Queercents

Though we certainly have a long way to go, most will agree that the economy is looking up. Just a few weeks ago, Jeffery wrote about positive signs in the real estate market.

In this article, I’d like to share with you my optimism on alternative energy stocks.

Both legislative and public sentiment has shifted.  Alternative energy is “in.”

1. People like the idea of not being at the mercy of companies like Exxon-Mobil and the like for their energy needs. When it cost over $100 dollars to fill up your SUV every week, you start believing in alternative energy. For a few quarters of excessive profits, oil companies will pay dearly.
2. Obama is definitive in his support, both verbally, and with lots of cash. Some of his goals : supplying 10% of all electricity used in the US with alternative energies by 2012, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050.
3. The success of products such as solar panels, windmills, and the Prius is snowballing.
4. Much as many will never admit in the USA – global warming is a given. Ask the polar bears. Read the rest of this entry »

41 states could go bankrupt by 2009-2010 – the table below shows which are the worst.

As state governments scramble to stay above water – cutting both unneeded and needed services – the local legislatures grapple with ways to increase revenue.

And you know what that means. More taxes for all of us.

No more wondering what I’ll be doing with that $600 federal tax rebate check.

What the federal government giveth, the state government taketh away.

I don’t quite understand why every bank and their grandmother’s bank is getting TARP funds – while the states are left holding the bag.

More than 10 states are considering major tax increases, reports the Wall Street Journal. These include “Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin. California and New York lawmakers already have agreed on multibillion-dollar tax increases that went into effect earlier this year.”

State taxes come in many forms beyond income tax. Depending on where you live, and what your vices are, you could be nickled and dimed out quite a few dollars. Here’s some of the taxes being considered for increases in various states. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re on the fence about taking the refinancing plunge, you should investigate now. The US Government is giving the real estate market a kick-start, and the time could be right.

For more details about it, read Jeffery’s article “Mortgage Rates Hit Record Lows,” posted in January here at Queercents.

Here’s some useful and practical tools and information to help you determine if refinancing is right for you.

Making Homes Affordable – the US government estimates that 8 million Americans are eligible for government mortgage programs. Are you one of them?  Click here to find out.

Turns out I’m not. But I may refinance. I’m at 5.875% and mortgages are below 5%.  Obama says 7-8 million Americans can benefit from refinancing right now.

Pinyo over at Moolonamy offers some great advice on the pros and cons of refinancing. Read the rest of this entry »

OK, so it’s not quite as easy as this.—————————->

In the last year, earning money through passive income has become a hobby of mine.  A huge contributor has been my blog, but other sources of income include selling used books, investing in CDs and the stock market, and trying to find the best credit cards with cash rebates.

I thought people might find it interesting to see how I make extra cash.  I’m hoping this post will start a conversation of how others earn through passive income.

Here’s what happened last month.  I’ve included a little history in the first table.

First, the downside:

A decrease in ING’s interest rates, and a less than expected ad revenue on the blog, were among the factors contributing to a low passive income month.

The upside:

The market had a great 4 weeks.  As an aside, If the market interests you, you might want to read Walter’s article on investing, and some of the related posts with it. Read the rest of this entry »

Once again, as the recession takes its toll, we see that the GLBT community is like all other communities.  We’re getting laid off, and getting depressed about it.  Our non-profits are taking a whack.  Our businesses are hanging on for dear life. Student loans are harder to pay back. 401ks have fallen, and they can’t get up.

And…

Alcohol consumption – is down.
Home consumption of alcohol was down 9.3% in 2008. Beer led the way with a 14% drop, while wine and spirits were off 1.6% and 0.8% respectively. I guess if you’re a Ford factory worker drinking beer, you’re more worried about your job than the Ford executive getting bonuses and drinking Macallan Single Malt Scotch.

This trend is also being seen in Ireland, where the Irish Times reports that alcohol consumption was down 5.9% in 2008.

Chocolate consumption – is up.
Chocolate sales in the U.S. reached $16 billion in 2006, and are expected to top $18 billion by 2011. Cadbury reported a 30% increase in profits for 2008.

Makes sense to me. When you’re feeling stressed, or just trying to watch your cash, what better way to splurge than on a 50 cent Snickers bar? Or perhaps you’ll give up going out for dinner, but maybe you’ll treat yourself to some Ghirardelli dark chocolate for dessert. Studies show dark chocolate is loaded with antioxidants, after all.

On the flip side: In London, doctors are pressing the British government to add a “fat tax” on chocolate, saying it’s one of the leading causes of obesity and type 2 diabetes in the U.K. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m constantly amazed at all the free stuff available on-line. My latest find – quizzes and tests. For example, I’ve found that I’m an INFP Myers-Briggs personality type, and “pretty moral” from the Robin Hood Morality Quiz.

Yea, many of these “free” tests are designed to just get my contact info. Once I swam passed the sharks, though, I found a lot that were legit, from places like:

• newspapers and magazines - such as CNN, Psychology Today, Oprah and, oh yes, even my new friends at AARP ( I just turned 50, for all you new readers.)
• researchers at universities or other organizations gathering data
• helpful organizations such as religious groups or Alcoholics Anonymous
• developers of tests who are refining them through data acquisition
• computer geeks
• marketers showing you a little of their product in the hopes that you’ll purchase the souped- up version. These are sharks, but of a higher class. They at least give a little.

If you want to find out more about yourself, I’ve compiled a list of links. Dive in. These should not have annoying pop-ups, etc. Read the rest of this entry »

Using part of my meager stock budget, I bought two (yes, TWO) shares of Google on December 16, 2008. Price – $334 per share ( including purchase and eventual selling fees.)

On Jan 20th, 2009, the stock fell to its lowest since my purchase, $283 (-15%.)

And Monday, February 9th, 2009, about 2 months since I purchased it, Google hit $379 (+13%.)  Tuesday, it fell to 358 (+ 7%)  in a very sad bear market. What’s the point here?

The point here is that William O’Neil – founder of Investor’s Business Daily (IBD) – advises selling any stock whose value falls to 8.5%  below the purchase price. That means I should have sold at my selling point of $305 (- 8.5%.)

Great advice in a normal market.

But, ok, we all know that today’s market is far from normal. Dramatic daily market fluctuations are the norm, and I could needlessly increase my losses following this advice.

So I asked myself, “Self, what is this telling me?”

The answer came screaming back: Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been thinking about it.

Do I really need that much -

• shampoo when washing my hair?

• laundry soap per wash?

• dishwasher detergent per load?

• Spic and Span washing my floors?

• Drano unclogging my sink?

Simple answer: No, I don’t. As Dawn pointed out in her post for Queercents last October, a little dab’ll do me.

I find cutting back on cleaning products pretty easy. And I get a good “green” feeling about it. The planet’s happier, and I have a little extra jingle in my pocket. Read the rest of this entry »

These days, any paycheck is a good paycheck. So why am I complaining?!

About five years ago, my company switched from paying me monthly to bi-weekly.  Troubleeeee!  I was running especially close to the wire then, and this change reeked havoc with me getting my monthly bills paid on time.

If you’re also experiencing this problem, here’s some possible ways to deal.

The simple answer is to keep enough money in your checking account so that you don’t need to worry about becoming overdrawn. But my ING checking account earns 0.5% interest, and my ING savings account earns 1 .85% interest.  As meager as both these numbers are, I want to earn as much interest as possible.

The next is to stagger your bill payment dates so that they line up with each of the paychecks. This doesn’t work for long, though, because the paycheck date within each month changes.  Pretty soon it’s all messed up again. Read the rest of this entry »

Still searching for ways to save money, I did a little assessment of my expenditures.  I learned I could only take frugal so far.   How about you?

Have you ditched the landline?
My potential yearly savings – $360

I can’t let it go yet. It costs me $30 a month.  That’s $360 a year out the window.  It’s killing me.  But I have to admit, it was tough switching to push button, too.

Gone (news)paper-less?
My potential savings – $265

I haven’t let this one go either. It’s that local paper.  It just doesn’t read well on-line.  And the Sunday paper, too.  Most major newspapers are available on line for free now.

Turned the heat down?
My potential savings – I estimate about $500

This is worth every penny to me. I hate being cold.

Gone fluorescent?
My potential savings – I estimate about $20

Light bulbs, I can change. I have mostly done this.  I am getting used to the way I look in the mirror under fluorescent light.  That was the hardest part of the transition.  Has anyone found 3-way fluorescent light bulbs? Read the rest of this entry »