Decisions, DecisionsBuying vs. leasing: Which is the better deal?

Establishing the best home office set-up is a lot like buying aminivan or having your house painted-you don't want tosacrifice practicality for style (although a little cachet neverhurts) and you want a good return on your investment.

So sooner or later, homebased entrepreneurs just starting out orthinking about refurbishing their operations will consider buyingequipment vs. leasing it as a means of getting the most out oftheir investment. That's only natural. Most home officeprofessionals have spent time in large corporations, where thebenefits of leasing were fairly obvious-great tax breaks, theability to change equipment to keep up with the times, and low orno maintenance costs on leased equipment.