Archive for September, 2008

Consider a Hybrid

Saturday, September 13th, 2008

The stratospheric prices of gas have really left many of us to consider gas mileage as a bigger factor when shopping for cars. In a city like Los Angeles, where one is essentially a non entity without a vehicle, gas prices can significantly affect your monthly budget by hundreds of dollars. For example, on a daily roundtrip commute of 30 miles, a Hummer H2 will drink $150 of gas a month (figuring gas costs roughly $2.50 per gallon). In contrast, the Toyota Prius, with it’s stellar 60/mpg fuel efficiency, will cost only $25 in commuting gas. Of course, there are the numerous environmental benefits of not driving a gas guzzler as well. Be prepared to wait for your vehicle however. The demand for hybrids has been so high that dealers put most customers seeking them on waiting lists. Here are some specs on several of this years most sought after hybrids.

2006 Toyota Prius Compact Sedan

MSRP: $21,725
City Mileage: 60 mpg
Hwy Mileage: 51 mpg

2006 Honda Civic Compact Sedan
MSRP: $14,560 - $23,350
City Mileage: 30-50 mpg
Hwy Mileage: 40-50 mpg

2006 Honda Accord Midsize Sedan
MSRP: $16,295 - $32,140
City Mileage: 21-29 mpg
Hwy Mileage: 30-37 mpg

2006 Ford Escape Hybrid Sport Utility
MSRP: $26,900 - $28,525
City Mileage: 33-36 mpg
Hwy Mileage: 29-31 mp

2006 Lexus RX 400h Hybrid Sport Utility

MSRP: $44,660 - $46,060
City Mileage: 31-33 mpg
Hwy Mileage: 27-28 mpg

ETF, Index Funds and Socially Responsible Investing

Thursday, September 11th, 2008

As a generality, you’ll find many different ways to go about investing. They include, but aren’t limited to ETF Funds, Index funds, stocks, and bonds. It may sound very basic, but it’s not. Within these investment types you will find thousands of different choices.

There will be sufficient amount to educate yourself on, each group having its own investment qualities. Joint-stock exchange can be large scary place for those they know few or anything about invest. It is successful, quantity of information which you to learn refers immediately to the type of depositor which you also 3 types of the depositors: those that take risks, those that seek safety, and those who are in-between.

Those that are worried about the market and are concerned about safety put their money in cash. They may choose savings accounts or CD’s. For the middle of the road investor they may choose ETF Funds, and Index Funds. These different fund types can even be purchased with Socially Responsible Investing in mind.

Those middle of the road investors may still seek safety at times, but may be more apt for higher risk investments within the markets. Ranging from small to large tolerance for risk. Socially Responsible Investing is also a common way for one to invest without the environmental impact.

For the more risk adverse investor, investing in the stock market involves larger levels of risks. This type of investor is more comfortable in these investments; primary stock based. They also tend to invest venture capital and speculative real estate. An example would be a speculative investor investing in a run down apartment complex. This would involve higher degrees of risk as repairs and unseen circumstances may be involved. This may or may not work out for the best. Depending on the above the rewards can be large or big losses can be involved.

As mentioned above, getting to know these separate investment issues is paramount. This will provide you with a comfort level that will meet your expectations. Understanding these simple facts can go a long way in providing peace of mind.