Is Your Money Keeping Up With Inflation? One of the best rates that I have recently seen is ING Direct's offering of 2.25% APY for their Orange Savings Account. But if these rates are not what you are looking for, consider investing in the stock market. With the latest downturn in the economy, shares are pretty cheap and going fast. There are now many online brokerages that allow consumers to purchase stocks for a small fee. For instance, Sharebuilder lets consumers invest for as little as $4. However, please be wary, this investment option is a greater risk so you should consult with a financial advisor before taking this step. [More] Grab Quick Profits As Real Estatre Prices Soar Guess what? Lots of these Californians are selling their homes for big dollars and moving to other states where they can buy a similar home for a fraction of the price. [More] Making the Market To lubricate their transactions, market makers need a supply, or inventory of the securities they support. This can either be real certificates, or via a process called 'stock lending' (don't worry about THAT one yet - it basically means they borrow stock or "pretend" they have it). Once you have an inventory of stock, and the concept of 'spread' (or 'edge'), a marvelous opportunity opens up. The average price at which a market maker accumulates a security and the average price at which he distributes it are going to be different. Add this to the fact that the market maker sets the price tick by tick, and boom! A license to print money. Observe closely, this is a good trick. [More] Diversification For Children After reading a comment by Single Ma not long ago, I realized that it would be a great idea to distill some of the more basic ideas about investing down to a simple level so that even a small child could understand them and not become bored at the idea of investing in the stock [...]. Equity Loans An equity loan is a type of loan that allows homeowners to borrow money by pledging the equity they have in their home as collateral. Often called home equity loans, these types of loans are typically offered as fixed rate loans or lines of credit.. AutoNation (AN) Upgraded AutoNation (AN) received a boost this morning when Bear Stearns upgraded the firm from "peer perform" to "outperform." The brokerage firm cited lower financing costs and attractive valuation...(R.