Barefoot Investor
Time to give something back
IN CHARITY circles it's well known that doorknockers will do better in poorer suburbs than in posh ones.
All hail King Warren
WHEN financial markets hit the skids everyone's got an opinion – one they're usually trying to sell you.
Time to give something back
AS A nation we are among the wealthiest in the world – and we have an obligation to help the globe's less-fortunate people, writes Barefoot Investor Scott Pape.
The art of borrowing sensibly
TO THE hard-working mums and dads who have children at ABC Learning Centres, I know from doing brekkie radio this week that many of you are worried.
Get tough, Wayne
TREASURER Wayne Swan made a limp-wristed attempt this week of reining in the banks' billion-dollar bounty by making it easier to switch banks, and investigating exit fees on mortgages. It was like flogging the fee-masters with a feather.
Try a debt-free diet
THE Ab-Blaster is gathering dust, and my resolution to make it a "dry January" lasted till the first day of the second Test. But I can bank on making the most of my money.
Against all odds
IT TOOK just 38 small steps from my seat on the plane to being robbed by a glittering one-armed bandit.
Poor get the blame
AS bankers take home six-figure bonuses, low-income earners struggle with ninja loans – no income, no job, no assets. Struggling governments facing re-election, like the US, then offer to save the day
The 'i' in investment
THE iPod changed the way we consume music, and (along with the help of file-sharing websites) turned the industry on its head, writes Scott Pape.
Cowboy roundup
The rise of easy money and lenders who turned a blind eye to an applicant's shortfalls have played their part in the current global crisis, writes Scott Pape.
No room for error
THE housing boom is a double-edged sword, hurting those trying to get a foot in the door as well as those grappling with a monster mortgage, writes Scott Pape
Nightmare homes
AS housing becomes even less affordable with the latest interest rate rise, beware of the as-seen-on-TV 'home loan heroes' and their loan wrapping.
The dollar demographic
CASHED-up, relaxed baby boomers are spending the kids' inheritance with glee - and the economy's shrewd players are happy to take their money.
Try a reality check
I simply can't relate to the latest batch of top-rating television shows, writes Scott Pape.
More fool's gold
AS a nation, Australians are not doing too badly as investors - collectively, we've got well over $2 trillion in financial assets.
What's the Secret?
THIS week I spoke to a bloke from the outer suburbs of Melbourne named David Schirmer. Twelve years ago he didn't have a cracker to his name.
An amazing deal
LAST week we shone a spotlight on just how voracious loan sharks can be. I focused on their leech-like loans - such as borrowing $750 and being stuck with a further $855 fee and a 45.5 per cent interest rate.
Hit-and-miss learning
BEING an investment adviser is a tough gig, given that clients place a lot of trust in your judgments.
A game plan is vital
You could have the best coach in the world, but unless you understand and apply the fundamentals, you'll never become a champion.
Finance, the new black
THIS week Stella McCartney stirred a stampede of shoppers to line up (on a Sunday morning no less) to sample her signature range of clothing. I wasn't there.
Of dinner and debt
I AM famous for my Monday night pasta extravaganza. No really. I've honed my craft since I was a struggling student -- so much so that I once had a former housemate knock at my door one random Monday evening knowing that (a) I am a man of routine and pasta would be served, and (b) it would be good.
Keeping mum in funds
LAST Sunday morning I attended a family get-together. My mother told me how smart she's been by investing in a two-bedroom property.
Cheque your knowledge
IT'S enough to give Baby John Burgess a severe dose of green room envy; his year's television line-up seems to be all about game shows.
Spinning a line on your resume
YOUR life story might look good on paper, but don't include it on a resume, says Barefoot Investor Scott Pape. Sack the lies and jargon and include only what's relevant.
Saving the housing dream
TABLOID TV shows have a standard story they trot out when interest rates rise: head out to the 'burbs and film some battlers living on struggle street.
Who dares loses
GOOD evening ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Fogey awards for 2007, the third annual ceremony that celebrates the characters who have added spice to the often all-too-serious business of investing.
Deceived by the dream
FOR sub-prime mortgage holders - many of them poor and black - the American Dream of home ownership is about to be snatched away once more.
New world order here
I WAS recently a panel member at a conference of hoteliers discussing how to attract young people into pubs (no, really!).
Banking on apathy
REAL competition is not enough to force big banks to change when they can rely on the apathy of their customers, The Barefoot Investor writes.
Lending the cyber way
Smart entrepreneurs are making the most of millions of eyeballs watching Myspace and Facebook, developing money-making applications that integrate into these sites. Social lending in one innovation, writes Scott Pape
The university challenge
NOT all university graduates land their dream job straight away but everyone can exercise sound financial management skills from their first payday.
Diamonds in the rough
MUCH like a courtship, investing can be an emotional rollercoaster which can often end in tears, and it takes courage to pick up the pieces.
Perils in easy cash
WEDDINGS are wonderful things - even better when you're not signing on the bottom line (either at the altar, or at the bar later in the evening).
Mind leads the blind
YES, finally I've done it. I have decided to short-sell my soul and jump on the New (W)Age movement.
Feuding foolishness
I RECKON Carlton captain Lance Whitnall and his brother Shane should go on Family Feud and sort out their differences - God knows Bert needs the ratings.
It all returns to lenders
THE Barefoot Investor has excess emotional baggage, commitment issues and is generally regarded as unreliable around the house.
Stick with bumper cars
LAST Sunday I received a telephone call that no one wants to get. Miss Barefoot had been in a car accident.
Get a job, not beer
A DECADE ago, almost to the day, I stood in the middle of Melbourne's Bourke Street Mall guzzling a longneck beer around nine o'clock in the morning.
Research to avoid rip-offs
MY better half, Miss Barefoot, is regularly the bridesmaid but never the bride - something that hasn't gone unnoticed by both our families.
Finance feats feted
THE hotly contested Fogies are back - with the financial industry's biggest names putting their best foot forward.
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Last updated: March 15, 2008 01:17am