Completed Sample IRS Form 709 Gift Tax Return for 529 Superfunding / Front-Loading

Updated. Let's say you are fortunate enough to be able to make a large contribution to a 529 college savings plan, perhaps for your children or grandchildren. You read from multiple sources that you are able to contribute up to $75,000 at once for … [Read the rest]

Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Card Review

The Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card is the new co-branded card from Chase and the newly-merged Marriott/Starwood/Ritz-Carlton rewards program. The current bonus is 75,000 bonus Marriott Rewards points after spending $3,000 in 3 months. … [Read the rest]

Open University: UK-Based, Regionally US-Accredited Online Bachelor’s Degrees

If you are interested in online college education, definitely read How Open University Works: An Insider’s Perspective by Manoel Cortes Mendez. The Open University (OU) is a public, nonprofit UK university that was founded in 1969 with a focus on … [Read the rest]

Barron’s Best Stock Brokerage Rankings 2018

Barron's has released their 2018 online broker rankings. The considerations include trading experience/technology, usability, mobile trading, range of offerings, research tools, customer service, and cost. The Barron's list always comes from the … [Read the rest]

Best Interest Rates on Cash – May 2018

Interest rates are rising. Rate-chasing is becoming more worthwhile again. Here is my monthly roundup of the best safe rates available, roughly sorted from shortest to longest maturities. Check out my Ultimate Rate-Chaser Calculator to get an idea … [Read the rest]

Savings I Bonds May 2018 Interest Rate: 2.22% Inflation Rate, 0.30% Fixed Rate

Update 5/1/18. The fixed rate will be 0.30% for I bonds issued from May 1, 2018 through October 31, 2018. The variable inflation-indexed rate for this 6-month period will be 2.22% (as was predicted). The total rate on any specific bond is the sum … [Read the rest]

Tipping Chart: Low vs. Average vs. High Tipper Survey

Tipping. Everyone's got an opinion. The thing I hate most about tipping is the feeling of "I'm not doing this right". To better understand it, I read a book about tipping by a veteran waiter. There are now several "tipping guides", but I like … [Read the rest]

Amazon Price Hike: Gift of Prime Membership Still $99

Amazon Prime has announced the following price increases to $119 per year: Starting May 11, 2018, new members will be charged $119/year for an annual Prime membership and $59/year for an annual Prime Student membership. Starting June 16, 2018, … [Read the rest]

Betterment Review: Customized Asset Allocation, Human Financial Advisors

Updated April 2018 with custom ETF allocations. Betterment is an independent hybrid digital/human advisor that will manage a diversified mix of low-cost index funds and help you decide how much you'll need to save for retirement. (By independent, … [Read the rest]

Audible Returning Trial Members: 2 Free AudioBooks + $10 Amazon Gift Card (Targeted)

If you've already done a free trial of Audible.com and gotten some free audiobooks... Amazon might like to offer you another trial with two more free audiobooks plus a $10 Amazon gift card! This offer may be targeted and appears to be open to … [Read the rest]

Reader Question: Tracking Asset Allocation Across Multiple Investment Accounts

Here's a reader question regarding my most recent portfolio asset allocation update. It has been edited for clarity and to remove personal details by request: Thank you for posting the quarterly finance updates. I would like to do something … [Read the rest]

Amazon Prime: Buy Sample Box, Get Equal Credit Towards Similar Products

Updated with new Snack and other sample boxes. Amazon Prime members can buy sample boxes that come with a credit towards a future purchase in that specific product category. Right now, you can buy a snack sample box for $9.99 and then you'll get an … [Read the rest]