The Role of Luck in Long-Term Investing, and When To Stop Playing The Game

I am re-reading a series called "Investing for Adults" by William Bernstein. By "Investing for Adults", Bernstein means that he assumes that you already know the basics of investing and that he can skip to more advanced insights. There are four … [Read the rest]

Citibank $200/$400/$700 Checking Account Bonus 2020

Citibank has tiered $200, $400, and $700 bonus offers when you open a new eligible Citi checking account by 6/30/20 and deposit and maintain a certain balance for 60 to 150 days. There is also a $1,500 bonus if you have $200,000 to move over. … [Read the rest]

Creative Business Idea: Selling Baked Goods Online via Etsy

My family enjoys watching Kid's Baking Championship on Food Network, and I'm always impressed how many of these 8-13 year-old contestants have a side baking business! Last weekend, the WSJ article How Etsy Became America’s Unlikeliest Breadbasket … [Read the rest]

Suze Orman’s Updated Financial Advice 2020

The NYT has a new Suze Orman comeback piece called Suze Orman Is Back to Help You Ride Out the Storm. I'm old enough to feel nostalgia over the peak Suze Orman years, and it was interesting to read how some of her advice as changed: Some of Ms. … [Read the rest]

Tastyworks Brokerage Bonus: 100 Free Shares, Worth $100 to $600

Free stock shares are the trendy bonus nowadays - WeBull, SoFi, Robinhood, Public, and more - but how about 100 free shares? Tastyworks wants your attention by offering 100 free shares of a randomly-picked stock valued between $1 and $6 per share. … [Read the rest]

Morningstar Target Date Retirement Fund Rankings 2020: Not All The Same

The default option inside many employer-sponsored retirement plans are Target Date Funds (TDFs), which adjust their portfolio holdings automatically over time based on a specific target retirement date. Morningstar just released their 2020 … [Read the rest]

Top 10 Sources to Raise Emergency Cash, Ranked

While not exactly a fun exercise, do you know where you'd turn for some extra cash in an extended emergency? Morningstar has 10 Sources of Emergency Cash, Ranked from Best to Worst which contains many good points, but I would differ in my rankings. … [Read the rest]

PenFed Credit Union $200 Checking Bonus

Update: This promotion appears to have ended early. Pentagon Federal Credit Union has a $200 bonus promotion for opening their new Access America checking account. You must deposit a minimum of $1,200, and make 5 debit card purchases within … [Read the rest]

Refinance Your Car Loan Due To Ultra-Low Interest Rates?

Many interest rates are at all-time lows right now. This means that if you have any sort of debt, you should explore refinancing. The goal is to lower your interest rate and monthly payments while paying minimal upfront costs and fees. Did … [Read the rest]

68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice by Kevin Kelly

The best thing I read this week was a "Things I've Learned..." list called 68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice by Kevin Kelly - a very interesting fellow (see his bio, about me pages) who must have secretly figured out how to freeze time given all the … [Read the rest]

Best Interest Rates on Cash – May 2020

The Federal Reserve is buying everything in sight (even junk bonds apparently), so it has been rate drops all around. Bank accounts now offer much higher available rates than Treasury bonds. I'd also recommend checking on your brokerage money … [Read the rest]

Savings I Bonds May 2020 Interest Rate: 0.00% Fixed, 1.06% Inflation Rate

Update May 2020. The fixed rate will be 0.00% for I bonds issued from May 1, 2020 through October 31st, 2020. The variable inflation-indexed rate for this 6-month period will be 1.06% (as was predicted). The total rate on any specific bond is the … [Read the rest]