My Money Blog

Signup Bonuses: $25/$75 from E-Trade, $200 For Chase Bank

Posted on August 22, 2007 // 25 Comments

$25 bonus for opening E-Trade savings account with just $1, no minimums and no fees. I still dislike E-Trade from my own bad customer service experiences, but I don't mind people grabbing some bonuses from them. ;) Thanks S.E. for the tip. … [Read the rest]

Financial Festivals and Carnivals

Posted on August 22, 2007 // 2 Comments

Here are some blog festivals and carnivals I participated in recently: The Carnival of Personal Finance included my profit calculation tool for making money from credit cards. My pick from this Carnival was Top 10 Wealth Building Ways Of … [Read the rest]

Choosing Between the Roth or Traditional 403b / 401k : Our Decision Process

Posted on August 21, 2007 // 29 Comments

My wife now has the new option of contributing to Roth 403b plan with her new position, and we had to make a decision on whether or not to go with it. Here is our thinking process, which should also apply to Roth 401ks. I found a few good … [Read the rest]

Video Post: Basics of Comparing Investing in a Roth 401k vs. a Traditional 401k

Posted on August 21, 2007 // 22 Comments

I just made my first video blog post which covers part of choosing between a Traditional and a Roth-type of retirement account, be it IRA, 401(k), or 403(b). I've covered this topic before, but I wanted to start out with something that I get asked … [Read the rest]

What’s My Marginal Tax Rate Bracket For 2007?

Posted on August 21, 2007 // 17 Comments

For future reference, here are the tax brackets for 2007. Marginal Tax Rate [Taxable Income] Single Married Filing Jointly 10% $0-$7,825 $0-$15,650 … [Read the rest]

Bogle On Credit Troubles, Market Timing, And More

Posted on August 20, 2007 // 5 Comments

Via the Diehards forum, Businessweek recently posted an interview with John Bogle which covers many of the questions that people are asking about investing right now. As usual, he provides a balanced and big-picture perspective on things. I … [Read the rest]

Money Magazine Can’t Time The Market, But Doesn’t Give Up

Posted on August 19, 2007 // 8 Comments

Like many people, I like reading personal finance magazines and subscribe to many of them. But you have to remember that in order to sell magazines, they also have to give people what they want, even if it isn't sound advice. A great example of … [Read the rest]

Stock Markets Got You Stressed? Here’s A Calming Chart For You

Posted on August 16, 2007 // 19 Comments

I don't do market predictions, but I wanted to keep some things in perspective. In the most recent edition of A Random Walk Down Wall Street, there is an updated version of a chart which I have used before to show how important time horizon is to … [Read the rest]

Are The Markets Especially Volatile This Year?

Posted on August 16, 2007 // 26 Comments

Although it may feel like the markets are just bouncing around like crazy this year, Vanguard shares some data that shows that the markets are actually performing in line with history. A common definition of volatile day is one where the market … [Read the rest]

Model Portfolio #8: Ben Stein and Your Money

Posted on August 15, 2007 // 8 Comments

Next up is a model portfolio by actor and personal finance columnist Ben Stein. I have read and reviewed two books he wrote with Phil DeMuth - Yes, You Can Still Retire Comfortably! and Yes, You Can Time The Market!. I actually ran across this … [Read the rest]

Model Portfolio #7: Unconventional Success by David Swensen

Posted on August 15, 2007 // 19 Comments

This model portfolio is taken from Unconventional Success by David Swensen. As mentioned before, Swensen is not a personal financial advisor, but is a respected institutional money manager who currently runs the Yale Endowment. In his book for … [Read the rest]

How Do I Compare The Interest Rates and Yields Between Money Market Funds and Savings Accounts?

Posted on August 13, 2007 // 25 Comments

An alternative to high-yield bank savings accounts are money market funds held in brokerage accounts. Although both money market funds and savings accounts can change their interest rates paid at any time, comparing their actual returns can be … [Read the rest]