My Money Blog

Creating a Completely Automated Financial Household

Posted on September 28, 2009 // 45 Comments

Meet Bill and Jan. They are my imaginary couple that loves putting their personal finances on auto-pilot. They don't worry about bill due dates, they never visit the bank, and only check their balances online once a month if there are no e-mail … [Read the rest]

New myFICO Coupon Code

Posted on September 26, 2009 // 4 Comments

Here's a newly released coupon for 25% off real FICO scores and all other credit products at myFICO.com. Use the promotional code FINANCIALHELP25 to get 25% off and a FICO score for less than $12, the best discount currently available: The code is … [Read the rest]

Personal Rates of Return: Money Weighted vs. Time Weighted

Posted on September 25, 2009 // 7 Comments

There was a good question in my last retirement portfolio update about how my personal rate of return was 41% YTD, which was actually higher than any individual mutual fund in my portfolio*. The reason for this is mainly due to terminology, which … [Read the rest]

Starbucks: Price-Targeting, iPhone App, Free Birthday Drink

Posted on September 24, 2009 // 3 Comments

For some reason, I've managed to collect a bunch of random Starbucks news. Granted, I've been going there more often recently for the ability to read and work in a comfortable atmosphere outside the distractions of home. I'm okay with paying about … [Read the rest]

The High Price of Cheap Food? Nutrition vs. Cost

Posted on September 23, 2009 // 39 Comments

In the doctor's office, I saw the cover article of a recent issue of Time magazine was Getting Real About the High Price of Cheap Food. Inside were some interesting facts. For one, people in the U.S. actually spend less on food now than 30 years … [Read the rest]

100-Year Floods Are More Common Than You Think

Posted on September 22, 2009 // 26 Comments

I hope that all of you in the Atlanta metro area are safe and dry right now. I'd also like to take this chance to correct a common misconception, which is often promoted by the media every time a flood occurs. As just one example, take this CNN … [Read the rest]

2009 Q3 Investment Portfolio Update – 9/21/09

Posted on September 21, 2009 // 26 Comments

Retirement Portfolio Actual Target Asset Class / Fund % % Broad US Stock Market ($64,794) 33.8% 34% VTSMX - Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund DISFX - Diversified Stock Index Institutional … [Read the rest]

Best FDIC-Insured Interest Rate Roundup

Posted on September 18, 2009 // 30 Comments

I haven't done an interest rate update in a while, as sadly there just hasn't been that much to write about. Reward Checking Accounts These are checking accounts, usually through local credit unions, that pay a very high interest rate if you jump … [Read the rest]

Online Business Savings Accounts

Posted on September 18, 2009 // 6 Comments

Someone e-mailed me about high-yield savings accounts for businesses. These can be a helpful tool to maximize interest income for all kinds of businesses with idle cash, including sole proprietorships, partnerships, LLC's, and corporations. Here's a … [Read the rest]

Efficient Market Hypothesis and Supermarket Lines

Posted on September 16, 2009 // 25 Comments

I ran across another nice tidbit from the book The Undercover Economist by Tim Harford the other day, which like the concept of price targeting, also manages to involve supermarkets. I guess everyone goes to supermarkets. :) In a chapter … [Read the rest]

Ohio CollegeAdvantage $25 Systematic Savings Incentive

Posted on September 15, 2009 // 5 Comments

Along with the $25 "Refer a Friend" bonus for new members (possibly more if you have more than one child), the Ohio CollegeAdvantage 529 plan is giving out an additional $25 "Systematic Savings Incentive" if you start a new automatic transfer from … [Read the rest]

Intuit, Makers of Quicken, Buys Mint.com

Posted on September 15, 2009 // 13 Comments

Yesterday, Mint.com announced that they were acquired by Intuit for $170 million. Not too shabby. Intuit is best known for personal finance products such as Quickbooks, Quicken, and TurboTax. They also released Quicken Online last year, which was … [Read the rest]