Back when the housing market was soaring, many Americans thought of their homes as piggy banks that they could crack open at will, whether for renovating a kitchen or funding a retirement. The Great Recession put an end to that party, and in most of the country the housing market has yet to return to [...] [...more]
I remember the suburbs of the 1950s and 1960s as a kid’s paradise. Every block was filled by young families with children, and the neighborhood was our playground. The kids from that era are still in the suburbs — but now we’re in our 50s and 60s. And that’s creating major challenges — and opportunities [...] [...more]
The housing bust horror flick is now giving way to a very unwelcome sequel: a big squeeze on the cost of renting. The number of renters paying more than half of their income towards rent has hit record levels, according to a new study by the Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) of Harvard University. [...] [...more]
The oldest baby boomers start turning 65 on January 1st, and the biggest generation has plenty to worry about as it starts filing Medicare applications. The road to retirement security is filled with potholes. My list of the five threats to retirement security that worry me most looking ahead to 2011 is at Reuters.com. [...more]
A mortgage is a contract. Maybe that’s why Brent White has drawn so much attention in the red-hot national debate about the ethics of strategic default on mortgages. White, a law professor at the University of Arizona, is outspoken on strategic default—the notion that it’s okay for homeowners who are underwater on mortgages to simply [...] [...more]
