"Capt. JG" wrote in message
...
Bzzt. Slightly more than 5%, and it's not a boat loan! My IRA return is
nearly double that. Real Estate (so far) is triple or better.

Please give me the name of the investment firm doing your IRA--according to
MONEY magazine, the best in the country are just barely doing better than 6%
yield. As for real estate, big money can be made in your area, but only if
you invested some time ago. I'm betting that you don't have the means to
invest in anything of substance today, considering that just about anything
bigger than a postage stamp in the Bay Area goes for megabucks. If you have
the means to make those sorts of RE investments, you have the means to buy
your boats for cash. And that's my point--unless you can get a high rate of
return on investments you can afford--better than the interest on your boat
loan (or your home equity loan, if that makes you feel better)--you're
better off paying cash for the boat. From a strictly financial basis,
you're better off not buying a boat at all.

Let me ask you this, Jon: if your home equity loans are so cheap and your
investments so damn productive, why haven't you maxed out your home equity
and invested it?????

Max

Max