Costco and American Express have a promotion where you can earn a $10 Costco Cash Card when you enroll on their page and then sign up to pay your wireless phone bill automatically with any American Express card. All wireless providers distributed by … [Read the rest]
Costco $10 Bonus For Auto-Paying Wireless Bill with American Express
February 23, 2012 By 3 Comments
Last updated: April 29, 2014
Thoughts on Paying Extra Towards Mortgage Principal
February 23, 2012 By 78 Comments
I've been thinking more about whether I should commit some additional funds to pay down the principal on my mortgage and reduce my interest paid. There is already a good deal of discussion on this topic in my posts Why Paying Down Your Mortgage … [Read the rest]
Last updated: February 23, 2012
Impact of Inflation on Stocks, Bonds, Housing, and Gold (1900-2011)
February 22, 2012 By 23 Comments
The Credit Suisse Global Investment Returns Yearbook 2012 (pdf) provides an analysis of returns from 19 major developed countries from 1900-2011. An article inside called The Real Value of Money by Elroy Dimson, Paul Marsh, and Mike Staunton of the … [Read the rest]
Last updated: February 22, 2012
Portfolio Asset Allocation & Holdings Update – February 2012
February 21, 2012 By 29 Comments
I took some time this weekend to check on my investment portfolio, including employer 401(k) plans, self-employed plans, IRAs, and taxable brokerage holdings. Asset Allocation & Holdings You can view my target asset allocation here, along with … [Read the rest]
Last updated: April 22, 2015
Payroll Tax Cut Extended For 2012: Increase 401k Contributions?
February 20, 2012 By 9 Comments
Congress has just passed a bill which the President has promised to sign that includes an extension of the 2% payroll tax cut for the rest of 2012. Specifically, the employee portion of the Social Security tax is reduced to 4.2% in 2012 instead of … [Read the rest]
Last updated: February 9, 2017
Prosper Borrower Promotion: 2nd Payment Waived Up To $300
February 17, 2012 By 42 Comments
Offer is back! Person-to-person loan site Prosper.com is having a another one-day promotion for borrowers who submit their loan listing on Friday, February 17th where they will actually make your entire 2nd loan payment (principal and interest) for … [Read the rest]
Last updated: January 20, 2016
Consumer Reports Discount Brokerage Ratings 2012
February 16, 2012 By 27 Comments
I recently started subscribing to Consumer Reports magazine again, and the February 2012 issue included an article about the major financial brokerage companies (subscription required, press release). The first part was an investigation about the big … [Read the rest]
Last updated: April 1, 2015
Goals & Priorities: Which Lego Man Character Describes You Best?
February 15, 2012 By 9 Comments
When dealing with other people, it's always easier when you know what makes them tick. What motivates them? This led to some introspection. What did I really want out of life? I realized that I was probably much different than others. The … [Read the rest]
Last updated: February 14, 2012
Non-Deductible IRA Contribution & Roth IRA Conversion Rules
February 14, 2012 By 21 Comments
Mrs. MMB and I both contributed $5,000 each to a non-deductible Traditional IRA again for the 2012 tax year this week, with the intention of converting it into a Roth IRA in the future. Are you eligible to do this as well? Of course, we had to … [Read the rest]
Last updated: October 7, 2012
Save Money On Housing: Live Well In Less Space
February 13, 2012 By 72 Comments
Speaking of internal frugality, I'd say one of the most basic ways to save on rent or mortgage payments is to... live in a smaller place. No, wait, really. Let's think about it. Even though it's now easy to make fun of 10,000 square feet … [Read the rest]
Last updated: February 13, 2012
Best Places To Live? Big Roundup of Major Top 10 Lists
February 10, 2012 By 21 Comments
Where are the best places to consider relocating to? I knew that almost every major financial media outlet had their own "best places to live" list, and my plan was to see which cities popped up most amongst them. Well, that was a bust as every … [Read the rest]
Last updated: February 9, 2017
Moved For Financial Reasons? Share Your Story.
February 8, 2012 By 27 Comments
Have you moved for financial reasons? Where did you move to? Where did you move from? How did you decide? Larger income? Better job for similar income? Lower housing costs? Something else? Share your story in the comments … [Read the rest]
Last updated: February 8, 2012
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