» Posted by Martin Weil on October 31, 2006

Calculated Risk provides this telling graph demonstrating how residential real estate investment (red line, now falling dramatically) is a good leading indicator of recession in the US. Perhaps the current period will be an exception, as in 1951, 1967 and 1995. But the track record of the indicator speaks for itself.

» Posted by Martin Weil on October 11, 2006

Is it because
a) it is easier to deal with the symptoms not the underlying causes
b) it's really our spouse's (childrens') fault
c) we keep too much stuff that we don't need
d) people with clean houses make us feel guilty

Tyler Cowen at Marginal Revolution looks at the problem from the behavioral economist's point of view.

» Posted by Martin Weil on October 04, 2006

"Private tutors are a luxury many American families cannot afford, costing anywhere between $25 to $100 an hour. But California mother Denise Robison found one online for $2.50 an hour -- in India."

TutorVista is the web site cited in the Yahoo news article quoted above.

Thanks to EconLog for the pointer.

» Posted by Martin Weil on October 04, 2006

My Rich Uncle promotes itself as being able to fund undergraduate and graduate student loans at rates lower than those from the Federal Government. While I have no experience with this company, as the parent of a sophomore attending private university, their offerings look worthy of further exploration.