Archives for December 2019

This Vanguard Chart Is Why Schwab Bought TD Ameritrade

Posted on December 3, 2019 // 9 Comments

The big news while I was on vacation was that Schwab bought TD Ameritrade for $26 billion in an all-stock transaction (press release). Well, first Schwab shaved off 17% of TD Ameritrade’s value by cutting their trade commissions to zero, and then they bought AMTD at a multi-billion dollar discount to what it would have cost just a month earlier. Nice move.

Now that trade costs have gone to zero, and index fund expense ratios are also pretty much zero, what’s left? Vanguard funds now have a greater market share of all funds and ETFs than that of its next three biggest competitors combined, per this Marketwatch article:

That doesn’t include Schwab funds, which aren’t even on the chart.

Vanguard dominates because it has a long record of passing on virtually all of the benefits of scale to their clients. As they gathered more assets, they lowered their expense ratios, which helped them to better returns, which helped them gather more assets, and so on. Index funds may be a commodity now, but more people buy them from Vanguard than any else by far.

Vanguard is now moving into the portfolio advising turf formerly dominated by Schwab, Fidelity, and TD Ameritrade. The only way Schwab and TD Ameritrade can compete is through scale and creating a better total package for both advisors and retail customers. Can customer service and technology make enough difference that people will hold their funds and ETFs at Schwab?

Filed Under: Investing //

Giving Tuesday 2019: Double Your Impact With Matching Donations

Posted on December 2, 2019 // Leave a Comment

givingtuesdayTuesday, December 3rd is Giving Tuesday 2019, an international day all about giving support through charities and nonprofits by donating money and goods or volunteering your time. In case you aren’t inundated with mailings already, this time of year is a big deal for charities, with 40% of donations occurring in the last six weeks of the year. Here are some ways you can “double your impact” with a matching donation.

Facebook Match (good toward any charity that accepts donations via Facebook). Starting at 8am Eastern on 12/3, Facebook and PayPal will match $7 million in donations to U.S. nonprofits – up to $100,000 per nonprofit and $20,000 per donor. Donations will be matched dollar for dollar on a first-come, first-served basis. All processing fees will be paid so 100% of your donation goes to charity.

For example, give directly with the donate button on the The Humane Society Facebook Page. You can also start your own fundraiser here or simply post up a donate button to support your favorite charity.

Check for an employer match. Try this lookup tool from DoubleTheDonation. Most of these programs don’t require you to actually give on a specific day, but you may want to start the process today so you don’t forget in the holiday rush.

Individual charities. Many charities are organizing their own matching program for #GivingTuesday. Here are some large charities have organized their own matches in the past, but I would check to make sure.

Also check with your favorite local community nonprofit. GivingTuesday.org has a local database.

Having trouble deciding where to give? Here are some charity comparison sites that will help you pick where to send your help.

  • CharityNavigator – Largest and well-publicized charity rating site, provides a 4-star rating based primarily on financial criteria.
  • GiveWell – Tries to identify the best charities, not rate them all. Focused primarily on charities working internationally
  • GreatNonProfits – Allows clients, volunteers, and funders to post personal reviews based on their experiences.
  • GuideStar – Tries to be a one-stop shop for both financial data and personal reviews of charities. Must register to see a lot of things, and pay a subscription fee for premium in-depth data.
  • Philanthropedia – Ranks non-profits based on opinions of experts, and groups them to mutual fund-like portfolios.

Looking to volunteer your time? Check out FeedingAmerica.org and find a volunteer opportunity at a food bank near you.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers, Giving Back //

Amazon Black Friday Cyber Week+ 2019: Gift Cards, Apple iPad, MacBook, Samsung, Bose Deals + Stackable Discounts

Posted on December 1, 2019 // 4 Comments

Updated with new deals. Most recently added:

Full post with all the deals:

Here are the highlights of all the Amazon Black Friday/Cyber Week deals in one post, updated daily. You can view all of the Amazon Cyber Monday Deals here. Here are the Amazon Device deals.

Pay With Points promotions. First, if you have credit cards with Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou, AmEx Membership Rewards, Discover CashBack, or Capital One points, see if you are eligible for one of these stackable discounts. I was mostly ineligible after doing them in the past. You may also try removing any old linked cards from your profile and then adding them back if you are ineligible.

If you have a Discover card, Amazon is one of their 5% cashback categories this quarter.

Apple. If these are shipped and sold by Amazon, you can stack with above.

Electronics

Other Stuff

Amazon Services

Amazon Devices

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //
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