My Money Blog

Book Review: The 4-Hour Workweek Expanded Edition

Posted on April 13, 2011 // 5 Comments

I recently finished re-reading the updated edition of the popular book The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss. I read it quickly when it first came out in 2007 or so, but this time I think was more ready for the message. In the last lifestyle … [Read the rest]

Ohio CollegeAdvantage 529: $25 Matching Contribution

Posted on April 13, 2011 // 7 Comments

The Ohio CollegeAdvantage 529 college savings plan is offering a $25 matching contribution if you open a new account and invest at least $25 of your own money. No promotion code required. Expires April 30, 2011. (Update: This offer is now … [Read the rest]

$100 Tradeking Referral Extended to April 14th

Posted on April 12, 2011 // 1 Comment

The $100 Refer-A-Friend promo for TradeKing.com has extended to April 14th. You just need to apply by the deadline. If you get a referral from an existing account holder, open a new account with at least $1,000 within 30 days of application, and … [Read the rest]

Side Business Idea For Geeky College Students: Hacking iPhones

Posted on April 11, 2011 // 11 Comments

WaPo has a story about a college student who makes $50,000 a year from jailbreaking iPhones for strangers. By opening up the operation system to tweaks, "jailbreaking" allows iPhone users to do some cool stuff like share 3G connections, switch to … [Read the rest]

XKCD Remix: The Secret Life of Personal Finance Bloggers

Posted on April 8, 2011 // 10 Comments

XKCD is a popular online comic strip, and recently there was a funny one about what really goes on behind time management and productivity blogs. I decided to take advantage of their creative commons license and adapt the original comic to personal … [Read the rest]

What Is Trusteer Rapport Software? Is It Safe/Legit?

Posted on April 5, 2011 // 61 Comments

In case you haven't been notified, the e-mail marketing provider Epsilon Data Management got hacked and tons of email addresses and names were stolen. Clients include major companies like Chase, Capital One, Best Buy, Target, and more. While the data … [Read the rest]

Chase AARP Visa – 5% Cash Back For 6 Months

Posted on April 5, 2011 // 12 Comments

Via a specific banner ad, the Chase AARP Visa has a introductory promo of 5% cash back on all purchases for the first 6 months (specifically, 6 billing cycles). There appears to be no limit to their cashback awards and their reported credit … [Read the rest]

Increase in Housing Quality vs. Increase in Housing Prices

Posted on April 4, 2011 // 13 Comments

Catherine over at Visualizing Economics has another nice graphic on Housing Quality and its effect on Home Values. In the top chart, she shows how inflation-adjusted median home values have increased due to the fact that the median home has … [Read the rest]

Fifth Third Bank Overdraft Fee Settlement Deadline

Posted on April 4, 2011 // 22 Comments

If you have been a customer of Fifth Third Bank and incurred any overdraft fees related to a debit card transaction, the following may interest you. According to a class action lawsuit, Fifth Third Bank posted debit card transactions and/or ATM … [Read the rest]

PenFed Adds New Ways To Join – Red Cross Donors

Posted on April 4, 2011 // 5 Comments

Kind of hidden at the bottom of my last post was that discovery that there are new ways to join Pentagon Federal Credit Union, known commonly as PenFed. There are several reasons to join this credit union, including at-times competitive certificate … [Read the rest]

My Money Blog on FaceBook – Gift Card Giveaway

Posted on April 1, 2011 // 6 Comments

I've finally caught up to 2009 and created a Facebook Page for MyMoneyBlog.com, with a little nudge from reader Amy. With this page, my hope is to be able to share links and other quick news that might not make it into a blog post, as well as … [Read the rest]

Scottrade Offers Low-Cost, Commission-Free Focus Morningstar ETFs

Posted on March 31, 2011 // 10 Comments

Update: As of late 2012 Scottrade announced that they would liquidate their FocusShares ETFs. Scottrade bought FocusShares as a subsidiary and has joined the free ETF landscape. They introduced 15 new low-cost Focus Morningstar ETFs which … [Read the rest]