My Money Blog

Sold All My Individual Stocks Today

Posted on September 13, 2006 // 18 Comments

A few years ago, I commited a few thousand dollars to "play money" with which I was supposed to use to learn to become a stock market wizard. I later increased it to $5,000. I learned some basics like the different types of trades, bid/ask spreads, … [Read the rest]

Frugal Travel Tips to London and Paris?

Posted on September 12, 2006 // 18 Comments

Time to cross another ocean! I'm going to London for a conference next week. My flight and most of my hotel stay is all paid for, but I'm going to try and tack on a few days for personal leisure. (That's my cheap travel tip - take advantage of … [Read the rest]

ANII.OB now listed as BTCP.OB

Posted on September 11, 2006 // 7 Comments

Despite some last-minute scares, for those keeping track of the Advanced Nutraceuticals reverse split that I am participating in, it looks like there has been some progress. From their most recent SEC filings and more specifically this press … [Read the rest]

Citibank May Start Charging Balance Transfer Fees

Posted on September 11, 2006 // 19 Comments

I just received some bad news - it looks like Citibank may very soon start to charge balance transfer fees on several of their credit card products. So if you have been on the fence about taking advantage of one of their offers, now may be a good … [Read the rest]

Using Desire and Greed For Motivation

Posted on September 11, 2006 // 30 Comments

On the path to financial freedom, it's easy to get bored and unmotivated. The thing about goals like an early retirement is that they can feel just too distant. I mean, there are always those articles about how you can still retire even though … [Read the rest]

Google Maps + Craigslist = Fun Real Estate Browsing Tool

Posted on September 9, 2006 // 3 Comments

What do you get when you combine the real estate listings on Craigslist and cross-reference them on Google Maps? HousingMaps.com. Only for major metro areas, but it's still a neat tool. Craigslist seems to have much more extensive listings for … [Read the rest]

Capital One: Great For International Travel

Posted on September 8, 2006 // 32 Comments

In my post about the Best ATM or Credit Card For Foreign Travel?, Capital One was a promising option as it had no issuer-based foreign currency surcharges, unlike the 3% charged by Citibank or Chase. However, it was not entirely clear if they … [Read the rest]

TD Ameritrade iPod Bonus – More Details

Posted on September 8, 2006 // 23 Comments

I've been too trained to read the fine print on all these offers, and I missed the big bold print on this TD Ameritrade iPod Offer (expired) I mentioned yesterday that reads "Open an additional TD AMERITRADE account and receive a FREE Apple? iPod? … [Read the rest]

New Home For Carnival of Investing

Posted on September 8, 2006 // 4 Comments

Although it's far from finished, the Carnival of Investing has a fresh new home at it's own domain. As a collaborative effort between me and another avid money blog reader/friend, there will be two people to make sure it runs smoothly. There are lots … [Read the rest]

How Much Should You Spend On An Engagement Ring?

Posted on September 6, 2006 // 62 Comments

It's peak wedding season again. Since I got married earlier than all of my friends, I have become somewhat of a resource on weddings and such. It took me a while to formulate my opinion on this, but this is basically what I tell people … [Read the rest]

Carnival of Investing

Posted on September 6, 2006 // Leave a Comment

This week?s Carnival of Investing is up at Pragmatic Finance. Thanks to Jason for hosting. Next week's Carnival will be held at GrowYourFunds. Host Larry has decided to do a theme for this week: Alternative Investments for Individual Investors. … [Read the rest]