In October 2007, I speculated whether easy money deals were drying up. True or not, I certainly did not take advantage of as many deals in 2008 as I did the previous year. Here's a brief rundown of my deals for the year:

Jonathon over at My Money Blog has given a straightforward example of how 401(k) loans are not double-taxed. It's an interesting and informative post, especially because it goes against the "conventional wisdom" that people often give with borrowing money from your retirement account.

First, hope all my regular readers (yo, Dave!) had a good Thanksgiving. I didn't intend to be silent over the last several days, but we ended up staying over at my in-laws' house on Thursday and Friday nights, and then on Saturday I was doubled over with a stomach bug.

Anyway, two things have gotten me thinking recently about the psychology of interest rates:

Market Watch reports that the Treasury Department wants to solicit ideas about how to change the banking regulatory system, and they offer a few suggestions of their own about which parts may be flawed.

My eyes caught a London Stock Exchange article that stated most people don't know the interest rate on their savings accounts. I thought, Is this really news? Most people don't take stock of their finances at all, so not knowing a detail like an interest rate doesn't really surprise me.