Amazon Prime Discounts and Promotions

Update: This Amazon promotion has expired. To celebrate their Golden Globe awards, Amazon is offering a discount on Amazon Prime for new members. Here is the promotion landing page. Join Amazon Prime for $73 (normally $99) and save $26 on your … [Read the rest]

Sick in the Head by Judd Apatow: Comedians and Financial Freedom

I've never really identified with comedians. I'm not funny, and I always avoid large crowds. But after reading the fascinating notes at The Waiter's Pad, I had to read the new book Sick in the Head: Conversations About Life and Comedy by Judd … [Read the rest]

How To Generate and Mail Your Own 1099-MISC Forms

Did you as a small business pay another person or unincorporated business more than $600 total in the last year? You may have to provide them a 1099-MISC form. Here are the specific rules as laid out in the official IRS Form 1099-MISC … [Read the rest]

Prosper Review for Investors: Understanding Risks and Returns

I lent out my first $25 to a stranger on Prosper nearly 8 years ago, in October 2007. Since then, the peer-to-peer (P2P) lending environment has undergone a variety of changes. I've made hundreds of P2P loans both hand-picked and algorithm-driven, … [Read the rest]

Investment Returns Ranked by Asset Class 1996-2015

In case you haven't noticed, nobody knows what the stock market will do in the next 12 months. Every year, investment consultant firm Callan Associates updates a neat visual representation of the relative performance of 8 major asset classes over … [Read the rest]

Invest With The House + Free Investing Books by Meb Faber

Asset manager and author Meb Faber has a new book out called Invest With The House: Hacking The Top Hedge Funds, where he explores the idea of simply copying the publicly-available holdings of top investment managers. I haven't read it yet, but for … [Read the rest]

Investment Returns By Asset Class, 2015 Year-End Review

The problem with a lot of good advice is that you really don't understand it without experience. For example, Jack Bogle always says "Stay the course". I was lucky enough to trust in that advice, but it took me a while to really appreciate the … [Read the rest]

529 Plan Qualified Expenses Now Include Computer Hardware, Software, and Internet Access

The government just passed the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act of 2015, which had a few notable provisions for 529 college savings plan participants. Some of them need to be taken advantage of quickly. Laptops, computers, and … [Read the rest]

My 529 Plan Asset Allocation, Part 3: Final Decisions

After probably too much thought, I have settled on an investment plan for our two 529 college savings plans (one per kid). My circumstances and preferences are unique and likely different than yours, but as usual I will share my process and final … [Read the rest]

Bogle 10-Year Stock and Bond Return Forecasts, December 2015

As a follow-up to Vanguard founder Jack Bogle's 2015 stock market prediction paper and related Morningstar article, here are a few selected slides from the presentation deck by Jack Bogle at the Bogleheads XIV conference in October … [Read the rest]

Free Rideshare Promo Codes: Uber, Lyft, Gett, Sidecar, Curb, And More

Updated, possible $20 free credit for existing Uber customers, new codes for both new and existing Silvercar customers. Summon everything from your phone! Most of these startups offer bonus credit for first-time users. If you live in a major … [Read the rest]

GMO 7-Year Asset Class Return Forecasts, December 2015

As 2015 winds down, here is a snapshot of the asset class forecasts provided by GMO and the most recent market commentary by co-founder Jeremy Grantham. You can access both of these at GMO.com, although some items require free e-mail … [Read the rest]