My Money Blog

What’s a Hard Credit Check, And Why They’re Valuable

Posted on May 30, 2006 // 58 Comments

I talk a lot about "hard" and "soft" credit pulls. I don't think I've ever actually seen these terms used by FICO officials, so it may be kind of confusing. Money geek slang, who knew? A credit check, also known as credit pull or credit inquiry, is … [Read the rest]

Summer Internship or Summer Entreprenuership?

Posted on May 30, 2006 // 21 Comments

What should I do with extra time this summer? 1) Get an internship that will look better on my resume and help get a real 9-5 job. Make decent money. 2) Continue working to grow my freelance business, and perhaps try some new ideas out as … [Read the rest]

Researching Bridgeway Funds and BRSIX

Posted on May 28, 2006 // 15 Comments

After reading about how micro-cap stocks are a great way to improve your risk-adjusted return, I decided to read up more on BRSIX - Bridgeway Ultra-Small Company Market Fund. I thought Bridgeway was just another boutique mutual fund company, with … [Read the rest]

Carnival of Investing Page Is Up

Posted on May 27, 2006 // 2 Comments

The new Carnival of Investing page is up. I'm excited to be the new home of the Carnival, as I really think investing is the next frontier that I need to learn about since I don't have any debt anymore and am increasing our net worth regularly each … [Read the rest]

Only Buy Insurance For The Big Stuff

Posted on May 26, 2006 // 16 Comments

These days you can buy insurance for anything. Your new digital camera. Your cell phone. Your rental car. Your newborn baby. This Slate article titled 'Risky Business: Should you ever buy rental car insurance?' sums up my thoughts on insurance … [Read the rest]

Emigrant Direct up to 4.65% APY

Posted on May 26, 2006 // 10 Comments

Emigrant Direct has raised their rates again. If you're opening an account, don't miss out on your up to $20 bonus through signing up with Emigrant Direct here! … [Read the rest]

401ks: How Does Your Employer Match Up?

Posted on May 26, 2006 // 39 Comments

My last post got me to thinking - How many companies match 401ks, and how much? My old employer matched 100% up to 6%, with full vesting in 5 years. Here is some 2006 data via a press release from a company called Aon Consulting: This study also … [Read the rest]

Good News: Wife Is Getting A 401k!

Posted on May 25, 2006 // 8 Comments

Several of you mentioned that I should increase my wife's 401k contributions after her recent raise. Great advice, but alas, she had no 401k. We were a 401k-less family. I say were because it looks like soon her employer is giving her one! … [Read the rest]

Credit Score Myths – Don’t Cancel Old Accounts

Posted on May 25, 2006 // 28 Comments

Credit scores remain all the rage, but there are a lot of misconceptions out there. Four common ones are outlined in this MSN Money article titled '4 Credit-Scoring Myths'. What's the first myth? That closing credit cards will help your … [Read the rest]

Drive A Lot? Use the Citi Driver’s Edge MasterCard

Posted on May 23, 2006 // 20 Comments

I've realized that I am in the minority when it comes to driving. I put on maybe 6,000 miles a year. Many people log over 20,000 miles on their car every year! If you are one of these road warriors, I just got e-mailed about the Citi Driver's Edge … [Read the rest]

Big Fat Check From eBates

Posted on May 23, 2006 // 6 Comments

Well, it's actually only for $42, but that's what eBates calls their rebate checks. eBates and other similar sites were discussed previously. You can wring out the most cashback at each separate store by checking out EvReward first, but the thing … [Read the rest]

Bogle Has A Blog

Posted on May 23, 2006 // 3 Comments

Catching up on e-mails, I see that that Jack Bogle, index fund pioneer and founder of Vanguard, has a blog now called the Bogle eBlog. It doesn't look like it's going to have many personal anecdotes, more like a 'Recent News' type of thing. Too bad. … [Read the rest]