[TheForge] which tools to own and which to rent?

[Andrew Vida]

terry l. ridder wrote:
> hello;
> 
> 
> what criteria do the individual member of theforge e-mail list use to
> determine which tools they purchase, which tools they make, and which
> tools they rent?

	That can be a rather complicated question to answer.  I would strongly 
recommend you purchase a book on finance - a textbook - I don't have 
mine in front of me, but it is the one used in the top business schools 
on the planet - big volume with a chapter or two dealing with exactly 
this question.  If you are considering non-trivial sums of cash, you 
should take the time to learn how to determine these issues.  That, or 
hire an expert in finance to do the job for you.  It is probably well 
worth the money invested, given what you stand to lose if you make a 
monumentally flawed decision.
> 
> the past week i have had to borrow some rather specific tools and after
> using them part of me is saying "you need that in your tool
> collection.", while the another part of me is saying "you need that tool
> like you need another accident."

	In that case, what I say above goes triply-so.