cover image How to Profit from the Coming Real Estat

How to Profit from the Coming Real Estat

John Rubino. Rodale Press, $24.95 (288pp) ISBN 978-1-57954-870-4

Positing that""the longer-lived an economic expansion, the deeper the resulting recession,"" Rubino (Main Street, Not Wall Street) argues that the housing bubble, like other investments, will soon pop. He explains that as stock prices fell in 2001, housing became the safe bet for American investors; but the very factors (i.e., low interest rates) that helped the housing boom will soon change directions. In such chapters as""Bubbles: Past, Present, Future, Foreign,"" Rubino lays out the last century's history of real estate ups and downs, both throughout the U.S. and in other countries. From here, with handy graphs and charts, he sets out a clear course for homeowners and investors to plan for the future. His solution? He recommends""shifting into reverse, financially speaking, and doing the opposite of what worked in the in 1990s."" One way to effect such a reversal is, basically, to convert riskier investments into""cash"" (e.g., money markets, bank CDs, and Treasury notes). While Rubino paints a worrisome picture of the future, he does offer readers useful tools and solid plans for preparing for it.