LendingClub Updated 2010 Review: Historical Returns and Trends

Posted on May 3, 2010 // 22 Comments

I've been investing with LendingClub for over two years now. They securitize person-to-person loans so that you can lend money to other people in $25 increments, and you collect the interest after some fees. The stated interest rates are about 7-16%. … [Read the rest]

April 2010 Spending Snapshot

Posted on April 29, 2010 // 14 Comments

I've been trying to track our expenses better using Mint.com, which means combing through transactions and manually correcting many of the automatic categorizations. I think it's working, at least in that I hate doing it so much that didn't make a … [Read the rest]

Healthcare Reform Highlights For The Self-Employed

Posted on April 29, 2010 // 66 Comments

Until now, I haven't written much about healthcare reform issues - it's just feels so daunting and politically-charged. I do support the eventual separation of work and health insurance, as I think that all unemployed, partially-employed, and … [Read the rest]

LendingClub P2P Loan Portfolio Performance Update

Posted on April 28, 2010 // 17 Comments

Wow... The last time I wrote about LendingClub was about 6 months ago. Since then, I haven't really been keeping up with person-to-person lending, which in this case are unsecured credit card-like loans between individuals. Looks like they got a new … [Read the rest]

Savings Calculator: Does 1% More Make A Difference?

Posted on April 27, 2010 // 9 Comments

If you're like me, your 401k plan comes with a little newsletter each month. A common theme in the world of personal finance advice is to nudge up your savings by one more percentage point a year. For the "average" person, this is probably not a … [Read the rest]

Death and Taxes 2011: Visual Guide to the Federal Budget

Posted on April 26, 2010 // 24 Comments

The 2011 edition of the Death and Taxes poster is out, which outlines in spectacular detail how the United States federal budget spends its (your?) tax dollars. View the huge image online, or buy it as a 2 ft. x 3 ft poster. If you haven't seen … [Read the rest]

Energy Star Appliance Rebates Available Nationwide

Posted on April 23, 2010 // 17 Comments

"You may be eligible to receive rebates from your state or territory for the purchase of new ENERGY STAR qualified appliances. These rebates are being funded with $300 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Under this … [Read the rest]

Anyone Use CarBargains.com Price Negotiation Service?

Posted on April 22, 2010 // 50 Comments

The car buying strategy that I hear recommended most often is to decide on which car you want, down to all the options e-mail (or previously fax) the fleet managers of 3-5 local dealers, and ask for their best deal pit each of them against … [Read the rest]

Lonely Planet Offers Free iPhone Apps To Travelers

Posted on April 20, 2010 // 2 Comments

In response to the disruption caused by a certain Icelandic volcano, Lonely Planet has made their iPhone apps for 13 European cities free until April 22nd. These usually cost $15.99 each, and seemed to work fine on my iPod Touch. From their … [Read the rest]

Portfolio Check: Do You Need Investment Management Help?

Posted on April 19, 2010 // 11 Comments

I received a thought-provoking comment last week on my Fidelity Portfolio Advisory Service review. Since this post is a couple months old by now, I doubt most readers saw it. After reading it, my first guess was that somehow the visitor was … [Read the rest]

Savings I-Bonds March 2010 CPI Update: 1.54% Variable Rate

Posted on April 19, 2010 // 6 Comments

New inflation numbers for March 2010 were announced today, so it's time for the usual semi-annual update and rate predictions. New Inflation Rate September 2009 CPI-U was 215.969. March 2010 CPI-U was 217.631, for a semi-annual increase of … [Read the rest]

Short Film: The Cheapest Man in the Room

Posted on April 16, 2010 // 13 Comments

Do you think you're cheap? Or know someone who is? Well, unless you've brought supermarket cheese samples on a date, they may not be when compared to The Cheapest Man in the Room. Ross Carter lives a normal life … for a guy on a budget. … [Read the rest]

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