Heard on the radio yesterday: "Hey people, there's only 3 paychecks left until Christmas!" The Holidays are coming! Black Friday ads are already being leaked. The new mantra is "Why not just buy it now?" You hear a lot of scolding about all … [Read the rest]
Washington Mutual Lowers Online Savings Rate To 4.75% APY
Posted on November 8, 2007 // 42 Comments
It had to happen eventually... WaMu appears to have lowered the interest rate on their online savings account from 5.0% to 4.75% APY: This brings them back in line with other online savings accounts, but I still enjoy having a local bank as … [Read the rest]
Choosing An Asset Allocation, Step 2: Deciding On The Domestic/International Ratio
Posted on November 8, 2007 // 35 Comments
I don't know if this is the proper next step, but after deciding on a stock/bond ratio for myself, I want to think about the specific breakdown of stocks (equity). As mentioned when talking about investing in total markets, you could simply "own … [Read the rest]
IRS: How Does Your Income Stack Up? What Portion of Taxes Do You Pay?
Posted on November 7, 2007 // 51 Comments
The IRS recently released the data from 2005 tax returns. Kiplinger has an article How Do You Rank as a Taxpayer? which digs into this new information: New data show that an income of $30,881 or more puts you in the top half of the class. … [Read the rest]
Choosing An Asset Allocation, Step 1: Deciding On The Stocks/Bonds Ratio
Posted on November 6, 2007 // 35 Comments
Last time I did a really simplified overview of Modern Portfolio Theory. Much of the credit for this is due to a fellow name Harry Markowitz, who figured out that if you combine two assets with the same return that aren't perfectly correlated, this … [Read the rest]
November 2007 Financial Status / Net Worth Update
Posted on November 5, 2007 // 31 Comments
About My Credit Card Debt If you're a newer reader, you may have some concerns about my high levels of credit card debt. I'm actually borrowing money for free at 0% interest, putting it in high yield savings accounts that earn me 5% interest or … [Read the rest]
Rejected For Laser Eye Surgery: My Money-Saving Plan Foiled
Posted on November 4, 2007 // 34 Comments
My eyes are bad, they have been for a while. So bad, it turns out, that I can't have laser eye surgery. No LASIK, no PRK, no Custom LASIK, no acronyms at all! Anyways, this has foiled my possible money-savings plans, but I thought I'd share them … [Read the rest]
$50 From Wells Fargo, 5.65% APY 4-Month CD
Posted on November 4, 2007 // 22 Comments
Wells Fargo Bank is offering a $50 bonus for opening a checking account with them. Note that they do perform a hard credit check. Their checking account rules vary by state, but I think most have one that is free with direct deposit. You can … [Read the rest]
Weekend Roundup: Open Portfolios, New ETFs, Old Jobs, and More
Posted on November 3, 2007 // 3 Comments
As I catch up on my feed reader, here are some posts from other bloggers that I found interesting: The Digerati Lifeshares her latest portfolio update. I love open portfolios, I don't know why. Lazy Man has left his job, and his wife explains … [Read the rest]
Signup Bonuses: $100 From LaSalle Bank, $50 From NewBank
Posted on November 3, 2007 // 26 Comments
LaSalle Bank (now owned by Bank of America) is offering a $100 bonus for opening a checking account, savings account, and using the debit card once. Likes like you need $250 for the checking and $100 for the savings. Keep the minimum amount in … [Read the rest]
Building My Portfolio: Efficient Frontier and Modern Portfolio Theory
Posted on November 2, 2007 // 20 Comments
Building upon the idea of investing in broad markets, next up is Modern Portfolio Theory. This is another advanced topic that entire careers can be built around, but here is my attempt to explain it in one quick digestible chunk. Risk vs. … [Read the rest]
We Got Pre-Qualified For A Mortgage, And It Was Shocking!
Posted on October 31, 2007 // 48 Comments
We decided to sit down with a mortgage broker and get officially pre-qualified for a mortgage. Actually "officially pre-qualified" is an oxymoron because the whole process only involved a legal pad and a calculator. The following is just our … [Read the rest]
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