My Money Blog

I Want A Beater Truck.

Posted on April 22, 2006 // 9 Comments

We moved a bunch of our stuff over to the new house today, after borrowing our friend's truck. It was a great little early-90s Toyota Pickup (that's really what the model was called - "Pickup") with 150k miles, manual transmission, and not much … [Read the rest]

Quickie: How To Buy A Treasury Bill

Posted on April 21, 2006 // 25 Comments

There seems to be some interest, so here's a very quick example of what happens when you buy a 4-week $1,000 T-Bill. 1) Open an account at TreasuryDirect, link up checking/savings account. 2) Login, and select your amount and maturity date … [Read the rest]

Don’t Forget About Treasury Bills To Keep Cash

Posted on April 20, 2006 // 16 Comments

People who are looking for the next best place for their cash now that ING's Winter Sale 4.75% APY sale is over, and HSBC Direct's 4.80% APY promotion is soon ending, should not forget to consider Treasury Bills. You sacrifice some liquidity, but … [Read the rest]

Confession: I’m Trying To Time The Market

Posted on April 20, 2006 // 10 Comments

I am usually very skeptical when people try to time the market. But I must confess, I have been trying to do it this week. As part of my new portfolio, I need to buy $11,000 of IVV (an S&P 500 ETF). That's a big order for me. On Monday I saw … [Read the rest]

Everyone’s Complaining About Gas Prices…

Posted on April 19, 2006 // 50 Comments

...but I'm not. Funny how small talk with people has shifted from the weather to complaining about gas prices these days. From the grocery store to neighbors to well, the guy pumping my gas! The reason I don't really stress about it is that … [Read the rest]

Predicting the New I-Bond Rates: Yawn.

Posted on April 19, 2006 // 4 Comments

Just like last October, using the information in my How To Predict I-Bond Savings Bond Rates post, we can now try to predict the upcoming I-Bond rate announcement on May 1st. For more information on savings bonds, check out my Savings Bond category, … [Read the rest]

Audits: Another Reason to Form a Corporation or LLC

Posted on April 19, 2006 // 4 Comments

I forgot about another reason to form an LLC or corporation: Tax Audits. Here are some stats from 2004: IRS Audit Rates Sole Proprietors with income < $25k: 3.15% Sole Proprietors with income $25-100k: 1.47% S-Corporations (all): … [Read the rest]

Reasons to Incorporate or Form an LLC

Posted on April 18, 2006 // 14 Comments

I've been reading LLC or Corporation?: How to Choose the Right Form For Your Business by Nolo Press, which writes a lot of do-it-yourself legal books aimed for the public. Some of the little details just make my head spin, but here are the main … [Read the rest]

Taking Advantage Of Comcast New Customer Deals

Posted on April 17, 2006 // 24 Comments

I hate moving. But one perk is that I get to become a 'new' customer again for Comcast. You may recall that I bargained myself down to $19.99/mo for six months for Comcast High-Speed Internet last year (saving $138). Now that those six months are … [Read the rest]

Always Put Everything In Writing!

Posted on April 17, 2006 // 17 Comments

I'll explain later if I can, but always. put. everything. in. writing. Handshake or verbal agreements that involve money or services promised are stupid. Even if it's between 'friends'. Me stupid. … [Read the rest]

How Long Should You Keep Records?

Posted on April 16, 2006 // 20 Comments

Since the taxes are done and the IRS has already cashed my check (funny how quick they are at that!), it's time to throw away some of the paperwork that I've accumulated through the year. I usually keep all my pay stubs, bills, and other papers in … [Read the rest]

mBlogs.org: Get Your Own Free Money Blog!

Posted on April 15, 2006 // 11 Comments

There has been a big jump in money-related blogs recently, and I would like to support that with my new free blog community - mBlogs.org (short for moneyBlogs). I've been sitting on this idea for months now, mostly because it won't be very … [Read the rest]