My Money Blog

Choose Your Hard Things: You’ll Never Be Productive Enough for Everything

Posted on January 10, 2017 // 4 Comments

I was catching up on some longreads and enjoyed Why time management is ruining our lives by Oliver Burkeman of The Guardian. Here are some quick notes. Inbox Zero. I'd heard of "Inbox Zero" where you keep your e-mail inbox completely empty, but … [Read the rest]

Free Estate Planning Guide and Workbook from American Red Cross

Posted on January 8, 2017 // 5 Comments

If one of your New Year's Resolutions is to create an estate plan for you and your loved ones, here's a good starter kit. The American Red Cross has a free Estate Planning Guide and Workbook which comes in both electronic fillable PDF form or a … [Read the rest]

What If You Invested $10,000 Every Year For the Last 10 Years? 2007-2016 Edition

Posted on January 3, 2017 // 4 Comments

Instead of just looking at one year of returns, here's an annual exercise that helps you look at the bigger picture. You may know the 10-year historical return of the S&P 500, but most of us didn't just invest a big lump sum of money in 2007, and … [Read the rest]

Investment Returns By Asset Class, 2016 Year-End Review

Posted on January 2, 2017 // 10 Comments

Although I am not always successful, I've been trying to pay less attention to the daily, weekly, even monthly movements of the markets. Once every few months, I will update my portfolio spreadsheet and make sure that I am investing new money … [Read the rest]

Spare5 App Review: Earn Less Than Minimum Wage In Your Spare Time

Posted on December 29, 2016 // 2 Comments

Find yourself bored on this holiday break? Spare5 is a new entrant in the world of "earn money in your spare time". You sign up and do short tasks on either their smartphone app or desktop web browser. They pay cash via PayPal weekly or donate … [Read the rest]

ETF Tax-Loss Harvesting: 70% Overlap Rule of Thumb for Substantially Identical

Posted on December 26, 2016 // 2 Comments

Tax-loss harvesting (TLH) is a common practice used to improve after-tax returns by realizing losses to either offset realized capital gains or to defer capital gains into the future. Many robo-advisors including Betterment and Wealthfront offer … [Read the rest]

Happy Holidays from My Money Blog

Posted on December 22, 2016 // 34 Comments

Earlier this month, we welcomed a third wonderful child into our family. (Yes, I know, the picture on the sidebar is really old...) We are truly blessed. I am also grateful for many other things, including your continued readership. While … [Read the rest]

Year-End Portfolio Rebalancing: Impact on Returns vs. Risk

Posted on December 19, 2016 // 1 Comment

As we close in on the end of the year, it is a good time to take stock of your investment portfolio. If you haven't already, you should consider rebalancing your portfolio back towards your target asset allocation. Overall, this means selling … [Read the rest]

Free Gillette Razor With Picture Upload

Posted on December 18, 2016 // 1 Comment

Here's a throwback to when free razor samples were everywhere - Gillette is running a Welcome Back promotion where if you share your story about how you tried Harry's, Dollar Share Club, or another razor brand and want to come back to Gillette, … [Read the rest]

Andrews Federal Credit Union Application and Account Opening Review

Posted on December 14, 2016 // 30 Comments

I keep a portion of my cash reserves in certificates of deposit. I decided to open a share certificate from Andrews Federal Credit Union during their 2016 Holiday Promotion. The review information below should apply to anyone trying to open any … [Read the rest]

Netflix: Download Movies and Shows for Offline Viewing

Posted on December 13, 2016 // 3 Comments

I just saw that Netflix now allows an offline download option for many of their shows and videos (and not just Netflix-only shows). You will need iOS 8.0 or later, Android 4.4.2 or later, and the latest version of the Netflix iOS or Netflix Android … [Read the rest]

Credit Karma Tax 2019: $0 Federal and $0 State Tax Filing w/ No Last-Minute Charges

Posted on December 12, 2016 // 22 Comments

Tax season is officially here and the IRS is accepting E-files. For you early birds, Credit Karma Tax is now on its 4th year of offering 100% free Federal AND State tax preparation software with free e-File and no income restrictions. You can have … [Read the rest]