Prosper.com was the first big name in the person-to-person lending space. Things have been quiet recently, as they took a while getting SEC approval for their investment notes. In addition, the problems with "old" Prosper included the fact that they … [Read the rest]
Savings I-Bonds November 2009 Fixed Rate: 0.3%
Posted on November 4, 2009 // 9 Comments
The new fixed rate for Series I Savings Bonds ("I Bonds") was announced on Monday to be 0.3%. This is a follow-up to the ~3.07% inflation rate previously calculated based on CPI-U data. As a long-term investment, a 0.3% real yield makes I-Bonds … [Read the rest]
New Schwab ETFs: Indexed, Low Cost, & No Commission With Schwab Account
Posted on November 2, 2009 // 13 Comments
Schwab just sent me a press release announcing their new series of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that have low operating expense ratios and passively track indexes. The most commonly-noted drawback of ETFs is that you must buy them like a stock … [Read the rest]
Monthly Net Worth & Goals Update – November 2009
Posted on November 2, 2009 // 28 Comments
Credit Card Debt In the past, I have taken money from credit cards at 0% APR and placed it into online savings accounts, bank CDs, or savings bonds that earn 4-5% interest (much less recently), and keeping the difference as profit. I even put … [Read the rest]
529 Plan Promotion: Couples Get $150 Jumpstart to College Savings
Posted on October 30, 2009 // 11 Comments
This is a reminder that the Ohio CollegeAdvantage 529 Plan is offering some excellent incentives for those looking to start putting some money aside for college. Open to residents of any state, the best part is that this is one of the nation's best … [Read the rest]
Sell Your Halloween Candy Back To Dentists
Posted on October 30, 2009 // 12 Comments
Have you heard of this? A network of dentists will buy back your Halloween candy for $1 to $2 per pound at HalloweenCandyBuyBack.com. After a few zip code searches, there actually does seem to be a few dentists in many metro areas. They are … [Read the rest]
Reader Question: What If My 401k Has Horrible Investment Options?
Posted on October 29, 2009 // 36 Comments
Here's another good reader question about crappy 401k plans. Reader Robert saves enough to max out his 401k each year if he wanted to, in addition to maxing out his Roth IRA every year which he already does. However, his 401k plan is filled with … [Read the rest]
Swaptree Review: Barter Your Books, CDs, DVDs, and Video Games
Posted on October 28, 2009 // 19 Comments
I've spent the last few hours browsing on Swaptree, which is a website that allows you to swap your books, CDs, DVDs, and video games with other members. You just list the items that you want to trade and the items that you want, and Swaptree sets up … [Read the rest]
Piggy Bank That Helps You Save & Spend
Posted on October 27, 2009 // 5 Comments
This might be cool for kids. The Spend Save Bank randomly deposits coins into either the 'Save' or 'Spend' section. It'd be even better if there was a option to set what percentages you want to split between spend and save, but I guess that would … [Read the rest]
Use Google Voice To Enhance Your Cell Phone Voicemail
Posted on October 27, 2009 // 5 Comments
You can now add the voicemail features of Google Voice to your existing cell phone service for free. Check out the Google Blog post and Engadget. More specifically, if you sign up for Google Voice with your existing number, you'll get: * … [Read the rest]
US Savings Bonds: Increasing Annual Purchase Limits With A Minor Account
Posted on October 27, 2009 // 15 Comments
Got a reader question today about the purchase limits for savings bonds: Can I get around the $20,000 annual buying limit by purchasing I-bonds in my child's name? After doing some research, it does appear that yes, you can exceed the usual … [Read the rest]
Paradox Of Financial Choices: Maximizing vs. Satisficing
Posted on October 26, 2009 // 17 Comments
In the book Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz, he talks about how there are two types of people, maximizers and satisficers (think satisfy + suffice). I will simply quote the excellent summary from the book's Wikipedia page: A maximizer is … [Read the rest]
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