World of Finances

The Prop 8 hearing for the case known as Perry v. Schwarzenegger is expected to have numerous experts give courtroom testimony on things such as the nature of homosexuality and the history of marriage. This marks the first time a trial for gay marriage rights will have such courtroom testimony.

The move to actually involve testimony has convinced both sides that it will make their case more compelling. Los Angeles Times quotes Proposition 8 campaign attorney Andy Pugno as saying, “Actually putting witnesses on the stand has never been done before in any lawsuit claiming a right to same-sex marriage. So this is a very out-of-the-ordinary approach.”

It is this out of the ordinary approach that has not only Prop 8 supporters revved up, but also Prop 8 challengers. Prop 8 challengers view the testimony as a way to record the challenges that gay Americans face in their fight for civil rights.

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Alaskans run up big credit card bills and pay them off fast. People in Michigan keep up their on auto loans even when all else is going to hell. Nevada debtors — and, increasingly, the rest of the country — will let the mortgage slide before skimping on a credit card bill.

No two people pay their bills the same way, of course, but it’s likely that your neighbors face many of the same economic and social pressures as you do. That results in distinct patterns reflecting local shopping habits, regional employers, even how often people move.

Those patterns show distinctly in data gathered by TransUnion, one of the three major U.S. credit-reporting companies, on loan delinquencies in the third quarter of 2009. The numbers draw a picture of Americans trying cunning new bill-paying strategies, ditching old wisdom and money taboos as they struggle to stay afloat and decide which accounts to pay first.

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Here’s the next installment of my series on New Year’s Resolutions that can be done today, and not put off for “some day” in the future. We all know how that usually turns out…

Last year was definitely a roller coaster year when it came to the stock market, and you may have taken the “just don’t open the scary statements” solution. Well, it’s time to take a peek and see where you stand. I won’t pretend that recent performance has been great, but if you made regular contributions throughout, you may be surprised to see your portfolio balance higher than it was in 2007. (Maybe.)

Asset allocation is how your investments are split between different asset classes. The most generic examples are stocks and bonds, but you can also divide them further into categories like large companies vs. small companies, international vs. domestic stocks, or different safety grades of bonds.

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When we get bored or stressed, some of us tend to head for the stores to look for something to do. Maybe we want a new book, a new CD, or a new movie. Maybe we want new clothes so we can jazz up our wardrobe. Maybe a new board or video game will do the trick. This quest for new stuff might alleviate the boredom or the stress for a while, but it can get expensive and lead to a lot of clutter in your house. The next time you feel the urge for something new, try going shopping in your own home, first.

What do I mean by shopping in your own home? Many of us (except the most disciplined of people) buy things that we never get around to using. We buy books and forget about them or don’t have time to read them. We buy CD’s and listen to that one great track and never listen to the rest. We buy movies and never get around to watching them. We buy board and video games but then never get around to playing them. We buy clothes, shoes, and housewares that we see on sale and then we put them away to be used when other stuff wears out.

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