2024 Year-End Review: Annual Broad Asset Class & Target Fund Returns

Posted on January 2, 2025 // 1 Comment

Happy New Year! 🎉 🥳 Let's see how the year went for the broad asset classes that I track. Per Morningstar, here are the total annual returns (includes price appreciation and dividends/interest) for select asset classes as … [Read the rest]

Last-Minute Healthcare FSA Reminder (Average Loss $441!), Amazon $10 FSA Offer

Posted on December 29, 2024 // 13 Comments

Updated for 2024, new $10 Amazon bonus. Here's a year-end reminder to get back all the money sent into Healthcare Flexible Spending Accounts (HC FSA) due to their "use it or lose it" structure (see possible extensions below). According to the … [Read the rest]

Warning: Avoid Buying Vanguard Target Retirement Funds in Taxable Accounts

Posted on December 26, 2024 // 5 Comments

Vanguard Target Retirement Funds are a huge series of "all-in-one" mutual funds, now with over $1 trillion in total assets. I don't hold them myself, but I have advised my parents to invest their IRAs in them. I appreciate that they are … [Read the rest]

Consumer Reports: Top 10 Most Reliable Car Brands 2024

Posted on December 19, 2024 // 4 Comments

Consumer Reports has released their annual "Best Cars" issue. Their definition of "best" involves a combination of their self-conducted road tests, safety ratings, owner satisfaction surveys, and owner reliability surveys. However, I'm mostly just … [Read the rest]

Thank You, John Rekenthaler, For The Uncomfortable Truths About Investing

Posted on December 19, 2024 // Leave a Comment

John Rekenthaler, longtime Director of Research at Morningstar, recently announced his retirement from a 35+ year career with the article Farewell, For Now. As a regular reader of his "Rekenthaler Reports", I have respected his clear writings that … [Read the rest]

Amazon Last-Minute Gift Card Sale: Up to 20% Off (Lowe’s, Nordstrom, DoorDash, Uber, Instacart, Combos) + $200 No Fee Visa Gift Card

Posted on December 17, 2024 // 1 Comment

Tick, tock... Amazon is having a big last-minute gift card sale with up to 20% off many retailers. These aren't the best deals ever for yourself, but they are useful as in-stock and on-time gifts for others. Accordingly, I like the combo cards … [Read the rest]

TrueMed: Use Your Pre-Tax HSA/FSA Funds on Exercise Equipment

Posted on December 16, 2024 // 2 Comments

It's that time of year, where I will soon remind you to use up your Healthcare Flexible Spending Account (FSA) funds before they expire. However, if you somehow have a large unused balance that you can't offset with sunscreen and cold medicine, you … [Read the rest]

Best Interest Rates Survey: Savings Accounts, Treasuries, CDs, ETFs – December 2024

Posted on December 15, 2024 // 12 Comments

Here's my monthly roundup of the best interest rates on cash as of December 2024, roughly sorted from shortest to longest maturities. There are lesser-known opportunities available to individual investors, often earning more money while keeping the … [Read the rest]

Mary Buffett & The Difference Between Gifting Cash and Stocks

Posted on December 13, 2024 // 9 Comments

In a recent Fortune article, which in turn referenced an older ThinkAdvisor interview, Mary Buffett shared an anecdote about how her former father-in-law Warren Buffett changed the way he gifted his family $10,000 every year, from cash to shares of … [Read the rest]

Mint Mobile Holiday Deal: 12-Months of Unlimited Plan at $15/Month (50% Off, $180 Savings)

Posted on December 11, 2024 // 7 Comments

This year will make it six years with Mint Mobile cellular service. They have provided reliable service at a low cost, and it fits my needs. They use the T-Mobile GSM 4G LTE and 5G networks, which means most phones are compatible and switching just … [Read the rest]

Alaska Airlines Premium Credit Card: 500 Mile Bonus For Joining Waitlist (No Commitment)

Posted on December 11, 2024 // Leave a Comment

Alaska Airlines is teasing a new credit card, currently called the "Alaska Airlines Premium Credit Card", and you can get 500 free Alaska miles just for joining their waitlist by December 31st, 2024 with your name and MileagePlan number. There is … [Read the rest]

Sam’s Club New Membership Discount: $30 Off Club, $50 off Plus

Posted on December 10, 2024 // Leave a Comment

Sam's Club has a new discount offer on new memberships. This is slightly cheaper than the previous Sam's Club Groupon deal. Each includes a Household member card. Expires 1/31/25. New 1-Year Club Membership for $20 (Regular price … [Read the rest]

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