My Money Blog

Walmart / Target Car Seat Trade-In Events: $30 Gift Card / 20% Off Discount

Posted on September 4, 2019 // 6 Comments

Got an old car seat that you don't use anymore? Need a bigger one? Both Walmart and Target are running car seat trade-in events this month in celebration of National Baby Safety Month. This is a good option for those with expired car seats (they … [Read the rest]

Best Interest Rates on Cash – September 2019

Posted on September 3, 2019 // 12 Comments

Here's my monthly roundup of the best interest rates on cash for September 2019, roughly sorted from shortest to longest maturities. I track these rates because I keep a full 12 months of expenses as a cash cushion and also invest in longer-term … [Read the rest]

Pioneer Woman & The Magic of Untreated Boredom

Posted on September 2, 2019 // 4 Comments

I hope that everyone had a boring Labor Day weekend! I say that because boredom is a magical thing, especially when left untreated with a computer/TV/smartphone screen. I had a lovely quiet afternoon where I sorted out a big box of old … [Read the rest]

Rewards Dining Programs and Avoiding Airline Miles Expiration Policies

Posted on August 29, 2019 // 11 Comments

Updated + United Airlines miles no longer expire. I don't fly as much anymore, and part of my routine to keep my various miles from expiring is to use dining rewards programs that give me miles for eating at participating restaurants. You link … [Read the rest]

Public App Review (Matador): Free Dollar-Based Stock Trades, Free Stock Slice

Posted on August 28, 2019 // 9 Comments

Updated. Public, formerly known as Matador, is a new brokerage app that combines several different features that you might have seen separately elsewhere: Free dollar-based stock trades with no minimum balance. Not only can you trade any stock … [Read the rest]

Inflation-Adjusted (Real) US Treasury Bond Yield, 1955-2019

Posted on August 27, 2019 // 8 Comments

I was looking for a historical chart of the 30-year US Treasury yield that adjusted for inflation, as the yields were much higher in the 1970s and 1980s but inflation was quite high as well. The closest I could find was this chart of the … [Read the rest]

Andrew Luck is Doing Early Retirement Perfectly

Posted on August 27, 2019 // 6 Comments

The big news in sports yesterday was the retirement of Andrew Luck from professional football at the age of 29. Here are two takes from The Ringer: Andrew Luck and the Afterburn of Early Retirement and Andrew Luck Gave Up Fame, Riches, and Football … [Read the rest]

The Other Side: Reasons Why You Might Not Want To Retire at 40

Posted on August 25, 2019 // 6 Comments

Previously, I wrote about how you might consider retiring earlier if you have adequate flexibility to decrease your spending temporarily and/or earning additional money. If you have early good luck with market returns, you will gain many more years … [Read the rest]

The Case Against REITs as a Separate Asset Class Holding

Posted on August 22, 2019 // 3 Comments

Morningstar has another educational article about investing in REITs as a separate asset class (free registration may be required). The entire article is worth a read, as it does a good job of summarizing the basic arguments for either carving out … [Read the rest]

Employee or Student Discounts for AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile

Posted on August 21, 2019 // 49 Comments

Updated 2019. Each of the four major cell phone providers offer discounts for certain large groups, even applied to an existing personal line. You could qualify through your employer, educational institution, or even affiliation with certain … [Read the rest]

Business Idea: On-Demand Garage Rental + DIY Car Repair Lessons

Posted on August 20, 2019 // 6 Comments

The NY Times has a new article They Supply the Garage, You Bring the Elbow Grease where you rent space hourly or daily for DIY car repairs. The article referenced GarageTime as a place to search for a residential or commercial garage space in your … [Read the rest]

There Is No 100% Safe Portfolio: The Future May Not Look Like The Past

Posted on August 19, 2019 // 8 Comments

Last week, the yield on the 30-year US Treasury bond dropped below 2% for the first time in history. Many other articles will try to explain why this happened, and what this means for the future. Not me. I have no clue what's coming and don't … [Read the rest]