My Money Blog

How I Plan To Shop For My Next Mortgage Loan, Part 2

Posted on April 25, 2008 // 18 Comments

Continued from Part 1, where you should have figured out what type of loan you want to get, gathered copies of your important paperwork, and gathered a list of potential lenders. Now to narrow things down to one final lender. III. Narrowing … [Read the rest]

Sandy and Jott: Create Your Own Free Virtual Assistant

Posted on April 23, 2008 // 17 Comments

Nobody has ever accused me of being the most organized person. I don't carry a PDA, a dayplanner, or even a notebook/moleskin. It's pretty much just Outlook at work, and a lot of Post-Its at home. But recently I've discovered two applications … [Read the rest]

Looking Back: How I Plan To Shop For My Next Mortgage Loan, Part 1

Posted on April 22, 2008 // 15 Comments

Shopping for my recent mortgage loan was a pain. It shouldn't be this hard! I had hope for Zillow, but a recent quote request for my same loan only got two offers from lenders, both of which weren't very good. Ah well. Until it gets better, … [Read the rest]

The Financial Freedom Ratio: A Better Way To Measure Your Net Worth?

Posted on April 21, 2008 // 23 Comments

Most of you are reading this right now because you want that elusive "financial freedom". This usually revolves around net worth, and many of us (ahem) have a specific net worth goal they want to achieve. Various formulas and calculators abound. … [Read the rest]

April 2008 Investment Portfolio Snapshot

Posted on April 20, 2008 // 16 Comments

Since we just made our IRA contributions for 2007 recently and had made a few mutual fund exchanges, I figured this was a good time to post another portfolio snapshot. Since we have so many different accounts now, I changed the presentation layout a … [Read the rest]

What I Learned About Money In The 6th Grade…

Posted on April 18, 2008 // 35 Comments

Thanks for all the diverse and interesting insights on teaching kids about money, I learned quite a few things myself. As I was trying to think back and remember what I personally learned - or wish I learned - about money in 6th grade, a couple of … [Read the rest]

Help A 6th Grade Teacher With Financial Education?

Posted on April 17, 2008 // 49 Comments

I received this intriguing e-mail yesterday from reader Ryan: I am a 6th grade teacher who wants to do a month long lesson on financial education. I was wondering if you have any thoughts and/or ideas as to what you think should be stressed at … [Read the rest]

ThankYou Points: Double Your Redemption Rate With The Fixed Flight Option

Posted on April 17, 2008 // 30 Comments

If you have a Citibank credit card and are collecting ThankYou points, you are probably familiar with the various gift cards available at approximately a 1 point to 1 cent ratio, or 10,000 points = $100 gift card. You may even be familiar with the … [Read the rest]

Series I Savings Bonds: Inflation Numbers Released, Time To Buy?

Posted on April 16, 2008 // 29 Comments

Well, the CPI-U that I recently questioned went up 0.9% in March alone. I guess you can't hide everything. ;) So, is it time to buy some Series I bonds? First, refer back to this earlier post for a primer as well as some background information. … [Read the rest]

Considerations in Do-It-Yourself Hardwood Flooring

Posted on April 16, 2008 // 33 Comments

I am now the proud owner of over $7,000 in hardwood flooring. It cost as much as my car! We charged it to our Citi Cash Returns card in order to grab the extra cashback at the time, which saved us another $350 on top of the $400 we got back last … [Read the rest]

Does The Government Underestimate Inflation Through The Consumer Price Index (CPI)?

Posted on April 15, 2008 // 30 Comments

Many people, including myself, are worried about inflation. Is it just because of the current housing and stock market conditions, or are our bills really a lot higher than before? The inflation numbers that we usually hear about are based on the … [Read the rest]

SmartyPig Review: With Less Fees, Are Piggy Banks Back?

Posted on April 14, 2008 // 24 Comments

When I first heard of SmartyPig, it sounded like a pretty cool idea. Give us back the piggy banks we had as kids, but make it virtual and public so that others can help directly with our goal. But a bunch of fees made it expensive and my … [Read the rest]