(After I wrote this up, the iPhone SE went out of stock. If you want this deal, I would check back regularly as it might be going to be in and out of stock for a while.)

Visible is one of multiple discount MVNOs that use the Verizon network, but they are the only one directly owned by Verizon (smart move, VZ). Their current promo gives you a $100 Prepaid card to bring over your own existing device after paying for two months of service. However, if you can also buy the iPhone SE 2020 for $384 + get a $200 Prepaid Mastercard after paying for two months of service. That’s a net price of $184, although Visible may cost more on a monthly basis than you might pay with another MVNO like Mint Mobile. You should compare the all-in total prices over two years, along with other factors like data usage, network preference, and upfront costs vs. monthly payments.

Visible costs $40 a month and includes unlimited talk, text, and LTE data. Right now, the first month is $25/month. Verizon network. No contracts. Online customer service only. Mobile hotspot included for one tethered device at up to 5 Mbps max. Data may be slowed during network congestion. Visible also has a Party Pay feature where if you can join with a group of two, three, or four, you can get it down to $25/month. Each person manages their Visible account and their bill separately. You can join a Party at any time after becoming a Visible customer. Try the r/VisiblePartyPay subreddit to join with some random people on the internet (which appears to be within the rules).

iPhone SE 2020 quick take. Apple’s new $400 iPhone SE may be called a “budget” phone, but I prefer to think of it as a “parts bin” phone that saves money not by using cheaper, low-quality ingredients, but instead by RE-using high-quality parts from other iPhones. If you’re okay with the older body style (might be what you already have), this phone is a great value at $400 (64 GB). Check out the review from your favorite tech site, but here’s my take:

• Screen/Body: iPhone 8. Same size as iPhone 6/7/8. Retina 4.7″ screen. Touch ID (no Face ID).
• Latest CPU: iPhone 11 Pro. Same A13 Bionic chip as inside the current iPhone 11 Pro that costs $1,000. These fast internals mean this phone won’t be obsolete for 4+ years.
• Camera: iPhone XR+. The hardware specs are like the iPhone XR which still costs $600 today. However, combined with the faster internals, Apple added software improvements to make it take better photos (portrait mode, etc). The camera is still significantly better than iPhone 6/7/8.

Here is the fine print on the promo. Just know that it is a rebate that you have to wait a bit for, as opposed to getting the discount upfront or via a monthly payment plan.

Buy an eligible device from us, pay for your first two months of service, and you’ll get a Prepaid Mastercard Virtual Account sent to you via email. Purchase a device over $400 and you’ll get a $200 Prepaid Mastercard Virtual Account. The Apple iPhone SE is also eligible for the $200 Prepaid Mastercard Virtual Account. Purchase a device under $400, but still more than $50, and you’ll receive a $100 Prepaid Mastercard Virtual Account*. Certain Samsung devices are not eligible. Already have a phone you love? No problem. If it’s compatible with Visible, just activate it, pay for two months of service, and we’ll email you a $100 Prepaid Mastercard Virtual Account too.

Amazon is celebrating World Book Day 2020 by giving away 9 free Kindle books from around the world covering a variety of genres, from contemporary fiction to true crime to a children’s book. “Buy” them for free by Friday 4/24 and you can own them forever. This is different than the Amazon Prime or Kindle Unlimited lists, where you are only borrowing them while paying the subscription fee.

Barnes and Noble also has the Evie in the Jungle NOOK eBook free for World Book Day. This is on top of the 1000s of free NOOK books otherwise available for free (would say “forever” but all bets are off if BN goes bankrupt).

Grab them now and read later. You can read both Kindle and NOOK eBooks on your smartphone or tablet. In fact, phones are turning out to be my favorite way to read. I rarely use my Kindle device anymore. The convenience of being able to read and highlight text whenever you have a few free minutes outweighs everything else.

For the month of April, HBO is making 500 hours of programming available to stream for free (without ads) for a limited time on HBO Now and HBO Go services without a subscription. You can download the HBO Go or HBO Now apps for iOS and Android, and I was able to use the HBO app in my Smart TV without issue. Click on the link for the list of available shows (not everything is free). I wonder if I can finish “Big Little Lies” before the end of April.

For the month of April, watch some of HBO’s most beloved shows and documentaries, plus a selection of movies — entirely for free. Just head to HBO GO or HBO NOW or On Demand to watch every episode of series like The Sopranos, Veep and The Wire along with documentaries including McMillion$ and I Love You, Now Die and movies like Crazy. Stupid. Love. and Blinded by the Light, no subscription required. See the full list of available shows, documentaries and movies below.

It is estimated that 1 in 5 students across the world are currently unable to attend school. In response, the Internet Archive opened the National Emergency Library, which suspends the normal lending waitlists on its 1.4 million digitized books. Your local library also has an eBook section, but only has a finite number of copies that it can lend out at one time. (I’m still waiting patiently to read Ali Wong’s Dear Girls…) The National Emergency Library is essentially lending out unlimited copies through June 30, 2020, or the end of the US national emergency, whichever is later.

Announcing the National Emergency Library, a collection of books that supports emergency remote teaching, research activities, independent scholarship, and intellectual stimulation while universities, schools, training centers, and libraries are closed.

Here are their Frequently Asked Questions.

This may be is another helpful resource for those that can’t utilize their normal libraries.You won’t necessarily find the current bestsellers, but there are a number of classic books and good options for children. I randomly checked a few investing geek books that are relatively rare and expensive to buy, and they even have scans of Poor Charlie’s almanack : the wit and wisdom of Charles T. Munger and Margin of Safety by Seth Klarman.

In response to the coronavirus outbreak, the federal government approved a third round of economic relief. There is plenty of media coverage, but after reading multiple articles I noticed that nearly all of them miss at least one thing that another covered. Here’s my own mixtape of highlights so that you can research further if it applies to your situation.

$1,200 for each adult + $500 per child 16 or under. You may want to wait to file. Individuals under $75,000 adjusted gross income get the full amount, and married filing joint under $150,000 get the full amount. Fully phased out at $99,000/$198,000. You can find AGI on Line 8b on 2019 Form 1040 2019, Line 7 on 2018 Form 1040. Based on 2018 tax filing if you haven’t filed for 2019, and 2019 tax filing if you did file. So if got a big raise in 2019, you should delay filing. If your income went down in 2019 or you didn’t file before, you should file now. Finally, if you made a lot in 2019 and expect to make less in 2020, you may still be able to get the money eventually when filing your 2020 taxes.

There is no clawback provision on overpayments, so it doesn’t matter if you end up making more than the income limits in 2020. If you listed a bank account for direct deposit of tax refund, they will try to send your money that way (and then send you a snail mail confirmation). The target date is April 17th. Otherwise, you will likely have to wait longer for a physical check. The money is not taxable.

Unemployment benefits expanded again. The bill has expanded eligibility for unemployment benefits to self-employed and part-time workers. Eligibility also expanded to cover those unable to work due to the coronavirus outbreak. The eligible period is also extended by 13 weeks. There will also be an increased benefit amount (up to $600 per week) on top of your state benefits for up to 4 months.

401(k) and IRA early withdrawal penalties waived up to $100,000. You can now take up to $100,000 out of your IRAs and you have 3 years to put it back into your IRA again without penalty or tax. It’s kind of like a really long rollover window. However, you will owe income tax on whatever partial amount is not put back within 3 years. This is called a coronavirus-related distribution (CRD) and is limited to those affected by the coronavirus.

Instead of a hardship withdrawal, you may wish to take a 401k loan instead. The retirement plan loan limit is also raised to the smaller of $100,000 or up to the full amount vested. Anything that can permanently damage your retirement savings should all be avoided if possible, of course.

Required minimum distributions are waived for 2020. This applies to everyone, even if not affected by the coronavirus. If you don’t need to make the distribution, this can save you on taxes.

Extended student loan relief. Loan and interest payments will be deferred through September 30th without penalty for all federally owned student loans.

Expanded use of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs). Tele-medicine services can now be used before meeting the plan deductible. You can again buy over-the-counter drugs without a prescription. Certain menstrual care products, such as tampons and pads, are also now eligible medical expenses.

Sources: NYT, Tax Foundation, NPR, Accounting Today, SHRM, SGR Law

Amazon and Target have a few sales on video games and board games to help with that cabin fever.

• Amazon.com. Get 3 for the price of 2 on board games and video games. Also, check to see if you are targeted for this Amazon Spend $20 Get $5 eBook offer. Free shipping on $25+ order or with Amazon Prime.
• Target. Sale on board books, chapter books, and coloring books starting at $5. Also B2G1 free on video games. Free shipping on $35+ order or with REDcard. Also look into Order Pickup.