Kindle E-Readers: Prime Sale + American Express Discount = $9.99 Kindle?

Amazon is having two separate promotions on Kindle e-Readers that can stack together to result in a $10 Kindle. This was a great opportunity to upgrade from my ancient 2nd generation Kindle. First, all Amazon Prime members have the special Kindle … [Read the rest]

P/E Ratios Don’t Predict Anything Over The Next Couple of Years

Here are some charts from a Credit Suisse research report that you should keep in mind when reading articles about high valuations and future returns. I first saw the highlighting done by WSJ Daily Shot, but I can't find the post anymore. Here … [Read the rest]

Big Picture: Is Compounding Growth Working For or Against You?

I'm a finance geek and like to dig around in the details like asset allocation or tax strategies. However, sometimes I read some news that reminds me to step back and look at the big picture. Half of all Americans don't own any stocks at all. … [Read the rest]

Big List of Ways To Protect Your Identity: Free Credit Monitoring, Free Credit Locks, and Free Credit Freezes

Updated. After the Equifax hack and many subsequent hacks that affected so many Americans, there is renewed interest in the various ways you can monitor and/or protect your credit report. Below is a summary of the options available. Free credit … [Read the rest]

How To Compare Treasury Bill Rates to Bank Account APY

With T-Bill rates now around 2%, here's another topic that is getting some interest for the first time in many years. Individual investors can buy short-term Treasury Bills (4, 13, 26, and 52 weeks) via non-competitive bid at either … [Read the rest]

How To Enable Auto Sweep on Paypal Accounts (2018)

If you use PayPal to accept credit cards for your small business (eBay, Etsy, e-store, freelance, etc), you may not want to keep your money sitting at PayPal (especially if you are earning higher interest in your bank account). There is a feature … [Read the rest]

TIPS ETF vs. TIPS Mutual Fund vs. Series I Savings Bond: 10-Year Performance Comparison (2008-2018)

While updating my portfolio spreadsheet, I noticed that it had been 10 years since I bought my first electronic savings bond. I recently listed Reasons To Own TIPS, Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities and Reasons To Own Series I Savings Bonds. … [Read the rest]

Kids & Materialism: What Thing Were You Obsessed With in 7th Grade?

In the Atlantic article Why Kids Want Things, Dr. Marsha Richins is interviewed about her research on materialism and children. She explores why kids tend to place the most importance on owning and having things during middle school: I think of … [Read the rest]

Best Interest Rates on Cash – September 2018

This is my monthly roundup of the best interest rates on cash, roughly sorted from shortest to longest maturities. Check out my Ultimate Rate-Chaser Calculator to get an idea of how much additional interest you'd earn if you are moving money between … [Read the rest]

Warren Buffett on Reaching Stock Market Highs

Warren Buffett had his annual charity lunch today and was on CNBC for a short interview. As usual, he was asked about the current stock market situations and, as usual, he managed to sum everything up in a few folksy sentences. Here's a direct … [Read the rest]

Reasons To Own Series I Savings Bonds

Series I Savings Bonds (aka "I Bonds") are a unique investment sold directly to individuals by the US Treasury that pay out a variable interest rate linked to inflation. This post collects general reasons to own these savings bonds without going … [Read the rest]

What Happens If You Run Out of Money in Retirement?

This is not a happy post, but it's also the reality for a lot of people so I think it is a valid discussion. The Early Retirement forums had a thread recently titled What If You Run Out of Money?: I'm wondering--what would happen to someone who … [Read the rest]