The Credit Suisse Global Investment Returns Yearbook 2012 (pdf) provides an analysis of returns from 19 major developed countries from 1900-2011. An article inside called The Real Value of Money by Elroy Dimson, Paul Marsh, and Mike Staunton of the … [Read the rest]
I took some time this weekend to check on my investment portfolio, including employer 401(k) plans, self-employed plans, IRAs, and taxable brokerage holdings. Asset Allocation & Holdings You can view my target asset allocation here, along with … [Read the rest]
Congress has just passed a bill which the President has promised to sign that includes an extension of the 2% payroll tax cut for the rest of 2012. Specifically, the employee portion of the Social Security tax is reduced to 4.2% in 2012 instead of … [Read the rest]
Offer is back! Person-to-person loan site Prosper.com is having a another one-day promotion for borrowers who submit their loan listing on Friday, February 17th where they will actually make your entire 2nd loan payment (principal and interest) for … [Read the rest]
I recently started subscribing to Consumer Reports magazine again, and the February 2012 issue included an article about the major financial brokerage companies (subscription required, press release). The first part was an investigation about the big … [Read the rest]
When dealing with other people, it's always easier when you know what makes them tick. What motivates them? This led to some introspection. What did I really want out of life? I realized that I was probably much different than others. The … [Read the rest]
Mrs. MMB and I both contributed $5,000 each to a non-deductible Traditional IRA again for the 2012 tax year this week, with the intention of converting it into a Roth IRA in the future. Are you eligible to do this as well? Of course, we had to … [Read the rest]
Speaking of internal frugality, I'd say one of the most basic ways to save on rent or mortgage payments is to... live in a smaller place. No, wait, really. Let's think about it. Even though it's now easy to make fun of 10,000 square feet … [Read the rest]
Where are the best places to consider relocating to? I knew that almost every major financial media outlet had their own "best places to live" list, and my plan was to see which cities popped up most amongst them. Well, that was a bust as every … [Read the rest]
Have you moved for financial reasons? Where did you move to? Where did you move from? How did you decide? Larger income? Better job for similar income? Lower housing costs? Something else? Share your story in the comments … [Read the rest]
This post has been revised with new info and added to my Expense Reduction Guide: Housing. Although it takes considerable effort, nearly 40 million Americans move every year. Now, the reasons for all these moves are not all financial, but you can … [Read the rest]
It looks like TDA is following the trend of combining checking account features with their traditional brokerage accounts. If you have a TD Ameritrade account, this looks like a pretty easy $200 bonus score. Visit this promotion page to sign … [Read the rest]
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