Every Friday afternoon I share some of the more interesting or
notable posts that I have seen in the personal finance blogs and other
sources for the past week
MyMoneyBlog shares a 529 College Savings Plans: State-by-State Tax Benefit Comparison
PlanetMoney has some interesting plots covering the 70's to today showing Who Studies What? Men, Women And College Majors I've looked at similar topics here and here.
Oops. sorry, I forgot to make it spooky.
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October 31, 2014
A very Spooky Best of Blog posts for October 31st
October 30, 2014
Estimating Rental Investment Returns per Major Metropolitain Areas
The kind of return you can get from a rental property varies a lot based on the local real estate market. I figured I could use average rents and median home values to give a crude estimate of the approximate rental returns for a given area. This isn't precise though since the median home will have different characteristics than the average rental. The home is likely to be larger and have more amenities, etc than a average rental. But for my purposes of giving a rough gauge of the returns for a rental market, I think it is good enough.
To give a single data point on how the table below might compare to actual property values and rents I decided to look at Vegas. I pulled up Zillow and searched for houses in Las Vegas from $100-$125k and found a house for $105k with 3 bed/3bath. Zillow estimates the rent would be $1020. I then checked Craigslist and searched for 3 bed rentals under $1200 and found a couple houses with 3 beds for $1000 and $1100. These figures compare to the median home values of $124k and average rent of $957 in the table. Also of course what I'm looking at on Zillow and Craigslist is in 2014 versus the data below in the tables being from 2011.
The table below lists the median home values in $1000, monthly rental costs and then the return rate calculated based on simply 12 months of rent / median house costs. All the figures below are from 2011 as thats the latest I found all the data available.
| Metro | Home | Rent | Return |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA | 98.6 | 914 | 11.1% |
| Austin-Round Rock, TX | 193.1 | 930 | 5.8% |
| Baltimore-Towson, MD | 230.0 | 1073 | 5.6% |
| Birmingham-Hoover, AL | 139.8 | 753 | 6.5% |
| Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH | 346.2 | 1163 | 4.0% |
| Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY | 119.2 | 682 | 6.9% |
| Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC | 148.9 | 820 | 6.6% |
| Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL | 176.5 | 928 | 6.3% |
| Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN | 122.3 | 711 | 7.0% |
| Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH | 105.1 | 712 | 8.1% |
| Columbus, OH | 123.9 | 776 | 7.5% |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 148.9 | 863 | 7.0% |
| Denver-Aurora, CO | 231.4 | 920 | 4.8% |
| Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI | 53.8 | 805 | 18.0% |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | 227.6 | 962 | 5.1% |
| Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land, TX | 155.7 | 849 | 6.5% |
| Indianapolis, IN | 123.9 | 764 | 7.4% |
| Jacksonville, FL | 123.6 | 940 | 9.1% |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | 133.2 | 798 | 7.2% |
| Las Vegas-Paradise, NV | 124.7 | 957 | 9.2% |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA | 307.7 | 1214 | 4.7% |
| Louisville, KY-IN | 130.4 | 696 | 6.4% |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 112.3 | 805 | 8.6% |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach, FL | 181.1 | 1078 | 7.1% |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI | 185.2 | 785 | 5.1% |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 154.7 | 858 | 6.7% |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro, TN | 151.9 | 800 | 6.3% |
| New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA | 153.0 | 886 | 6.9% |
| New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA | 378.7 | 1187 | 3.8% |
| Oklahoma City, OK | 141.6 | 731 | 6.2% |
| Orlando, FL | 124.9 | 970 | 9.3% |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 210.1 | 957 | 5.5% |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ | 115.5 | 893 | 9.3% |
| Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA | 219.5 | 906 | 5.0% |
| Providence-New Bedford-Fall River, RI-MA | 217.2 | 849 | 4.7% |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | 185.2 | 828 | 5.4% |
| Richmond, VA | 187.1 | 925 | 5.9% |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 172.3 | 1076 | 7.5% |
| Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Roseville, CA | 166.1 | 1004 | 7.3% |
| Saint Louis, MO-IL | 121.8 | 776 | 7.6% |
| Salt Lake City, UT | 182.2 | 859 | 5.7% |
| San Antonio, TX | 152.5 | 907 | 7.1% |
| San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA | 370.3 | 1237 | 4.0% |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 483.4 | 1345 | 3.3% |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 570.0 | 1460 | 3.1% |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 285.0 | 1037 | 4.4% |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 127.8 | 906 | 8.5% |
| Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC | 182.9 | 1053 | 6.9% |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 325.4 | 1391 | 5.1% |
The markets with the 10 best returns :
| Metro | Home | Rent | Return |
| Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI | 53.8 | 805 | 18.0% |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA | 98.6 | 914 | 11.1% |
| Orlando, FL | 124.9 | 970 | 9.3% |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ | 115.5 | 893 | 9.3% |
| Las Vegas-Paradise, NV | 124.7 | 957 | 9.2% |
| Jacksonville, FL | 123.6 | 940 | 9.1% |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 112.3 | 805 | 8.6% |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 127.8 | 906 | 8.5% |
| Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH | 105.1 | 712 | 8.1% |
| Saint Louis, MO-IL | 121.8 | 776 | 7.6% |
And the 10 worst:
| Metro | Home | Rent | Return |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 570.0 | 1460 | 3.1% |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 483.4 | 1345 | 3.3% |
| New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA | 378.7 | 1187 | 3.8% |
| San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA | 370.3 | 1237 | 4.0% |
| Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH | 346.2 | 1163 | 4.0% |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 285.0 | 1037 | 4.4% |
| Providence-New Bedford-Fall River, RI-MA | 217.2 | 849 | 4.7% |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA | 307.7 | 1214 | 4.7% |
| Denver-Aurora, CO | 231.4 | 920 | 4.8% |
| Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA | 219.5 | 906 | 5.0% |
I was going to add in the property tax rates and figure the return after accounting for average property taxes. However I can't account for the impact of homestead exemptions so that would make that calculation kind of worthless.
This does not account for the expenses which vary as well.
Sources of information :
Rent rates from the Census
Median home prices from the Realtor association
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October 28, 2014
List of Merchants for 5-20% Cashback Bonus at Shop Discover - October 2014
I previously posted a List of Merchants for 5-20% Cashback Bonus at Shop Discover early in this year, but the list has changed a little with merchants being added or removed. This list is current as of October 24th:
5% cash back
| 7 For All Mankind | Kohl's.com |
| A Pea In The Pod | Lancome |
| Abt.com | Lands' End |
| Ace Hardware | LeapFrog |
| AdvanceAutoParts | Lenovo |
| Aeropostale | Levi's |
| Ann Taylor | LivingSocial |
| Apple Store | LLBean |
| Athleta | LOFT |
| Atlantis and More Bahamas Resorts | Lord & Taylor |
| Avalon Waterways | Lumber Liquidators |
| Avon | Luxury Link |
| Backcountry.com | Macy's |
| Banana Republic | Madewell |
| Bass Pro Shops | Marriott |
| Beauty.com | Mattel |
| Bed Bath & Beyond | Microsoft Store |
| Best Buy | MooseJaw |
| Beyond the Rack | Motherhood |
| Bloomingdale's | Neiman Marcus |
| Bluefly | Neiman Marcus Last Call |
| Bobbi Brown | New York & Company |
| buybuy Baby | Nordstrom |
| Carnival Cruises | Norwegian Cruise Line |
| Carson's | Oceania |
| CB2 | Office Depot |
| Celebrity Cruises | OfficeMax |
| Chadwick's | Old Navy |
| Chefs Catalog | Omaha Steaks |
| Chico's | Orbitz |
| Clinique | Origins |
| Coach | Overstock.com |
| Cost Plus World Market | Palace Resorts |
| Crate&Barrel | Panasonic |
| Darphin | Paper Source |
| Dell Consumer | PCRush.com |
| Dell Small Business | Perry Ellis |
| Destination Maternity | Piperlime |
| Dillard's | Princess Cruises |
| Dockers | QVC |
| Dollar Rent A Car | Rakuten Shopping.com |
| Drugstore.com | Ralph Lauren |
| Eastbay | Regent |
| Enterprise | Royal Caribbean |
| Estee Lauder | Saks Off 5th |
| Expedia | Samsung |
| Express | Sears |
| Fairmont | Sephora |
| Forever 21 | Smashbox |
| GameStop | Sony |
| GAP | Sports Authority |
| Globus | Staples |
| Godiva | Starbucks |
| Gordons | Tauck |
| Groupon | The Body Shop |
| Guess | The Children’s Place |
| Guitar Center | The Container Store |
| Hammacher Schlemmer | The Land of Nod |
| Hanes | The Limited |
| Hanna Andersson | Things Remembered |
| Harbor Freight Tools | Thrifty.com |
| Hard Rock Resorts | TigerDirect.com |
| Harry & David | Timberland |
| Holland America | Tory Burch |
| Home Decorator's | Toshiba |
| homedepot.com | Travelocity |
| Hotels.com | Tumi |
| Hotwire | UGG |
| HP Home | Ulta |
| HSN | Universal Studios Resort |
| J.Crew | Vera Bradley |
| J.Crew Factory | Viking River Cruises |
| J.Jill | Vistaprint |
| jcpenney | Walgreens |
| Jos. A. Bank | Walmart |
| Kiehl's | White House Black Market |
| Kmart | Zales |
10% cash back
| 1800CONTACTS | Lobster Gram |
| AllPosters.com | Lucky Brand Jeans |
| Art.com | MLB.com |
| Blair.com | OnlineShoes |
| Brookstone | petco.com |
| Columbia | PUMA |
| Fandango | RedEnvelope |
| Finish Line | Rosetta Stone |
| Foot Locker | SaksFifthAvenue |
| Gaiam | Shari’s Berries |
| GNC Live Well | Sharper Image |
| Golfsmith | Shoes.com |
| GourmetGiftBaskets.com | The North Face |
| Jewelry.com | Under Armour |
| Lids |
15% cash back
| 1-800-Baskets |
| 1800Flowers.com |
| Bliss |
| Fannie May Candies |
| FTD |
| OvernightPrints |
| Restaurant.com |
| Teleflora |
| The Popcorn Factory |
| TurboTax |
| Vision Direct |
| Wine Enthusiast |
20% cash back
| H&R Block |
| Magazines.com |
| ProFlowers |
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October 26, 2014
Average Real Cost of Gas Spent Per Mile 1994 to 2010
Gas has gone up a lot in the past 10 years. But at the same time cars have become more efficient and due to general inflation costs have gone up in general. If adjusting for inflation then what is the trend in spending on gasoline per mile driven given these 3 variables? Well glad you asked, here's a chart :
The figures are in 2010 real dollars.
And in table format :
| real gas /mile | |
| 1994 | $ 0.056 |
| 1995 | $ 0.058 |
| 1996 | $ 0.061 |
| 1997 | $ 0.059 |
| 1998 | $ 0.050 |
| 1999 | $ 0.054 |
| 2000 | $ 0.068 |
| 2001 | $ 0.062 |
| 2002 | $ 0.058 |
| 2003 | $ 0.064 |
| 2004 | $ 0.074 |
| 2005 | $ 0.085 |
| 2006 | $ 0.094 |
| 2007 | $ 0.096 |
| 2008 | $ 0.106 |
| 2009 | $ 0.073 |
| 2010 | $ 0.084 |
I got the data from :
Average auto fuel economy in MPG from the DoT Bureau of Transportation Statistics Table 4-23: Average Fuel Efficiency of U.S. Light Duty Vehicle
Average gasoline prices from the EIA
Inflation data is from the CPI report Table 24
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