In an earlier post on motivating myself to work harder, I had thrown out a piece of "common" financial advice: Spend less than 30% of income on housing. It was really just an afterthought, but I got a bunch of e-mails about it. Where did you … [Read the rest]
Rule of Thumb For Reasonable Housing Costs?
September 10, 2008 By 23 Comments
Last updated: September 10, 2008
Scottrade Referral Code: 7 Free Trades
September 10, 2008 By
Through October 31st, 2008, the referral bonus from Scottrade is now worth 7 free trades (instead of the usual 3) when you open an account with at least $500. At $7 per trade, that's worth nearly $50. If you need a referral code, please contact me … [Read the rest]
Last updated: May 27, 2012
Should Home Ownership Be The Dream?
September 9, 2008 By 40 Comments
Now to the bigger picture... As of today, the U.S. government is the largest mortgage lender in the country. And that means, if things continue to go badly in the housing market, you and I as taxpayers get to pay for bad mortgages! Hurray! … [Read the rest]
Last updated: July 29, 2014
Fannie & Freddie Failure = Mortgage Rates Drop By 0.5%
September 9, 2008 By 6 Comments
I'm still on several mortgage brokers' e-mail lists, and it appears that the government takeover of Fannie Mae is a glimmer of sunshine in what has probably been a very bleak few months for them. The message: Mortgage rates have dropped by around 50 … [Read the rest]
Last updated: September 9, 2008
September 2008 Financial Status / Net Worth Update
September 8, 2008 By 24 Comments
Finally got around to adding up the numbers for the last month: Credit Card Debt If you're a new reader, let me start out as usual by explaining the credit card debt. I'm actually taking money from 0% APR balance transfer offers and instead … [Read the rest]
Last updated: September 8, 2008
Follow-Ups: WaMu 5% CD, Chest Freezers Everywhere
September 8, 2008 By 8 Comments
High-Yield Bank CD Washington Mutual has brought back their 5% APY 12-month CD for another week, which had previously dipped to 4.5% APY. If this fits your needs, don't miss it this time around. Chest Freezers Apparently, I was not alone in … [Read the rest]
Last updated: October 15, 2011
Links: Chasing Shrinking Potato Peelers Edition
September 7, 2008 By 4 Comments
Here are some recent links from fellow bloggers that made my cursor pause... Grad Money Matters ponders when to stop chasing money? How do we know at what point when we need to slow down? Good question. Wisebread offers up some cheap … [Read the rest]
Last updated: August 9, 2018
Biweekly Mortgage Payment Plan: BiSaver vs. Do It Yourself
September 4, 2008 By 99 Comments
Most homeowners know that they have the option to pay more than their required monthly mortgage note, which will directly reduce the principal. Assuming there is no prepayment penalty, due to the power of compound interest (backwards?) this can … [Read the rest]
Last updated: February 9, 2017
For Sale: 250 sq. ft. Condo for $279,000
September 3, 2008 By 40 Comments
Heard some buzz today about some tiny new condos: Via SFGate: Home, small home: 250 square feet in SoMa New condo development targets young first-time buyers without too much stuff It's about the size of seven ping-pong tables - and all … [Read the rest]
Last updated: September 3, 2008
Motivational Mental Accounting: Work More, Play More?
September 2, 2008 By 17 Comments
After a busy long weekend*, I am now a PADI Open Water "certified diver". It was nice to check off a "To-Do Before You Die" item, although it did cost nearly $500 if you include all the related costs. The cool thing was that while talking with … [Read the rest]
Last updated: March 12, 2014
Archives: Useful Homebrew Financial Calculators
August 28, 2008 By 7 Comments
If have to repeatedly have to make a calculation and I can't find it elsewhere to my liking, I usually try and make my own calculator to save time in the future. Below are links to ones that I still use regularly, I wanted to point them out because … [Read the rest]
Last updated: February 11, 2018
Helping Mom Transfer Old 401(k) To Vanguard IRA
August 27, 2008 By 20 Comments
My mom is trying to organize and simplify her financial accounts, which I applaud. A major part of this is to finally move her orphaned 401(k)s and IRAs into one location. I recommended Vanguard, since that's where all my IRAs are. She was okay … [Read the rest]
Last updated: August 27, 2008
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