Can anyone recommend a good intro book on econometrics or quant analysis? I can do differential, integral and vector calculus so I'd like something that goes into actual examples of "blah blah lets look at this graph and surmise what the stock should do" etc
I've got a housing buy-out question. I'm talking to some professionals about it as well, but I wanted to see what sort of feedback I'd get here. My buddy and I bought a place together in '07, and now it's time to move on, so I am buying him out. My question is that I'm not really sure how to calculate what a fair value is to buy him out. Unfortunately we don't have a current appraisal of the condo, which I'm sure is a factor. Like I said, I'm reaching out to a few different sources for info, and below is a copy and paste of an email I sent to the woman (family friend) who initially set up our loan: Jill, attached is a pdf file with all my current loan information. To give you a snapshot of it: Principle Balance - $237,780 Loan Amount - $249,000 Rate - 6.75% Scheduled Payment amounts - $1,776 [Redacted info concerning my income and monthly payments] Basically, (roommate) and I wrote and signed a letter to VHDA (Virginia Housing Development Authority) stating that I would assume the entire loan, and right now we are waiting to hear back from them. As far as I know, the only outstanding process is that they will need to verify/approve my ability to assume the loan. As soon as this gets finalized (roommate) is going to pay $700/mo in rent until June, at which point my girlfriend will pick-up the $700/mo rent. I was hoping to get any feedback or advice from you on how best to proceed with everything. Also, what is the best way to calculate a fair value buy-out price? That may be difficult without a current appraisal of the condo. (roommate) arbitrarily stated that he thinks $2,000 would be fair. I'm slightly emberassed to say with a financial education that I have no idea if this is a fair deal or not. Do we consider the equity we have in the place when coming up with that number? Like I said, I'm really not sure. Also, are there any institutions that we need to report the sale to? And this may be a long-shot, but will the buy-out in any way qualify me for a re-fi opportunity? Thanks for all the help.
Nevermind my post. I just got the tax value of the place, and there's no equity at all. Looks like I won't be paying him anything.
Just one comment. Have you tied to refinance that mortgage? That rate seems absurdly high. Maybe condo rates are different, but id you have good credit you should be able to do at least one percent better.
I'm looking to buy options on the VIX because I'm expecting volatility at some point this year and think it would be a good trade. The problem is that Scottrade doesn't allow purchases of options on the VIX because it expires on Wednesday as opposed to other options that expire on Friday. Is there any other way to play volatility besides the VIX?
You can play short-term volatility with VXX -- But tracking error is brutal. For a long-term call on volatility (>3 months) you'd have to buy options on the VIX directly, I do believe. I'm sure someone with better chops at options trading could devise a way to isolate volatility using the SPY ETF or something, but I'm not there yet. Can't you just transfer the money to a brokerage that will let you buy options directly on the VIX? Interactive Brokers is one that should be able to do it for you. If you're looking for something short term, you might take a flier on the VXX options, but don't hold them for too long.... You will lose money unless you get lucky.
Maybe. But you will need a shitload of them to buy a house in Melbourne (AU). http://www.smh.com.au/business/melbourne-housing-now-severely-unaffordable-20110123-1a17l.html
Anyone hurt by the recent volatility in commodities? How did you handle it (double up, exit, reversed position)? Curious as it has been the driver for a lot of people's portfolio this year (especially silver).
Does anyone have any lending experience with peer to peer loans with places like Prosper or Lending Club? I read this article which basically says the average return of 6% or more is bull shit, but there is still good money to be made if you condition (page 4) your loans on certain criteria. Unfortunately the article is a little outdated so I was wondering if anyone had recent experience. I'd probably only be looking to throw a grand or so on this so even if I lose it all that's ok, but I don't want to start a fight I'll probably lose.
Does anyone still read this thread? No? Well, here's a good read anyway, from our friends at the Economist: Debt and Politics in America and Europe: Turning Japanese
The debt ceiling debate is asinine. Uncle Sam is going to have to pay his bills, regardless of the GOP's pact. So while all the mouth breathers in Congress argue over who's to blame (aka who's up for reelection) the debt is increasing while discussing it increasing. Fuck all those assholes.
Without getting into the details, I would say that the ramifications of defaulting on those debts outweighs the pains in increasing the debt ceiling. Sure, it's a rock and a hard place debate, but a credit rating slip is one step down the Greek path. The funny thing is that this practice is, in all likelihood, about to become a jailable offence in Australia on consumer loans. It's almost arguable it is now. Lenders are not allowed to approve or refinance a loan that would place the borrower in a worse position than they're currently in, regardless of whether not doing so would ultimately lead to an even worse situation (ie, you have to let them hit rock bottom before you can move anywhere). It's too new to conclusively say that's correct, and it hasn't been tested. However, when the ramifications range from million dollar fines to banning orders (meaning loss of ability to trade completely) to jail - no one wants to be first to try it out. I find it very darkly ironic that what one of the greatest economies in the world has to do will get you raked over the coals in Australia.
What would be good message boards to be looking at for company specific news? Tech companies, specifically. Obviously already looking at Motley Fool, Yahoo, and a few others (Raging Bull, Silicon Investor). Thanks in advance.
Buying a house with 18 acres, of which there are two different mortgages- one for the land and one the house. It's a short sale, so I'll be buying it from the bank in leu of foreclosure. The former owners financed the land and house separately, with two different banks. We were fine with the mortgage payment, but soon found out the land owned mortgage was a ten year mortgage, raising our monthly payments by 50%. This bank focuses primarily on ag, so I'm not expecting them to change their terms. Financiers out there, what would be the best way to make this work? Wife wants me to take a LOC out from my bank to pay off the land, but I'm betting the APR will be horrendous. I'm thinking of buying the house while extending the contract on the land and then take out a home equity line to pay off the land.
For reference of anyone else who is reading this, on conventional loans (ie fannie mae and freddie mac) the maximum acreage they will lend on is 5 acres, that is why there is 2 loans, one for the home and a part of the acreage, the rest on the land. Land loans, back when they were doing them were commonly a 10 year payback, sometime interest only. Another option would be to buy it, way 1 year while making the payment on the home and the land, then do a cash out refinance to pay off the land and the existing loan on the home so you have 1 loan. It will still be 2 separate parcels which you should keep if you ever need to sell. The key to doing it that way is that you do not go over 80% loan to value because you would have monthly mortgage insurance, although it may be worth it even with MI you would have to look at the numbers. Since you are buying it out of foreclosure or in lieu of, I am assuming that it is worth more than you are paying for it. The reason you would not just by it and turn around and refinance it is because there is a lending guideline that says if you are doing a cash out within 6-12 months (varies and geographic locations and declining markets) the lender goes off of the purchase price or appraised value, which ever is lower. A home equity line would work but you may run into the same issue with getting an equity line on a home you just bought(present value vs purchase price), unless you are putting a huge chunk of money down. Another thing is no banks want to do equity lines right now, there are a few that do but they guidelines are pretty rigid. You may want to check with a credit union and see what their guidelines are for length of ownership, etc. Smaller banks tend to a little more consumer friendly with things like that. The APR on home equity lines of credit were based on prime rate + a margin usually .50 to 1%. If you are looking for a personal line of credit that is not tied to anything (ie equity in your home) your rates will be significantly higher, not sure how much you are talking about but it is not real common for a bank to extend a line of credit that has no collateral and if they did your payback would be 60 months which would make your payment higher. If you can wrap it all into one, that would be the best, you could have a 30 year fixed in the lower 4's. You should find a mortgage person you can meet with face to face and discuss this, not some used car salesman schmuck type, a real person who will explain your options to you and find a way to make it work.
Lender told us 10 acres was the max. Realtor and wife are certain they'll find a bank to agree to a single mortgage but I have my doubts.
My girlfriend is in a bit of a financial situation. I gave her some advice, which she didn't like, so I offered to pose her questions to someone who is much more qualified to answer her. Here are the basics: -bankruptcy about 5 years ago -significant back tax debt -high interest car loan -poor credit score She wants to borrow against her 403b to pay off part of her car loan. It should be enough to pay off about half of the existing loan, but not all of it. She will pay back her 403b over 5 years at around 5%. I'm concerned about possible tax implications, but I know next to nothing about tax code. Also, she's in her early 30's, and I'm wondering if borrowing against your retirement at this stage could have a large impact upon what the total amount would be at retirement age. I would really appreciate some input on this. She was about to just do it today without looking into the details at all. I'd be happy to go into specifics over PM. Thanks.