Are Systems Inherently Fragile or are they Broken - CrowdStrike | Economies | Politics | Health

Investing In Yourself – Using Pillars to Build Your Core	https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2015/04/urbanomics-pillars-path-set-for.html
Setting Budgets + Saving for Black Swans	https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2013/02/personal-finance-budget-101-free-credit.html
	https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2019/11/hey-henry-high-earner-not-yet-rich.html
How to Open My First Brokerage Account	https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2015/04/personal-finance-101-starting.html
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Just wakin' up in the mornin', gotta thank God

I don't know, but today seems kinda odd

No barkin' from the dog, no smog

And mama cooked the breakfast with no hog

Ice Cube ~ It Was a Good Day

Fragility - Vantage Point: CrowdStrike (CRWD)

CrowdStrike Holdings Inc NASDAQ: CRWD

I was just wakin' up in the mornin' and I already has a few messages. Computer screens around the world were BLUE, literally, and companies were feeling the BLUE. They were finding out that their businesses were coming to a screeching halt. Airlines could not fly, employees could not login, and the government could not operate. The news was a "normal" update from the cybersecurity company, CrowdStrike, contained errors and had disrupted how Microsoft computers were operating. Ahhh who cares. Well, I like to put things into perspective by providing some context. Roughly 70% of computer systems run Microsoft software and I've recently heard CrowdStrike is the endpoint detection solution for a majority of companies. For me directly, it meant that I was not able to log into my company laptop. I had two simple takeaways from this event:

1. Systems are Fragile - It's amazing that one faulty update, that happens frequently, brought companies and their systems down. How does that happen??

2. CrowdStrike's Reach - I know CRWD is big, but I felt their reach firsthand

Value Trading - I've been watching this stock for quite some time and used this opportunity to buy some options in CRWD as the stock fell hard and fast Friday. The day went by and finally at 3:45 I received a message on how I needed to fix my laptop to get logged in. Then strangely I saw a message saying that I had purchased some stock in CRWD. But I had not placed an order? Remember when I said that I had been watching this stock? Well, I had an "open" order that basically would be triggered if for some strange reason CRWD were to drop to levels I thought were worth buying. Maybe I believe that systems can be fixed just like that update I received. 

Fragility - Vantage Point: Economies and Ecosystems

I have often written about the boom then bust nature of economies. In the economic world we call this growth and then recession or inflation and then deflation. The question is why does this happen? Is the system fragile, are ALL systems fragile -- or is the system broken? I'm not here to truly answer the question today, but I wanted to share this question after watching the CRWD issue bring businesses to their knees. From an economic perspective:

1. Economic Fragility - Will debt bring the US to its knees?

    OR

2. Economies Inherently Broken - Is this part of the regularly scheduled program?

How about our crazy weather. For the first time, in a long time my old city Chicago was impacted by a tornado that touched down. Shingles flew off my roof of the home I still own there and then at my current home I think I heard my howling from the fast-paced winds as the house shook. From an ecosystem perspective:

1. Ecosystems Are broken? - Is the rapidly changing climate going to continue to erode coastlines, cause houses to fall of mountainside cliffs, tornados to touch down in the Midwest and cities to flood around the world?

    OR

2. Ecosystems are Fragile - Are systems inherently fragile and this is how it is and will always be?

Fragility - Vantage Point: Politics

I'll let you fill in the section. Is the system broken or is politics inherently fragile? When the US, the superpower of the world, sees an assassination attempt of a former president during a campaign -- are we really just like the rest of world and ALL politics is fragile? Or have we gotten to the point where the system is broken.

Fragility - Vantage Point: Health

Finally, what better sums up fragility than health. I'm watching President Biden on the campaign trail and compare what I am seeing to my experiences with my aging parents. Is that what we are all thinking? This week, I listened to a neighbor describe her husband's response to chemotherapy as he battles cancer and recalled how that hit a similar tune to experiences in my family. 

I've read and continue to follow the stories around Nate Robinson's health. He was literally called 'Superman' as the 5'9 former NBA guard won 2 slam dunk contests catapulting over people. Now he is battling the fragility of his health as high blood pressure and kidney failure have dunked him to the point of depression. His story discusses how the disease may be genetic but also speaks to human desire as he chose to continue playing as he found out about the diagnosis early in his career. I relate so much to his story as I and many others battle high blood pressure and its wide-ranging effects. Are my issues genetic, caused by my choices, factors beyond my control -- or just part of a fragile system to complex to comprehend. Human life is truly amazing -- but I wonder if it's because we ALL share a story of fragility. One disease, one paycheck, one accident and fragility shows its face. But family, friends, memories, and experiences have the amazing effect of pushing fragility to the back of our minds.

No Such Thing as A Passive Investment - Ask Cardi B

 

Investing In Yourself – Using Pillars to Build Your Core	https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2015/04/urbanomics-pillars-path-set-for.html
Setting Budgets + Saving for Black Swans	https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2013/02/personal-finance-budget-101-free-credit.html
	https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2019/11/hey-henry-high-earner-not-yet-rich.html
How to Open My First Brokerage Account	https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2015/04/personal-finance-101-starting.html
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No Such Thing as Passive Investing

Hello Family. I wanted to share a quick post about investing, hell about life. There is no such thing as passive investing. If you've ever heard the phrase there is no free lunch, it is true and you should understand this concept. Everything - I repeat everything in life requires work to achieve the end goal. I can't think of a moment in life where I got something in return that did not require work, some elbow grease, or my blood, sweat or tears.

Quick Examples:

~ Getting a Job - Requires work, training, patience, principles

~ A friendship or relationship - Requires work, good listening, patience, principles

~ Investing - Requires research, training, and patience, principles

So when you hear the phrase "passive investing", realize you're being sold a myth. It's a very high likelihood whoever is preaching that passive investing is attempting to MAKE MONEY OFF YOU! I've always said...if it is free you're the product. Passive investing is a term that was created for tax purposes to describe how active you are in the day-to-day activities of the business. However, my definition of a passive investment is simple. I like to define a passive investment as a scenario where my goal is to earn income by handing over my money to someone else to grow in exchange for ownership in their asset -- such as stock, oil field, or real estate. Please pay attention to these key words -- handing money over in exchange for ownership in SOMEONE ELSE'S business. They do the work, and you get residual or passive income. Look into the DJ Envy debacle. People handed over money to a "business partner", Cesar Pena, who dealt in real estate, and they got swindled. Now DJ Envy is walking back his involvement as he promoted this business partner on his radio show, and they held real estate investment seminars. By my definition, these people that got swindled missed an opportunity to legally define their ownership in a way that protected their investment, performed stronger due diligence, and held this business partner honest by performing annual audits of their investment. In business, I support my cybersecurity client by ensuring their legal agreements are airtight, we prefer to do business with well-established players that can explain the processes in detail and allow us to audit their business independently. Further, we ask that they get audited annually by a reputable independent audit firm and we demand the right to see the report (and we're not just talking financial audits). We need proof about how the business works.

Any asset you purchase and receive income from IS NOT passive in my book. Let me tell you why --- because it requires WORK. What the fake advertisers of passive income investing don't tell you is owning a home requires big time work. When I list my property for rent, I must advertise it, receive calls about the listings, pre-screen tenants (some unrealistic), show the property, determine the price, conduct tenant checks, sign leases, clean the property, collect rent, answer questions, fix repairs, answer questions, and stress over unpaid rent.

Need proof - I just rent an article summarizing Cardi B's response to managing a real estate rental. In short, she said:

"We have tenants that have paid f&cking rent for like 9 months!"

"You know what? Don't even f&cking take them to court because we just be so f&cking tired"

In response to her Airbnb in the Dominican Republic:

"Always something! Please! I don't want properties as a gift"

Need more proof - I just spent a week in the Windy City, Chicago. Speaking with 2 people remind me of why you have to be on your A-Game. Here's what we discussed:

Person 1 -- "My tenant wasn't paying rent, further I later found out they were sub-leasing it out on Airbnb. I had to officially provide then a notice to vacate, changed the locked, and kicked them out."

Person 2 -- "I'm preparing to sell my rental. It's been tough lately and currently dealing with an eviction."

Now do these investments sound passive to you. Cardi just realized what we all understand has investors --it takes work. I spend most of my energy screening well, so I don't have to deal with bad tenants. But life happens, you need good legal documents, a lawyer who can handle evictions and you need to have good communication to keep tenants happy and so you stay compliant with local housing laws. 

I own real estate, businesses, and invest and trust me NOTHING about any of these investments is passive. So, I hope this episode of keepin' it real, helps you realize you have to work hard to reap the rewards.

***Remember to get my posts to your inbox by adding your e-mail address. I just found out my posts have stopped coming to my own inbox...so I've got to look into that.

ALLERGAN (AGN) and Abbvie (ABBV) - Hookup Alert

"Called up the homies and I'm askin' y'all / Which park, are y'all playin' basketball? /Get me on the court and I'm trouble / Last week messed around and got a triple double / Freaking brothers every way like M.J. / I can't believe, today was a good day

~ Ice Cube (Today Was A Good Day)

Like Cube said today was a good day. Despite being busy helping corporations manage their business risks I still wake up and practice. For me, this includes catching a 3 hour business show every morning before I start my work day. I am not an early riser anymore -- no more commutes on the Chicago Metra train or taking the bus downtown to work. Instead I sleep in, record the show, and try to eventually catch up while it's in progress. 📺 It reminds me of when I had to wake up at be at the gym for 6AM practices for basketball. I wanted to have an Allen Iverson --- PRACTICE --- moment but hustle means hard work. And that work ethic has taken me a long way.

While the morning updates scroll by, I log on to my investment account to check on my team.  Yes every sport has a name for this group: roster, squad, farm team, recruits, etc. So just like a coach, I watch film, recruit players, give them try-outs and eventually put them into the game. My goal is to field the Dream Team of investment companies. I do this by being data-driven but like any human I too can get caught up in the young flashy new player (Zion Williamson). Sometimes I tend to want to give the veteran player a longer leash than sometimes is deserved. I like proven winners like LeBron James and Kevin Durant but the trick is to find them as early as possible and hold onto them into the prime of their careers. While this sounds easy, remember:

• There will always be top picks that go bust
• Even the greatest players get traded or play past their prime
• Players make mistakes and get into trouble 
• Rarely do many greats play for one team and exit at the top of their game

I wanted to highlight Allergan (AGN) -- I would drop them in the bucket of a young flashy player. I need to look back to determine when I first bought them but I did see that 2014 is my first post about AGN. Then towards the end of 2014, you'll see I had to part ways with Allergan because they received multiple trade offers. If you remember LeBron's "The Decision", well Allergan was being courted by multiple companies:

Valeant - had a bid for $54 Billion for my player AGN
Actavis - trumped Valeant's offer with a $66 Billion takeover bid of AGN

The deal meant that I had to trade my player but I received cash compensation and even a few shares in the new company.

So like a good coach, I continued to watch Allegan (the acquiring company, Actavis, actually renamed their company to Allergan) over the following years. The maker of the popular Botox treatment stumbled for a few of those years. Somewhat nostalgic, I flashed back to those days of watching Allergan's rise and decided to give sign them to my roster for a much lower deal than before. They had lost a step but once again they showed there was still some value there. My range was between $125 and $140 a share, Allergan soon had teams looking for a trade again. Maybe they were nostalgic, saw value, or wanted to take advantages of those flashes of brilliance.  Along comes a company called Abbvie -- they decided to pay $63 Billion to acquire Allergan and that equates to roughly about $188 a share.

So as I close, I wanted to thank Allergan the two-time world champ on my team. Those long nights of research and recruiting paid off. And hopefully this serves as an example that you two can use everyday skills to invest --- just like I do. 

The Government Makes It Rain --- Stimulus To the Rescue

Coronavirus Update – Shutdown Has Finally Started

Thanks to the great leadership exhibited from New York, California, and Chicago the nation is slowly shutting down city by city --- and state by state. While unbelievable, this is very necessary to starve the virus. There will be debates on how long and I remind people to look to China’s recovery and the timeline they used. For example, Wuhan the epicenter of this crisis will remove the lockdown on April 8th. SO the reality is the longer the better for the hotspots. Why I demanded leadership --- one voice, one plan. Providing risk consultation to large corporations puts you in a position to see some amazing dynamics. People will not do thing unless they know the order has come from the top…it appears countries are no different. The shutdown should be federal because if we all go into shelter at the same time, you hope we can plan to exit strategically around the same time. Let me give you an example, if you have a missing child, technology (like the Amber Alert) has allowed for us to receive notification all at the same time rather than piecemeal.  This speeds up the likelihood of finding the child much better than sending it to one police department at a time. If the coronavirus shutdown does not come from the top, when one state recovers my question is: “Does that state allow you to travel or accept visitors from states that did not shutdown at all or that shutdown much later than your state did. Essentially this recovery could drag on longer than needed if we cannot move in a cohesive manner as a country. There could be a lack of trust in the air which is why I believe countries like Italy, China, S. Korea and others when into lockdowns all at once. Make It Rain – Last Resort to Inflate the Economy I am hoping for better coordination so we can begin to recover quicker and get the economy going.  The importance of the pillars we work on so hard here is to help you during these exact moments. If you have savings, you have some cushion during these bad times. See these articles, ripped from the news headlines: “Many Americans Biggest Worry is April 1st Rent and Mortgage Payments”  -- Washington Post “Real Estate Billionaire Barrack says Commercial Mortgages on a brink of Collapse” – Bloomberg “Jobless Claims Soar Past 3 Million to Record High” -- CNBC  “Mortgage Rates Surge to Highest Level Since January” – Marketwatch “2 Trillion Dollar Stimulus Package” --- See below These are just a few of the necessary reasons why the Federal Reserve is making it rain. It’s basically a blank check to shore up the economy until we can get a handle on the COVID-19.  Like in 2008, the market has responded with a rally since a “handshake deal” was announced just a few days ago. This rally will likely continue into the actual signing of the bill. Use this an opportune time to trade in the relief rally that is not uncommon. But when the dust settles, I am still not risking my individual retirement account funds at the moment because we know there is more to come. Mortgages need to be paid, the rent is due, businesses are asking for a bailout and jobs are being shuttered. Hopefully all this is temporary but it is a big risk. I don’t see an all clear sign, just yet. Urb Lesson of the Day:  Account Diversification · Savings Accounts – Gets you through the rough patches in life · Investment Accounts – Allows you to take risks when others are NOT – like today · Individual Retirement Accounts – This is truly for your future, why NOT wait for a sign that the recovery is strong

2nd Quarter 2013: 3 PREMIUM STOCK ALERTS / 1 FREE ALERT

2nd Quarter 2013: 3 PREMIUM STOCK ALERTS

Please contact me directly (email_urbanomics@yahoo.com) to subscribe to this quarter’s premium stock alerts.  Find out what I have my eye on and more importantly when I will be adding these stocks to my portfolio.

2nd Quarter 2013 Premium Stock Alerts

This quarter’s picks are late, but better late than never. I've been researching these stocks over the course of the last 3 months or more and found 3 stocks with margin of safety and the right catalysts.  Please see the following stocks that were recommended to subscribers receiving premium alerts. 

Stock #1: **********

Details

Sector: Basic Materials Industry: Oil and Gas Equipment Services Tip: Pledge of Allegiance to crude.

Stock #2: **********

Details Sector: Basic Materials Industry: Oil and Gas Refining Tip: Check mate.

Stock #3: **********

Details

Sector: Technology
Industry: Application Software
Tip Up for a game of Simon Says?

The market has been on a tear and the last few quarters have seen me doing my version of the twist…or rotation.  I have been selling a few of my winners and rotating into new names. Some names were really beat down like Stock #3. Others are the wrath of the investment community which are pushing for them to do more or else new ownership will have too.  I've given you plenty of hints and I’ll even throw in a free ALERT because it was an absolutely gorgeous July 4^th weekend in Chicago.

FREE ALERT

Stock #4: DEX MEDIA

Details

Sector: SERVICES Industry: MARKETING SERVICES Tip It’s a rolodex and paperweight! Explanation: Dex Media is what we used to know as the Yellow and White Pages. They have re-invented themselves and offer a large slate of products to businesses. Hence the rolodex full of numbers and the size of the old book would be a great paperweight.

Chicago Housing Market Is On Fire...

They often say "Real Estate" is local. The Chicago market appears to be showing POSITIVE trends that are similar across the country. I often view the Case-Shiller Report on housing in the 20 largest metro areas...and the one thing that I've been very bullish on is housing.  Numbers don't lie and homebuilders, home repair, carpet companies, and other housing related stocks have all been up.  As a matter of fact, I am so bullish on the sector that one of my premium alert picks has a connection to housing.  If you are a (1) New Homebuyer, (2) Existing Homeowner, or (3) On the sidelines, you want to review this video which show the Chicago market is moving well...and more importantly explains why.

See the video attached here:

Its A Blizzard In Chicago...

It is literally white out conditions here in Chicago and I now know what a true blizzard looks and feels like. And like the snow, I'll tell you that its tough to see through the market right now. I am impressed with the run the market has been on and it has broken through the all too important psychological barrier of 12,000 on the Dow Jones Industrial Average. I am cautious as most of the stocks that I am analyzing appear priced for perfection. And the hardest thing to do sometimes is to be idle and have a little dry powder.

Here are a few stocks I am keeping an eye on but even they are pushing higher very quickly. Here are a few selections for free, but remember I usually like a little safety before I enter the position:

EXAR Corp (EXAR)
American Superconductor (AMSC)

Track Please...

Check Please is a popular show here in Chicago that finds local restaurants that most people aren't too familiar and tells you all the reasons why you should stop by.

This post is called Track Please, because I am alerting you that it appears that my tracking tool located on the side of the page is finally back up and running. This is important because it allows me to visualize my performance over time after I have written and recommended various stocks.

Take the opportunity to review the performance of the last 10 or so picks. Here is a short snapshot of a few picks:

CSE: 42%
ICO: 112%
WFC: 18%

Homebuying 101 ~ Tour Baby Tour

Before you begin, you may want to read my previous post on homebuying:
http://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2009/08/my-reality-show-homebuyer-101-searching.html

I have now equipped you with a list of things that are great to get you started and these should really be used. Speaking honestly, you don't need to do any of these things if money is not an option. But because I treat real estate just like I do stocks then we will be looking at this investment as a long-term buy that must have upside potentional and there is a large margin of safety built in to protect my downside risk.

So what I did was I took the criteria listed out and began scouring the internet. I needed to suffer from 'sticker shock' and this was my first realization that I wasn't going to have everything that I wished for...without some sort of sacrifice. For me, it came down to not compromising on my must have features within the unit: SPACE, GARAGE, NOT FIXER UPPER. So I started by using Realtor.com to enter all of my needs and wants into their search engine for the areas I selected. So you may have to run a few different searches but this is critical because it shows you want the current listing prices are for the areas. I used this to begin to identify areas that are affordable. Remember, we have already limited our list to areas that are relatively safe, close to mass transportation, grocery stores, bars, the lake, etc.

URBANOMICS TIP ~ I then created a spreadsheet and documented all fo the properties that I could afford based on my pre-approved amount.

I visited these homes because they created a baseline of what I thought I wanted on paper. Here is where your Real Estate Agent comes into play. Now we must find an agent, interview them, and have them schedule tours for us if their is not an open house. I told the first agent what I was looking for after intreviewing him with list of questions and quickly was told, "You aren't going to get what you're looking for in you in that price range". Since I had previously been scouring the net on my own, I knew that he had a strong opinion to what type of property he wanted to put me in and true enough I kicked him to the curb a few weeks later. The second agent gave me his reservations also about how difficult it was going to be, but he schedule some homes to prove his point of what was out there.

Urbanomis Tip 2 ~ To show my agent I was a team player, I sent him a few of my houses I found on my own and we toured during that same trip.

To quickly summarize, the tour was great as they pick you up and drive you around and point out all of these great details that you never knew. And when viewing 4-8 properties in a day you may get house overload and this is where a camera is very important. So I was able to see my list in person and make adjustments because some things you have to see and feel to know how you may react...like layouts. Do you like an open layout, or separate rooms for kitchen and dining? These are the types of things I was confronted with. The tour went well but I found myself a little jaded, the homes my agent picked were a little shabby and while I probably was hitting 50% on my picks the ones we all loved including my agent were from my list (go figure). Over the next few months I started realizing that my research was finding great homes that I absolutely thought were great. Here is a quick snapshot of some of my finds:

Stay tuned to find out more about these properties.

Please use this link to find the last post on my homebuying experience:

http://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2009/08/my-reality-show-homebuyer-101-searching.html

My Reality Show: Homebuyer 101 ~ Searching for a Home

So far my reality show is in full swing. Click this link to find the first 3 rules to home buying. Remember to check your credit, get pre-approved, and save for your down payment. First 3 Rules

Once I complete the first 3 rules, I set out to search for my house of dreams. Here are the steps to make sure your ready to find your dream house:

1. Practice Before The Real Thing - This is the first step in your reality check as a home buyer. Before waisting your time and stressing your agent out, practice finding the home of your dreams on your own and see what your pre-approved amount gets you in many different neighborhoods. The web is a great tool for pr acting with specialty sites and sites that tap into all Multiple Listing Service (MLS) listed homes. For Chicago, here are the sites I practiced with:
Dreamtown.com
Trulia.com
Zillow.com
Realtor.com ***
chicagotribune.com (Real Estate section)
Redfin.com ***

*** These sites helped me get the most accurate information

2. Narrow Your Search - Its time to narrow your search by more than just price. Choose the following: Preferred Locations, Total Price, Must Have Features. Here is mine:

Preferred Locations -
Here is a listing of all Chicago neighborhoods: http://www.chicagohome.com/neighborhoodMasterList.cfm

Most of the North Side: (Irving Park, Avondale, Roscoe Village, Logan Square, Bucktown, Wicker Park, St. Ben’s, North Center, Rogers Park, Lakeview, Lincoln Square, Albany Park, Lincoln Park, Uptown, Edgewater, Portage Park, Ravenswood)

South Side (Hyde Park, Kenwood, UIC)

Total Price - Know two key things about the price: 1. List Price, 2. Monthly Payment Price

List Price - The total amount you want to spend. This will impact your down payment.
Monthly Payment Price - Also estimate your total monthly budget which should include the mortgage payments, taxes, association fees...and be aware of insurance costs.

Must Have Options


Property Types: Primary - Duplex, Townhome, Single Family Home
Square Feet - At least 1600
Bed Rooms - At least 2
Bathrooms - At least 2
Balcony/patio/deck
Closet space
Washer/Dryer in unit
Central air or separate unit in each room
High ceilings
Intercom/Security/Buzzer Door Entrance or Locked Fence
Good parking situation
Access to Transportation
Grocery/food/stores
Hardwood
Kitchen - Stainless Steel Package, Update Cabinets
Bathroom - Updated Features

3. Get Professional Help, Choose an Agent

My personal opinion is that if you are well informed your agent is helpful but not vital. Don't be afraid to find your home on your own and then just rely on the agent to show you the property (and then help you close the deal). I would explore a growing breed of agencies that allow you to use a powerful site to 'Narrow Your Search' and choose the properties that meet your criteria...on your own. The catch for you doing all that work is the agency will split the COMMISSION with you. Check out sites in Chicago like Redfin.com and ZipRealty.com. I learned through my experience that a traditional agent will do the exact same thing, however, they put in your 'Narrow Your Search' criteria for you and then you choose the properties that look interesting.

I used Redfin and enjoyed their service. However, I went with a traditional agent because Redfin doesn't focus on short sales...a type of distressed property I was leaning towards. Look for agent that lives works and surrounds in the city for at least 5 years. They have seen highs and lows in the economy.

If you choose a traditional agent, create a questionnaire to grill your potential candidates (yes, they are working for you):
~ Is this your full-time job?
~ Are you familiar with distressed properties (foreclosures & short sales)?
~ Where were you last five deals?
~ Who else will be working with me?
~ Will you show me ALL properties available for sale?
~ When am I committed to working with you?
~ Has a client ever filed a complaint?
~ How are you paid?

4. Tour The Homes - Schedule roughly 4-6 homes in a session. This is a good amount that will allow you to remember each property. I recommend taking a camera with you when touring homes. This was the best tool because I remembered so much more.

My Reality Show: Pt. 2 First Pick in The Stimulus Bill Draft

I have decided to announce my first pick in the economic stimulus bill draft! After reviewing the contents of the bill, I realized the Obama administration did some things right in crafting the stimulus bill. For me, there is a provision in the stimulus bill that has the upside of a Lebron James. Yup, there is some first round potential in the First Time Home Buyer Credit. A close second, my Chris Paul pick, was the Higher Education Tax Credit. I tip my hat to the administration because the bill provides just enough incentives for me to help do my part and stimulate the economy. Although I would have loved to take advantage of the original amount, I am glad that $8000 in credits will be available to assist me in possibly buying a place in the expensive city of Chicago. I was surprised after rereading my own post that I had missed the provision on going back to college and the assistance that is provided there. So we'll see but after I get a place...maybe I'll start studying for the GMAT. Now I will likely miss the 2009 credit but I could take advantage of the 2010 credits.