My Money Blog

Credit Cards: What’s the point of signing?

Posted on March 23, 2005 // 7 Comments

Ever notice that very few cashiers ever check to see if the signature on your receipts really matches the signature on the back of your credit card? At the grocery store I go to, you just take out your card, swipe it yourself, and put it away. They … [Read the rest]

A Tale of Two Brokerages: Ameritrade and E-Trade Thoughts

Posted on March 22, 2005 // 4 Comments

I closed my accounts with both Ameritrade and E-Trade recently, as I was moving all my stock trading to FreeTrade.com. When I cancelled my E-Trade account, there was a long hold time, and then the person who cancelled my account was rather rude - … [Read the rest]

Americans have the least vacation in the developed world.

Posted on March 21, 2005 // 9 Comments

Ugh. What a long Monday. Worked on Saturday too. And it's not just me. the average middle income family now works four months more in total hours than they did in 1979. Some 80% of men and 62% of women work more than 40 hours a week, and almost … [Read the rest]

U.S. Savings Bonds: I-Bonds and EE-Bonds – Good investment? (Part 2)

Posted on March 20, 2005 // 7 Comments

(This post is continued from Part 1) Okay, so we went over I-Bonds for a little bit, now let?s see what EE Bonds have to offer. Again, EE-Bonds share many characteristics with I-Bonds, which were outlined in my previous post. However, EE-Bonds … [Read the rest]

Tipping guidelines: How much do you give? (Part 2)

Posted on March 19, 2005 // 12 Comments

(Note: This post is a continuation of Part 1) First, I just want to make it clear that these are what *I* think is reasonable. Tipping is inherently a fuzzy thing - I've been working and travelling for business for about 2 years, and this is what … [Read the rest]

U.S. Savings Bonds: I-Bonds and EE-Bonds – Good investment? (Part 1)

Posted on March 18, 2005 // 18 Comments

Right now, my portfolio is very cash heavy (almost 50k), as I saving for up a house in crazy-prices land. Accordingly, I am always on the looking for liquid investments that are safe and pay competitive interest rates. So I'm taking another look at … [Read the rest]

Free Real-Time Streaming Stock Quotes

Posted on March 17, 2005 // 2 Comments

One drawback of using FreeTrade for my brokerage is that I don't get free real-time quotes. I'm not a very active trader, but when I do make a trade it's nice to have the best information possible, especially if I can still find it for free. Most … [Read the rest]

Tipping guidelines: How much do you give? (Part 1)

Posted on March 15, 2005 // 4 Comments

I wasn't sure where to file this, but I guess "Frugal Living" will do. That's mainly because I do not equate frugal with cheap or stingy. Frugal to me means living simply and doing smart things with your money, not stealing or stiffing people … [Read the rest]

Free haircut.

Posted on March 14, 2005 // 7 Comments

The wife cut my hair again tonight, it's something we've been trying to avoid the now $15-20 places are charging for a guy's haircut these days. I mean, usually they can be done with me in 5 minutes, but then there's always another 5 minutes of … [Read the rest]

Are warehouse clubs like Costco or Sam’s Club worth it?

Posted on March 13, 2005 // 37 Comments

Back in college, since I had no car and ate cheap take-out 5 days a week, I never went to warehouse clubs. But since getting married, my wife's family extended their "business" membership to us, and we now go to Costco once every 2-3 weeks. These … [Read the rest]

Tax Day… or not.

Posted on March 12, 2005 // 4 Comments

So I had all my W-2s, 1099s, stock trades and dates, etc. ready to do my taxes. I sit down at the computer and... where did my tax software go? I know I took it out of the boxes, cut out the UPCs, and sent off the rebates. I already threw away the … [Read the rest]

Book Review: The Richest Man in Babylon

Posted on March 11, 2005 // 12 Comments

I've heard a lot of people recommending this book, so I picked up a copy of The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason at the library. It's been out a while, so chances are there is a copy out there, or try getting a copy used. The book is … [Read the rest]