My Money Blog

Survey Reminder

Posted on October 23, 2006 // 4 Comments

If you haven't filled out my feedback survey yet, doing it now would be simply fantastic. I'm only going to keep it up until the end of Wednesday, so let your voice be heard! … [Read the rest]

Pardon The Dust…

Posted on October 22, 2006 // Leave a Comment

I'm tinkering with my site right now, and I managed to kill my e-mail address :( Update: E-mail was down for parts of Sat/Sun/Mon. If you sent me something during this timeframe, please resend. It is back up now. … [Read the rest]

How To Link Scottrade To External Accounts

Posted on October 22, 2006 // 6 Comments

This is just a follow-up my previous post on Scottrade enabling electronic deposits, but not withdrawals. You can get withdrawals too if you (a) can get $5,000 in total account equity (stock holdings + cash), and (b) use an online bank account that … [Read the rest]

Why You Shouldn’t Settle For a 1% Cashback Credit Card

Posted on October 20, 2006 // 26 Comments

Although I still like my Fidelity 529 College Rewards Card and its 2% back towards a 529 account, there are some hurdles like having to set up recurring deposits and dealing with potential tax issues. But that doesn't mean you should settle for any … [Read the rest]

Frugal Gadget: Save Money With a Kill-a-Watt Energy Meter

Posted on October 20, 2006 // 31 Comments

How much is your TV costing you even when it's off? How much money would you save if you powered down your computer every night? You can answer these questions with the Kill-a-Watt Electric Usage Monitor The term frugal gadget is no longer an … [Read the rest]

Paycheck Tax Withholding Calculator

Posted on October 19, 2006 // 10 Comments

It's open enrollment season again, which means it's time to decide on your benefits and spending account contributions. PayCheckCity has a variety of tools for simulating what your take-home pay would be if you added disability insurance, increased … [Read the rest]

Predicting the New I-Bond Rates For November

Posted on October 18, 2006 // 11 Comments

It's time again to predict the upcoming I-Bond rate announcement for November, as the September CPI-U numbers were just announced. We did this successfully for both last October and April, using the information in my How To Predict I-Bond Savings … [Read the rest]

Manage Your Side Jobs Online For Free

Posted on October 18, 2006 // 9 Comments

Got some projects that you do for extra cash? SideJobTrack is an online program that's designed specifically to help you manage such things. With it, you can send out estimates, track your costs, and invoice clients. I'm currently doing this stuff … [Read the rest]

Fill Out My Survey and Make My Money Blog Better!

Posted on October 17, 2006 // 20 Comments

I want to know more about you and what you think of my humble site. Please take 60 seconds of your time and fill out my Feedback Survey, because it will help me make this blog better for you. It's only 6 multiple choice and 3 short-answer … [Read the rest]

How To Get Out Of A Cellphone Contract Early

Posted on October 16, 2006 // 49 Comments

WikiHow has a good article on How to Get out of a Cellular Service Contract. While most of the methods involve smooth-talking your way out of the contract, they do point out my favorite way to get out of a cellphone contract: Wait for them to change … [Read the rest]

Another Free Nano Offer For BofA Credit Card

Posted on October 16, 2006 // 23 Comments

Why oh why did the Cardinals run the last two plays? Arrggh! Anyhow, if you missed the last one, Bank of America is again offering an iPod Nano and $50 if you apply for their WorldPoints Platinum Plus card. You need to spend or make cash … [Read the rest]

Setting Up Buffer / Firewall Bank Accounts

Posted on October 16, 2006 // 21 Comments

Unless you've been under a rock for the last few years, you've gotten 124 PayPal phishing e-mails telling you that your account has been suspended, yada yada, gimme your login and password. New variations come out every day. I bet that more people … [Read the rest]