Counseling Service Offers Home Buying Workshop
With Realtors characterizing Spokane as a buyer’s market, the time couldn’t be more opportune for a Consumer Credit Counseling Service workshop on how best to take advantage of the situation.
The class, “Home Buying in Today’s Market,” will be led by Gary Wisben, finance instructor for the Washington State Association of Realtors. His past roles include Realtor, credit manager, and loan officer.
He will explain how to find the right home, what to expect from a Realtor, types of loans and how to qualify.
Workbooks and other materials will help participants analyze their budgets and answer questions about credit.
The class begins Tuesday at 6 p.m., lasts three hours, and costs $20 for an individual or couple. The location is the service’s office at 1912 N. Division.
To pre-register - a must - call the service at 327-3777 and ask for the education department.
Another session is scheduled for Coeur d’Alene April 15 at 1048 1/2 N. 3rd Ave. Register by calling 1-800-892-6854.
T.Rowe Price top family
“T. Rowe Price retains a firm grip on the number-one ranking for stock fund families by historical risk-adjusted return,” writes Norman Fosback, editor of Mutual Fund Forecaster (1-800-442-9000). In other words, his numbers show the average Price fund beats the average Vanguard or Fidelity fund. This is nice to know, but which specific Price funds does Fosback like?
He recommends four: Price Dividend Growth, Equity-Income, Value, and Mid-Cap Growth. Morningstar gives its five-star rating to all but Value (which is too new) as well as to Blue-Chip Growth, Small-Cap Value and Science & Technology.
Incidently, T. Rowe Price has published the 1997 edition of its guide, “Tax Considerations for Investors.”
The 40-page booklet reviews the tax aspects of investing in a mutual fund for a child’s future, of variable annuities and of municipal bond funds, among other areas. For a free copy, call 1-800-638-5660 any time.
Exchange rates on Web
Travelers who want to know how much $500 is currently worth in Japan can check out the Currency Converter on the Thomas Cook Web site. The answer: 60,375 yen. You can choose from many different currencies and countries. Check the site at www.thomascook.com/.
Fewer people get larger IRS refunds
As of March 14, the Internal Revenue Service has approved individual refund payments totaling $40.46 billion, up 6 percent from a year ago. The average income tax refund is $1,418, up 9 percent. And the number of people getting refunds totaled about 28.5 million, down 3 percent from last year.
, DataTimes