The free market is a large auction where buyers compete with other buyers and sellers compete with other sellers. Few have such a unique product or service that only they can produce.  Even in those instances, we need to be careful that a high price doesn’t push buyers elsewhere.

For example, I’m doing a research project and wanted to buy several books. One book was $75 new, but I found a used copy in “acceptable condition.” I really didn’t care whether the book was dog-eared or marked up; $12 was better than $75. Another book listed for $25, but I was able to purchase a used one for $5.  Without the information Amazon provided, I wouldn’t have been able to make those decisions.

You have likely seen ads or heard radio commercials urging you to give your car to charity to help an organization and obtain a tax deduction for yourself. Generally, I feel this is not the best exercise of stewardship. The easy part is that you sign a piece of paper and get rid of the car whether it works or not.

Most organizations may not be able to get the best price for donated cars. Also, tax advisors have told me that you have an increased chance of being audited by the friendly IRS when you claim a deduction for a donated car.

The more effective way of moving a used car is to take photographs of the vehicle in the best possible light. Then try to sell it on one of the local auto trader magazines or Craigslist. In most circumstances you can get a better cash settlement than the organization could get. Then, simply write a check for the same amount to the charity of your choice, not just the charity that does a good job of marketing car donations.

I have always found the conversation between Balaam and his donkey in scripture, very interesting. I pick up the conversation here: 

Then the angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat it with his staff. Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?”

Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.”

Many cities and states offer bonuses as in incentive for folks to move who work from home. Some states offer excellent quality of life and lower cost housing. I would avoid the higher tax states, the increased taxes will eat up any bonus.   

Heck out the article from The Daily Bell: https://bit.ly/2BoGmaR

Most of us occasionally buy a product on an unfamiliar website. We may think that it's not being run by scam artists; however, the reality is that some commerce websites are fake. They look for ways to defraud unsuspecting buyers on transactions.

A great resource is the scam advisor on this website:  https://www.scamadviser.com . All you have to do is type or cut-and-paste a website address into the appropriate box of the scam advisor.  The scam advisor will report whether the site is a high or low risk for fraud. 

The good news is that the scam advisor gives our site, www.Stevemarr.org , a “High trust - safe to use” rating.  As President Regan said, “Trust but verify.”