Quotes of the Day

Avoid big fish at the top of the marine food chain--tuna, swordfish, shark--because they're endangered, and because they often contain high levels of mercury. Fortunately, a few of the most nutritious wild fish species, including mackerel, sardines, and anchovies, are relatively well managed, and in some cases are even abundant. Those oily little fish are particularly good choices. [2011] - Michael Pollan

Investing your money in the stock market has historically generated about a 10 percent return in any seven-year period dating back to the 1930s. [2004] - Gary Keller

A slightly lower mortgage rate may come with restrictions like stiffer mortgage penalties, limited prepayment privileges and shorter closing times (some lenders offer a lower rate when your mortgage closes in 30 to 45 days). In some cases, it can actually make sense to choose a mortgage with a slightly higher rate (e.g., 0.10% to 0.20% higher than the lowest available rate). [2017] - Sean Cooper

Gather at least 6 (preferable a dozen or more) similar Airbnb listings and record weekday (Sundays to Thursdays) and weekend (Fridays and Saturdays) rates for 4, 8, and 12 weeks. Taking the average weekday and weekend rates for these similar listings gives you a good baseline pricing. During your ramping-up period (typically the first 2-4 months after an Airbnb listing goes live), start at 20% lower than your baseline pricing. Wait for 1 week and see if your listing is mostly booked 2 weeks out (aim for 80%+ occupancy). If not, drop pricing by another 10% every week until you're booked 4 weeks out. If more than 4 weeks are booked within the first week, then raise prices by 10% every week until you're fully booked for the next 4 weeks or until reaching baseline pricing. After you reach the baseline pricing, sign up for 3rd-party dynamic pricing software to monitor and adjust pricing going forward automatically. [2023] - Symon He

When bankers see a lot of inquiries on your file, they regard you as a credit seeker. And even worse, if there are no recent loans, mortgages or credit cards to match each inquiry, they'll assume you were declined for financing at another institution, and therefore you must be a bad credit risk. (Please note: Your own inquiries about your file at the credit bureau's office are not recorded on your file in most jurisdictions). [2009] - Don R. Campbell