Just a quick note while I have some free WiFi on the road - the popular $20 Unwired Buyer bonus will be ending as of Wednesday, September 6th. That means if you want to sign up, do it by the end of Tuesday, September 5th! You just need to register … [Read the rest]
Emigrant Direct Signup Bonus Update – July Payouts
Posted on September 1, 2006 // 1 Comment
Everyone who sent me their Form #2 in July for my Emigrant Direct Referral Bonus should have been paid this week. If not, please e-mail me. If you're interested in moving to Emigrant Direct's 5.15% APY with no minimums, why not get up to $20? … [Read the rest]
How Much Money Do I Make On The Little Stuff?
Posted on September 1, 2006 // 26 Comments
Ok, I've covered the Big Stuff. I save well over 20% of my income, and it's already invested in low-cost index funds. But what about the Little Stuff, like making money off bank bonuses? What kind of money are we talking about? Let's break it … [Read the rest]
Top 3 Alternatives to the Citi Dividend Card
Posted on August 31, 2006 // 29 Comments
Bah. I still haven't gotten my cancellation letter from Citibank regarding the discontinued Dividend card. I don't want to assume, but I think it's likely just a matter of time. According to the people who have the letters, you still get 5% until … [Read the rest]
Remembering the Big Picture
Posted on August 30, 2006 // 18 Comments
As I've been frantically trying to finish multiple projects before my planned Labor Day road trip, I haven't spent as much time online. I think this has allowed me to sit back and remember the Big Picture. In truth, the one thing I've learned since … [Read the rest]
Backup Your Important Files Online For Free
Posted on August 29, 2006 // 29 Comments
Everyone hears this sage advice: back up your files regularly. I am horrible at this, except for occasionally e-mailing files to myself. One solution is Mozy: Mozy is a secure, automatic remote backup service for any PC in any home or office. It's … [Read the rest]
Pay Down First Home, Convert to Rental?
Posted on August 28, 2006 // 35 Comments
So you may be wondering, how did I go from wanting to put only 10% down to thinking about 15-year mortgages? Well, mostly idle mind exercises since I still have about a year before purchase. But here's my idea. I would like to get an investment … [Read the rest]
Carnival of Investing
Posted on August 28, 2006 // 4 Comments
Welcome to this week's Carnival of Investing! I haven't been able to commit the time needed to do what I wanted to do with this Carnival coordinating thing, so it is in the process of being moved elsewhere. … [Read the rest]
Mortgages: 15 Year Fixed vs. 30 Year Fixed + Prepayment?
Posted on August 27, 2006 // 59 Comments
I should preface this with the fact that I'm still very new to mortgage loans in general. I've been considering getting a 15-year loan instead of a 30-year fixed loan. The general consensus seems like if you can afford a 15-year fixed mortgage, you … [Read the rest]
T-Bills Still Good Bank Alternative at 5.29%+ APY
Posted on August 26, 2006 // 24 Comments
For those subject to state income taxes, Treasury Bills continue to be a good alternative to online banks since their interest is exempt from state and local income taxes. For example, at their current rates my personal tax-equivalent yield is over … [Read the rest]
Get Access to DFA Funds For Only $50 A Month
Posted on August 26, 2006 // Leave a Comment
While searching for cheap access to Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA) funds, I ran across the fact that you can get access to them via West Virginia's SMART529 Select Plan. If you are a WV resident, the contributions are even tax-deductible! … [Read the rest]
Estimating Future Investment Returns: 30-Year Forecast
Posted on August 24, 2006 // 9 Comments
It's very hard to estimate exactly how much we'll have to save for retirement, as that would require knowing how much our investments will grow in the future. Even if we try to do long-term trends, this can be difficult. But Richard Ferri, author … [Read the rest]
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