My Money Blog

2011 TradeKing New Account Referral: $100 Bonus

Posted on February 28, 2011 // 4 Comments

Online broker TradeKing.com has brought back their $100 sign-up bonus for new accounts. If you get a referral from an existing account holder, open a new account with at least $1,000, and make a trade, both people will get $100. TradeKing … [Read the rest]

$1 for Three DVD Rentals from Redbox (Again)

Posted on February 28, 2011 // 5 Comments

Groupon has a national deal through the end of March 1st that will get you three one-day rentals at RedBox kiosks for $1. Retail is $1 per day, so $3. If you don't have a Groupon account already, please use my sign-up link, and I'll get some … [Read the rest]

No Fee 0% APR Balance Transfer For 12 Months – Discover Card – Expires 2/28!

Posted on February 25, 2011 // 11 Comments

A reminder that this offer is scheduled to end on February 28th, 2011. The Discover More Card is available with no balance transfer fee through this online offer link, offering both 0% intro APR on balance transfers and purchases for 12 … [Read the rest]

Dilbert and Bogart On “F#(& You” Money

Posted on February 25, 2011 // 9 Comments

Trying to think of a good name for your retirement fund? Here's a funny Dilbert comic about a colorful option: In fact, the origins of the term "F--- You Money" can be traced to actor Humphrey Bogart. The following quote is attributed to … [Read the rest]

Hotel Bidding Tools For Hotwire.com and Priceline.com Travel

Posted on February 24, 2011 // 11 Comments

I'm working on planning our next travel adventure, and discovered a few new sites to help people navigate "opaque" hotel price engines Hotwire.com and Priceline.com. In my 5-Step Guide to Finding The Lowest Rate For Hotel Rooms, I outlined the … [Read the rest]

Application Tips For Individual Health Insurance

Posted on February 23, 2011 // 21 Comments

In a NY Times Op-Ed piece entitled Money Won’t Buy You Health Insurance, Donna Dubinsky shares her troubles with getting individual health insurance coverage, even though she has many millions from co-founding Palm. Based on this article, here are … [Read the rest]

Stable Value Fund 2011 Interest Rate Announced

Posted on February 22, 2011 // 15 Comments

If you have a 401(k), 403(b), or similar retirement plan, you may have an investment option called a stable value fund. Sometimes it goes by a different name like Guaranteed Pooled Fund, but they are always marked as a conservative investment. The … [Read the rest]

Prosper P2P Lending 1% Cashback + Potential Market Inefficiency

Posted on February 21, 2011 // 9 Comments

I kinda missed the boat last Thursday 2/17 because peer-to-peer lending site Prosper.com had a promotion going on for borrowers that stated that they would make a entire month's loan payment for you. A quote from their e-mail: It's our fifth … [Read the rest]

$2 for Five Movie Rentals from Blockbuster Express – Groupon

Posted on February 19, 2011 // 7 Comments

Groupon has a national deal this weekend that will get you five one-day rentals at Blockbuster Express kiosks for $2. The regular cost would have been $5. I don't really get the limitation of one per person when you can buy seemingly unlimited as … [Read the rest]

The Joys of Making Your Own Popcorn

Posted on February 18, 2011 // 25 Comments

I try to keep my life simple, but don't see myself as a serious frugal person. I don't make my own soap, and I eat out a lot. But one thing I recently fell in love with was making my own popcorn. It sounds so obvious, but it never really sunk … [Read the rest]

FDIC-Insured Bank Accounts Holding Chinese Renminbi (CNY) (RMB)

Posted on February 17, 2011 // 12 Comments

Reader Jonathan wrote in the tell me that the Bank of China (BoC) is offering FDIC-insured bank accounts that are denominated in renminbi, the official currency of China. Also referred to by the primary unit yuan, you may have heard about how China … [Read the rest]

Infographic: U.S. 2012 Budget Proposal

Posted on February 16, 2011 // 8 Comments

Here's another infographic from the New York Times illustrating the proposed budget for 2012. Rectangles are sized according to the proposed spending. Color shows severity of cut or increase from 2010 (green increase, red decrease). If you … [Read the rest]