Charlie Munger Acquired Podcast Interview w/ Transcript (October 2023)

The Acquired Podcast has new episode with Charlie Munger. As usual Charlie was candid and dropped some truth bombs, although we never quite get to hear what he really thinks about venture capital... 🤐 If you scroll down on the page, you'll … [Read the rest]

New & Improved “No Risk” Portfolio: Stock Upside with 100% Guarantee to Beat Inflation

Allan Roth has another thought-provoking article called Beat Inflation Handily, and Risk-Free with a very attractive proposition: Do you want an expected return of nearly 6% annually above inflation but also want to be assured you will beat … [Read the rest]

Savings I Bonds November 2023: 1.30% Fixed Rate, 5.27% Total Composite Rate

Savings I Bonds bought from November 1, 2023 through April 30, 2024 will have a fixed rate of 1.30%, for a total composite rate of 5.27% for the first 6 months. The semi-annual inflation rate is 1.97% as predicted (3.94% annually), but the full … [Read the rest]

Target RedCard 5% Off Purchases, $50 Off For New Applicants (New Reloadable Version)

(Update: New $50 limited-time offers for new RedCards, including new Reloadable version with no credit check. Offer expires 12/9/23.) The Target RedCard offers 5% off all Target purchases both online and in-store (Target gift cards excluded, … [Read the rest]

PeerStreet Bankruptcy News: 95% of Uninvested Cash Released (Updated October 2023)

Update October 2023: Peerstreet e-mailed creditors on 10/18/23 that you can get 95% of your "investable cash" back by logging into your account and manually requesting a withdrawal. It will not be done automatically, so be sure to make that … [Read the rest]

Treasury Bills + State Income Tax Exemption = 6%+ Effective APY (October 2023)

I've mentioned this before, but here's a quick reminder as the tax-equivalent yields are now at 6% APY in most states with income taxes (anything 5% and up, see above graphic). Due especially to high state income taxes, my cash is mostly held in … [Read the rest]

Domain Money: 6% APY Savings Account (No Longer Available On Free Tier)

Update: As of 10/27/23, the 6% APY savings account is no longer showing as available on the free tier. You must be on the $79/month tier to get it now. I wonder if they will grandfather the existing users, otherwise that is a bad look for a … [Read the rest]

TIPS vs. Treasuries vs. Total Bond Funds, Historical Performance 2008-2023

I hold close to 50/50 US Treasuries and TIPS for the bond portion of my portfolio. This is an area where my portfolio differs significantly from most "model portfolios" you'll find from the major fund companies and robo-advisors. While buying more … [Read the rest]

Optimal Asset Location For Different Types of Stocks (US vs. International, Active vs. Passive)

There is asset allocation (what asset classes to buy and how much) and then there is asset location (where to put those asset classes). In general, there are three overall types: pre-tax accounts (Regular 401ks, 403bs, Traditional IRAs), post-tax … [Read the rest]

Microsoft / Activision Blizzard Merger Arbitrage $10,000 Experiment – Final Results

In January 2022, Microsoft (MSFT) announced an agreement to acquire Activision Blizzard (ATVI) for $95 per share, in an all-cash $68.7 billion transaction. However, the market placed some uncertainty about this event actually happening, which meant … [Read the rest]

Best Interest Rates on Cash – October 2023

Here's my monthly roundup of the best interest rates on cash as of October 2023, roughly sorted from shortest to longest maturities. There are often lesser-known opportunities available to individual investors. Check out my Ultimate Rate-Chaser … [Read the rest]

MMB Portfolio Dividend & Interest Income Update – October 2023

Here’s my quarterly income update as of October 2023 for my MMB Portfolio. I prefer to track the income produced as an alternative metric to performance. The total income goes up much more gradually and consistently than the number shown on … [Read the rest]