Dear Larry Nabisco,

My wife and I are looking into buying a home in Boston. What is the housing market like in Boston right now? - Gary,45, New York City,NY

Dear Gary,

You must know that before I was the regional manager of Build A Bear (sorry, not trying to brag ;) ) I worked in a home lenders office. Right now for a low down payment, you can expect to pay 1.34% apr financing on a new home in the city, which doesn't sound like much until you look into the reverse brokerage fee you'll need to pay. Then, providing you've turned your reverse mortgage into an annual annuity, you'll be stuck with low risk equity, but with a high yield bond junket. Bring your portfolio to your broker; if he looks at it and begins to weep for you, you know that financially you are in deep doo doo; especially when you reallocate your funds from equity capital markets. Take the money you would spend on a house and spend it on a Fund Manager. Your fund manager will eventually take half of your yearly income, but, he will be able to point you in the right direction in regard to equity mandates and liquidation of funds. Good luck Gary! - Larry