[Full-timer]

Originally Posted by Rainger99

Inflation is still high - it was 8.5% in July and it was 8.3% in August.

I saw one article that said if you exclude food and gas, inflation was "only" 6.3%. However, I don't know why you would exclude two items that are necessary to survive. Maybe you could exclude entertainment or travel - which are more discretionary spending than food and gas.

Wrong. Inflation NEVER includes fuel and food. Look it up for crying out loud.
Shut off what you are listening to.

[Caymus]

Originally Posted by Full-timer

Wrong. Inflation NEVER includes fuel and food. Look it up for crying out loud.
Shut off what you are listening to.

Depends on the inflation indicator. Most people refer to the CPI which includes food and energy. Core inflation does not include those components.

[CoachKandSportsguy]

Originally Posted by melpetezrinski

An investment must generate revenue and can't have expenses? So, a technology ETF that generally doesn't pay dividends and has an expense ratio is NOT an investment? I can certainly understand the "house is not an investment" perspective but I've always considered my primary homes as investments. If I need to conform to your definition, I view capital appreciation as the revenue and I would be paying MORE of those expenses if I rented.

standard finance definition. . . many article written about it

The truth? Your house is not an investment | MoneyUnder30
Why Your Home Is Not An Investment | by Adam Del Duca | Making of a Millionaire
Your house is not an investment | David Moon
A Wharton Professor Explains Why a Home Isn't an Investment
Your Home is not an Investment, Sorry
https://jonluskin.com/your-home-is-not-an-investment/

should i keep going?

but you can do whatever you want to do, you can think whatever you want to think, there is no thought police here. but if you want to think financially correct, you might want to think a bit differently. Do i care how you think about your house? not in the least. I couldn't care less.

finance guy

[Rainger99]

Originally Posted by Full-timer

Wrong. Inflation NEVER includes fuel and food. Look it up for crying out loud.
Shut off what you are listening to.

What does The Villages use to calculate the increase in amenity fees?

[manaboutown]

Originally Posted by CoachKandSportsguy

Just remember that your house is NOT an investment. there is no revenue generated by it and there are only expenses associated with it. a car is also not an investment, just future junk. And in the villages, houses can come close to future junk with no wills/trusts, etc

It depends. Cars: When I was in high school and college I bought and sold maybe 20 cars. I always made a profit. I started with a 1939 Chevy business coupe I bought in 1957 for $35. When I graduated college in 1964 I owned a 1956 Jaguar XK140 roadster and a 1957 Cadillac Fleetwood. I sold the Jag at a huge profit and drove the Cadillac all over the country for a while. Wish I had never sold that Jag...

Houses: I bought my first house for about $28,000 in Alexandria, VA in 1967, sold it six months later netting $33,000. I put as little as possible down and was leveraged to the hilt but houses were appreciating at that time. I have never taken a hit on a house and I have moved a lot so have owned many. My last Newport Beach house cost me $650K in 1994 and is now worth $3.5M. I lived in it until I moved here a few years ago. Rather than sell it and get killed by $1.2 M in income taxes (CA taxes LTCGs as regular income, top rate 13.3%) I rent it out at $7,500/mo.

As far as houses costing a person to own, we all have to live somewhere! Rent is usually paid out of after tax dollars and renting a nice home can be expensive if you can find one in a good area. Plus the landlord can raise the rent, sell the house or even kick you out and move back in. I would rather own.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by golfing eagles

59.6 cents/minute/week? Probably a bit overpriced for that nonsense

You can always make us an offer. Or we can uncle Guido make you an offer you cannot refuse.

[Rainger99]

Originally Posted by manaboutown

(CA taxes LTCGs as regular income, top rate 13.3%)

WOW!!! Why does anyone stay in California???

[melpetezrinski]

Originally Posted by CoachKandSportsguy

standard finance definition. . . many article written about it

The truth? Your house is not an investment | MoneyUnder30
Why Your Home Is Not An Investment | by Adam Del Duca | Making of a Millionaire
Your house is not an investment | David Moon
A Wharton Professor Explains Why a Home Isn't an Investment
Your Home is not an Investment, Sorry
https://jonluskin.com/your-home-is-not-an-investment/

should i keep going?

but you can do whatever you want to do, you can think whatever you want to think, there is no thought police here. but if you want to think financially correct, you might want to think a bit differently. Do i care how you think about your house? not in the least. I couldn't care less.

finance guy

Here is quote from your first link, "can only be an investment if you sell them for a profit." Uh, who doesn't sell a home for a profit?
2nd link - " aren’t appreciating enough on average to beat inflation" LMAO. Have you seen home prices the last 3 years. They have appreciated 10x over inflation
3rd link - Every investment does not need to be the "centerpiece of your retirement plan", it can simply be a part of a well diversified basket of assets. I also don't rely on "housing inflation to provide for {my} financial independence."
4th link- "If what you're spending each month on housing jumps when you move from renting to owning, that's not necessarily a wise financial move just because you're getting equity." This author must not live in The Villages. Costs to carry a modest home are approximately $12,000-$16,000. Costs to rent a modest home are $18,000-$22,000. Seems like an easy financial decision.
5th link - "An investment is something you buy with money expecting it to produce more money than it cost" So, last 3 years, my home has appreciated $145,000 and carrying costs were $41,000. Sounds like an outstanding INVESTMENT. $104,000 gain!
6th link - "Yet, when calculating the investment return on your personal residence, you very likely lost money after including the ongoing costs of homeownership." This guy definitely doesn't live in TV or skipped his math classes.

"should I keep going"? Uh, yes if you want to prove your point.
"but if you want to think financially correct, you might want to think a bit differently" No thanks, I'm good.

[joelfmi]

If inflation would lessen our countries domestic policies would have to change and reflect that their domestic policies are not helping our economy and are only making it worse.

[Ksfirefighter]

Originally Posted by Rainger99

Inflation is still high - it was 8.5% in July and it was 8.3% in August.

I saw one article that said if you exclude food and gas, inflation was "only" 6.3%. However, I don't know why you would exclude two items that are necessary to survive. Maybe you could exclude entertainment or travel - which are more discretionary spending than food and gas.

There is an old saying

Figures don’t lie but Liars can figure!

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by Mjsscotto

Why not just keep excluding items ( that make up inflation) and then pretty soon there will be no inflation. A good government trick

Good point

[OhioBuckeye]

Well I think we all know why without anybody giving any hints!

[Rainger99]

I just saw that the threatened Amtrak strike has been resolved.

The new contract provides rail employees a 24 percent wage increase during the five-year period from 2020 through 2024, including an immediate payout on average of $11,000 upon ratification.”

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by Rainger99

I just saw that the threatened Amtrak strike has been resolved.

The new contract provides rail employees a 24 percent wage increase during the five-year period from 2020 through 2024, including an immediate payout on average of $11,000 upon ratification.”

Well, THAT won't contribute to inflation

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by Rainger99

I just saw that the threatened Amtrak strike has been resolved.

The new contract provides rail employees a 24 percent wage increase during the five-year period from 2020 through 2024, including an immediate payout on average of $11,000 upon ratification.”

Wow talk about giving away the store