Questions about the best course of action to prepare for a possible economic depression I'm no economist, but I'm trying to learn about the possible economic depression everyone's been talking about since the recent financial upheaval. I have a number of questions. 1. I have always read that there are huge bargains to be had when the stock market tanks. If this is so, what stops investors from jumping INTO the market when there is a huge crash? For example, why not invest in an index fund as soon as the market drops off 500 points? Why *wouldn't* this be a good idea for the individual investor (assuming it isn't).

A man has debt, he comes into a little bit of money... how best should he spend it? A man has debt. 6k in student loans (5%) 19750k in credit card debt (ranging from 8-10 % interest) 15500k car loan (car is worth 12k) Man gets 25k at 2% interest. Man thinks he could get away with no car for 6 months, saving him 600 a month. Should man pay off credit cards & student loans and continue to drive his car or Should man pay some student loans, sell car (take the lose) and pay off credit cards? What makes the most financial sense. Ultimately regained financial freedom and the ability to go back to school is the goal. Though eventually another car will be needed.

A man has debt, he comes into a little bit of money... how best should he spend it? A man has debt. 6k in student loans (5%) 19750k in credit card debt (ranging from 8-10 % interest) 15500k car loan (car is worth 12k) Man gets 25k at 2% interest. Man thinks he could get away with no car for 6 months, saving him 600 a month. Should man pay off credit cards & student loans and continue to drive his car or Should man pay some student loans, sell car (take the lose) and pay off credit cards? What makes the most financial sense. Ultimately regained financial freedom and the ability to go back to school is the goal. Though eventually another car will be needed.

whats a good personal finance magazine to subscribe to? i know of kiplinger's. i don't know how good it is, though. what are some other magazines for personal finance?

I just moved 4,000 miles to Washington, DC and took a job with far less salary than I am worth in a new industry for the fringe benefits. I have about $18,000 in CC debt and have a modicum of a plan but need real financial help to sort out how to pay off this debt while in the meantime making something in the mid-30's. Obviously, I should be doing a lot more than working my regular 9-5. I am an accomplished journalist, but I have literally never had to freelance. Now, I am sort of between things and realize I have nothing in the way of a signpost that advertises my work - and no portfolio to speak of. How does a person build a portfolio again from squat?

"Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen pounds nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery." British personal finance blogs, forums and other resources? After several post-university years of lurching from one personal finance crisis to another, I'm finally pulling clear of my personal debt. I've had a very decent increase in job income, and I'm also about to receive a legacy which will let me pay off my post-universtity loans, and, for the first time in my adult life, leave me in a position to start saving properly, investing fully in retirement funds and give me a stable enough life to create and follow a budget that isn't going to get dashed to pieces on my bank's indifference and yet another overdraft charge.

Does anyone know of a good financial advisor in the Northern VA/DC area?

Does anyone know of a good financial advisor in the Northern VA/DC area?

How can I convince my wife that we need her income and that as much as we'd like to have our son at home with her instead of in Day Care, we have to face reality or severely cut back our lifestyle. We're better off than most families. We were lucky in our real estate deals; selling one home on the west coast at the top of that market; but then we bought our new home at the market peak in our current town. Due to the cost of living differences, we still came out ahead in that deal. We currently have no credit card debt (we converted it into a 8.5% interest equity loan) and no car payments. We have a 30yr 6.25% mortgage that is approximately 50% of the value of the house. My wife and I have lived in the house for a year but spent the first 2 months of ownership doing upgrades and repairs. At some point we lost track of our spending and what was to be $10K-15K in improvements became $30K+ then add in some medical bills and we were suddenly looking at $40K in credit card debt with payments beginning to balloon out of control.

How do you find and pick the right credit union? I'm finally moving past the bank my parents picked for me 25 years ago, and generally taking more responsibility for smart personal finances. I'd like to move all of my partner and my accounts to a credit union, but I don't know how to pick which one. My partner works for a university now but soon won't, and my company doesn't offer any particular memberships. All the credit unions I see online seem local and really small, is that a problem? Would I get worse rates and benefits if I went with a larger one like Smart Financial? If you use a cr