Chapter 7. Buying Homes and Cars

Housing and transportation are the two biggest outlays for the typical American household. Overspending on either, or both, can put your finances seriously out of whack.

But it happens all the time. Lenders are more willing today to overload consumers with debt, and too many consumers focus solely on monthly payments—without understanding all the other costs that these big purchases involve.

We’ll start with what you need to know about buying a house, and then we’ll move on to what to do about your wheels.

When You’re Ready to Buy a Home

Homeownership isn’t the American Dream. It’s the American reality. Nearly 7 out of 10 American households own their own homes. Homeownership is also (rightly) associated with wealth ...

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