TradeStation Brokerage: $150 Bonus with $500 Deposit

TradeStation is a brokerage targeted at active traders of stocks, ETFs, stock options, futures, and futures options. Right now they have a $150 bonus promotion when you deposit $500 or more into a new TradeStation Securities account with promo code … [Read the rest]

Michigan MESP 529 College Savings Plan: $100 Bonus Per Accountholder/Beneficiary Combo

The Michigan Education Savings Program (MESP) is offering a $100 bonus when you open a new account by 9/30/23 and deposit $1,000+ within 10 business days of establishing the account. Your $100 matching deposit will arrive by 1/31/24. The 529 … [Read the rest]

Oklahoma 529 College Savings Plan: $50/$100 Bonus Per Beneficiary

The Oklahoma 529 College Savings Plan is offering a $50 or $100 bonus when you open a new account and meet these deposit requirements: $50 bonus: Open with a minimum initial deposit of $250 and set up recurring contributions via bank account or … [Read the rest]

Bond Drawdown and Growth Comparison Charts: Short vs. Intermediate vs. Long-Term Bonds

When investing in bonds, one of the decisions is how long you want the "term to maturity", or how much longer the bond will pay interest and then upon maturity repay the principal. The longer the term, the more sensitive the bond price is to … [Read the rest]

Schwab Cash Sweep Options – Increase Yield 10X, Updated September 2023

Updated September 2023. Charles Schwab became a major player by offering discounted stock trades back when high commissions were the norm. These days, nearly every broker offers $0 commission trades on online equity/ETF trades. Where they differ … [Read the rest]

Best Interest Rates on Cash – September 2023

Here's my monthly roundup of the best interest rates on cash as of September 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]

ScholarShare 529 College Savings Plan: $100 Bonus Per Accountholder/Beneficiary Combo

The ScholarShare 529 College Savings Plan is offering a $100 bonus when you open a new account by 9/30/23 and deposit $1,000+ within 10 business days of establishing the account. Your $100 matching deposit will arrive by 1/31/24. The ScholarShare … [Read the rest]

FI Calc: Visually-Friendly Retirement Withdrawal Calculator

If you enjoy tinkering with financial calculators, FI Calc is a new one that is visually easy to use and thus potentially more educational. The portfolio inputs are somewhat limited ("stocks" = S&P 500, "bonds" = 10-year US Treasuries) but I enjoy … [Read the rest]

Social Security Claiming Age: Theoretically Optimal vs. Real World Decisions

An important choice in retirement planning is when to start claiming your Social Security benefits. If you claim earlier, your monthly benefits will be reduced for the rest of your life. If you claim later, your monthly benefits will be increased … [Read the rest]

Vanguard Cash Plus Account Review: FDIC-Insured, But Missing Useful Features

Vanguard has been piloting some new products recently, and I was finally invited to try out the Vanguard Cash Plus Account. I've been playing with it for a few days and here are my thoughts. First, it's important to note that there are two … [Read the rest]

Johnson & Johnson / Kenvue Odd Lot Tender Arbitrage Deal (Results)

Update 8/24: Here are the final results of this odd lot tender. See original post below for past details, although the opportunity has passed. Per JNJSeparation.com, the final exchange ratio was 1 share JNJ to 8.0324 shares of KVUE. The deal was … [Read the rest]

Wallet by BOSS Money $100 Referral Bonus + 3.75% APY Checking/Savings

A new banking app called Wallet by BOSS Money is offering a $100 bonus via referral link (open link via smartphone, that's mine). You need to set up direct deposits totaling at least $5,000 within 45 days. No minimum hold period. App only (iOS … [Read the rest]