Home equity for the
MSN Money - Home equity for the holidays MSN Home Hotmail My MSN Sign In Money S earch MSN Money: Help Home News Banking Investing Planning Taxes My Money Portfolio Loans Insurance Banking Home My Accounts Bill Pay Mortgages/Loans Services Credit Reports Financial Tools Track your bills Resources Decision Centers Home Buying Guide Home Financing Your Credit Rating Financial Privacy Better Banking Credit Card Smarts Bankruptcy Guide Commentary Index Related Links Manage Debt More on Budgeting Print-friendly version Send this to a friend See where rates stand Calculate your debt burden here Find a home-equity loan Find books on home buying Find It! Article Index Finance Q&A Tools Index Site Map Recent articles by Bankrate.com: • Mortgage rates hit 18-month high , 11/2/2005 • Best deal? Go to the source , 10/27/2005 • When it pays to stay single , 10/24/2005 More... The Basics Home equity for the holidays advertisement Borrowing from a home-equity loan for holiday spending is tempting because of the lower rates and tax-deductible payments. But theres a huge risk involved. By Bankrate.com This season, many consumers will charge against the home for the holidays. They will use home-equity debt to pay for gifts and travel. Some will do it directly, paying for presents and airline tickets with charge cards tied to home-equity lines of credit. More will do it indirectly, by using equity to pay off credit-card balances that end up as bloated as a turkey-sated family. Home-equity debt traditionally has been spent on investments that bring some kind of return -- renovating houses, paying for college, starting small businesses. More recently, as consumers have become more clever about using debt, equity loans are seen as a cheaper, smarter way to consolidate debt and pay for such items as cars and furniture. But gifts and airline tickets to visit family? Believe it or not, bankers and consumer advocates agree that there are times when it's appropriate to pay for something so fleeting by charging it against the roof over your head. It's not exactly wise to go into debt to pay for presents, but if you're going to do it, you might as well do so as inexpensively as possible. Find a loan that's right for you at the Loan Center Debt for gifts "Don't let these things be excuses to be in debt. That's the issue," says Anthony Hsieh, president of Home Loan Center, an online lender based in Orange County, Calif. If you listen long enough to AM radio, you are likely to hear a holiday-themed sales pitch for these loans, which allow you to borrow money and use the accumulated equity in your home as collateral. Generally, it takes two to four weeks to get access to the money after you apply. Home-equity loans, also known as second mortgages, come in a lump sum. You repay them with equal monthly payments at a fixed rate for a specified period. Related news and commentary on MSN Money • Gift cards are not gifts • 15 worst holiday gift ideas • The fine art of holiday tipping: why, who and how much • The 13 worst holiday spending blunders • 12 rules for regifting without fear • 10 low-cost gifts from the heart Home equity lines of credit, or HELOCs, on the other hand, work like credit cards. Instead of getting a lump sum, you start out with a credit line and can draw up to the credit line's limit. During the first years of the account, the minimum monthly payment covers only the interest on the balance. The rate is variable and usually is tied to the prime rate. The tax deduction On both kinds of equity debt, the interest you pay is deductible from your federal income taxes in most cases. That's the key, Hsieh says. If you decide to take some time to pay off your holiday debt, why not do it with tax-deductible interest? "Is it irresponsible to dig into equity (to pay for gifts?)" Hsieh asks. "Yes. But if you're going to get into debt and you're disciplined enough to pay it off in a predetermined time, there is an advantage to using a HELOC because the interest is deductible." Rudy Cavazos of Money Management International , a national, nonprofit credit-counseling agency based in Houston, agrees that buying things with low-rate home equity debt "beats using that credit card" with higher rates and no tax-deduction. But he's not sure every consumer understands all the differences between regular credit cards and cards tied to HELOCs, including the biggie: "You're placing your home on the line as security, as collateral, for these funds." No walking away from equity debt Sure, the HELOC has a lower rate and the interest is tax-deductible. But the regular credit card is unsecured, meaning that the balance is not backed by collateral -- so the debt can be wiped clean in some bankruptcies. Not so with a card tied to a HELOC. If you buy your godson a Christmas gift with your HELOC, you are pledging your house as collateral. You can't walk away from the debt, even in bankruptcy. This important point might not be stressed at the time of the loan application. That's why Cavazos recommends that consumers get some kind of loan counseling before they take out home-equity loans or get HELOCs. Consumer credit counseling agencies, such as MMI, often hold workshops or do one-on-one education for people who get home loans of all kinds. Cavazos hears radio advertisements all the time that urge listeners to use home equity as a way to consolidate debt "or improve their lifestyle in some way. That's all good, but you have to remember to educate yourself before you enter into these types of financial tools." When it comes to gifts and holiday travel, the best financial tool is to stay away from debt in the first place. Instead, use the financial tool that can't be beat: a savings account. Editors' choice Don't get scammed by your mover Safeguard your Social Security number 5 ways to tap into the onshore drilling boom Your checkbook just became obsolete Turn $1 a day into $67,815 Readers' choice Ratings Top 5 Articles 9.30 Zombie debt collectors dig up your old mistakes 9.24 Keep thieves out of your bank account 9.22 Credit reports now free for entire U.S. 9.19 10 ways to avoid outrageous hospital overcharges 9.17 Tax breaks for Katrina victims -- and all of us View all top rated articles More Resources · E-mail us your comments on this article · Post on the Your Money message board · Get a daily dose of market news S earch MSN Money tips advertisement MSN Money's editorial goal is to provide a forum for personal finance and investment ideas. Our articles, columns, message board posts and other features should not be construed as investment advice, nor does their appearance imply an endorsement by Microsoft of any specific security or trading strategy. 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This magazine subscription is provided by Synapse Services, Inc. Customers who bought this magazine also bought: O, The Oprah Magazine [Magazine Subscription] Martha Stewart Living [Magazine Subscription] Cooking Light [Magazine Subscription] Lucky [Magazine Subscription] Explore Similar Items : 19 in Magazine Subscriptions , 20 in Books , and 18 in DVD What similar items do customers ultimately buy after viewing this item? 15% buy this item(Real Simple [Magazine Subscription] 13% buy Domino [Magazine Subscription] 7% buy Metropolitan Home [Magazine Subscription] 7% buy House Beautiful [Magazine Subscription] 2% buy Home [Magazine Subscription] Explore Similar Items : 9 in Magazine Subscriptions , 9 in Books , and 5 in Tools & Hardware Editorial Reviews From the Publisher Real Simple is the new magazine for the way you want to live today. You'll find actionable solutions to streamline the ways you manage your life. Systems for reducing clutter, saving time, and reducing stress. Inspiring ideas about home, food, money, clothes, health, work, family, and holidays. Spotlight Reviews (What's this?) Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers. 148 of 189 people found the following review helpful: You've got to be kidding. , February 6, 2003 Reviewer: Auliya "An Avid Reader" (Austin, TX USA)- See all my reviews Beautiful photography, but empty articles, and advertising, advertising, advertising. Every item, on every page, is an advertisement. Everything. Every sentence in every article, every caption, every line in the index. There are numerous special sections devoted to product endorsements, although they're phrased as "tips." They should give this magazine away for free, considering the money they must make off the advertising. Sure, while it's somewhat "handy" to know what's depicted and discussed (usually the URL and price are provided) it makes me a little uneasy. I feel suckered. I feel uncomfortable. Euugh. --This text refers to the edition Was this review helpful to you? ( Report this ) 159 of 186 people found the following review helpful: Real Simple is simply about buying stuff , June 23, 2003 Reviewer: A magazine reader (Austin, Texas) I subscribed to this magazine for a year and enjoyed my first few issues, but I soon noticed that all of the ideas for "leading a simpler life" involved purchasing expensive products. You might as well just flip through a Pottery Barn catalog. They both offer the same fantasy -- "What a stress-free, genteel life I could lead if only I had closet organizers and all-white furniture!" Eventually I simplified my life by letting my subscription run out. --This text refers to the edition Was this review helpful to you? 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All the others are so similiar and boring, but Real Simple shows me step-by-step how to accomplish what I need to do for my home, what materials to buy(come on! -a coffee can to store Christmas light strings are not expensive!)and where to get them! I look so forward each month to my new issue. I am buying a subscription for my best friend this Christmas. I also planned my entire Christmas dinner party two nights ago by their suggestions and it was a huge hit. The ads really are a plus- not a negative element! Congratulations on such a big success Real Simple! Was this review helpful to you? ( Report this ) 0 of 1 people found the following review helpful: i'm totally hooked.. , December 19, 2005 Reviewer: K. Santos (New York, NY)- See all my reviews i can't say that i read it every month, but when i do i devour it. i LOVE the ideas and the new product lines. the mag is so attuned to what i crave to see and buy and know. i feel like i've learned a lot from the mag and now i have a 3 yr subscription. i'm totally hooked on this mag. Was this review helpful to you? ( Report this ) 1 of 2 people found the following review helpful: good, mindless reading , December 17, 2005 Reviewer: Dee Dee (San Antonio)- See all my reviews This is a good magazine if you're looking for short, simple articles. The tips are useful, but try to focus on one or two per issue or else you'll be taking on too much. The product recommendations are right on. I have not bought anything recommended in this magazine that was not excellent. My only complaint is that there are, of course, too many ads. Was this review helpful to you? ( Report this ) 3 of 4 people found the following review helpful: Useful , December 15, 2005 Reviewer: Michael J Edelman (Huntington Woods, MI USA)- See all my reviews This is the sort of magazine I think I would have appreciated more back in my student apartment-living, bead-curtain, cinderblock-bookcase, cable-spool-as-table days. That's the design ethic portrayed. Some of the articles are rather clever, and the projects- making a switchplate from a beercan, or building a stylish garden building for $1500- are often novel and useful. They're not all winnners, of course; some project ideas are pretty awful. And as others have noted, much of the content is devoted to mindless fashion slavery and buying. But for the urban single or young couple looking for some cheap design ideas, it's pretty useful. Was this review helpful to you? ( Report this ) See all 147 customer reviews... So You'd Like To... 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Amazon.com: House of D: DVD Your Store DVD See All 32 Product Categories Your Account | Cart | Wish List | Help | Advanced Search | Browse Genres | Top Sellers | New & Future Releases | Television Central | Life & Learning | DVD Essentials | Blowout DVDs | Movie Showtimes | Used DVDs Search Amazon.com DVD Web Search Join Amazon Prime and ship Two-Day for free and Overnight for $3.99. Already a member? Sign in . DVD Information Explore this item buying info editorial reviews customer reviews cast and crew fun facts Listmania! cult faves : A list by ramalamaman Add your List Ready to buy? Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering. A9.com users save 1.57% on Amazon. Learn how . MORE BUYING CHOICES 101 used & new from $6.03 Available for in-store pickup now from: $27.99 Price may vary based on availability Enter your ZIP Code Have one to sell? House of D (2004) Starring: Anton Yelchin , Téa Leoni Director: David Duchovny Rating: See 2 customer images Share your own customer images List Price: $27.98 Price: $24.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. See details You Save: $2.99 (11%) Availability: Usually ships within 24 hours. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Want it delivered Friday, December 30? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. See details 101 used & new available from $6.03 Edition: Better Together Buy this DVD with Spanglish DVD ~ Adam Sandler today! Total List Price: $47.92 Buy Together Today: $38.98 Customers who bought this DVD also bought Spanglish DVD ~ Adam Sandler Hostage DVD ~ Bruce Willis The Upside of Anger DVD ~ Joan Allen Bewitched DVD ~ Nicole Kidman Explore Similar Items : in DVD , in Books , and in Music Storyline Genres: Drama Tagline: See the world a little differently. Plot Outline: By working through problems stemming from his past, Tom Warshaw (Duchovny), an American artist living in Paris, begins to discover who he really is, and returns to his home to reconcile with his family and friends. Plot Keywords: Artist | Bicycle | Janitor | Mental Retardation | Theft | Coming Of Age | Directorial Debut | Greenwich Village New York | Paris France | Women's Prison | Flip Book | Stickball | (Show all 68 plot keywords recommended by customers) Product Details Actors: Anton Yelchin , Téa Leoni , David Duchovny , Robin Williams , Erykah Badu , See more Directors: David Duchovny Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Special edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc Rated: Studio: Lions Gate DVD Release Date: October 4, 2005 Run Time: 97 min (original theatrical or airing runtime) Average Customer Review: Based on 24 Reviews From IMDb: Quotes & Trivia ASIN: B000ARFPNK Amazon.com Sales Rank: #9,233 in DVD Theatrical Release Information MPAA: for sexual and drug references, thematic elements and language. Production Company: Bob Yari Productions, Jeff Skoll Productions, Southpaw Entertainment, Tribeca Productions USA Box Office: $0 Million Filming Locations: New York City, New York, USA| Paris, France Editorial Reviews Amazon.com House of D is a bittersweet, moving story of an American expatriate's painful decision to come to terms with the childhood he fled in early 1970s New York City. David Duchovny wrote and directed this comedy-drama; he also stars as the adult version of the film's hero, Tom Warshaw, an illustrator who has spent most of his life in Paris and decides—on the occasion of his son's birthday—to finally reveal long-withheld facts about his past. The bulk of the story, told in flashback, portrays 13-year-old Tom (Anton Yelchin) as a quick-witted prince of his neighborhood, a delivery boy who knows every eccentric on his bicycle route and a Catholic school kid fond of playing pranks on his clueless French teacher and soulful principal (Frank Langella). His best friend is the school's mildly retarded, 41-year-old janitor, Pappas (Robin Williams), and his advisor on matters of the heart is Lady (Erykah Badu), a prison inmate whom the fatherless Tom (or Tommy, as he's called in 1973) can neither see nor touch. Tommy's vivacity is an asset at home, where his mother (Tea Leoni), a grieving widow with a mounting addiction to pills, is slipping away from her son's ability to help. Duchovny's screenplay sometimes borders on the precious: A number of scenes are enamored with their own boldness and originality, as if Duchovny has been squirreling away lots of colorfully expressive storytelling details for years, and unloaded them here. But that flaw all but disappears in the glow of House of D 's emotional resonance and honesty, not to mention several exceptional performances. Among these is Zelda Williams's work as Tommy's sage-beyond-her-years girlfriend, Melissa, whose name offers a suitable excuse to work a rather lovely Allman Brothers song into the soundtrack. --Tom Keogh Customers who viewed this DVD also viewed Crash (Widescreen Edition) DVD ~ Don Cheadle In Good Company (Widescreen Edition) DVD ~ Dennis Quaid The Interpreter (Widescreen Edition) DVD ~ Yvan Attal Birth DVD ~ Nicole Kidman Explore Similar Items : in DVD , in Music , and in Books Spotlight Reviews Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers. 10 of 10 people found the following review helpful: Give me the Dad face , October 21, 2005 Reviewer: Matthew Wilson - See all my reviews This story had ecsaped my attention until recently. I rented it, thinking it had to be decent, given the casting. I was pleasantly surprised upon viewing. The story is relatable and moving. Anton Yelchin gives a stirring performance as a child dealt a difficult hand, struggling to make his own way. Tea Leoni plays very well the role of a distraught, widowed mother who has been left to care for her son. I feel the role of Pappas (played by Robin Williams) could have been slightly more developed, but he turns in a wonderful performance. David Duchovny wrote and directed the movie, as well as acted as the present day version of the main character. It's not the most engaging movie, but it is interesting. It has its moments of humor, sadness and happiness. Altogether a good effort by Duchovny. Was this review helpful to you? ( Report this ) 9 of 12 people found the following review helpful: Clever, fitting, heartwarming.... , October 10, 2005 Reviewer: Jarrod T Thompson "yaauthor" (Junction City, KS) - See all my reviews David Duchovny does a fantastic job of creating a picture of a boy's childhood(Tom) with an addicted mother who is in need of parenting from her son and who is not capable of being the mother he so desperately needs. The humor of being thirteen and the jokes we have all told are caught in the most appropriate of depictions. This story is a wonderful Bildungsroman that creates a realistic and fun view of Thomas as a young boy becoming a man and growing apart from his retarded friend(Pappas) by becoming an older mental age than Pappas can ever be. The life journey of Thomas is interesting, sad, funny and heartwarming all at once. Those who are so critical of Duchovny and this film had expectations that were too lofty for anyone to live up to. I have different expectations when I go the movies. I am not there to give amateur critiques of the directing and script. I am there to watch and hopefully be entertained, and this film does not disappoint. Duchovny is subtly funny bordering on hilarious. The depiction of the thirteen-year-old boy in his private school French class is a scene that I will be laughing about forEVER. This movie is well worth its price. Great Job David Duchovny! Was this review helpful to you? ( Report this ) Customer Reviews Average Customer Review: Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers. 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful: Lovely Film , December 20, 2005 Reviewer: nic "nic" (France) - See all my reviews Just watched this, and wanted to say - great film!! Wonderful characters, and some great acting, especially from the lead, Anton Yelchin. Really sweet story, with a proper fairytale ending. Definitely recommend checking this one out. Was this review helpful to you? ( Report this ) 1 of 4 people found the following review helpful: Are these reviews serious? , December 16, 2005 Reviewer: Jane (New York City) - See all my reviews I read the (mostly glowing) reviews here and decide to take a chance on the film despite the horrible reviews it received when released theatrically. I have to agree with professional critics on this one as I thought the film was poorly written, poorly shot and, except for the kids, poorly acted. Trite at best. Was this review helpful to you? ( Report this ) 2 of 3 people found the following review helpful: Beautiful story, unfulfilling sensation , November 15, 2005 Reviewer: Adrian Kain "The Lord of the Shoes" (Utah, USA) - See all my reviews I wasn't expecting much from the movie itself to tell the truth, but the two main characters (Papass and Tommy) are easily likable, as well as 'Lady', the woman locked in the House of D. The movie unfolds the story smoothly and with some funny moments, mixed up with drama and sad scenes throughout the main character's childhood. The performances are allright, especially those of Anton Yelchin (Tommy Harshaw), perfect for the role, and Erykah Badu (Lady Bernadette), who plays wonderfully a character who's limited to speak to Tommy from the window of a female cellblock. David Duchovny's is ok, considering he's a good actor, I know he could have done better if his own role had been larger: however, it didn't need to be so. Robin Williams plays a retarded janitor, and does a good job at it but it could have been a little better. Now, on to the weak, or weakest point of the movie: the end. I think the end was stretched like rubber, unnecessarily. I was expecting it to end at a certain point, leaving a little work for my own imagination, but instead they kept going and going, and making it worse every second, boring, corny, useless. It is in my opinion about the only weak point this movie had and it wasn't enough to destroy what was built throughout the story, I enjoyed it thoroughly despite the problem I pointed out before. Was this review helpful to you? ( Report this ) 2 of 3 people found the following review helpful: It could have been so much more , November 14, 2005 Reviewer: Todd Sullivan "Todd Sullivan 'Be In the World; Not of the World" (Mount Vernon, WA) - See all my reviews This movie had everything it needed to be a great movie, except it just fell flat. I decided upon this film because of the story line of a 13 year old man and his friend who was a mentally challanged 41 year old janitor Papas played by Robin Williams. It was in my opinion a great cast and a role suited for the talented Mr. Williams, but it was far from convincing and, altough a good character, maybe one of Robin's weakest performances. I am not sure if it was some uninspired acting or if the script didn't allow for a deeper performance or if my own expectations were to high. Erykah Badu role as a prison inmate that gives young Tommy advice and an ear was spectacular and was clearly the highlight of this film. Overall I liked the film, it just that I felt like with some expanded charecter development into the mind of Papas and maybe deeper explaining from Papas to Tommy why he stole the bike could have made this a 5 star film instead of a 3 start film. This is a film that had great potential and does have some tender moments it just fell flat. Was this review helpful to you? ( Report this ) See all 24 customer reviews... Listmania! cult faves : by ramalamaman 10/2/2005-10/8/2005 : by Jonathan Miller The David Duchovny Collection : by Kelly Garbato "www.kellygarbat... So You'd Like to... Top 50 Box Office Results of 2005 : by Jimmy , High School Student, Movie Fanatic Know What's Coming to a DVD Store Near You : by Joe , Movie Lover Know What's Coming to a DVD Store Near You - Version 2.0 : by Joe , Movie Lover Fun Facts from IMDb.com: Trivia Click here to see more Trivia Marks the film writing and directing debut of David Duchovny. David Duchovny claims to have written the screenplay in six days. Goofs Click here to see more Goofs Reverend Duncan says that the school's Bible class is being renamed "Ethics" due to requirements of church/state separation; however, it is clearly a private school, not subject to church-state issues. Movie Connections Click here to see more Movie Connections References: Soul Train | The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Quotes Click here to see more Quotes [from trailer] Pappass : I'm not retarded anymore. Tom Warshaw : Oh really? Pappass : Really. I went from retarded to challenged. 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