About My Credit Card Debt Got credit card debt? I sure do. But let me explain - I'm borrowing money from credit cards at 0% interest and investing in a bank account that's earning me 5-6% interest. Result: Free Money! Along with other things, … [Read the rest]
Early Retirement Planning: Taking Early Withdrawals Without Penalty From Your 401(k) or IRA
Posted on July 1, 2007 // 32 Comments
A reader recently wrote me asking if there was any drawbacks to maxing out their 401(k) contributions as opposed to keeping the money in a taxable account. This is assuming you already have no debt, adequate insurance policies, and an emergency fund. … [Read the rest]
Subprime Mortgage Troubles Caused By Both Bad Lenders, and Bad Borrowers
Posted on June 30, 2007 // 69 Comments
I've been seeing a lot of media coverage on the increase in foreclosures recently. It's clear that there have been examples of predatory and misleading lending practices, as well as examples of people showing poor financial judgment, although most … [Read the rest]
New Rules On Tax-Deductible Donations Of Clothing and Household Items
Posted on June 29, 2007 // 18 Comments
Before we move, we are planning to donate a ton of extra things like clothing, kitchen appliances, and books. Since this might be the first year ever that we can deduct charitable donations from our taxes (yay!), I wanted to check in what … [Read the rest]
The Daily Show’s Take on Credit Card Debt
Posted on June 28, 2007 // 14 Comments
Here's a funny clip about credit cards from the The Daily Show. Thanks to Ross for the tip. I especially like the theory that as long as your carry your debt long enough, you can simply die and never pay it off! Why didn't I think of that?? … [Read the rest]
June 2007 Investment Portfolio Snapshot: Paralysis By Analysis, Call For Suggestions
Posted on June 26, 2007 // 67 Comments
I haven't posted my investment portfolio since April, mainly because it hasn't really changed much. But here's another snapshot: Retirement Portfolio Fund $ % FSTMX - Fidelity Total Stock Market Index … [Read the rest]
Does Living Longer Mean We Should Change Our Asset Allocation To Include More Stocks?
Posted on June 26, 2007 // 15 Comments
Recent articles by Bernstein Wealth Management [pdf] and Kiplinger's Personal Finance suggest that as we continue to live longer lives, this should increase the percentage of our portfolios that we devote to stocks. Living Longer... A 2000 study … [Read the rest]
Prosper Lending Revisited: Will Returns Drop As Defaults Increase Over Time?
Posted on June 24, 2007 // 33 Comments
Update: Prosper is currently offering a $25 sign-up bonus when joining! Months ago I did a review of Prosper, a website which allows you to earn interest by lending money directly to others (Prosper takes a small cut). After looking at the … [Read the rest]
Frugal Shopping: Which Vegetables Should You Buy Organic?
Posted on June 24, 2007 // 32 Comments
There are many reasons why people buy organics vegetables, and one of them is to avoid ingesting pesticides. While the benefits are not entirely proven, it is clear that buying organic can be pretty pricey - Whole Foods grocery is even dubbed "Whole … [Read the rest]
Emergency Room Summary Of Charges Arrived
Posted on June 23, 2007 // 37 Comments
Yesterday I received the list of charges for my emergency room visit earlier this month (for what was found to be a kidney stone). I added my best guess for what each of the charges were for: Summary of Charges Emergency Room (Doc + … [Read the rest]
OpenCourseWare: Fundamentals of Personal Financial Planning
Posted on June 21, 2007 // 28 Comments
While reading this month's issue of Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, I found that UC Irvine offers a free online course on the Fundamentals of Personal Financial Planning: This course was produced by a generous grant from the Certified … [Read the rest]
Which Store Gift Cards Have The Highest Resale Value?
Posted on June 21, 2007 // 17 Comments
All this talk about converting free Membership Rewards points into cold hard cash got me to thinking - how much do you net after fees, and which stores have the gift cards or certificates with the highest resale value? My initial guess was that … [Read the rest]
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