Archives for June 2005

MyMoneyBlog Play Money now moved to OpenPortfolios.com

Posted on June 15, 2005 // 3 Comments

My stock portfolio, previously named the MyMoneyBlog Play Money (MMBPM) fund, is now moved here at OpenPortfolios.com. Previously, I was keeping track of it at a separate blog space, MMBPM, but that was getting a bit dry as I haven’t been doing nearly as much trading for fun as I thought I might. OpenPortfolios.com is run (partly? mostly?) by my friend Stephen of IRA-Cam, and offers to help host your investment accounts, keep track of its performance, and also share it with others (ergo the “open” part). Check it out, it’s cool!

This way, I can see the performance versus difference indices whenever I want. It took me a while to input all my previous trades, but I’m done! I’m happy to see I’m still in the black, barely.

I want to type more, but I’m pooped. Jury Duty stinks. More later.

Filed Under: Investing //

False Alarm (most likely).

Posted on June 14, 2005 // 1 Comment

Well, I e-mailed my landlord, and she says the appraisal is because she is looking into refinancing the house. I guess that’s cool, I have no reason not to believe her, except that I thought that she inherited this house from her parents, but I’m not 100% sure. I do know that she is definitely cashflow positive, since she talks about how it’s great to have extra income every month and she uses it to pay for home improvements on her own house, etc. She’s always struck me as a bit passive-aggressive, so I’ll keep my eyes open.

Filed Under: Real Estate //

Uh oh. Landlord might be selling our place!!!

Posted on June 13, 2005 // 7 Comments

We rent. I just got an e-mail from our landlord that an appraiser will be coming by our place this week. Crap. CrapCrapCrap. We love this house, the neighborhood, even the landlord (up until now). This comes totally out of the blue, as our landlord seemed pretty happy with the steady rental income. I guess she wants to try and cash out on top before interest rates rise.

Our place would probably go for about $300k currently. Can we buy it? I suppose. Do we want to? Not really. The rent to mortgage ratio is pretty low for us… and she’s also pet friendly. We’re on a month-to-month lease. So we could be kicked out with just a 30 day notice. @#$%$^&*!!!

Filed Under: Real Estate //

The Art of Fighting Over The Check

Posted on June 13, 2005 // 7 Comments

Some relatives were visiting us for the weekend, which was nice. Of course, this inevitably led to fighting over who would pay for the check when we dined out. Over the years, I have observed this mostly from the kid’s point of view, but now as a full wage-earner I must also assume the duties of this time-honored tradtion. Foremost rule: always grab the check first. This may require a keen eye and a swift hand.

If you don’t grab the check first, here are the various levels of fighting, from easy-going to serious, that I’ve discerned so far:

1. Nice/Half-hearted – this method rarely works.

You: I’ve got it.
Friend/Relative: No, I’ve got it.
You: No, really, it’s ok.
Friend/Relative: I insist!
You: Ok, but I get to pay next time/tomorrow/later today.
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Filed Under: General //

What the he… Bank Swag?

Posted on June 10, 2005 // 4 Comments

Ok, so in the last couple of weeks I’ve gotten both a baseball cap from Emigrant Direct and a tote bag from Meadows Credit Union (click image to enlarge):

Emigrant Direct Cap   Meadows Credit Union

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Filed Under: Banking //

Presidential Bank Internet Plus Checking Review

Posted on June 8, 2005 // 19 Comments

[Update: This review still applies, but the rates are a bit old. Currently rates for this account can be found here. As of 4/3/06, it is 4.37% APY.]

Since Presidential Online Bank offers a great product, their Internet Plus Checking, but hasn’t had a great amount of publicity (and they don’t seem to have an active advertising campaign either, unlike Capital One 360 or Emigrant Direct), I thought I’d give a review. I’ve been with them for over a year and a half now.

First, some facts: This is an online checking account, and Presidential Bank is FDIC Insured since 1985, so it’s legit. Their Internet Plus Checking account requires a minimum of $1500 to open, and a minimum balance of $1,000 to avoid a $5 monthly service fee. More importantly, it also requires a monthly direct deposit of $200 per month from “payroll, annuity, pension, or a business account.”. They actually check this, so a transfer from PayPal, VirtualBank, etc. won’t work. I realize the preceding has already turned away some people. Did I mention that it also offers 3.25% APY on an account with unlimited checkwriting abilities, free initial checks, ATM access, and free online Bill Pay?
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Filed Under: Banking //

June 2005 Financial Status / Net Worth Update

Posted on June 6, 2005 // 6 Comments


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Filed Under: Goals //

GBI Home Finance Manager, Yankee-style US Edition

Posted on June 5, 2005 // Leave a Comment

It looks like GBI Home Finance Manager (previously reviewed) had added an US-specific version. The default currency in now dollars and the date shows Yankee style at mm/dd/yyyy. I think they’re using your IP address to automatically give you the right version, although you can change it of you want. They’ve also lowered the price from about $28/year to $20/year. According to this site, they’ve still got a free trial, although I don’t see a mention of it on the main site.

Filed Under: Budgeting //

Happy Anniversary and our Newest Addition, James

Posted on June 5, 2005 // 4 Comments

It’s my wife and I’s 1st wedding anniversary. Since she reads this blog sporadically (mainly to catch any mention of her), I wanted to thank her for putting up with me as a husband for 365 days in a row. Thankfully, we haven’t had any real arguments about money. I think our main area of conflict is that I’m a messy slob. I thought she knew that going in ;P

My gift to her – James, an 8 month old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel:

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Puppy Thumbnail

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Filed Under: General //

Final Decisions and Savings on Auto Insurance

Posted on June 3, 2005 // 2 Comments

Ok, so here are my final decision on auto insurance (for now until I get all-new quotes), and how it affected my premiums. I’ve also linked the previous entries that talked about each item. Again, these are tailored for my own personal situation and preferences.

Liability Coverage – Bodily Injury/Property
I’m keeping it at $250k per person, $500,000 per accident, $100k property. This is supplemented by my $1M Umbrella Policy. No Change.

Personal Injury Protection – Kept at minimum. No Change.

Comprehensive Coverage – Deductibles – Keeping the $100 deductible. No Change.
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Filed Under: Insurance //

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage: Critical Coverage or Scam?

Posted on June 2, 2005 // 12 Comments

Ok, I’ve been struggling with this ever since Christian at the nameless blog introduced to my head that uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage might not be a good idea. I had it at $250k/$500k/$10k mostly because I thought it was required to maintain my umbrella insurance. It turns out this is partially true. If I keep it like this, I also get $1M coverage for myself and my family under the umbrella policy. However, I can drop that part and still have the $1M liability coverage against being sued by others. And that’s my main worry, being sued by another driver.

There seems to be two schools of thought on uninsured coverage: Either drop it completely, or buy as much as you can afford.
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Filed Under: Insurance //
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