My Money Blog

Hedging Against The Dollar: Opening A Foreign Currency Bank Account vs. Buying A Currency ETF

Posted on September 16, 2007 // 65 Comments

Lot's of people have been asking me how to open up a bank account denominated in a foreign currency. The main reason appears to be a desire to hedge against future declines of the dollar. For example, right now the US dollar is trading at all-time … [Read the rest]

401k Lump Sum Contribution: Dollar Cost Averaging Looking Good Right Now

Posted on September 15, 2007 // 37 Comments

I've been really bad at regularly making contributions to my Self-Employed 401k from Fidelity. I had only planned to put $500 a month into it for the first part of the year, since I wanted to keep as much liquid cash as possible in case I bought a … [Read the rest]

401k to IRA Rollover Decision Process, Prosper Lending Review

Posted on September 14, 2007 // 13 Comments

I'm swamped today, so here are some posts from the past that fill requests from my suggestion box: My 401k to IRA Rollover Decision Process Part 1 - Stay put with old 401k? Part 2 - Roll over into Fidelity? Part 3 - What about Vanguard? Part 4 … [Read the rest]

Cash Back On All Purchases With Citibank CashReturns MasterCard

Posted on September 13, 2007 // 67 Comments

There is yet another rewards card variation out there - the Citibank CashReturns MasterCard. What's special about this card is the promotional offer. It offers 5% back on all purchases for 3 months.(Update: as of 4/20, it only offers a 20% bonus … [Read the rest]

Make Money From Your Own Videos With Revver

Posted on September 13, 2007 // 12 Comments

You've heard of YouTube, but what about Revver? It's a video-sharing site that also shares advertising revenue with either people who upload their own videos, or simply share existing ones. The creator gets 40%, Revver gets 40%, and the sharer … [Read the rest]

Our Wedding: What We Spent, Who Paid For It, and How It Went

Posted on September 12, 2007 // 27 Comments

First, even though it could have been executed better, to the right are the results of my informal wedding cost survey. While there was a big spread, over 30% of people said they spent less than $5,000 on their weddings. Impressive! The median … [Read the rest]

Free Nights of Theater In October and November

Posted on September 12, 2007 // 3 Comments

In an effort to attract new audiences, a large group of America's not-for-profit theaters are organizing a Free Night of Theater clustered around October 18th, 2007 in various locations nationwide: In 2007 the Free Night program will be presented … [Read the rest]

Interest Rate Chaser Discussion: Where To Go After FNBO Direct’s 6% APY Promotional Period?

Posted on September 11, 2007 // 38 Comments

Many people who are with FNBO Direct right now earning 0.65% APY are asking - What is FNBO Direct's rate going to be after September 28th? After a few phone calls, the official answer is apparently "We're not going to tell you until we have to... on … [Read the rest]

This Is Why I Hate Rebates…

Posted on September 10, 2007 // 31 Comments

Wonder why you haven't received your rebate? It might be because they just threw it away. Above are 1,300 unopened rebate forms that were dug out of a dumpster by a San Jose Mercury reporter (need a login?). Here is an excerpt: I know that … [Read the rest]

Bummer, I’m An Under-Accumulator Of Wealth…

Posted on September 9, 2007 // 40 Comments

I just found my old copy of The Millionaire Next Door, a book which found that, contrary to popular belief, most millionaires actively live in modest neighborhoods and drive common cars like the Ford F-150 truck. Flipping through it, I remembered … [Read the rest]

Getting Out Of A Cell Phone Contract By Giving It Away

Posted on September 8, 2007 // 13 Comments

Want out of your 2-year contract early? Already tried the conventional methods of smooth-talking or catching them changing your contract? The next step may be to simply give it away. At least that's what the author of this Wall Street Journal … [Read the rest]

How Much Did You Spend On Your Wedding?

Posted on September 7, 2007 // 50 Comments

A friend of mine wants to know. This survey is anonymous, so tell the truth! :) {democracy:6} I will follow up with a more detailed post next week. For the curious, various studies report the average cost of weddings in the US to be about … [Read the rest]