Discount Shopping at What Cost

Most people have shopped in a dollar store.  They are very prevalent and often in places that lack other types of businesses.  Even though these stores appear to serve needs for those with little access to retail, a veil of crime and violence hangs over many of the locations in urban areas. With low cost operating plans, these stores may staff only two employees at a time and lack hired security.

The True Cost of Dollar Stores

Owning a Piece of The Dream?

home-that-didnt-sellGrow up, get married, own land…

That’s been the American dream for ages.  Owning a home or piece of property has always been viewed as a sign of wealth and as a good investment.  What if that is no longer true?  Robert J. Shiller for the Economic View section of the New York Times brings this idea to light in his article, Why Land and Homes Actually Tend to Be Disappointing Investments.  Shiller points to many causes but one of the most intriguing is the decrease for demand of urban land, specifically home plots; with the development of micro-housing.  A current trend that is changing the way many live in “downtown” areas.  Where this movement will be in ten or even twenty years still remains to be seen, but if it goes the way Shiller predicts, the need for rural land will be so low that farmland may be converted back into wildlife preserves.