The Best Place to Buy a House in the US: Las Vegas!

Las Vegas, Nevada is now the best place in the United States to buy a house, according to real estate website Trulia.com. Vegas home prices are the lowest they've been in 20 years and there are cheap home deals from Summerlin to Henderson. Right now it makes much more sense to buy instead of rent according to the experts who put together Trulia's Summer 2011 Rent vs. Buy Index, which compares the costs of buying and renting a 2-bedroom townhouse, condo, or apartment.

The other best places to buy a home, according to the list, are Detroit, MI; Mesa, AZ; Arlington, TX; and Fresno, CA. All have seen big drops in home prices during the US economic downturn. Vegas's price-to-rent ratio is "6", which is based on a median home list price of $58,000, divided by $9700 for 12 months or rent, or a little over $800 per month -- the best ratio in the country.

Experts say that the huge foreclosure rate, combined with Las Vegas's high unemployment rate, are what makes Vegas homes such good deals. Locals are losing their houses left and right and there aren't enough people with jobs/income to pick up the slack... which, unfortunately, is really good news for investors and people looking for cheap condos.

About 50% of Vegas home sales are cash-only transactions, currently. Many of them involve foreign investors from places like Canada and China. Some of the deals coming on the market are pretty incredible. In some cases you can buy a small single-family home for less than $400 per month (mortgage payment) with a VA-backed lone.

According to Las Vegas realtor Tim Kelly Kiernan of ReMax Extreme:

"If you can qualify for a mortgage, it makes sense to buy if you can... You can get an FHA with 3½ percent down; you buy a condo for $40,000, $50,000, $60,000, your payment would be ridiculously low. The whole thing is the creditworthiness of buyers."

Some investors are buying homes cheap, renting them out, and getting returns on investment of 10 or 11 percent. So basically, if you have the cash you can get some amazing home bargains and even make some good money renting to families and blackjack dealers! :)

Learn some mo': Survey ranks Las Vegas best place to buy home

15 Minutes of Exercise Per Day = Longer Life

If you exercise for just 15 minutes per day you could live significantly longer, according to new research from Taiwan. Although most experts suggest that 30 minutes per day, 5 or 6 days per week, is the best option, it appears that 15 minutes of moderate exercise is almost as good -- extending life by an average of 3 years.

Researchers from Taiwan's National Health Research Institutes found that a relatively small dose of moderate exercise like brisk walking can provide big benefits. They say that it benefits men, women, old people, young people, smokers, drinkers, healthy, and unhealthy people equally. According to one research, it's a "one size fits all" healthy boosting solution.

In the study people who performed daily exercise had less cancer mortality. This supports previous research showing the cancer-fighting power of regular exercise.

We say: This is good news for lazy people. If you can't get up off the couch and do at least 15 minutes or brisk exercise every day you have a big problem. Besides helping you live a longer life, regular exercise also improves your overall quality of life dramatically!

Learn some mo': 15 minutes of fitness a day can add 3 years to your life

Spices Boost Metabolism, Protect You After Fatty Meals

Natural antioxidant-rich spices can reduce the negative effects of high-fat meals and boost the metabolism, according to a new study from Penn State. Researchers found that adding spices like turmeric, cinnamon, black pepper, rosemary, oregano, garlic powder, and paprika to your meals can significantly improve post-meal insulin and triglyceride levels.

According to researcher Sheila West:

""Normally, when you eat a high-fat meal, you end up with high levels of triglycerides, a type of fat, in your blood... If this happens too frequently, or if triglyceride levels are raised too much, your risk of heart disease is increased. We found that adding spices to a high-fat meal reduced triglyceride response by about 30 percent, compared to a similar meal with no spices added... Antioxidants like spices may be important in reducing oxidative stress and thus reducing the risk of chronic disease."

Experts say that this is further evidence that dietary antioxidants can moderate oxidative stress in humans and possibly prevent some diseases like heart disease, arthritis and diabetes. Apparently the amount of spices used in the study provided the same amount of antioxidants as 5 ounces of red wine or one and a half ounces of dark chocolate (high cacao content).

We say: We love every spice listed in this report. Plus we drink LOTS of red wine and consume lots of dark chocolate. Of course, we also eat tons of red meat and fried fish so things probably even out... :)

Learn some mo': Antioxidant spices reduce negative effects of high-fat meal

Best Place to Retire: Las Vegas's Sun City Anthem Community

A popular high-end retirement community in southern Las Vegas -- Sun City Anthem -- has been ranked as one of the best places to retire by 55Places.com. Vegas has several nice retirement communities but Sun City Anthem is the most luxurious in the United States, according to the website.

Ageing baby boomers are hitting their retirement years and many choose to relocate to a warm, sunny, and fun place... making Southern Nevada and Las Vegas a popular destination. Sun City Anthem was able to beat out other popular "warm weather" communities in California, Arizona, and Florida.

According to the editors of 55Places.com, Sun City Anthem -- with over 7000 homes currently -- is "amenity rich" with 3 clubhouses and an incredible 36-hole golf course. It also features a nice variety of local dining and entertainment options for residents in the Henderson, Nevada area. And of course there are almost endless entertainment and eating options on the Las Vegas Strip, in the Downtown Vegas casinos, and in the dozens of off-Strip casinos and hotels around the city.

We say: If you're over 55 and retiring, get your but to Las Vegas. Our casinos, hotels, and businesses need your hard-earned life savings to stay afloat! :)

Learn some mo': Website ranks Sun City Anthem best retirement community in America

Very Low Interest Rates / Cheap Loans Until 2013 Boosts Stock Market

The US Federal Reserve announced today that Americans can enjoy at least 2 more years of low interest rates -- and, most likely, the cheap loans that come from them. Fed representatives said it would keep interest rates close to zero until at least mid-2013, guaranteed.

The move was an unprecedented one, designed to stop the crazy drops in stock values seen over the past 2 weeks. And it worked: Wall Street rallied within hours of the announcement and the Dow finished up nearly 430 points for the day, landing at 11,240 at the closing bell.

Most believe that promising to keep rates low shows that the Fed expects the US (and probably world) economy to remain weak for much longer than previously thought. Fundamental problems in Europe and the US have demonstrated very clearly that the Great Recession may not have totally ended at all.

We say: This is good news if you're trying to get a home loan, car loan, or pretty much any other loan. Credit will remain cheap for awhile, despite the recent downgrading of US debt. Now the trick is to find a job and/or other way to earn money so you can actually buy big-ticket items again... something that is much easier said than done right now!

Learn some mo': Stocks Soar After Fed Pledges Low Rates Into '13