My Money Blog

Outliers: Hard Work, Luck, and Success

Posted on July 21, 2009 // 26 Comments

Why do some people exceed far more than others? This is the question asked by the book Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell. The short book argues that most people erroneously believe that very successful people are primarily … [Read the rest]

myFICO Coupon: 25% to 30% off Codes

Posted on July 20, 2009 // 3 Comments

Update February 2011: Use coupon code FICO25 for 25% off! Here's a newly released coupon for 25% off real FICO scores at myFICO.com. Use the promotional code FICOHELP25 to get 25% off, the best discount currently available: Update: For the … [Read the rest]

3 Requirements For A Satisfying Job

Posted on July 20, 2009 // 12 Comments

Within the book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, I found a great distillation of the requirements for a satisfying job. Whenever I think of times when I have been unhappy, at least one of these things was missing. Autonomy. You get a role in … [Read the rest]

Notes From A Kiyosaki Rich Dad, Poor Dad Series Audio CD

Posted on July 20, 2009 // 12 Comments

While going through some old boxes, I found an old CD case containing some audiobook recordings from a real estate program by Robert Kiyosaki and Dolf De Roos. I'm pretty sure they are from this set called Rich Dad's Roads To Riches - 6 Steps To … [Read the rest]

Recasting/Re-amortization of Mortgage with Principal Prepayment

Posted on July 17, 2009 // 32 Comments

I'm getting ready to pay some extra money towards my mortgage loan, and remembered that I have an option to re-amortize my mortgage loan if I make a substantial principal prepayment. This is also known as "recasting" a mortgage. Basically, my … [Read the rest]

Bank of America: $25 BillPay Promo For Existing Customers

Posted on July 17, 2009 // 12 Comments

BofA is also offering a $25 bonus to encourage existing customers to try out Online Billpay. Both personal and business accounts qualify. You have to register beforehand at the promotion page, and then pay 2 bills online within 30 days. I … [Read the rest]

Bank of America Promotion Offer Code: $100 Bonus For New Accounts

Posted on July 17, 2009 // 22 Comments

Saw this on TV. Bank of America is offering a $100 bonus for new checking account customers, both personal and business. A new customer is a "person who is not currently a signer and who was not a signer within the last 6 months on a Bank of … [Read the rest]

Martin Lodge-on-Wheels: 10’x20′ House for $37,900

Posted on July 15, 2009 // 36 Comments

While looking for more LendingClub P2P loans to fund today, I ran across a couple that was trying to buy a tiny home called a Lodge-on-Wheels. The current model is 10 ft. by 20 ft. and costs $37,900. I thought it was pretty neat to help fund … [Read the rest]

Forex.com Account Promotion Code: $200 Bonus

Posted on July 14, 2009 // 20 Comments

Here's another potential $200 bonus for placing a trade in newly opened account at Forex.com by July 31st. The application seems to suggest the backend is also run by Gain Financial, same as with Zecco Forex. The promotion code used is CashAd05. The … [Read the rest]

Dangerous Personal Finance Magazine Headlines: The Attraction of High Yields

Posted on July 14, 2009 // 19 Comments

With money market fund and savings account yields still pitifully low, it is very tempting to look for investments with higher yields. Indeed, the personal finance magazines know this all too well, dangling teasers on their covers … [Read the rest]

Picture of California Tax Refund IOU (Registered Warrant)

Posted on July 11, 2009 // 33 Comments

You may have heard that California is broke, and is sending out IOU slips instead of checks for income tax refunds. I thought that I would be safe as I usually owe taxes, but due to an amendment of my return, I ended up getting one in the mail as … [Read the rest]

Tracking Investment Portfolio Using Google Docs

Posted on July 10, 2009 // 15 Comments

I spent a little time tinkering with Google Docs Spreadsheets today, trying to use it to track the asset allocation of my investment portfolio. GoogleFinance() Function This function allows you to import data from Google Finance like current … [Read the rest]