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MMB Ultimate Interest Rate Chaser Calculator

Thinking about moving your cash to a different bank account with a higher interest rate? It's been a while, but the short-term rates on online savings accounts are going up. Don't get paid nothing by your megabank. Use this handy calculator to … [Read the rest]

Gyft Promo Code: $5 off $50 Lowe’s Gift Gard

Gyft just sent me an e-mail that you can get $5 off a $50 Lowe's gift card with promo code holiDIY, good for existing customers. Offer ends 12/25/17 at 11:59pm ET or while supplies last. The terms say that the promo code can be redeemed 5 times … [Read the rest]

Good News: Here’s How the World Has Improved Over the Past 25 and 50 Years

Bad news seems to come at us from all angles, but sometimes we need to step back and point out the good news. Here is a chart of how the the worldwide level of hunger, poverty, illiteracy, child poverty, and pollution has fallen over the last 25 … [Read the rest]

Emerging Markets ETF Comparison: Vanguard, iShares Core, and Schwab

The Vanguard Blog has an article Is price everything for ETFs? that reminds us that while low costs may be the most important factor in ETF selection, it is not the only factor. When there are multiple ETFs covering similar asset classes, the DIY … [Read the rest]

The Real Estate Crowdfunding Capital Stack: Equity vs. Debt

Before I share more about my real-estate crowdfunding experiments, I wanted to take a quick step back in order to provide better context. Just as ETFs and mutual funds are separated into stocks and bonds, real estate can be separated into two … [Read the rest]

The Stock Market Boom / Bust Cycle: Where Are We At Now?

There appears to be a trend of everyone is getting their "stocks are highly-valued" calls on record in so that when the next drawdown occurs, they'll have their "I told you so" ready to go. I should probably do that too. Example: Goldman Warns … [Read the rest]

Lemonade Insurance Review: Home & Renters Insurance With No Incentive To Deny Your Claim?

Updated July 2018. Lemonade continues its rollout - see map above. Get a free quote from Lemonade and see if they are cheaper than your current homeowner's or renter's insurance policy. Feel free to leave a comment about whether they were more or … [Read the rest]

Free Limited-Edition Gund Teddy Bear with $100 Amazon Gift Card

Each holiday season, Amazon teams up with Gund to create a limited-edition teddy bear. Gund is known for their quality stuffed animals and they do everything from Elmo to Curious George to Boo the Dog. Amazon Prime customers can now get a free … [Read the rest]

Best Interest Rates on Cash – December 2017

Short-term interest rates are rising. Don't let a megabank 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. You could also use this information … [Read the rest]

Buy It Nice or Buy It Twice: Kitchen Tools and Cookware (Extended Edition)

(Added some items.) When buying kitchen items, I am firmly in the "pay for quality" camp. Reader Chris sent in the following question (edited for clarity): I read in your website about cast iron pans and KitchenAid mixers. I want to buy a … [Read the rest]

US vs. International Stocks: Historical Cycles of Outperformance

One major question in portfolio construction is how to allocate between US stocks and non-US stocks. Over the last 10 years, US stocks have outperformed International stocks significantly. However, as the following chart shows, they tend to take … [Read the rest]

Howard Marks Memo on High Stock Market Prices and Risk Management

There seems to be a lot of angst about the stock market these days. It's been going up, up, up. Is it too high? Will there be a crash? Accordingly, I just caught up on the most recent Howard Marks memos - There They Go Again... Again [pdf] and … [Read the rest]