Lotus-eater

Except the data and economists like Robert Shiller (who created the Case-Shiller Home Price Index) say otherwise. According to the article: "Housing experts said the fact that it’s cheaper to rent in all 50 metros in 2025 is a broader reflection of rental and housing market conditions across the country." It's cheaper to rent on average regardless of whether you're renting a studio or a house in those areas. And while you were paying off your mortgage, those of us who invested in stocks were earning a higher compounding rate of return: "Trish Regan: "People trap their savings in a home. They're running an opportunity cost of not having that money liquid to earn a better return in the market. Why do it?" Robert Shiller: "Absolutely! Housing traditionally is not viewed as a great investment. It takes maintenance, it depreciates, it goes out of style. All of those are problems." Shiller estimated the real return on housing between 1890-1990 to be 0-1%, which is why it's mostly a consumption good, not an investment (the returns have been higher since then but still below the stock market). And it's an especially bad investment if you take out a 50-year mortgage at a higher interest rate.

Not so boring: Villa de Verano in Photos ROBBREPORT.COM The 12.5-acre Silicon Valley estate, which includes a vast sports complex, was inspired by Italy's Lake Como. It's now priced at $88 million.

It's a common myth that the real estate agents like to promote that owning is better than renting because renters don't build equity. A renter who invests the equivalent of a down payment in the stock market (which yields higher returns than real estate over the long term) and invests the difference of paying less in rent than the cost of owning (which is currently the case in all 50 of the largest metro areas) can end up better off financially than someone who buys a house.

I wouldn't actually take 50 years to pay it off, but I can see using it as a temporary measure. The problem with these ever increasing loan terms on houses, cars, student loans, etc. is that people don't use them that way and end up paying a lot in interest, in which case renting or leasing could make better financial sense.

Speaking of Spain, go on a Jet2holiday to Mallorca and this daddy will hold your hand:

Aroeira Collections by Missoni in Photos ROBBREPORT.COM Missoni unveiled its first branded residences in Portugal on Lisbon’s south coast. Aroeira Collections offers houses, villas, and condos.

Grady (@gradyferrick) • Instagram reel WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM A man attempts to pass through a TSA security checkpoint with a mysterious item in his pants. The situation escalates into a hilarious exchange between the... Does this security officer have an ad on Rentmasseur?

I kinda like these plant daddies:

For those living Down Under: Belah House in Photos ROBBREPORT.COM Australian TV host and horticulturalist Jamie Durie built the tech-forward biophilic retreat near Sydney to be as luxe as it is sustainable.

+1. Leg strength and balance is critically important as you age to avoid or to survive a fall. Weight training strengthens muscles and especially bones. (I still hate leg days.)

Wendy’s quietly confirms 300 store closures next year NYPOST.COM The popular fast food chain aims to boost traffic and profitability at its remaining US restaurants.

Envy donning a nun's habit and sanctimoniously denouncing her lesser sister, greed, does not impress. Examining the data does. "The biggest problem with the pessimistic studies is that they rarely follow the same people to see how they do over time. Instead, they rely on a snapshot at two points in time. So for example, researchers look at the median income of the middle quintile in 1975 and compare that to the median income of the median quintile in 2014, say. When they find little or no change, they conclude that the average American is making no progress. But the people in the snapshots are not the same people. You can’t use two snapshots to conclude that only the rich have made progress. ...When you follow the same people over time, you get a very different story from the standard one. When you follow the same people over time, the largest gains over time often go to the poorest workers; the richest workers often make no progress." Brookings study:

I don't personally, but some people think that running trade deficits is a bad thing and that outsourcing should be discouraged.

Everyone needs such supplies to stock their emergency shelter.

So you're saying that outsourcing these tasks to outsiders is a good thing? You know that means you're running a trade deficit with everyone you buy these services from (assuming they don't buy anything directly from you).

Assumed facts not in evidence. People tend to conflate relative mobility and absolute mobility. Relative mobility is a zero-sum game, if you move from the first quintile to the second, that means someone else has dropped downward. Absolute mobility, by contrast, measures how your income compares with your parent’s income. E.g., assume your parents make $20,000 a year and you are in the bottom quintile. If you stay in the bottom quintile, but make $25,000 a year, you’ve experienced absolute mobility but no relative mobility. The largest decline in absolute mobility occurred between 1940 and 1964, so rather than blaming Reagan, you should be blaming Ike-JFK-LBJ: "On average, 92% of children born in 1940 grew up to earn more than their parents. In contrast, only 50% of children born in 1984 grew up to earn more than their parents. The downward trend in absolute mobility was especially sharp between the 1940 and 1964 cohorts. The decline paused for children born in the late 1960s and early 1970s, whose incomes at age 30 were measured in the midst of the economic boom of the late 1990s [i.e. early GenXers did relatively well]." As for the supposed decline in relative mobility, even that isn't clear: "I show that accounting for race and measurement error can double estimates of intergenerational persistence. Updated estimates imply that there is greater equality of opportunity today than in the past."

Split the difference: get a hybrid (or a plug-in hybrid if you want more electric.).🤪

133M views · 2M reactions | When the possum gets scared! | Evan Era WWW.FACEBOOK.COM When the possum gets scared!

There's a house on the market that would be perfect for hosting a gathering. It's a steal at only $11 million.

That comparison exaggerates the value of Nvidia. Its stock price represents the present value of all future profits but GDP represents just 1 year of the value of the goods and services produced. Dow 50,000 is in sight.

Chapter is another a Medicare plan advisor. Personally, I'm not a fan of witless government bureaucrats determining whether something is covered and cost-shifting to the for-profit insurers that people like to demonize.

1950s Box-Office Star William Holden’s Former Palm Springs Home Lists for $11 Million ROBBREPORT.COM Oscar-winning actor William Holden lived at this revamped midcentury-modern home in the Deepwell Estates neighborhood for over a decade.