When Home Depot and Dell are on the radar screen for private equity buyouts, you know that the landscape is primed for mega deals.

2007 Insights - Various topics

Looking back over 2006, I’ve compiled what I believe are the best of the best blog postings for Your Money Matters.

This is a no brainer – Don’t Prepay! That said, there are a few and rare exceptions to this statement but again they are few and rare. Now, consider the use of financial resources. In doing so, one should look at the opportunity cost of forgoing an alternative decision.

Do you need to issue an APB to locate all your cash and related investments? Yes, No, Maybe? Do you have a system in place for managing investments and personal finances? Do you even know what you are invested in and the related type of investments? Consider this you don’t need to have a portfolio like Bill Gates or Warren Buffett for it to get messy or unmanageable.

How can anybody possibly put the words simplicity and taxes in the same sentence? Yes, it is a mystery. We all know that there is nothing simple about taxes.

Simplicity, well now there is a word that is not synonymous with the current tax code and regulations. Now that the obvious is stated, let’s focus on the application of simplicity to our personal finances, business matters, and life.

After giving Uncle Sam an interest free loan for the better part of a year, you are now graciously able to split your refund into and up to three accounts even at different financial institutions.

This week’s carnival is hosted by Blueprint for Financial Prosperity and has included a collection of investing insights covering both stock market and real estate investing. I’ve listed what I see as the most insightful posts to the carnival of investing.

Q. – You indicate that interest-only loans are financial prison. If that is the case, how can someone buy that dream house that is a financial stretch and not go the interest-only route?