Property Tax Assessment Appeals: Share Your Story

Posted on July 8, 2010 // 24 Comments

Another problem with escrows is by mixing it in with your mortgage payment, it can obscure what you're paying towards property taxes and homeowner's insurance premiums. Do you know how much you paid in property taxes this year versus the last? Or … [Read the rest]

Paying Homeowner’s Insurance Yourself, Even With Escrow

Posted on July 7, 2010 // 8 Comments

In response to my earlier post on Should You Manage Your Own Mortgage Escrow?, reader James e-mailed me a trick he found to save some money even if you are required to have an escrow account: Even if you've got an loan that requires an escrow … [Read the rest]

Housing Prices Are Still Too High, Says These Charts

Posted on July 6, 2010 // 11 Comments

Housing prices. Are they still falling? Stable? Best time to buy ever? Barry Ritholtz of The Big Picture thinks that housing prices have much further to fall. Here's part of his analysis: Today, residential real estate confronts … [Read the rest]

Should You Manage Your Own Mortgage Escrow?

Posted on July 5, 2010 // 39 Comments

I recently got a refund from my mortgage escrow servicer, as my property taxes decreased. This reminded me about how I always used to read that you should manage your own escrow account. I don't think I have a choice about the matter right now, … [Read the rest]

Slow Down Your Hedonic Treadmill

Posted on July 2, 2010 // 8 Comments

You may be familiar with Predictably Irrational, a best-selling book by a professor in behavorial economics that challenges the idea that humans behave rationally. In fact, says author Dan Ariely, humans are predictably irrational in many ways that … [Read the rest]

Capital One 360 Independence Day Offers

Posted on July 2, 2010 // 1 Comment

Online bank Capital One 360 has a few specials for Independence Day that (for some reason) are only good until midnight on Friday, July 2nd. In all cases, they are slightly better versions of offers that they regularly offer. Not a bad time to pounce … [Read the rest]

Lessons From a Stock Newsletter Scandal

Posted on June 29, 2010 // 19 Comments

I ran across another cautionary tale highlighting the world of paid stock newsletters, where people pay hundreds of dollars for "exclusive" stock picks. In this one, former professional baseball player Lenny Dykstra somehow become a … [Read the rest]

Blippy.com: Are You What You Buy?

Posted on June 29, 2010 // 11 Comments

While flipping through old magazines at the Doc's office, I read about a site called Blippy.com in a Time article. It's yet another social media site, except this time you link up your credit card data so it can automatically share all your … [Read the rest]

Perkstreet Checking with 2%/5% Cashback Debit Card

Posted on June 25, 2010 // 11 Comments

Perkstreet Financial is relatively new, but they've already tried a bunch of different ways to make their online checking account attractive, from sign-up bonuses to coffee awards. However, I think they've stumbled onto something with their new … [Read the rest]

Emergency: This Book Will Save Your Life (Book Review)

Posted on June 25, 2010 // 7 Comments

"Terrorist attacks. Natural disasters. Domestic crackdowns. Economic collapse. Riots. Wars. Disease. Starvation. What can you do when it all hits the fan?" Sounds like great travel reading, right? Well, it was, at least for me. Emergency: … [Read the rest]

VEIEX Fund vs. VWO ETF Performance Comparison

Posted on June 24, 2010 // 4 Comments

The bottom line for converting to the ETF version of equivalent mutual funds: lower costs = greater returns = more money. To illustrate this, I ran over to Mornginstar.com and compared the 5-year returns for VEIEX and VWO, the mutual fund and ETF … [Read the rest]

Vanguard Mutual Fund to ETF Share Conversions

Posted on June 24, 2010 // 9 Comments

If you are invested in Vanguard mutual funds, you might have been confused by their recent announcement of free trades for Vanguard ETFs for in-house brokerage customers. One consequence of this is that it makes it more attractive for many folks … [Read the rest]

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