(Update 2/23/12: The Continental/United Airlines merger is almost complete, and the last official Continental flight taking off on March 2nd. The new company will be called United, so this Continental Airlines OnePass Plus Card will no longer be … [Read the rest]
Continental OnePass Plus Card: Free 30,000 Miles, Free Checked Bag, Primary Rental Car Insurance
Posted on February 23, 2012 // 8 Comments
Costco $10 Bonus For Auto-Paying Wireless Bill with American Express
Posted on February 23, 2012 // 3 Comments
Costco and American Express have a promotion where you can earn a $10 Costco Cash Card when you enroll on their page and then sign up to pay your wireless phone bill automatically with any American Express card. All wireless providers distributed by … [Read the rest]
Thoughts on Paying Extra Towards Mortgage Principal
Posted on February 23, 2012 // 78 Comments
I've been thinking more about whether I should commit some additional funds to pay down the principal on my mortgage and reduce my interest paid. There is already a good deal of discussion on this topic in my posts Why Paying Down Your Mortgage … [Read the rest]
Impact of Inflation on Stocks, Bonds, Housing, and Gold (1900-2011)
Posted on February 22, 2012 // 23 Comments
The Credit Suisse Global Investment Returns Yearbook 2012 (pdf) provides an analysis of returns from 19 major developed countries from 1900-2011. An article inside called The Real Value of Money by Elroy Dimson, Paul Marsh, and Mike Staunton of the … [Read the rest]
Portfolio Asset Allocation & Holdings Update – February 2012
Posted on February 21, 2012 // 29 Comments
I took some time this weekend to check on my investment portfolio, including employer 401(k) plans, self-employed plans, IRAs, and taxable brokerage holdings. Asset Allocation & Holdings You can view my target asset allocation here, along with … [Read the rest]
Payroll Tax Cut Extended For 2012: Increase 401k Contributions?
Posted on February 20, 2012 // 9 Comments
Congress has just passed a bill which the President has promised to sign that includes an extension of the 2% payroll tax cut for the rest of 2012. Specifically, the employee portion of the Social Security tax is reduced to 4.2% in 2012 instead of … [Read the rest]
Prosper Borrower Promotion: 2nd Payment Waived Up To $300
Posted on February 17, 2012 // 42 Comments
Offer is back! Person-to-person loan site Prosper.com is having a another one-day promotion for borrowers who submit their loan listing on Friday, February 17th where they will actually make your entire 2nd loan payment (principal and interest) for … [Read the rest]
Consumer Reports Discount Brokerage Ratings 2012
Posted on February 16, 2012 // 27 Comments
I recently started subscribing to Consumer Reports magazine again, and the February 2012 issue included an article about the major financial brokerage companies (subscription required, press release). The first part was an investigation about the big … [Read the rest]
Goals & Priorities: Which Lego Man Character Describes You Best?
Posted on February 15, 2012 // 9 Comments
When dealing with other people, it's always easier when you know what makes them tick. What motivates them? This led to some introspection. What did I really want out of life? I realized that I was probably much different than others. The … [Read the rest]
Non-Deductible IRA Contribution & Roth IRA Conversion Rules
Posted on February 14, 2012 // 21 Comments
Mrs. MMB and I both contributed $5,000 each to a non-deductible Traditional IRA again for the 2012 tax year this week, with the intention of converting it into a Roth IRA in the future. Are you eligible to do this as well? Of course, we had to … [Read the rest]
Save Money On Housing: Live Well In Less Space
Posted on February 13, 2012 // 72 Comments
Speaking of internal frugality, I'd say one of the most basic ways to save on rent or mortgage payments is to... live in a smaller place. No, wait, really. Let's think about it. Even though it's now easy to make fun of 10,000 square feet … [Read the rest]
Best Places To Live? Big Roundup of Major Top 10 Lists
Posted on February 10, 2012 // 21 Comments
Where are the best places to consider relocating to? I knew that almost every major financial media outlet had their own "best places to live" list, and my plan was to see which cities popped up most amongst them. Well, that was a bust as every … [Read the rest]
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