The Retired Investor: Real Estate Agents Face Bleak FutureBy Bill Schmick,
04:49PM / Thursday, April 25, 2024 | |
It has been a month since the National Association of Realtors (NAR) was forced to scrap a system of broker fees that has been in place for a generation. A federal court still must approve the change in June or July, but if it does, it could alter the way Americans buy and sell homes for decades into the future.
The change was precipitated by a series of class action lawsuits from home sellers that accused Realtors and the Realtors Association of keeping agent compensation artificially high. In October 2023, a federal jury in Kansas City found the NAR and some of the largest brokers in the country guilty of colluding to inflate real estate commissions.
The 0 Comments
Read More >> |
The Retired Investor: The Appliance ScamBy Bill Schmick,
05:44PM / Thursday, April 18, 2024 | |
If you haven't noticed, the price of large appliances continues to climb. What's worse, in a year or two, many find that the costly smart refrigerator, oven, or washing machine in your kitchen is suddenly plagued with all kinds of problems. What happened to the concept of quality?
In the last two years, my wife and I have had to purchase a new refrigerator and washer. The guy who delivered them warned me that it was just a matter of time before the dryer went as well. None of these items were more than 10 years old. I credit Rachel Wolfe of The Wall Street Journal for explaining why.
There seem to be three factors behind the shorter life span of 0 Comments
Read More >> |
The Retired Investor: Immigration Battle Facts and FictionBy Bill Schmick,
04:30PM / Thursday, April 11, 2024 | |
Recently, several studies, combined with macroeconomic data in both the private and public sectors, have revealed that immigration has benefited the economy in recent years. In a politically charged election year, the facts are often ignored as hyperbole takes over.
In my last column, I reminded readers that demonizing migrants is nothing new in American history. In a country that is constantly looking for someone to blame for their troubles, immigrants stand the test of time. One prominent candidate has even claimed that migrants are "not people in my opinion."
In a recent Wall Street Journal national poll in late February, 20 percent of 0 Comments
Read More >> |
The Retired Investor: Immigrants Getting Bad Rap on the Economic FrontBy Bill Schmick,
04:26PM / Thursday, March 28, 2024 | |
Immigration has become a dirty word among Americans. Illegal aliens take the brunt of the nation's animosity, for sure, and are vilified for a long list of crimes that few question. I am one of the few who see a positive side to migrants.
Politicians on both sides of the aisles are competing to keep as many immigrants as possible from entering the country. Campaign speeches by many radicals warn that the situation has reached cataclysmic proportions. The media stokes these fires with shots of dark-skinned refugees fording rivers, shivering in lines surrounded by barbed wire, and headlining any crimes that involve an immigrant. This is nothing new.
The 0 Comments
Read More >> |
The Retired Investor: Eating Out Not What It Used to BeBy Bill Schmick,
04:50PM / Thursday, March 14, 2024 | |
Many Americans are getting a bad case of sticker shock when their check arrives at their favorite restaurants. Higher costs for labor, food, and a variety of other inputs are conspiring to make dining out a luxury item that fewer can afford.
Lest you think that these sky-high prices are confined to the white tablecloth crowd, guess again. I'm talking about everywhere. Prices in fast food chains, your neighborhood bar and grill, the home-style diner on the corner, and even your local Chinese takeout joint are jacking up prices.
By the beginning of this year, the costs of eating out rose more than 30 percent since 2019, according to the Labor Department. I 0 Comments
Read More >> |
|
|
MEMBER SIGN IN
