Chase Bank $600 Bonus 2018 – $300 Total Checking + $200 Savings + $100 For Both

Update October 2018. Here is a new promotion link with an extended expiration date and an extra $100 on top of the previous bonus. The requirements are nearly identical to before, but now you can get $300 for Total Checking + $20 for Savings + $100 … [Read the rest]

Reminder: Don’t Put Too Much Employer Stock Into Your 401(k)

Every time a large corporation stumbles, you will see something along these lines: Having Too Much Employer Stock in Your 401(k) Is Dangerous. That doesn't prevent it from being solid advice. The best advice bears repeating. Why? If your … [Read the rest]

Amazon Prime + Whole Foods Additional 10% Off Discounts Now Nationwide

Amazon Prime members are now able to get an additional 10% off on "hundreds" of Whole Foods sale items at locations nationwide. Look for the yellow sign below. They had been rolling this out gradually, but it is now nationwide as of 6/27/18. … [Read the rest]

US Housing Market Breakdown Chart

I don't have any clever observations to share along with it, but the WSJ Daily Shot shared an interesting breakdown of the US housing market. Occupied or Vacant, Owned or Rented, Mortgage or Not, Negative Equity or Not, Foreclosure or Not, and so … [Read the rest]

Evicted: Low-Income Tenants and Landlord Economics in Milwaukee

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond follows eight different families who struggled to pay rent in poor areas of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Around the time of the 2008 financial crisis, the author lived in the same units … [Read the rest]

Social Security Trust Fund: Income vs. Expenses

You may have read recently that the Social Security Trust Fund is starting to shrink, and that it is projected to run out of money in 16 years. (Medicare's trust fund is projected to run out in 8.) This is not the same thing as Social Security … [Read the rest]

Retirement Nest Egg Calculators: Running Out of Money vs. Running Out of Time

If you have researched retirement at all (early or otherwise), you've probably ran across various retirement calculators online. You input how much money you have (or plan to have), your asset allocation, and it spits out some numbers. This … [Read the rest]

Northern Bank Direct Money Market Review – 2.26% APY Guaranteed Through June 2019

Update: As of 6/20/18, the rate is now down to 1.50% APY. I hope everyone who was interested got the 2.26% APY rate, you definitely had time and they did give roughly a 24-hour notice. Here comes another new "Direct" bank leapfrogging the … [Read the rest]

How To Build A 4-Week Treasury Bill Ladder: A Visual Guide

For my magic trick today, I will be resurrecting a post from over 11 years ago! That's the last time it there was any significant interest for an individual to buy Treasury Bills instead of using a top-yielding bank account. As of 6/18/18, a … [Read the rest]

Age-Sensitive Safe Withdrawal Rate Strategy? Age Divided By 20

Should a person who retires at age 70 withdraw the same amount of money from their portfolio as someone who is age 40? You're talking about a retirement period that is likely twice as long as the other. In an article titled The “Feel Free” … [Read the rest]

My Money Blog Portfolio Income – June 2018

When it comes to making your portfolio last a lifetime, you may be surprised at how long that might be. According to this Vanguard longevity tool, for a couple both age 40 today, there is a 50% chance that one will live to 88. That's 48 … [Read the rest]

Country Time Lemonade Will Pay Legal Fees For Unlicensed Lemonade Stands

Are you thinking of helping your kid setting up a lemonade stand this summer? Apparently, some young entrepreneurs are getting shut down due to a lack of small business permits. In a very savvy PR move, Country Time Lemonade has offered to … [Read the rest]