Archive for April, 2005
I got a chance to add up the receipts from our Disney vacation, and it was a pretty penny. The really crazy thing is that just about every cent went directly to Mickey’s deep pockets (DIS). We stayed at a Disney Hotel. Had breakfast at the resort in the Disney cafeteria. Ate the rest of our meals exclusively at Disney restaurants, either at the theme parks or at various resorts. Bought souvenirs only at Disney shops. Our snacks were Disney popsicles. (If you can’t tell yet, my wife loves Disney.) The only thing I can think of that wasn’t Disney-branded was the gas, and we even gassed up at a Hess station on Disney property, so they probably got a piece of that too.
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Posted in General | 5 Comments »
I just logged into VirtualBank, and noticed their eMoney Market Account now pays 3.05% for balances under $10k, and 3.00% for balances over $10k (up from 2.80%), leapfrogging ING barely at 3.00%. I’m a week late noticing, but it’s still good news! VirtualBank continues to have shorter hold times for funds transfers, and the ability to link 4 other outside accounts to transfer money between, making it the most versatile of online savings accounts.
In addition, if you are referred by an existing member, and open with a minimum of $100, you get a free $20 bonus. See here for details: VirtualBank $20 Referral Bonus.
Posted in Deals & Offers | 2 Comments »
I recently joined this interesting site called BzzAgent. Basically, you sign up to try new products, and you spread the “Bzz” to others and let them know the reactions that you get. It’s better than simply taking surveys, as you actually get the product to try and they get better feedback than “yes, that might be something I’d buy”. The first product that I got to try for free was YourMusic.com. It’s similar to those music programs like BMG and Columbia House (who hasn’t joined one of those at least once), where you have to buy one CD per month.
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Posted in Bored Money | No Comments »
VirtualBank is currently running a promotion that gives new clients a $20 bonus if you are referred by an existing member, and open with a minimum of $100. The referrer also gets $20. I’ve referred my entire family and many others, amazingly still without any complaints as the bonus shows up quickly and they have solid customer service. You must keep the account open for 180 days to avoid an early-closure fee. But since there is no minimum balance, that shouldn’t be a problem.
Interested? These referrals are limited, and if I send one out and it is not used, it is gone forever and is basically a lost $20. So, so please only ask if you are serious about opening an account. Just send me an email mentioning Virtualbank along with your First and Last Name, and I’ll get a referral e-mail to you promptly. Again, you must send your correct First and Last name and it has to match your bank application or the bonus will not go through without an extra phone call and manual entry.
Be sure to keep the referral e-mail and note your referrer’s names, in case you need to follow up on it.
[Updated 5/10/07 - Still have referrals available]
Posted in Banking | 5 Comments »
Whew, my plane landed late last night, and I’m still digging out from under work e-mails. Along with various awful Disney songs, I’ve also got lots of post ideas in my head and some written in Notepad on my laptop, so hopefully I’ll be able to start blogging again soon. Most likely not ’til tomorrow.
On a side note, remember Rich Dad, Poor Dad? Supposedly the “Rich Dad” was actually a real guy, named Chin Ho, who was a really successful businessman in Hawaii, where Kiyosaki grew up. I guess people in Hawaii know this through word of mouth, but I can’t find any documentation about it online. Anyways, my wife actually went to school with the grandson of Mr. Ho. Apparently Rich Dad was a poor Chinese immigrant, which might explain the lack of formal education. Anyways, if this is true, it really is a small world. Ha! Now the song is stuck your head too!
Posted in General | No Comments »
In case anyone didn’t see or want a more permanent link to the Wall Street Journal article on financial blogs written a while ago, I ran across this reprint at OCRegister.com - Bloggers let anyone become a financial voyeur.
Posted in General | 1 Comment »
I wasn’t the biggest fan of Rich Dad, Poor Dad, but I still decided to read this book, Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing by Robert Kiyosaki, for a couple of reasons. First, I have some friends that are real Rich Dad proponents and have bought their Cashflow 101 board game and actually own investment property now. Second, it was available at the library so I didn’t have to buy it. Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing is actually the third book in the series, Cashflow Quadrant was the second. But that was checked out, so oh well, maybe next time.
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Posted in Book Reviews | 10 Comments »
Really. I’m visiting my parents for the next week in Florida, and we are stopping by DisneyWorld as well. Not my dream way to spend a week of my vacation time, but it’ll be good to see the parents again. Apparently there is an entire underground of people devoted to all things Disney and how to save every single cent and maximize your Disney-fun while there:
http://www.mousesavers.com/ / http://www.allearsnet.com / http://www.disboards.com/
I’ll still be updating sporadically from the road (free hotel internet!), but I apologize ahead of time for delayed e-mail responses.
Posted in General | No Comments »
I would like to announce the start of my new blog - MyHealthBlog.Net! Putting my life online, setting goals, and having y’all keep me accountable has been great. And now I want to extend that to my physical health as well as my financial health.
MyMoneyBlog is 4 months old now, and it’s been a great success. I’ve learned more about finances in the last 4 months than in my entire life, my net worth has increased $15,400, and MyMoneyBlog has even been mentioned on TV! But even as I feel I have a grasp on my finances and am on my way to reaching my financial goals, I feel like my health has been suffering greatly. I am only 26, and should not be so out of shape. So here goes, I know it won’t be easy. I’m currently in need of some advice in defining my health goals, your help would be greatly appreciated!
Posted in General | 1 Comment »
Pentagon Federal Credit Union is now offering a 5% APY (4.88% APR) rate on it’s 3, 4, and 5-year CDs (they call it a Money Market Certificate). They must really think the Fed is going to raise rates big time! This a great rate, the highest at Bankrate.com is only 4.41% with a $10,000 minimum. Penfed only has a $1,000 minimum on each certificate, and has a relatively short 6-month penalty on early withdrawals. But first, how do you join?
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Posted in Deals & Offers | No Comments »
Check out this nifty flash video from Vanguard about the power of compounding. I’ve talked about this a bit and the Rule of 72 before in this previous post, but there’s nothing like a bit of nifty Flash and graphics to drive a point home. Compound interest is awesome, and starting a.s.a.p. is critical. For example, all you need to begin is $1 at ING Direct, and you can turn it into $26!. Then set up an automatic savings plan with them, and you’re on your way. (Credit for flash to Our Money, Our Future).
Posted in Retirement | No Comments »
Hate PayPal? If you’ve been online long enough, you’ll remember two things: PayPal used to offer both the referrer and the referree (sp?) $5 for every new sign-up. It was wildly popular and successful and now PayPal dominates the landscape. Lots of copycats showed up, like Flooz and Yahoo PayDirect and Citibank (I forget the exact name!), only to fail miserably.
Enter GreenZap. Another PayPal alternative, except they are offering $25 free for people who “pre-register”, as they don’t actually go live until 6/15/05. Referrers get $5 (and possibly more).
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Posted in Deals & Offers | 5 Comments »
It looks like my post on EE Savings Bonds a few weeks ago is already obsolete, as the U.S Treasury Department announced yesterday that Series EE Savings Bonds issued on and after May 1, 2005, will earn fixed rates of interest for the lifetime of the bond. You’ll basically be buying a 30-year CD with no early withdrawal penalties after 5 years.
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Posted in Savings Bonds | No Comments »
ING Direct announced that they are raising the rate on their online savings accounts from 2.80% to 3.00% APY. VirtualBank remains the same at 2.80%, at least when I logged in to check. Competition from Emigrant Direct at 3.25% is great. I guarantee you they were seeing a significant amount of money move out.
Does this rate push you over the edge to want to open an account? You can also get $25 for signing up.
Posted in Deals & Offers | 4 Comments »
