Consumer Sundays: 2008's financial lessons and lights out at the Harbor Promenade
Eileen's Sunday column highlights some of the financial lessons we've learned (or been forced to learn) in 2008.
The events of the year really reinforces why financial gurus advise maintaining an emergency fund for unexpected expenses, investing only long-term money in the stock market (nothing you'd need within five years) and to expect risk in all investments --- even real estate.
Some of these concepts might not have been as clear during the boom years, but 2008 definitely put things in perspective.
There are still some questions that remain unanswered in this week's Watchdog, however ...
... in which we tried to find out why lights along the Harbor Promenade in Fells Point were never activated after they were installed in 2006.
According to this Maryland Daily Record story, Baltimore's Harbor Promenade now stretches nearly six miles along the waterfront from Canton to the new Ritz-Carlton residences in Federal Hill.
The pathway, a right-of-way that's incorporated into new developments, is heavily used by runners, dogwalkers, tourists and people who just want to get a breath of fresh air.
But street lamps along a small section of the path between The Crescent apartments and Thames Street were never turned on, leaving pedestrians in the dark.
We touched base with a perennial Watchdog star, Transportation spokeswoman Adrienne Barnes, because that department maintains street lights around the city. Turns out that whoever installed the lights never followed the procedures to get the lights hooked up to electricity.
As of the end of last week, DOT was working with BGE to get the lights going, but Watchdog wants to know: aren't these projects inspected before they are deemed complete? Perhaps the brick pathway and benches passed muster, but those street lights would not --- not after sundown, at least.
Stay tuned next week for an update ...
Categories: Budgeting, Credit cards, Retirement, Watchdog
