Tag Archives: American Dream

Debt ceiling bill signed: U.S. will not default

Free Paid Rubber Stamp illustration and picture

America will be able to pay its bills.

The House of Representatives and Senate voted to pass the bill and President Biden signed it into law today.

Contract GIFs | Tenor

The market has been on a tear once the debt-ceiling bill passed.

The Dow went up 700 points on Friday and Google is up, way up!

As of 30 May, GOOGL stock price was up almost 40% year-to-date. That is great news for investors in the stock. GOOGL opened 2020 at $67.42 on 2 January 2020 and would close at $86.81 on 31 December, a 28% rise.

In its Q4 2021 earnings report, Alphabet announced its decision of a 20-for-1 stock split by way of a one-time special dividend on each share of the company’s Class A, Class B and Class C stock. Stockholders recorded in the company’s books at the close of business on 1 July 2022 received 19 additional shares of the same class of stock that they already held by the close of 15 July 2022.

Keep in mind that GOOGL was trading at $2,200 a share just before the split. The stock closed at $2,255.34 on 15 July 2022 and opened at a split-adjusted price of $112.64 on 18 July.

The reason they proposed the 20-for-1 was to make shares more accessible. If you invested $10,000 in Google’s IPO is more than $300,000!

Although, that much exposure to one stock can be pretty risky as anything over 10% of your portfolio can result in more losses than an investor would like.

That would mean you would need to have a $3 million-dollar portfolio to have this type of exposure to one stock. You may likely want to diversity in index funds such as the VTSAX or VFIAX to keep things more level.

My suggestion is now that we have averted a financial meltdown is to go and buy some stock. The upside can be tremendous if the market continues its upward trajectory.

The easiest method to increase your stock holdings and limit the risk is to invest in a total stock market fund like the VTSAX. It has a market cap of over $1 trillion.

For those investors that could not afford to buy GOOGL or Amazon at their peak price of over $2,000, this is your moment.

Both AMZN and GOOGL are poised to go higher with more people online than ever.

What makes GOOGL special is their powerful search engine. GOOGL handles over 90% of all search queries worldwide, Google is dominating the global search engine market share.

There are 8 billion people on the planet. An estimated 37 per cent of the world’s population – or 2.9 billion people – have still never, ever used the Internet. Therefore, GOOGL has no where to go but up. Get a ticket to this ride as fast as you can.

Personally, I feel the stock is undervalued.

Maybe that is why the company board of directors just approved a $70 billion-dollar buyback in April of this year. What that spells for investors…Cha Ching!

GOOGL also owns YouTube, which just closed on an NFL Sunday ticket access deal worth $2.5 billion. They are making money hand over fist.

Their balance sheet is so healthy because they are flush with cash and so little debt. Alphabet had $12.9 billion in debt in December 2022; about the same as the year before. However, it does have $113.8billion in cash offsetting this, leading to net cash of $100.9 billion.

That is why they can afford a $70 billion dollar stock buyback. Typically, when this occurs the stock price goes up in value due to less shares being available.

Your girl has got in on this by buying shares throughout the last year. Even with a modest stock split in the future, I would own thousands of shares.

At that point, I would likely diversify some this into index funds to limit my exposure to losses in case the market does a swan dive.

As of 30 May, according to Coin Price Forecast, Alphabet price could hit $155 by the end of 2023 and then might reach $163 by the end of 2024. Analysts estimate it could rise to $219 within the year of 2025, and was anticipated to reach $252 in 2026, $302 in 2029 and $362 in 2033.

GOOGL is minting millionaires.

GOOGL can help facilitate the American Dream.

Instead of hoop dreams or being a movie star or Rockstar, you can be a financial Rockstar. You can be a stockstar!

Therefore, if you have champagne wishes and caviar dreams, then this is the place to be.

Rent Wars

For Rent, Sign, Rental, Signboard

Happy New Year all you Greenbacks Magnets out there!

Hope the New Year is putting more money in your pocket than last year.

Let 2020, the year of perfect vision, be the year you see things more clearly and become more fiscally fit.

However, it was not long before news articles began to make me painfully aware of how income inequality affects our everyday lives.

Recently I read a frightening statistic.

The average American cannot afford to buy a home in 71% of the country. Average earners can’t buy property in 344 of 486 counties in America.

That just breaks my heart that so many people are locked out of the “American Dream.” I bought a home after the 2008-2009 financial crisis. There were homes popping up on discount all over the country. Now we are back up to gargantuan home prices again!

That means America is becoming a land of renters.

If necessary, you may have to do some geoarbitrage to afford to put a roof over your head without going broke paying rent.

What is geoarbitrage?

Geoarbitrage is an interesting concept, often closely related to the definition of lifestyle design.

Geography is location.

Arbitrage is different in that it is all about economics. In economics and finance, arbitrage is the practice of taking advantage of a price difference between two or more markets: striking a combination of matching deals that capitalize upon the imbalance, the profit being the difference between the market prices at which the unit is traded.

The two terms combined are a powerful combination.

They kind of remind me of Captain Planet.

For those of you who do not know or remember what that is, I will give you a short synopsis on Captain Planet: A cartoon about a group of kids that teach communities the importance of family (heart), recycling, and caring for the planet earth in all its splendor and recognizing its importance through its elements (earth, fire, wind, water). On the show when they combined their powers Captain Planet would be created and save the world from pollution.

Geoarbitrage combines the power of finances and location to optimize the two for extending the life of your money. It basically means relocating in order to take advantage of the lower costs of a city/country. There are different ways you can go about this.

However, the goal is to pay less than you can afford no matter where you decide to live. This way it ensures you are not spending more than you make.

Median home prices are $257,000 across the country. You would need to make $67,650 to afford to buy at that price point, but the median salary is around $57,000.

a screenshot of a cell phone
Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Renting isn’t much better. Come on San Francisco, $3,500 for rent is a mortgage payment!

Image result for average rent in the us"

Therefore, living in expensive places like Sydney, New York, Los Angeles, Singapore, London, Paris, Hong Kong, Osaka or Vancouver can break the housing budget big time.

expansive cities

We are about to go around the world today on the blog.

So watch out cause Greenbacks Magnet is going international! Let’s go!

First up, we are going to look at what it costs to be in the land Down Under: Australia.

You know the place. The place that gave us Crocodile Dundee and created one of the hands down most quoted scenes in movie history. “That’s not a knife. That’s a knife.”

According to realestate.com.au a one bedroom executive apartment is going for over $800,000!

187 Kent Street, Sydney, NSW 2000
$825,000 – $865,000
187 Kent Street, Sydney
1 Bed 1 Bath
Apartment

It’s mighty expensive to live in the land known for koalas, kangaroos, the outback and its sandy beaches.

When I did a search for homes that were for a maximum price of $500,000 or less, the website turned up no results! I got this message. We couldn’t find anything that quite matches your search. Son of a beach!

Now let’s do like Pauly Shore in the movie Encino Man and keep on cruising. Next stop, New York.

Manhattan is the prime real estate in the Empire State.

According to Zillow, this home on Central Park West is going for $1,250,000. That is with a price reduction! The estimated mortgage payment is $7,461; annually that would cost $89,532 USD.

Photos of 420 Central Park W # 5/6C, New York, NY 10025
$1,250,000
3 bd2 ba
1,100 sqft
Price cut: $145K (10/24)420 Central Park W # 5/6C, New York, NY 10025
For sale Zestimate®: $1,222,319
Est. payment: $7,461/mo Get pre-qualified

That’s after-tax dollars folks. The concrete jungle is just as pricey as the outback! Check out these prices in Manhattan. Can of coffee: $6.14 Average rent: $3,783 Price of a home: $1.36 million T-bone steak: $12.78 Trip to the beauty parlor: $68 Dozen eggs: $2.89 Notice home prices are over five times the median home price of $257,000! Wow!

Next stop, Hollywood. We are now in Los Angeles California. Known for its year-round warm weather and beaches, it’s the place where many movie stars call home.

According to Zillow, if you want the standard two bed, two bath home, then prepare to open up your checkbook. Couldn’t find too many homes with decent square footage that were less than about half a million. This home was over $600,000!

Property
$669,9003 bd3 ba1,340 sqft
3901 Walton Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90037
For saleZestimate®: $661,657
Est. payment:
$3,106/mo
Get pre-qualified

And that is small potatoes to many others I saw.

No wonder people are renting more and rents are skyrocketing. It’s a landlord’s market! There is no cap on rent so it just keeps on going up.

Rent is averaging 1% to 3% increases annually. That is keeping pace with inflation and the cost of living.

Buying a home may be what many people want to put down roots, but renting often is more affordable.

Renters are at war with their checkbook.

Trying to balance budgets on shoestring wages. Can’t afford to buy, can’t afford to rent. Catch-22 as housing a necessity!

Now we are crossing the Atlantic. Hold onto your wallets. I mean buckle up. Next stop, Singapore.

The crown goes to Singapore, as it is the most expensive city in the world. Properties were going for $50,000,000 on Sotheby’s! That’s right $50 million. So this place for $578,000 should be considered a bargain!

Even Realtor.com International knows that space is a premium in Singapore. Check out the first line in the description. Size is not everything but it certainly plays a crucial part in this new development from Sim Lian. Well said and well played to get these places sold. Size is indeed not everything.

Tampines St 11 , , District 18
USD $578,522 
SGD $781,000
Apartment
  2 Bed
  1 Bath
  581.00 sq ft

Next stop, London!

Now that Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan Markle and stepping away from royal duties to become *ahem* financially independent, I wonder if their UK estate, Frogmore Cottage, can go on the market as it recently underwent a $4.1 million renovation. It would be a shame to spend all that money and just let the house languish and sit unoccupied. But what do I know. Those are matters of the Crown and HRH Queen of England.

https://twitter.com/KarenCivil/status/1214985226155249664

Looking at homes in the London area of the UK, it seemed the ones with the most space started around $800,000 and went up into the millions!

Here is the home description: New to the market a stunning 4 bedroom semi detached family home. This property has been extended and modernised to a high specification. 29 ft main reception / leading to garden and 2 further reception rooms. Spacious modern kitchen and large utility. 4 double bedrooms all with en-suites and dressing room to master. South facing garden and of street parking for several cars.

Street parking for a home worth $1.27 million! Can I at least get a designated parking spot?!

USD $1,274,017 
GBP £975,000
London
4 Bed 4 Bath

Now we are going to take a trip to one of the fashion capitals of the world. Paris!

Yet again, I went with my standard 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom criteria and look what I found.

For this historic 199th century apartment, it will cost you USD $1,104,398 or EUR €995,000. Um, non, merci (no thank you).

paris, Île-de-France, Address available on request

Next stop, Hong Kong. If you are looking for a place in Hong Kong, China, it will cost you. A 300 sqft. home could cost you $900,000. Some people’s work cubicles or offices are bigger than this!

According to Christie’s international real estate, there are 556 Luxury Homes for Sale in Hong Kong. Place like park Rise, Bel Air on the Peak and Repulse Bay Road cost around $3,000,000.

Some of the pictures of the homes are magnificent, but out of range for average homebuyers.

Other for Sale at Park Rise Midlevels Central, Hong Kong
Hong Kong

Next up, Osaka. If you want to be where the action, expensive real estate, and big paychecks are in Japan, look no further than Osaka and Tokyo.

I found a beautiful apartment located in walking distance near a subway: Kitahama Station (1 min. walk) Osaka Municipal Subway Sakaisuji that cost ¥146,000,000 or $1,332,980 USD.

Osaka, Japan

I’m starting to see a pattern here across the globe of home prices in major cities costing on average $1,000,000.

And last but certainly not least, Vancouver BC.

According to the Vancouver Courier, Vancouver was ranked the most expensive Canadian city in the annual Mercer Cost of Living survey. Vancouver has the highest cost of living in Canada for expats.

According to Remax, This newly listed home located at 502 1571 W 57Th Avenue Vancouver, BC, will set you back $848,000. It is a 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom and only has 748 sqft. Can’t even get a 1,000 sqft of living space without spending $1 million. Canada is super expensive.

Vancouver, Canada
Estimated Mortgage Payment: $3846.78/mo 
1 bed|1 bath|748 sqft|condo
Date Listed: Thu, Jan 09, 2020
Property Tax: $1,930 (2019)

Our neighbors to the north charges a premium to set up shop in this town.

I prefer to invest my money in stocks and let that money grow large enough to pay for my living expenses.

Build your wealth first, and then buy luxury. Get paid. Invest in stocks like the S&P 500 index or VTSAX. Rinse and repeat. Do this until you earn enough in dividends and interest to pay for your lifestyle.

Then you can quit the rat race sooner rather than later.

From debt-free to owing $1 million in mortgage debt

“Don’t tell me where your priorities are. Show me where you spend your money and I’ll tell you what they are.” —James W. Frick

It seems like only in America can a family go from debt-free to being $1 million dollars in debt in a decade.

And yes, you read that right. A couple got into $1 million of debt in 10 years!

As unbelievable as that sounds, it is very possible. If you don’t believe me then see my post called Meet an orthodontist with $1 million in student loan debt.

Although, student loans are a different financial beast, mortgage debt can be just as damaging to a family’s finances because, like student loans, bankruptcy does not absolve you from the debt. You still owe the money.

I read this article in the Washington Post several years ago entitled, “Swamped by an underwater home.”  The Boatengs had no debt in 1997 and by 2006 owed over $951,000. By 2013, their debt had gone up to $1,011,176.

When this article was published in 2015, the Boatengs had not made a mortgage payment in 6 years. It took them 10 years to go from $0 in debt to $1 million in debt. This is crippling debt. Most families in the United States will not come anywhere near this amount of debt in a lifetime, but this couple did in less than a decade. Here is their story.

HOW TO GO FROM DEBT FREE TO OWING $1M IN 10 YEARS

Comfort and Kofi Boateng won a visa lottery to come to America from Ghana in 1997. Their odyssey would not take them to where they truly wanted to be like Homer’s, but just the opposite. Instead of the American Dream they would be ensnared in an American Nightmare.

In the Ghandian culture, people pay cash for their assets including their homes. In Ghana, Comfort graduated with a degree in computer science at the University of Science and Technology in Kumasi and his wife, Kofi, received an associate’s degree.

The couple married in 1989, he was 30 and she was 26.

Wanting more opportunities, they applied online for a lottery administered by the State Department to receive a U.S. permanent resident card. If this was football, this would be considered a Hail Mary.

The reason for this is that the odds of getting chosen were slim. Per federal data, less than 5 percent of the 1 million immigrants granted permanent residency enter the United States through the lottery. But, this family beat those odds.

In July 1997, Comfort was on his way to American in a plane headed for Maryland.

On May 5, 2000, they bought their first home, a three-bedroom townhouse for $128,900 in Germantown, MD. This was after renting for several years and taking 2 of those 3 years to save for a down payment.

Even though his wife admitted she didn’t know anything about loans and houses, she was now a homeowner.

For me, this is a red flag. If you do not know about loans or homes, then why buy a home with a loan? This is a double whammy. At this point, I would urge anyone to learn about these things before doing anything else.

FROM $128,900 IN MORTGAGE DEBT TO $223,900 IN FOUR YEARS

In 2003, the Boatengs become American citizens. Comfort’s mother gets a green card to come live with them and this eliminates $300 in weekly child-care costs as they now have three children.

The Boatengs refinance their Germantown home several times to pay for home improvements and consolidate other debt. They cash out $95,000. They now owe $223,900 in mortgage debt.

Ultimately, with 6 people now living in the home, they decide they need a bigger house.

The townhouse, thanks to the booming housing market before the 2008-2009 stock market crash, their home is now worth $355,000 within only 3 years.

FROM $223,900 IN MORTGAGE DEBT TO $838,583 IN 1 YEAR

The Boatengs decided to move to from Germantown to Bowie, which is in Prince George’s county Maryland.

A home is found in a subdivision with manicured lawns, European cars, and intercom systems in a place called: Fairwood.

The neighborhood has a lot that Comfort likes because it reminds him of his dormitory back in Ghana.

At this point, he is already emotionally attached, which is a major no-no when it comes to money.

The family decides to build a house for over $600,000!

They think it will be a good investment. Their thinking was it is likely to go up in value like their Germantown home and could use the equity (more cash outs) to pay for the kid’s college educations.

I now have to call a time out! Flag on the play. I am shocked that this couple did not see the RED FLAGS here! How are you going to afford this? His wife is working as a secretary making $30,000 and he as an IT specialist making $80,000-$100,000.

They do not have the money to pay for this. This is the part in game where they are supposed to forfeit.

Alas, they continue to roll the dice with their finances. Little do they know the house is about to win.

Their real estate agent assures them it is affordable, if the refinance (yet again) the mortgage on the Germantown house — which they were going to keep (this just makes no sense, now they are going to be landlords!!!) — and cashing out the $60,000 in equity. That money will be the down payment for the Fairwood house.

Bad, bad, bad idea. They are now taking advice from a realtor.

Let me tell you something. This person is not their financial advisor, CPA, attorney, business manager, or anything. He owes this family nothing. They have signed no documents to act as a fiduciary. They are not working is this family’s best interest.

Think of it like this. A baker likes to bake. If you ask the baker, if you should buy a cake, the answer is going to be yes. A barber likes to cut. Same rules apply, if you ask a barber, if you need a haircut.

However, I digress. Let’s get back to the story.

The Boatengs receive a loan from Lehman Brothers.

I’ll offer you a little background on the Lehman Brothers. It was founded in 1850. This bank was the fourth-largest in America and was not only one of the biggest subprime mortgage lenders (that helped cause the 2008-2009 housing crash), but also became the biggest bankruptcy in American history with $600 billion in debt. It had been in business for 158 years.

Due to their income, they could only qualify for an interest-only, adjustable rate mortgage. This is the worst type of loan there is. Do not ever take out an interest-only loan.

He has a great credit score of 748, which is how they got they loan. However, credit scores only mean you are great at managing debt. Nothing more. It does not necessarily mean you have any wealth.

For the first five years, they only make interest payments, then afterwards they would be required to pay more. How much more? Nobody knows. That is why these loans are so dangerous.

The Boatengs borrow $493,600 from Lehman Brothers, at an initial loan rate of 6.1 percent. In five years, it would reset to at least 8.3 percent. Their payments go from $3,662 up to $4,336. Thinking they would be able to refinance in the future to get a better rate. This day would not come.

He would then lose his job while the home was being built.

This is the part of the story where I am like. It’s all over. The house of cards has come crashing down. The jig is up. No more easy credit access. The bill has come due. There is no free lunch. It’s over.

And what happens next?

They admit to being emotionally attached, do not tell the lender of his job loss, decide not to walk away from the $20,000 deposit and not back out of the deal.

The Boatengs get a second loan to complete the financing through their broker’s company, a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage of $61,700 at 8.5 percent. The couple paid $29,000 in closing costs and put down a total of $73,000 in cash at the closing. They move in on November 25, 2005.

They now owe $838,583. Comfort has no job or any income and the couple are drowning in debt.

FROM $838,583 IN MORTGAGE DEBT TO $951,176 OF DEBT IN LESS THAN 1 YEAR

The couple is tapped out. They have no money to furnish the home. The first payment is due on January 1, 2006.

The payment on both homes (they still own the one in Germantown) is $5,550 a month!

Shut the front door! No, I mean literally. Shut the door to that place and give the keys back to the bank. Sell it and walk away. From both properties, in my opinion. You owe the bank everything you have.

The tenant in Germantown couldn’t pay. The housing market crashed, now being underwater, they couldn’t sell.

What did they decide to do? Take out more debt. Kofi started selling Mary Kay and took out $15,000 in personal loans with Bank of America. Then another $20,00 for her Mary Kay business with a 15 percent interest rate over 10 years. She didn’t see the risk because she thought she could earn $7,000 a month with Mary Kay.

Hold the phone. What happened to being cash heavy when starting businesses? Or starting them with your savings. Businesses need capital. Why not start small and see if a business works out? Then expand. She is putting the carriage before the horse here. There is no guarantee of making $7,000!

The Boatengs now owe $951,176.

FROM $951,176 TO $1,011,176 OF DEBT IN 6 YEARS

They decide to consolidate again. Howvever, consolidation only works when you pay off what you owe.

The couple took out a $620,000 refinancing loan from Countrywide Home Loans. It was again an interest-only subprime loan, carrying a 6.29 percent interest rate and adjusting in two years (even sooner this time) instead of five. Their payment on the Fairwood house would rise to about $5,230 by November 2008. That is $62,760 a year, after tax income!

They were unable to pay the $5,000 monthly payment and tried to modify their mortgage, but were able to get relief. They owed to much to qualify for HAMP. Ain’t that a kick in the head.

The Boatengs made their last Fairwood mortgage payment on Sept. 18, 2008. They are now in default and can be foreclosed on at any time. This means not only losing their home, but any money they put into it.

By November 2011, their payments were set to go up to $6,000. The bank valued the house at $378,216. That is $238,839 less than what they paid.

During this time, his wife went back to school in 2003 and graduated in 2009. She owed $90,000 in student loan debt. She lost her job and unemployment ran out after eight months.

Comfort was mostly unemployed or not working full-time from 2005-2010.

In 2014, the family was notified by Nationstar Mortgage, their new lender, that late payments dating back from 2008 were due now: $318,611.97.

Comfort’s mother passed away in 2014 and he was still looking for full-time work.

He became so frustrated he thought: Why stay in America? Why not just go back to his country and find a job there?

Like me, their housing counselor noticed that their downfall began with the idea of buying a second home for more than $600,000!

The couple owed $$ 1,011,176.

That was 2014.

FROM $1,011,176 TO $1,371, 813 OF DEBT 

By 2015, they owed $257,776 on the Germantown house, $969,037 owed on the Fairwood house, $55,000 in personal loans and still have the student loan debt (which is not dischargeable in bankruptcy). The couple who had never owned a credit card before moving to the United States now owe more than $1.3 million.

They currently earn about $100,000 a year.

It does not take a rocket scientist to know that they do not make enough to pay off these debts. They owe more than 10 times their gross income (what they make). And more than 19 times their net income (what they take home).

The interest on that type of debt is mind numbing. We are talking more than $50,000 a year in interest alone. That debt is likely to balloon to $2 million in another a decade. This will be during their golden years. They are building no wealth.

The reasoning for taking on so much debt was that the couple stated they saw that was how everything was done in America. You had to borrow to get ahead. Everything involved debt.

I want anyone out here reading this to take this away from this cautionary tale: Stay away from debt.

Don’t borrow more than you could ever afford to repay.

Do not borrow one million dollars, if you do not have $10 million in the bank.

You should have 10 times more in the bank than you owe, not owe 10 times more than you make.

That way if the bill comes due, you can pay it off in full.

At this point, borrowing money is strategic and not the only option.

Matter of fact, just pay of all your debt ASAP and owe no one a penny. NOT ONE RED CENT!

American homes are now $1,100 per month storage units

American homes are becoming expensive storage units.

A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body. – Benjamin Franklin

According to Zillow, the median home price in the United States is $200,000 across the country.

According to CNBC, in other cities across America, the price of a home is even higher.

That’s not too bad.

However, considering that the median income is $50,000 buying a home can be tough.

That would mean to purchase a home, based on the median price, you would have to spend up to four times the average median income!

Um. Hold up. I do not want to be house rich, cash poor. So, I suggest that people wait to buy until you can afford a decent down payment.

Lately, I have heard a lot of stories from friends, colleagues, and acquaintances about their desire to purchase a home.

I am all for it. I want what they want. It’s the American Dream after all, isn’t it?

Not according to some.

There are quite a few financial experts and self-made millionaires that feel a home is a liability and not an asset.

Unfortunately, in many ways a home is a liability. Unless it gives you money, its taking it from you.

Let’s examine this further shall we.

HOME OR STORAGE UNIT

Times have changed.

I remember when one parent would work and the other would stay home and take care of home. One working parent was able to put food on the table and provide for a family of four or five.

You could come home after working your nine-to-five and enjoy spending time with your family. You could eat dinner together and just enjoy relaxing in your home.

There were less cars on the road as many families in the 1950’s had only one car. There were not four licensed drivers and three cars.

Then in the 1980’s we went to two cars. And families were still able to put food on the table and take a yearly vacation.

If you want to have some additional confirmation and perspective on how times have changed, watch the scene in the film Back to the Future where Marty (played by Michael J. Fox) from 1985 says we have two televisions and listen for the responses from his family from 1955.

That’s right. One home, one car, one television. Simple, right. The good old days.

Well, those days are long gone for most folks.

It now takes most families having two incomes. And that is just to make ends meet. Many Americans are now living check to check.

It is not uncommon today to have two working parents.

Not only that, but to have one parent working multiple jobs.

For some people, it has gotten so bad that they are practically (or literally for some folks in Silicon Valley) living in their cars.

People go out, earn the money, and then spend upwards of 50% of take home pay on housing.

And that is after taxes (net not gross).

With housing prices in cities going for $500,000 or more, most of your paycheck is gone.

And yes, homes are going for half a million in various parts of the country. That is fact, not fiction.

According to Zillow, the median list price in Washington, DC is $568,600.

According to CNBC, in other cities across America, the price of a home is even higher.

Now working adults have to move further away from their jobs to find affordable housing. As to earn a decent salary usually means longer commutes, when you work in the city.

I live in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area. It is not unusual for someone to regularly have a one-hour commute.

The DC area has the second-longest average commute with an average travel time of 46 minutes or just under 25 minutes per one-way commute.

Let’s do a little math.

You start your day at 5 am. Get to work by 8 am. Put in the customary 8 hours. Travel back home and get there by 6 pm. Eat dinner, hug the kids, watch the evening news, and get ready for bed at 9 pm. Get the standard 8 hours and then do it all over again until Friday at 5 pm.

If you calculate through all that time, you will see you only spent about 5 + 8 = 13 hours at home and eight of them while you were asleep!

Oh, and don’t forget the weekend trips to the wine bars, parties, and regular outings or errands. Yep, again that is all time spent away from home.

You are not really utilizing and enjoying this home you are working so hard for. It has become a pit stop on the way to the work, the grocery store, the dry cleaners, soccer practice, and the trips to the Caribbean.

Basically, your home is storing your stuff.

You are either gone, going away from home or asleep most of the time your there.

Mighty expensive digs to be fronting as your own personal hotel, if you ask me.

Now let’s look at the cost of buying and furnishing a home.

BUYING THE AMERICAN DREAM

Not so long ago, families bought starter homes with hopes of trading up later when finances permitted to get their dream home.

Now, I hear more folks buying the dream home as the starter home.

So, instead of buying a condo or townhouse, people are getting 5-bedroom single family homes as the forever home.

Well, guess what? Dreams costs…. A lot.

Not only are homebuyers ponying up bigger down payments and closing costs for this mini Mansion, but also have to furnish it.

Trips to Ikea and Pottery Barn are being replaced with expensive interior designers and Havertys.

Not to mention, the costly window treatments ($500 per window), replacing new carpets with newer carpets, custom chef’s kitchen, fancy gas range, custom back splash, French doors, custom king bed, home office with Vizio or MacBook laptop, and the pool furniture.

And don’t forget buying a state of the art sound system for the man cave.

After going through every room, you spend enough dough to put one kid through college furnishing your new home.

Let’s add it up.

Home purchase price: $400,000 (approved for this amount)

Living Room Furniture: $10,000

Dining Room Furniture: $5,000

Bed Room Furniture: $8,000

Man Cave: $3,000

Kitchen remodel: $9,000

Office Furniture: $3,000

And you budgeted $240,000 for the home and $15,000 for the furnishings. With a total of $255,000.

However, what was spend was this: $438,000

That’s a difference of $183,000!

You could buy another house for that amount. You could then keep one and rent out the other. Merely a suggestion.

STORAGE UNITS FOR $1,100 PER MONTH

You read that right.

That comes out to $13,200 per year.

You’re essentially paying the bank thousands of dollars annually for you to literally have a place to store your hat box.

If you invest money in the stock market over 30 years and get a 7% return, you could have over $600,000 squirreled away!

Forget what lenders say you can afford. Do what you know you can afford.

Don’t be led astray from your budget. Stick to it. This will help you prosper and thrive instead of just survive.

Moral of the story: Don’t let your dreams be bigger than your wallet.