...with the home market improving I've been long expecting the fed to start letting the interest rates rise after being at near zero for the past five years. These low rates were great for homeowners (my first mortgage in the mid 80s was 10.25% and I felt I got a great deal...then 8.25 in the 90s and now at 3.35...not much different than what my folks paid on their mortgage in the 50s). I hope that any rise is slight...but I know better...

The low interest rates are hurting those whose incomes are in bonds and with the market still hovering around all time highs, the big money is look for a place to stash their gains and aren't happy with the low interest rates on CDs. The pressure is now on to let those rates rise so gains can be consolidated before the stock market cools off again...

I transferred my limited "wealth" into a private pension last December. My adviser warned me to be prepared to take a beating once John Boehner and the GOP fucked up the economy. I actually now wish I had been more aggressive. Since then, I've made insane gains on my investments, but I locked myself in for a year (fearing the worst last December). But now I'm already near our five-year goal after just six months. Yet...I still rent. I don't ever want to "own" a mortgage again.

...a double-edged sword. You never really know what's in those funds and put your trust in those who claim they do. You just hope your "smart guys in the room" are actually watching over your account or just moving stuff around to collect fees. Right now things are up so everyone's happy, but I'm always suspicious of how they react when the market is flat or going down. I saw too many people who were "aggressive" prior to 2008 get wiped out. I'm definitely conservative when it comes to these things...if it looks too good to be true, it usually isn't. The lure of going for big gains when the market is as "hot" as it has been is big and there's always a Madoff lurking to suck people in.

Stay informed...there's lots of sharks in the waters...

Cheers...

It's spread wide, with not too much in any one place. A very good mix consisting of a little bit of everything, from real estate to precious metals to stocks and bonds. The company is small, but not too small. So far, so good!

They're hovering around 1.25% right now.

I knocked 262.5 basis points off my old mortgage. It appears that I was close to the bottom of the market.