the rescue of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac means for mortgage rates. We reference two stories. The first is from money.cnn.com and the second is from news.yahoo.com. We talk about how mortgage rates, loan availability, loan qualification and loan fees will be affected. Results will differ based on your credit score and the size of the down payment that you can afford to make. Then we discuss Hurricane Gustav, Tropical Storm Hanna their affect on oil and gas prices. We discuss an article from money.cnn.com that covers the price fluctuations caused by the weather. We also very briefly touch on some economic data before explaining some terminology commonly thrown around in regards to inflation. We pull inflation information from money.cnn.com and Inflationdata.com to illustrate our points. Of course, we rant a little about inflation and taxes, so as not to disappoint anyone. And for anyone interested in some free eBooks, we received a list of resources from one of our listeners, J.L. Coburn. They are: textbookrevolution.org - free textbooks freebookcentre.net - mostly technical books franklin.com - literary classics memoware.com - multiple formats, mostly independent ebooks planetpdf.com - mostly classics fictionwise.com - selection of classics private titles manybooks.net - classics, banned, out of print (many from PG) free-ebooks.net - requires signing up podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0046/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/69/0/Show_46_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/382673459/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0045/#comments Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:00:00 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=68 We start off the show by talking about an older man we saw at the park over Labor Day weekend. He was collecting cans from the garbage to make some extra money. It was a reminder to us of why we need to watch our finances and be prepared for retirement. The first article we [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/382673459" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0045/feed/ 27:30 We start off the show by talking about an older man we saw at the park over Labor Day weekend. He was collecting cans ... We start off the show by talking about an older man we saw at the park over Labor Day weekend. He was collecting cans from the garbage to make some extra money. It was a reminder to us of why we need to watch our finances and be prepared for retirement. The first article we discuss is an article by Stephen Gandel from Money Magazine called "Why You Can't Teach Money. " In that article, he interviews law professor Lauren Willis who suggests we give up on financial literacy because it's a waste of time and can get people into trouble. David calls into question her intelligence and the wisdom of publishing such a ridiculous article, while Talli focuses more on the content. After savaging Lauren Willis' interview, we discuss Joan Lowy's article from the AP, via Yahoo! News on how traffic fatalities have been reduced by high gas prices. We talk about how Americans are changing their transportation habits in order to avoid spending more money. Next, we touch on a topic which can never be covered enough, identity theft. We pore over The price of identity theft protection an article from CNN Money. We look at what identity theft is, how to safeguard against it, what some services are that can help you and how you can do it cheaper yourself. To get those credit reports, go to annualcreditreport.com. For the Consumers Union's Guide to Security Freeze Protection lists which lists each state's security freeze laws check out consumersunion.org. In case you're cocky about how well you guard your identity, we discuss one incidence of Best Western blowing all the effort put in by 8 million of its customers to keep their personal information secure by making their personal information available to the Russian Mafia. The story is from Scotland's Sunday Herald, courtesy of Slashdot. To finish up the show, we covered some feedback from Matt from Northern California, who also has the Pizza Go Here podcast. It's a fun familycast. If you're interested, I encourage you to check it out! He discusses how you actually can go over limit on a credit card and how there are fees associated with that as well. Thanks for that info Matt. We really appreciate it. If you're really enjoying the podcast and want to share your love for the show, tell someone else about it and/or write us a nice review on iTunes. Help us to spread the word! podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0045/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/68/0/Show_45_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/382656854/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0044/#comments Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:00:56 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=67 Gas Price Update: $3.999 - That&#8217;s the last gas price update for awhile, unless we see a huge shift in the coming weeks. This week we hit three main topics. First we discuss an article from money.cnn.com about the rise in overdraft fees. We talk about what they are, ways to mitigate their costs and [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/382656854" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0044/feed/ 26:17 Gas Price Update: $3.999 - That's the last gas price update for awhile, unless we see a huge shift in the coming weeks. This week we ... Gas Price Update: $3.999 - That's the last gas price update for awhile, unless we see a huge shift in the coming weeks. This week we hit three main topics. First we discuss an article from money.cnn.com about the rise in overdraft fees. We talk about what they are, ways to mitigate their costs and how to avoid them altogether. Then we cover an article on Six Investments in Your Health. Not only will they make you happier and healthier, they can help your finances as well. For more health information in a weekly podcast, check out Talli's other podcast Being Healthy for Busy People. Last, we touch on the loaded topic of bankruptcy from a money.cnn.com article. Clean sweep this week for money.cnn.com. Guess my other sources aren't delivering, lately. We cover why you might want to declare bankruptcy and why you might not. We also discuss what bankruptcy will do to your debts, your credit and even your job prospects. Declaring bankruptcy might not absolve you of all your debts and might create more issues than it solves, so it's not something to enter into lightly. We ran out of time for feedback this week, so if you were wondering why we didn't get your feedback in, you'll see it next week. Thank you all for listening. Until next time, we wish you all all good finances...and increased fortunes! podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0044/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/67/0/Show_44_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/370304231/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0043/#comments Wed, 20 Aug 2008 21:00:01 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=65 Gas Price Update: $4.049 This week on Millionaire or Bust we start off by discussing a few news stories. First we mention how the mortgage giants Freddie Mac &#038; Fannie Mae are in trouble. There is currently a debate on whether they might be nationalized. We also mention how the dollar has gained value lately based [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/370304231" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0043/feed/ 22:31 Gas Price Update: $4.049 This week on Millionaire or Bust we start off by discussing a few news stories. First we mention how the mortgage giants ... Gas Price Update: $4.049 This week on Millionaire or Bust we start off by discussing a few news stories. First we mention how the mortgage giants Freddie Mac Fannie Mae are in trouble. There is currently a debate on whether they might be nationalized. We also mention how the dollar has gained value lately based on speculation on the EU's economy, failing commodity prices and a rise in US industrial output in July. This news was gleaned from a news.yahoo.com article. We touch on a news.yahoo.com story about a possible recession coming to Britain within the next 6-9 months coupled with the UK's falling housing prices. We also quickly mention a drop in Chinese share prices amid renewed worries about an economic slowdown there. Then we talk about why you should care about these issues in foreign countries and how it might even be an opportunity for you. Finally we cover an article by Jessica Silver-Greenberg, called "Getting Smarter on School Loans" for those out there that are either starting college soon or who have kids who are. We cover the ways that people pay for education, why some of them are poor choices or are becoming risky ones to rely on. We also discuss some federal options that can be better for your pocketbook. Some of the figures in the article aren't accurate, so we find you the right ones from the goverment's Stafford Loan site. No feedback this week, so if you have any feedback, please call or write us. podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0043/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/65/0/Show_43_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/364220037/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0042/#comments Wed, 13 Aug 2008 21:00:46 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=64 Gas Price Update: 4.159 First, we talk about David&#8217;s new iPhone, why he bought it and why financially it was a good choice for him. After that round of justifications, albeit rational ones, we delve into the current state of the economy. We talk about what the federal reserve has done, how consumer credit debt and [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/364220037" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0042/feed/ 24:52 Gas Price Update: 4.159 First, we talk about David's new iPhone, why he bought it and why financially it was a good choice for him. ... Gas Price Update: 4.159 First, we talk about David's new iPhone, why he bought it and why financially it was a good choice for him. After that round of justifications, albeit rational ones, we delve into the current state of the economy. We talk about what the federal reserve has done, how consumer credit debt and personal incomes went up while oil prices went down. We discuss how the dollar gained against worldwide currencies and why Dustin Reid thinks it did so. In the financial sector, we discuss the problems the horrible quarterly loss that Fannie Mae reported, which was more than triple what analysts were expecting, reflects ongoing deterioration in housing market conditions. Then with all this turmoil that is roiling the economy as of late, we discuss some things that you can do right now that will help to keep you on the right track to becoming a millionaire. Unfortunately, not everyone is on the right track, so we discuss how many Americans have inadequate emergency funds and we quote some statistics from a money.cnn.com article. We also look at HELOCs (Home Equity Lines of Credit), which some people use instead of emergency funds and we state why that might not be a good idea with a one, two punch of examples from news.yahoo.com. Since you're all going to forsake your HELOCs and make sure your emergency funds are properly funded and placed, we discuss appropriate places to keep your emergency funds. Next, we discuss issues that are afflicting Countrywide, Bank of America and Citigroup which could impact their customers in the future. Then we take a peak internationally to see how other countries are faring and how our economies are intertwined. We look at inflation in a couple countries and the world-wide banking crisis and it's impact on international financial markets. Then we wrap up with some feedback from Matt in Seattle. For those that have their finances in place, but are looking to tune up their health as well, we put in a plug for Talli's excellent health podcast Being Healthy for Busy People. podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0042/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/64/0/Show_42_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/357758167/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0041/#comments Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:00:30 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=63 Gas Price Update: $4.179 In today&#8217;s show we first discuss how much the average person spends on lottery tickets according to a study by Peter Tufano, et al. This is taken from an article from Money Magazine. This horrifyingly huge number led us to check out the current personal savings rate in the United States at economicindicators.gov [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/357758167" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0041/feed/ 25:58 Gas Price Update: $4.179 In today's show we first discuss how much the average person spends on lottery tickets according to a study by Peter Tufano, ... Gas Price Update: $4.179 In today's show we first discuss how much the average person spends on lottery tickets according to a study by Peter Tufano, et al. This is taken from an article from Money Magazine. This horrifyingly huge number led us to check out the current personal savings rate in the United States at economicindicators.gov and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. While personal savings are up for the month of May, things overall aren't looking great. With the economic issues impacting the United States, we take a look at a couple of articles that cover some bills that Congress is considering to address the nation's concerns. The first article from money.cnn.com covers the Credit Card Fair Fee Act which addresses credit card interchange fees. We talk about whether or not the proposed bill would help you at all. Hint: Not likely. The second article, also from money.cnn.com, is about a Credit Card Bill of Rights that is working its way through congressional committee. It addresses some unfair practices that credit card companies perpetrate when they have a customer at their mercy. Will this one help? Hint: Hopefully. There's no feedback for this week, so we're looking for some for the following week. The more we can get people involved, the more we can make this show what everyone is looking for. If you're listening in a country other than the United States, let us know what concerns you, so that we can address international concerns. We want this show to be for everyone. Talk to you all, next week! podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0041/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/63/0/Show_41_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/350862857/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0040/#comments Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:00:03 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=62 Gas Price Update: $4.279 We talk briefly about a possible US Resolution that is in both the Senate (SR580) and the House (HR362) to Blockade Iran and the possible effect that a blockade would have on prices. Then we get into the meat of the show discussing how a bank closure might affect your personal finances and [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/350862857" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0040/feed/ 24:14 Gas Price Update: $4.279 We talk briefly about a possible US Resolution that is in both the Senate (SR580) and the House (HR362) to Blockade Iran ... Gas Price Update: $4.279 We talk briefly about a possible US Resolution that is in both the Senate (SR580) and the House (HR362) to Blockade Iran and the possible effect that a blockade would have on prices. Then we get into the meat of the show discussing how a bank closure might affect your personal finances and look at how much of your money is insured against loss by the government. To find out more about how your money is protected check out: For banks: FDIC insurance info For credit unions: NCUA insurance info You can also calculate how much of your money is insured in a bank by using the FDIC's online Electronic Deposit Insurance Estimator Then we jump into some email feedback from Mike from Vancouver, BC. He had an in depth question regarding financial priorities while preparing for a baby possibly in the next year. Then we received some voice mail feedback from an anonymous caller from Parts Unknown with a concern about our intro music. We're looking into replacing the intro music, so if anyone has a good replacement that is free to use or can be obtained for a reasonable fee, please let us know. podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0040/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/62/0/Show_40_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~3/343922956/ http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0039/#comments Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:00:09 +0000 david@millionaireorbust.com (David van Sunder) http://www.millionaireorbust.com/?p=61 Gas Price Update: $4.419 We talk about property taxes and the opportunity that homeowners have to get theirs reduced if their house has lost value. Don&#8217;t pay any more taxes than you&#8217;re obligated to. We discuss a bit about how rewards credit cards aren&#8217;t all they&#8217;re cracked up to be. We also talk about things to [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/millionaireorbust/~4/343922956" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0039/feed/ 27:52 Gas Price Update: $4.419 We talk about property taxes and the opportunity that homeowners have to get theirs reduced if their house has lost value. ... Gas Price Update: $4.419 We talk about property taxes and the opportunity that homeowners have to get theirs reduced if their house has lost value. Don't pay any more taxes than you're obligated to. We discuss a bit about how rewards credit cards aren't all they're cracked up to be. We also talk about things to look for in a rewards card and some things to avoid. For those that are a little more computer savvy and would like to save a couple dollars by playing, free, legal games on their computer, we give a couple ways to find them. First Option: legaltorrents.com Second Option: Wikipedia's List of open source games Personal Favorite: Battle for Wesnoth - It's a turn based, fantasy RPG. David shares a few tips on saving energy and as energy prices go up, more and more money, that he has been implementing around the house. Since David has been looking into ways to be a little more efficient energy-wise around the house, we discuss an article that he found on green.yahoo.com about "vampire power." We discuss an article from the Monterey Herald that says that tourists are spending less time and money in Las Vegas. We discuss how that could be an opportunity for you, if you're looking to go to Vegas. If you don't want to create an account for the Monterey Herald, or any other site that needs a free registration, you can try bugmenot.com. They have existing logins that you can use. David will be heading to Vegas August 14-16 for the New Media Expo. So, if you're going and would like to meet up, send us an email. Finally, we wrap up the show with some feedback from Lee in Connecticut. podcasts Flying Squirrel Media no No http://www.millionaireorbust.com/archives/mob0039/http://www.millionaireorbust.com/podpress_trac/feed/61/0/Show_39_Millionaire_or_Bust.mp3 David van Sundernonadultthinking about your finances