August 25, 2019

Celebrate...with extreme prejudice

Cineversary podcast episode #14 is here. This time, I speak with Jason Henderson, host of the Castle of Horror podcast and author of the Young Captain Nemo book series. Together, we examine Francis Ford Coppola’s 1979 epic “Apocalypse Now,” which celebrates a 40th birthday this month, and discuss why the movie is worth celebrating four decades later, its cultural impact and legacy, what we can learn from the picture today, how it has (and hasn't) stood the test of time, and more.

To listen to this episode, click the "play button" on the embedded streaming player below. Or, you can stream, download or subscribe to the Cineversary podcast using Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Anchor, Breaker, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Google Play Music, Overcast, Pocket Casts, PodBean, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher, and TuneIn.

Learn more about the Cineversary podcast at tinyurl.com/cineversarypodcast and email show comments or suggestions to cineversegroup@gmail.com.

August 18, 2019

How low can they go?

No one has a crystal ball that can accurately forecast where mortgage rates will land by the end of this year. Yet many real estate pros feel good about rates remaining low or even dropping further.

Last November, I asked 10 respected industry experts for their mortgage rates predictions for 2019. Interestingly, most agreed that 30-year fixed rates would average 5.5% and 15-year fixed rates would average between about 4.5 and 5.0% by mid-2019. Turns out that rates dropped a lot more than these and most other experts expected. As of this writing, the 30-year rate is just below 4.0%; the 15-year rate is around 3.30%.

Now, in an updated article for The Mortgage Reports, I've asked many of these same pros (and a few new ones) for their predictions on rates through the end of the year. Take a look at their projections for 30- and 15-year fixed-rates, which may help you make a more informed decision about getting a mortgage loan in the weeks and months ahead.

August 4, 2019

Tearing through the paper trail

Whether you're a student or running a business, consider how many pieces of paper you send to the recycle bin every week—from unopened junk mail, old bills and unneeded receipts to work-related reports, financial statements and spreadsheets. Now envision how easy it would be for a thief to sift through your garbage can or dumpster and come away with vulnerable personal information, valuable account numbers, and credit card offers they could complete in your name.

This is a big reason why close to 60 million Americans have suffered identity theft, per a 2018 Harris Poll survey, and why 14.4 million victims were tallied last year alone according to Javelin Strategy & Research. Those numbers would undoubtedly be diminished if we all consistently used a paper shredder to destroy these and other sensitive documents.

Learn how to choose the right shredder for your needs in my newest article freshly published in The Costco Connection magazine, available here.