Bogle on Mutual Funds, An Investment Classic Book Review #TBT

Whenever I feel overwhelmed by the amount of noise coming at me through my computer screens, I read a book. When the new books on my desk don't impress, I find an old book. That is how I came to buy a used, first edition of Bogle on Mutual … [Read the rest]

Paperless vs. Paper Statements

Pictured above is the Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500 Scanner. It can digitize a page every 2 seconds, and some version of it has been on my Amazon Wishlist for many years. However, I still haven't plunked down 400 bucks for it, because I don't know if … [Read the rest]

Sling TV Review + Free Amazon Fire TV Stick or Roku Stick Promo (Updated)

Updated review after 3 months of using Sling TV. Promo still live for a couple more weeks. Sling TV allows you to stream a package of major cable networks live over the internet. That means you can watch it on your smartphone, your home TV, or … [Read the rest]

Charlie Munger On Leverage and Paying Your Mortgage Off Before Retirement

While reading back through various transcript notes from the 2015 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting, I recalled the following quote from the Q&A session. A shareholder had asked why Berkshire had never borrowed money to buy stocks (i.e. leverage). … [Read the rest]

Montessori Chart of Age-Appropriate Chores For Kids

I'm currently reading The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous, and Smart About Money by Ron Lieber. So far, it covers a lot of topics about money and kids that even us adults don't like to talk about in public. For … [Read the rest]

Real Estate Crowdfunding Experiment #1: Property Details and Numbers Breakdown

Woohoo, I just received my first interest payment on my real estate crowdfunding experiment #1. I put in $5,000 at 11% APR, which should work out about $46 a month but the first partial payment was an underwhelming $16.81. I e-mailed Patch of … [Read the rest]

Hard Money Loans: The Next “New” Asset Class?

Bloomberg has a new article about how hard money loans to house flippers are the next asset class to be both crowdfunded and taken over by institutions. Like peer-to-peer loans and LendingClub, it may have started out with individuals lending to … [Read the rest]

Verizon Wireless 8% Customer Loyalty Discount

If you have Verizon Wireless but don't already have a good employee or education discount on your plan, you may want to try this Customer Loyalty Discount at vzw.com/appreciation. You may qualify for up to 8% off of your monthly access fee. Note … [Read the rest]

Teaching Kids to be Entrepreneurs: Jack’s Cosmic Hot Dogs

Here's a follow-up post to The Best Advice For A Teenager Looking For a Job. One of the podcasts I regularly listen to is the Alton Browncast (of "Good Eats" fame). Many topics are food-related but often it boils down to him talking with really … [Read the rest]

Liquidating My Prosper Loans Using Folio Investing

As stated in my last P2P loan experiment update, I am liquidating all of my notes from Prosper Lending and Lending Club. When you own more traditional investments like ETFs or individuals stocks that trade on a major exchange, you can sell your … [Read the rest]

Berkshire Hathaway Official Reading List 2015: Approved Books by Buffett and Munger

Among the many booths at Berkshire Hathaway's 2015 Annual Meeting was one run by a local bookstore. Each year, BRK approves a list of books, many of which have been mentioned in shareholder letters or other speeches by Warren Buffett and/or Charlie … [Read the rest]

The Best Advice For A Teenager Looking For a Job

I really enjoyed this article by James Altucher called "The Best Advice Ever To A Teenage Daughter Who Needs To Make Money". His kid is considering taking an $8 an hour job, presumably in either the food or retail industry. Why not? The first … [Read the rest]