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I was in Costco the other day when I walked by Samsung’s 3D television. They had some computer animated movie playing when I donned the 3D glasses to see how the picture looked. It took me a few seconds but once I activated the glasses, I sort of had that “feeling” you get when you’re first seeing the picture in a picture in a stereogram ^[3] (it’s those images where you have to cross your eyes just right).

Anyway, the television was like two thousand dollars and each pair of glasses were $100. Two thousand dollars for a television that would give me the 3D feeling (it’s not 3D, it just adds a little depth to the image), not exactly something I’d pay for. The last time I saw a movie in 3D was Avatar and I didn’t think it was that awesome back then either. With a 3D movie, you have to look where the camera focuses you on. If you try to focus on something that’s blurry in the background, you just end up with a headache.

I’ll save my two grand for something else… maybe a nice vacation or something. What’s your take on these new 3D televisions? Worth it? Waste? Fad that will pass?

• I love irony. Alaska hates government but loves the money. ^[4]
• From the Maybe Surprising Statistics Department: 27% of renters will never buy a home ^[5].
• Despite the new laws on overdrafts, banks can still getcha ^[6], says Liz Weston.
• Want to see an eye opening infographic? Check out this one from Kiplinger about how Gold is really an option of fear ^[7]. When people are freaking out (or as Tracy Jordan says – “freak the geek out”), they buy gold. When they are not, the investors holding onto a bag of gold find that it won’t be worth as much as they think it does. Interestingly enough… China doesn’t give a crap about gold, they only have 1.6% of their foreign reserve held in gold.
• Surprise, the chances a mutual fund will stink is related to its expense ratio. The higher the expense ratio, the higher the stink. This makes sense because the expense ratio eats at your return, the lower the ratio, the more of the performance you get the keep. The rest is a crapshoot unless you get an index fund, then your crapshoot is the market.
• Jeremy shares some tips on how to negotiate a deal on buying a home ^[8]. With the market the way it is, it’s crucial that you negotiate before you buy because you should be able to get a bunch of concessions from the seller – more if they are in a tough spot.
• With August almost over, you better check this list of the best things to buy in August ^[9] from MainStreet.com to see if you better pull the trigger. Some of them make sense because we’re nearing the end of the season (swimwear, outdoor furniture) and others make sense because we’re coming up on the start of the school year (linens, computers).
• Should you include your home’s value in calculating net worth ^[10]? I say yes. Ultimately it doesn’t matter what your net worth number is, just how it changes month to month. If you buy a house and don’t include it, your savings will go down without something to show for it… which doesn’t help you keep track of things.
• Those airline credit card promotions are sizzling hot nowadays, but applying for a credit card will hurt your credit score ^[11].

Have a great weekend!