Hilton is offering people 1,000 Hilton HHonors points for creating a "real" password to replace their previous 4-digit PIN. Took me less than a minute. You must do this between March 12th and March 25th, 2015, and points will be posted in 6-8 … [Read the rest]
Beware of Mutual Funds That Artificially Juice Their Dividend Yield
Posted on March 19, 2015 // 1 Comment
I like seeing my dividend income roll in each quarter, as do many other investors. But are mutual funds artificially "juicing" their reported dividend yields to attract investors? This is explored in a recent academic paper Juicing the Dividend … [Read the rest]
FidSafe Review: Free Digital Document Storage from Fidelity
Posted on March 18, 2015 // 8 Comments
I have a couple of accounts at Fidelity Investments (solo 401k and taxable brokerage), and recently they sent me letter about a new service. FidSafe is a website that stores digital copies of documents for free and is open to the public, no … [Read the rest]
ROI of Brand Name Colleges? It’s What You Study In College That Matters, Not Where You Go
Posted on March 16, 2015 // 15 Comments
Soon high school seniors will start receiving their college acceptance letters. This week's issue of The Economist has an article discussing the results of a PayScale study of the relationship between the financial return on investment (ROI) of a … [Read the rest]
Benjamin Franklin and Compound Interest: “Money makes money. And the money that money makes, makes money”
Posted on March 15, 2015 // 11 Comments
We've all heard of the power of compound interest. We've all heard of Benjamin Franklin. But have you heard of the story where Ben Franklin let his money compound quietly for 200 years? Here's an excerpt from the book The Elements of … [Read the rest]
Best Frugal Cast Iron Skillet Pan – America’s Test Kitchen
Posted on March 12, 2015 // 13 Comments
Back in 2007, I wrote about cast iron skillets as the ultimate frugal cookware? To this day, I still think they can play a regular role in the home kitchen. America's Test Kitchen (ATK) has recently released to free e-mail newsletter subscribers … [Read the rest]
Schwab Intelligent Portfolios: Sample Asset Allocations and ETF Holdings
Posted on March 11, 2015 // 48 Comments
Schwab just sent me an e-mail with the subject "The wait is over. The future of investing is here." That boast means their new automated portfolio advisory platform called Schwab Intelligent Portfolios (SIP) is now opening accounts, meeting their … [Read the rest]
Barron’s Best Online Stock Brokerage Rankings 2015
Posted on March 9, 2015 // 13 Comments
Weekly business newspaper Barron's just released their 2015 annual broker survey rankings. Here's a snippet that helps explain their perspective and readership (emphasis mine): To pinpoint 2015’s top brokers, we analyzed not just their security, … [Read the rest]
Vanguard Target Retirement Fund Changes 2015
Posted on March 8, 2015 // 6 Comments
I always keep track of the Vanguard Target Retirement 20XX Funds because: They are a low-cost, broadly-diversified, "all-in-one" fund that I think are a good starting point for both beginning investors and those desiring simplicity. I have … [Read the rest]
The Position of F- You and Financial Independence
Posted on March 5, 2015 // 25 Comments
In the recent movie The Gambler, a loanshark named Frank explains the Position of F- You to gambler Jim Bennett. (Played by actor John Goodman.) Warning: Lots of explicit language ahead! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1qFqsQZXfo (Embedded … [Read the rest]
Best 529 with FDIC-Insured High Yield Savings: Interest Rates Up to 2.25% APY
Posted on March 4, 2015 // 5 Comments
Many people want to take advantage of the tax benefits of 529 college savings accounts, but don't want to deal with the volatility of stocks or bonds. Perhaps the beneficiary will need the funds soon, or you want the security of FDIC insurance. … [Read the rest]
Discover it® Miles – Unlimited 1.5x Rewards Card Review: 3% Cash Back During First 12 Months
Posted on March 3, 2015 // 22 Comments
Discover started with one credit card. Over the years, they expanded to a bunch of different cards. Back in 2013, they nuked all of them and started fresh again with the Discover it. But you know that simplicity never suits large … [Read the rest]
The Best Credit Card Bonus Offers – 2026
Big List of Free Stocks from Brokerage Apps
Best Interest Rates on Cash - 2026
Free Credit Scores x 3 + Free Credit Monitoring
Best No Fee 0% APR Balance Transfer Offers
Little-Known Cellular Data Plans That Can Save Big Money
How To Haggle Your Cable or Direct TV Bill
Big List of Free Consumer Data Reports (Credit, Rent, Work)