My Money Blog

Barrier To Success: Fear Of Failure

Posted on May 3, 2006 // 20 Comments

I've been feeling very unsatisfied with myself recently. Initially I thought it was pure laziness (which I'm sure still plays a part), but in fact I think it is the fear of failure. There are so many ideas that I haven't tried or put off because 'I … [Read the rest]

Announcing… My New ETF and Mutual Fund Portfolio!

Posted on May 2, 2006 // 16 Comments

I've done it! I got tired of my market-timing foolishness and bought IVV anyways today. I also put in orders to exchange all my Vanguard funds to try and match the asset allocation I decided on previously. Here's what my actual portfolio looks like … [Read the rest]

May 2006 Financial Status / Net Worth Update

Posted on May 1, 2006 // 17 Comments

Intro My large credit card debt is on purpose, so please don't yell at me to pay it off with my cash ;) Please see my posts on taking advantage of no fee 0% APR balance transfers for more information. In short, I'm borrowing the money for "free" and … [Read the rest]

Window-Shopping For Your Own Small Business

Posted on May 1, 2006 // 9 Comments

Although I have no real plans to buy an existing business, after a comment on my Thinking Big post I have been much more keen on evaluating local small businesses in my area. What's their niche? What kind of overhead and time commitment does it … [Read the rest]

Bank of Mom and Dad

Posted on April 28, 2006 // 26 Comments

The New York Times just ran an article titled 'The Bank of Mom and Dad'* about parents giving financial aid to their children well beyond college. Examples range from paying for extended schooling to paying for doggie daycare. Coincidentally, Make … [Read the rest]

HSBC Direct down to 4.50% APY, Presidential Savings at 4.75%

Posted on April 28, 2006 // 13 Comments

Some quick rate announcements: I called HSBC and confirmed that the rate on their HSBC Direct account is going back down to 4.50% APY after April 30th. Presidential Bank's Premier Savings Account is now up to 4.75% APY (still 4.37% for checking). … [Read the rest]

Calculating and Comparing Treasury Bill Returns

Posted on April 27, 2006 // 33 Comments

Just like when teaching class, if one person asks question, usually multiple people have the same question. Unless it's that annoying person who always ask questions like "Do I have to put my middle name on the exam? Will you mark down for … [Read the rest]

No Grocery Shopping For A Month

Posted on April 26, 2006 // 28 Comments

During our move, we were shocked by the vast amount of food we had stored away in our cabinets. In addition to staples like flour, sugar, and coffee, we have canned food galore, dried pasta, jarred sauces, rice, stuff like Rice-a-Roni; it was like … [Read the rest]

Liability Protection and LLCs / Corporations

Posted on April 25, 2006 // 2 Comments

On my list of Reasons to Incorporate or Form an LLC, #2 is limiting personal liability. If you are a Sole Proprietorship, there is basically no legal distinction between you and your business. If your business owes Bob's Hardware money, you owe … [Read the rest]

Stock Market Observations

Posted on April 24, 2006 // 8 Comments

While checking in on my IVV order, I noticed Ford is having a bad day. Check out these market caps: Ford (F): $13 Billion General Motors (GM): $12 Billion Google (GOOG): $130 Billion Ouch. Google could buy both Ford and GM and not break a … [Read the rest]

Emergency Cash In 6-Month T-Bill Ladder

Posted on April 23, 2006 // 8 Comments

Where's my cash? Back in December, I started forming a ladder of 6-month Treasury Bills by buying $1,000 of T-Bills at the beginning of each month. Soon, I will start reinvesting the first matured T-Bill into another 6-month T-Bill, thus having … [Read the rest]

20/20 Real Estate Hindsight

Posted on April 23, 2006 // 7 Comments

Our old house officially sold a few days ago. We toyed with the idea of buying it ourselves, but once I found out how much the owners were asking my jaw dropped. When I found out they got an offer for full price my jaw hit the floor. Craziness... … [Read the rest]