My Money Blog

What Makes Up Your FICO Score?

Posted on November 15, 2005 // 4 Comments

I just stumbled upon this article at Bankrate.com titled 'How credit scores work'. It seems a little old, but it's new to me. The credit score powerhouse Fair Isaac (think FICO), is interviewed in the article, so that gives it some credibility. … [Read the rest]

T-Bill Ladder Halfway Done, Treasury Auction Results Out

Posted on November 15, 2005 // 13 Comments

Thanks to reader Brent who reminded me that the new Treasury Bill auction results are out today. The 4-week, 13-week, and 26-week are paying 3.997%, 4.004%, and 4.345% respectively. This bodes very well for the 4-week T-Bill ladder I am currently … [Read the rest]

Book Review: eBay Millionare: Titanium PowerSeller Secrets

Posted on November 14, 2005 // 7 Comments

Like I've mentioned, I'm a bit weary of personal finance/retirement books at the moment, and more in the business ideas mood. So when I came across this book I had to read it. Titled The eBay Millionare: Titanium PowerSeller Secrets for Building a … [Read the rest]

Cheap Prepaid Cell Phone Service – STi Mobile

Posted on November 14, 2005 // 24 Comments

Many people want a cell phone for occasional use but most prepaid plans, although the per-minute charges are low, make you recharge every 30 or 60 days otherwise you lose your service and/or your phone number. In the end, this means you're often … [Read the rest]

Carnival Time!

Posted on November 14, 2005 // 1 Comment

This week's Carnival of Debt Reduction is up at FrugalForLife. Has anyone out there ever gotten one of those little red rings around a 2-liter bottle? I swear they just pay 1 family to walk around with that huge stuffed animal so we all think the … [Read the rest]

Maybe It’s Genetic?

Posted on November 13, 2005 // 9 Comments

My parents do not know this blog exists. If they did, they'd probably yell at me for sharing all this financial information with the entire world. I mean, some guy in Estonia knows much I spent on groceries last month. But, when talking to my … [Read the rest]

Holding Off On Credit Cards… For Now

Posted on November 13, 2005 // 8 Comments

With all these higher interest rate opportunities like T-Bills ans SavingsBonds, I've been itching to apply for another of my favorite 0% balance transfer offers after recently paying off one of my current ones, but I've decided to wait at least … [Read the rest]

How To Predict T-Bill Rates?

Posted on November 13, 2005 // Leave a Comment

A commenter asked how do you predict rates for T-Bills, which I have been buying. I have no idea. I've never even taken Econ 101. I did a search and found this [pdf] article titled 'Using Federal Funds Futures Rates to Predict Federal Reserve … [Read the rest]

Tracking Monthly Family Expenses: Looking Back

Posted on November 12, 2005 // 2 Comments

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Budget Results for October

Posted on November 12, 2005 // 3 Comments

Here are our results our Target Budget Areas for October: Overall, a solid showing. Most importantly, we had minimal miscellaneous expenses, which includes stuff like clothing, household things, pet care, travel, medical - all those little … [Read the rest]

Treasury Bill and Bank Interest Rate Comparisons

Posted on November 12, 2005 // 8 Comments

I was bored, so I did some comparison of T-Bill rates vs. equivalent bank rates and actual bank account rates for various combinations of Federal and State tax brackets. Yes, I'm weird. As expected, if you don't pay state or local taxes, T-Bills … [Read the rest]

Free Frequent Flyer Miles

Posted on November 10, 2005 // 1 Comment

Time for more Bored Money... Although frequent flyer miles are getting watered down by the second, they are still worth something if you fly as much as me. And if they are free, why not get them? Whenever I have some free time I stop over to Gary … [Read the rest]