"... On Sep 12, 9:21 am, Ash <[email protected]> wrote: ..."
> We've noticed the seasonal overstock drying up and average pricing for > construction goods going up rapidly for years now. These are but two results of the changing world. The recession has caused manufacturers, distributors and retailers to sell out their inventory. That's what they've been living on for the past couple of years and why business profits are high. This also accounts for a lot of the unemployment. Since business has been living off it's fat, it's been able to lay off a lot of workers. But as you pointed out, overstock is drying up, putting the demand on raw materials and production to begin again. But it's not. Banks aren't loaning operating capital and people aren't spending like they used to. As for construction goods going up, that's due primarily to China's explosive growth and demand for all things construction. Add to that the other nations that are experiencing near double digit growth (India, Brazil and Russia plus a few others) and the enormous demand has driven construction materials through the roof. Copper, used for most electrical wiring, is more than $7,000 a ton. I can remember when it was under $100 a ton. > My fiancee's family > lost 60% of their retirement investments over three years (morgan > stanley and a few others), I think the largest dip was around 2006. My > father in law keeps saying the markets are shuffling things around to > hide inflation, but when you actually get into buying the numbers become > clear. I hope they're weathering it well. I know quite a few people that took a bath when their ERAs, 401ks, annuities and retirement funds went down the tubes. A number of them are suing their brokers for those losses ... they "either knew or should have known the market was that much over-inflated." > I imagine many nonprofits are hurting badly, as fewer of the > larger donors don't want to lock in their loss. I think it is only the ones supported mostly by government funding and public donations that are hurting. Most of the 2% have their own well- funded philanthropic trusts and funds. > There's also freecycle, we've had good experience with them. I'll stay > away from Red Cross since they use funds for political purposes, and > Salvation Army thinks their crap is priceless at the local depot. Red Cross is very political which takes away a lot from the good work they do, and I've got a special place in my heart for Sally Ann. They provided me a halfway house as a transition place from my incarceration back to the streets. Also introduced me to therapy for the first time > I think Craig's list would be attractive to unethical buying/selling, > but it is acceptable to exchange at a neutral location rather than have > someone at your house. Which I understand, where I grew up crack heads > would sell appliances (mostly stereo equip.) door to door and scout your > house in the process. I think more of that stuff is going on eBay and Amazon than door-to- door anymore. Amazon tries pretty hard to keep stolen and copied merchandise off their digital shelves, but eBay doesn't try to hard: They make the same money whether it's a ripoff or hot merchandise. Nowadays crooks use garage and yard sales to case your house for a burglary. I've seen some suspicious types at yard sales and have alerted the police but they're not interested until someone actually commits a crime. > We also go to a lot of yard/garage sales, which > has saved a HUGE amount of money on kids clothes and toys (rapid > expiration). When we're done with things we can afford to just give it > away or resell super cheap. Yard sales only seem worth it in middle to > middle-upper class neighborhoods, same thing with shopping stores. Me too. If you've enough patience you can get anything you want at a yard sale. Yes, the upper classes have some good deals but I've also found some really good stuff at the lower ends of town too, especially if they're elderly. I stay away from yard sales that advertise any childrens' stuff. They're too young a family to have accrued anything of value. > Regarding taxes, my fiancee's family has a nice piece > of land at a good location, it holds a lot of potential to keep the > family together and equipment to do just about anything but the reality > is the taxes might be more than my yearly income. Given the huge drop in land values in the last three years, try petitioning the Assessors office to re-value your land. Some people here have done it and had their taxes reduced by up to 40%. The local government doesn't like to lose that tax revenue and it'll bite your ass in infrastructure and maintenance losses but they can't deny it. If they do you can take them to court. They can't keep charging you taxes on an assessed value that no longer exists. > Estate planning is a > f'ing nightmare! They keep raising taxes whenever possible, getting them > lowered is like pulling teeth and the market probably won't reach the > taxed rates for another 10-30 years if ever. Estate planning is just another word for tax avoidance. It's legal but tricky and you either need a good attorney or spend the time yourself at a law library to read up on all the tricks and machinations.
