My Money Blog

Reduce Your Trading Costs with Capital One 360 ShareBuilder

Posted on December 21, 2007 // 21 Comments

In my review of Sharebuilder a few days ago, I overlooked an important feature that commenter a schmuck pointed out. I had complained that $4 a trade is pretty high unless your monthly contributions were at least around $400. For example if you paid … [Read the rest]

U-Haul vs. Penske Moving Truck Rentals: Share Your Story

Posted on December 20, 2007 // 216 Comments

I'm helping a relative move this weekend, and I am trying to convince her not to go with the cheap choice (U-Haul), but pay $40 more for a Penske rental for her local move. This is mainly based on overwhelming anecdotal evidence (from me, my friends, … [Read the rest]

Review of Suze Orman Show CNBC Special: Your Money Your Life

Posted on December 18, 2007 // 46 Comments

CNBC had a special Suze Orman Show last week, and I finally got a chance to watch it on TiVo. Recently, I've kind of lightened up on my view of Suze. Like all gurus, she makes blanket statements that may not apply to everyone, but at least she's … [Read the rest]

Bodega: Cheap Eats and Social Commentary For 25 Cents

Posted on December 16, 2007 // 29 Comments

Do you think the $1 menu at McDonald's is disgusting, or a godsend? Well, check out this funny yet sad video about cheap eats in the Bodegas of New York City, otherwise known as the corner convenience store. (There are a few expletives, but … [Read the rest]

How Do You Track Your Home Value In Net Worth?

Posted on December 15, 2007 // 42 Comments

Calculating net worth from an accounting perspective is simply assets minus liabilities. However, most people who track their net worth (like me) end up making some judgment calls. I mean, that printer by your computer has a value. If you put it … [Read the rest]

Get Out Of Your Sprint Cellphone Contract Without A Penalty

Posted on December 13, 2007 // 52 Comments

One good way to get out of your cell phone contract without paying the fat penalty is to wait for them to change your contract terms. I believe by law if they change your contract, you can either accept or cancel within 30 days without any … [Read the rest]

New PineCone Paid Survey Application Link

Posted on December 12, 2007 // 19 Comments

Paid surveys can be a reasonable source of additional income for certain folks. On a strictly per-hour basis, they end up at around $5-9 an hour and can get tedious. But hey, you can do them during downtime on the job or late at night while watching … [Read the rest]

Subprime Mortgage Bailout Concept Extended To SUV Owners?

Posted on December 12, 2007 // 36 Comments

Are you sick of hearing about the subprime mortgage crisis? I sure am. But here's a satirical news story from Patrick.net that even I found amusing - SUV Bailout To Keep America Humming. Lawmakers in Washington are near final agreement on a … [Read the rest]

Credit Card Foreign Transaction Fee Refund: $25+

Posted on December 12, 2007 // 49 Comments

Back in February, I received a mailing about a class-action lawsuit claiming that Visa, MasterCard, their member banks, and Diners Club conspired to set and conceal markups and fees, typically of 1-3%, on foreign transactions. It appears that the … [Read the rest]

What Are We Saving For, Anyways? Our Life Goals and Retirement Plans

Posted on December 11, 2007 // 38 Comments

I've talked about this in bit and pieces under the Goals category, but I thought I should organize our life goals into one post. Hopefully, this will outline our priorities and shed some light on why we choose to do the things we do. First, I'd … [Read the rest]

Equity Asset Allocation: Comparison of 8 Model Portfolios

Posted on December 10, 2007 // 18 Comments

I'm still planning on reshaping my investments and continuing my choosing an asset allocation series, but Thanksgiving and work has thrown me off a bit. To skip ahead a bit, here are several sample asset allocations from various sources for the … [Read the rest]

Take Pride In Being Financially Different!

Posted on December 9, 2007 // 48 Comments

Recently, I ran across an article called the 5 Steps to Early Retirement. Written by a couple who retired at 38, here are they are: Track your spending. Save a lot. Invest wisely. Put peer pressure into perspective. Keep your eye on … [Read the rest]