Housing bubble concerns aside, we're starting to look at some homes on the internet to get an idea of what prices are like right now. One thing we need to decide is what size of place to look at. I was going to title this post "How big a house do … [Read the rest]
FDIC Insurance Limits: What If My Bank Fails? Make Sure Your Money Is Covered
May 2, 2007 By 78 Comments
With all these new online banks which are pretty much just virtual branches of a lot of regional banks, I thought it would be a good idea to look more into this whole FDIC insurance thing we put so much trust into. First some quick basics, taken … [Read the rest]
Last updated: February 9, 2017
FNBO Direct Offering 6% APY Until 9/28
May 1, 2007 By 89 Comments
Update: Please see my FNBO Direct Review for more info! Rate chasers rejoice! Look likes with the expiration of the HSBC Direct 6% APY promotion yesterday, the online bank FNBO Direct has decided to offer the rate of 0.85% APY as of January, 2013. … [Read the rest]
Last updated: February 11, 2018
Our Mid-Term and Long-Term Goals Explained
May 1, 2007 By 15 Comments
If you look at the progress bars on the top right of this site, you'll see our current progress towards our mid-term and long-term goals. I just wanted to spend a minute and discuss these goals, as I haven't revisited them in a long time. First … [Read the rest]
Last updated: May 1, 2007
Another $105 In Easy Discounts From Comcast Cable
May 1, 2007 By 71 Comments
Since I already wrung a few extra dollars from my cell phone bill with the Sprint SERO plan, I figured I'd try the same with another monthly expense - Cable TV and Broadband internet access with Comcast. Even though I know there are slightly … [Read the rest]
Last updated: December 23, 2011
Weekly Carnivals
April 30, 2007 By Leave a Comment
I got off my virtual tush and participated in some Carnivals this week: The Carnival of Personal Finance was run by We're In Debt. It's organized nicely by topic, and my post on my current bank setup was an Editor's pick. Woohoo! The first … [Read the rest]
Last updated: October 15, 2011
Sprint SERO Plan Review: Affordable Cell Phone Plan, Free Data, Currently Open To All
April 29, 2007 By 253 Comments
If you are currently out of or nearing the end of your cell phone contract, be sure to consider the Sprint Employee Referral Offer, or SERO, plan. Although it has been heavily discussed for a while on many cellular enthusiast forums, actually … [Read the rest]
Last updated: August 9, 2018
The Average American’s Spending Breakdown
April 28, 2007 By 21 Comments
I've been trying to find a pie chart listing the spending breakdown of the average American to provide a frame of reference for our spending pie chart last year, and here is the closest I could find. It's in terms of pre-tax numbers, and I added the … [Read the rest]
Last updated: April 28, 2007
Got Good Credit? Rent It Out For Cash!
April 27, 2007 By 41 Comments
You have bad credit. You want to buy a house. Why bother with such old-fashioned ideas like paying off debts and slowly building back your credit? You want that McMansion now! All those other sub-prime defaults are just crimping your style. Well, now … [Read the rest]
Last updated: May 29, 2014
Vanguard Simplifies Low-Balance Fees, and Even Eliminates Them With Electronic Statments
April 26, 2007 By 30 Comments
Vanguard has just announced some changes to their fee schedule, which includes some great news for us smaller investors who like Vanguard but kept getting dinged by their low-balance fees. Before, you had to dodge the following $10 fees: The … [Read the rest]
Last updated: April 26, 2007
Morningstar Investor Returns: Another Reason Why Chasing Past Performance Is Bad
April 26, 2007 By 10 Comments
Traditionally, when you look at the historical return of mutual funds, you are getting what is called a time-weighted return. For example, the 5-year return is what you would have gotten if you bought the fund five years ago and held it … [Read the rest]
Last updated: April 26, 2007
Our Spending Breakdown For The Last 12 Months
April 25, 2007 By 40 Comments
Several readers shared their own spending breakdowns in the comments of my previous post, so that inspired me to dig up the numbers for ourselves. I don't have exact stats, and our income varies each month, but I did the best I could by averaging … [Read the rest]
Last updated: January 5, 2016
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