The Housing Crisis, explained by NPR

Many of you may have read my own little commentary on the housing crisis, addressed from the lowest - and most impactful - level: that of the consumer.

I subscribe to, among many things, This American Life, a podcast that gives you episodes of NPR's outstanding program of the same name. I've been a little behind on recent episodes, and today I listened to one from May 9. It may sound boring to a lot of you, but it's the best one-hour summary I have EVER heard on an economic topic. The episode breaks down - in striking and scary detail - exactly how this crisis occurred. I believe this should be a required lecture for all business students - scratch that - ALL students.

While I still believe that the burden comes down to the borrower in assessing whether or not they can afford a mortgage, I learned a lot from it - specifically, why sub-prime loans were suddenly approved in the early to mid-2000's.

Spend an hour listening to it and you'll think of your finances a lot differently.

Check it out here.

61,000 miles worth of adventure.

A big milestone for me today: My car is now officially mine.

I never had a car loan until I got this car, and quite honestly, I got talked OUT of paying it off. I don't have credit cards, I don't borrow money, and I hate loans. Quite honestly, I feel like my granddaddy did about money: If you can finance it, you can't afford it.

That being said, my 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo is for sale. I'm getting something and paying for it in cash, actually downsizing in cars. Probably another Jeep Wrangler.

It feels like the passing of an era. When I bought this car, I was leaving Atlanta to move to Boston. I was positive I was going to marry my now-ex-boyfriend, I had short hair, and I was getting ready to get a job in sales. Fast forward 45 payments, I'm living in Philly, getting ready to move to Lynchburg, have long hair and am working in art.

Go figure.