by Joan Byrnes for Home and Garden, Real Estate
A recent survey showed that more and more people are working remotely, according to the National Association of Realtors®. If you fall into this group, or are just looking to prepare your home for sale and want to make room for a home office, follow these tips:
Find the Right Spot
There’s a lot to consider when finding the right spot for your home office. Ideally, you want enough room for your desk, chair and at least one filing cabinet. You also want to be comfortable where you work, so a tight, cramped office won’t do. If possible, find a room with a closet to store supplies. Also, make sure to choose a location that is away from distractions. Avoid rooms near a TV or kitchen. Finally, remember to pick a room with enough electrical outlets and Internet access. When choosing the latter, go with wireless. The quick connection will save you time and frustration and you won’t have to worry about the extra cords.
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by Karl Schroeder for Finance
Gold has been much in the news these days. It has reached new price highs in dollar terms, which probably says more about the dollar than it does about gold. But we still see lots of people with a desire to hold gold. Why? First of all, gold is supposedly a store of value. During times of crisis, lots of folks almost automatically turn to gold for a piece of their savings. This has always fascinated and mystified us. (This is the whole tuna fish and shotgun shell argument. For those who have not heard that one, in the worst case scenario, which the gold bugs seemingly always think is right around the corner, gold will be valued no matter what. We argue that canned tuna will probably be more highly valued while shotgun shells, with the appropriate appliance to put them to good use, will be even more highly prized.) This is a kind of self-fulfilling prophesy. If enough people have the same knee-jerk reaction to buy gold, gold will go up regardless of the cause.
Okay, we’ll grant that so long as that knee-jerk reaction is dependable there is no sense in arguing with it. But, is there any real fundamental reason to own gold in portfolios? It is a dandy diversifier, like most commodities. It can work as an inflation hedge, like most commodities. So, why not just buy commodities?
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