Here's my (late) quarterly update on my current investment holdings, as of 1/23/22, including our 401k/403b/IRAs and taxable brokerage accounts but excluding a side portfolio of self-directed investments. Following the concept of skin in the game, … [Read the rest]
Instead of focusing on the current hot thing, how about stepping back and taking the longer view? How would a steady investor have done over the last decade? Most successful savers invest money each year over a long period of time. Target date … [Read the rest]
If you've been facing the prospect of spending hundreds of dollars on at-home COVID tests so that you and/or your kids can go back to work/school after an exposure event, please note that starting Saturday, January 15th, health insurance companies … [Read the rest]
The Chase Freedom Flex Card is the new 5% cash back rotating category card for Chase, including the notable addition of 3% cash back on dining out and drugstore purchases. All of the popular features from the old Freedom remain as well: Up to 5% … [Read the rest]
Many hotel rewards programs offer free night and upgrade certificates as a perk, and many of them were set to expire on December 31st. However, many programs are offering a courtesy extension and/or points credit. Some may have quietly extended … [Read the rest]
Here's my monthly roundup of the best interest rates on cash as of January 2022, roughly sorted from shortest to longest maturities. Significant changes since last month: 7.12% Savings I Bonds annual purchase limit reset for 2022, new 2% APY LFCU … [Read the rest]
The GMO quarterly letter is on my recurring "must read" list, and the 2021 Q3 letter "Winners, Losers, and the Case for Owning Each" did not disappoint, including some very interesting data for the DIY investor that wants to stay informed. Here are … [Read the rest]
The beginning of the year is a good time to check on the new annual contribution limits to the various available retirement accounts. Our income has been quite variable these last few years, so I regularly adjust the paycheck deferral percentages … [Read the rest]
The Vanguard Target Retirement Funds are one of the largest "set-and-forget" mutual funds that own a mix of stocks and bonds that automatically adjust over time based on your targeted retirement year, with combined assets across the institutional and … [Read the rest]
2021 is finally in the books! Most of my portfolio is in low-cost index funds across various asset classes, which I purposefully ignore most of the time as I believe the proper time horizon is at least several years long. However, I do check in … [Read the rest]
2021 end-of-year update. I have an informal goal each year of earning the equivalent of the maximum annual IRA contribution limit of $6,000 using the profits from various promotions alone. If you had put $6,000 into your IRA every year for the … [Read the rest]
[Programming note: Posting will be light through the end of the year. Hope you have a restful and rejuvenating holiday season!] The WSJ article Anthony Bourdain: Feast of Memory (link should bypass paywall as I am a WSJ subscriber) briefly … [Read the rest]
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