My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

Markets Rise and Fall: Is Your Portfolio Ready For Both?

It would be great if you could invest in things with high and reliable returns, going up and up consistently like clockwork and without worry. Unfortunately, that's usually the sign of a Ponzi scheme. The chart above illustrates what you have to … [Read the rest]

What If You Invested $10,000 Every Year For the Last 10 Years? 2008-2017 Edition

Instead of just looking at one year of returns, here's an annual exercise that helps you look at the bigger picture. You may know the 10-year historical return of the S&P 500, but most of us didn't just invest a big lump sum of money a decade ago, … [Read the rest]

Best Interest Rates on Cash – January 2018

Short-term interest rates are rising. Megabanks make billions by pay you nothing for your idle cash. Here is my monthly roundup of the best safe rates available, roughly sorted from shortest to longest maturities. Check out my Ultimate … [Read the rest]

S&P 500 Monthly Total Returns 1990-2017: First 14-Month Win Streak

I mentioned in my 2017 asset class roundup that the S&P 500 went up every single month in 2017 and how that was the first time that had ever happened. According to the WSJ Daily Shot, the S&P 500 is actually on a 14-month positive streak. Here's a … [Read the rest]

Discounted Apple iPhone $29 Battery Replacement: Available Now

In case you missed it, Apple disclosed that their operating system slows down the phone in some cases if the battery gets too old. As part of their official explanation and apology, Apple has reduced the price of a OEM battery replacement to $29, … [Read the rest]

DietBet Review: Using Money To Motivate You To Lose Weight

It's that time of year, and since I eventually lost 50 pounds with the help of this and other weight-loss betting sites (and have kept it off since), and I wanted to share my experiences including both positive and negative aspects. DietBet.com … [Read the rest]

Investment Returns By Asset Class, 2017 Year-End Review

Happy New Year! As the markets have closed for the last time in 2017, it's time for a year-end review. While I do rebalance my portfolio quarterly, I only dig into performance numbers once a year. That's a big change from a decade ago, when I … [Read the rest]

New Tax Bill: Pay State and Property Taxes By End of 2017

The new tax bill that takes effect in 2018 raises the standard deduction and caps certain itemized deductions. Therefore, if you will itemize your deduction in 2017, you may want to grab whatever you can this year to get the full value of those … [Read the rest]

My Money Blog Portfolio Asset Allocation, 2017 Year-End Update

Here is a year-end update on my investment portfolio holdings for 2017. This is my last-minute checkup in case I need to rebalance to make another other tax-related moves. This includes tax-deferred 401k/403b/IRAs and taxable brokerage holdings, … [Read the rest]

529 Plans Will Allow Private School K-12 Tax-Free Withdrawals

Starting in 2018, qualified educational expenses for 529 plans will include up to $10,000 a year in tuition and expenses for primary and secondary school expenses (public, private, or religious). Previously, you could only use it towards qualified … [Read the rest]

Infographic: 529 State Tax Deduction Value Comparison Map

Amongst the many things to consider at years-end is a contribution to a 529 college savings account. (I just made my contribution for kid #3.) In addition to the federal tax-free growth towards qualified college expenses, more than 30 out of 50 … [Read the rest]

Last-Minute Gifts: Amazon Gift Card Discounts including Starbucks, Whole Foods, Boston Market, Hotels.com, Free Holiday Tins, Etc.

Look for Amazon to offer up lots of discounted gift cards and/or bonus stuff with gift cards for procrastinators, most guaranteed to arrive by Christmas. Click, click, done. Some of these deals are good enough for self-gifting. Up to 20% … [Read the rest]