Social Security Trust Fund: Income vs. Expenses

You may have read recently that the Social Security Trust Fund is starting to shrink, and that it is projected to run out of money in 16 years. (Medicare's trust fund is projected to run out in 8.) This is not the same thing as Social Security … [Read the rest]

Retirement Nest Egg Calculators: Running Out of Money vs. Running Out of Time

If you have researched retirement at all (early or otherwise), you've probably ran across various retirement calculators online. You input how much money you have (or plan to have), your asset allocation, and it spits out some numbers. This … [Read the rest]

Northern Bank Direct Money Market Review – 2.26% APY Guaranteed Through June 2019

Update: As of 6/20/18, the rate is now down to 1.50% APY. I hope everyone who was interested got the 2.26% APY rate, you definitely had time and they did give roughly a 24-hour notice. Here comes another new "Direct" bank leapfrogging the … [Read the rest]

How To Build A 4-Week Treasury Bill Ladder: A Visual Guide

For my magic trick today, I will be resurrecting a post from over 11 years ago! That's the last time it there was any significant interest for an individual to buy Treasury Bills instead of using a top-yielding bank account. As of 6/18/18, a … [Read the rest]

Age-Sensitive Safe Withdrawal Rate Strategy? Age Divided By 20

Should a person who retires at age 70 withdraw the same amount of money from their portfolio as someone who is age 40? You're talking about a retirement period that is likely twice as long as the other. In an article titled The “Feel Free” … [Read the rest]

My Money Blog Portfolio Income – June 2018

When it comes to making your portfolio last a lifetime, you may be surprised at how long that might be. According to this Vanguard longevity tool, for a couple both age 40 today, there is a 50% chance that one will live to 88. That's 48 … [Read the rest]

Country Time Lemonade Will Pay Legal Fees For Unlicensed Lemonade Stands

Are you thinking of helping your kid setting up a lemonade stand this summer? Apparently, some young entrepreneurs are getting shut down due to a lack of small business permits. In a very savvy PR move, Country Time Lemonade has offered to … [Read the rest]

Free Happy Socks with $100 Amazon Gift Card

I'm a sucker for free. Amazon currently has a limited edition run of $100 Gift Card Boxes with Happy Socks. Pay $100 and get a $100 gift card, a nice gift box, and a pair of Happy Socks inside. You could make it an extra nice gift for someone … [Read the rest]

Sprint Kickstart Promo: Ongoing Unlimited Plan for $25/Month

Sprint just rolled out a Unlimited Kickstart promotion, which is unlimited talk/text/data for $25 per month, per line. No annual contracts. You can bring over your own compatible phone, or buy one from them. (Ex. Pre-Owned iPhone 7 at $12 a … [Read the rest]

Airbnb vs. Hotels Price Comparison Chart

Mary Meeker is a partner at famous venture capitalist firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Many people follow her annual presentation about internet trends, and you can view the entire 294 slide deck here. It's a lot of information, but … [Read the rest]

How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free (Book Notes)

After finishing the book How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free by Ernie Zelinski, I am surprised at how unique it is. After all these years, this may be the first book I've read that directly explores the non-financial aspects of retirement. There … [Read the rest]

British Airways Fuel Surcharge Settlement: 12,500 Avios Minimum Claim

If you recently received an e-mail from "Fuel Surcharge Class Action", don't delete it. If you redeemed British Airways frequent flyer miles for an award ticket and paid a fuel surcharge between November 2006 and April 2013, check your spam … [Read the rest]