Jim At The Top (Jim Pedicord) Blog

What could very well be the single most important factor that the wealthiest 1% in America share is NOT being born with a silver spoon in their mouths. No guessing necessary, you’ll find that the primary differentiator is FINANCIAL EDUCATION. Say whut?   Well, here’s is what one writer said that pretty well sums it up, what brought this topic to mind in the first place: “I graduated from high school  not  having been taught the following: How to balance a checkbook How to prepare taxes What “investing” actually means How to set up a brokerage/retirement/checking account How to apply for a loan How to calculate ROI Pretty much everything else related to money” The root of the problem is that we do not mandate the education of money business throughout our children’s schooling. They are supposed to compete in what is now a global economy to earn money and build a portfolio for the duration of their lives with zero formal preparation. The ...

I'm not sure just what to make of that bedroom..... anyway, that's not the kind of underwater I was really referring to, which is: Is it possible to owe more on your home than it’s worth and be considered “LUCKY”? Well, maybe… if you qualify for a new US government “principal forgiveness” program run by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, you may be able to request to have some of your mortgage debt forgiven so you can get your mortgage modified and remain in your homes.  Best I can tell the program has a somewhat narrow set of requirements, but they estimate that over 33,000 homeowners could be included.   I couldn’t find a lot of detail on what it’s about or how much could actually be forgiven, but here are the eligibility criteria: You must be an owner-occupant of a home whose mortgage is owned or guaranteed by Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae. You had to have been at least 90 days past due on your mortgage payments on March 1. ...

I really do mean STEAR, not talking about this…   Or this guy… And, no, I’m not bad at spelling… STEAR stands for the State of Texas Emergency Assistance Registry .   What it is about, it is a free registry for Texas residents who may need assistance evacuating during an emergency.   Here’s what I got from my local folks, the City of Friendswood: Here’s the link to get more info and register: If this system could help anyone you know -- friends, family, neighbors – who may not be aware of this registry and local emergency help, please pass this info on!  Please visit my website jimatthetop.com for a wealth of information and how-tos about buying and selling real estate, Houston area communities and neighborhoods, financing, mortgage resources and more.  JIM AT THE TOP Jim Pedicord   RE  /  MAX   Top Realty http://jimatthetop.com jimpedicord@remax.net 281-610-7847 Cell 7...