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Consumer Report Car Brand Reliability Rankings 2018

Consumer Reports shared some results from their 2018 Car Reliability Survey in the public articles Who Makes the Most Reliable Cars?, 10 Most Reliable Cars and, 12 Models Lose CR Recommendation Over Car Reliability Issues. Here's a partial … [Read the rest]

Chase Bank Bonus: $600 Total Checking + Savings, 60,000 Point Upgrade to Sapphire Banking

Chase Bank has updated banking promotions for new customers without a Chase Bank account (closed more than 90 days ago and haven't gotten a bonus in the last 2 years). The first bonus is for their Total Checking and Savings accounts, and if you … [Read the rest]

Household Equity Ownership Percentage vs. Future Stock Market Returns

Below is a chart that tracks two simple numbers over the years, each with their own vertical scale (click to enlarge): The average household's equity ownership share, as a percentage of total equity and credit (bond) assets. (Left-axis) The … [Read the rest]

Bond Market Risks: Keeping It Short, Simple, and Safe

A recurring theme in my asset allocation philosophy is to stick with simple and safe bonds in your portfolio. The problem is, there will be other bonds that outperform safe, shorter-term US Treasury bonds and you might start to question your … [Read the rest]

My Money Blog Portfolio Income – October 2018

For a young person making a plan to reach financial independence at a very early age (under 50), I think using a 3% withdrawal rate is a reasonable rule of thumb. For someone retiring at a more traditional age (closer to 65), I think 4% is a … [Read the rest]

TopCashBack Existing User Promo: Free Fall-Themed Dish Towel ($2.99 Value)

If you shop at Target stores and are an existing TopCashBack portal member, grab a free $2.99 Thanksgiving Dish Towel at this link. Offer expires Sunday, October 21st at 11:59pm PST. Instructions: 1) Simply click the "Get Offer" button to go to … [Read the rest]

My Money Blog Portfolio Asset Allocation, October 2018

Here's my quarterly portfolio update for Q3 2018. These are my real-world holdings and includes 401k/403b/IRAs and taxable brokerage accounts but excludes our house, cash reserves, and a few side investments. The goal of this portfolio is to … [Read the rest]

Infographic: Where Did Housing Prices Crash the Most and the Least?

The Washington Post had an article looking back 10 years later: How the housing market has changed since the crash. Inside was an interesting map of where the home prices crashed the most and the least (click to enlarge): I wish they had a … [Read the rest]

Ally Bank Payback Time Promotion: 1% Additional Cash Bonus (~6% APY 3-month CD)

Ally Bank has a new promotion called Ally Payback Time that is offering a 1% cash bonus (up to $1,000) on new deposits on top of their existing interest rates. Valid for both new and existing customers. Given the holding period, this roughly … [Read the rest]

Citi Simplicity® Card Review: 0% Intro APR for 21 months on Balance Transfers, No Late Fees, No Penalty Rates

Interest rates are rising, and that applies to credit cards as well. The Citi Simplicity® Card comes with an extended 0% intro period for balance transfers while also offering some "accident forgiveness insurance". Do you have a balance that you … [Read the rest]

Total Bond ETF Review: iShares Aggregate Bond ETF (AGG) or Vanguard Total Bond ETF (BND)

One of the major building blocks of your portfolio is probably a bond mutual fund or ETF. The most popular bond benchmark is the Bloomberg Barclays Aggregate Bond Index (AGG), which basically tracks all U.S. taxable investment-grade bonds. … [Read the rest]

Citibank $500 Checking Account Bonus 2018

Citibank has $500 bonus offer when you open a new eligible Citi checking account 10/1/18 through 12/31/18 and complete qualifying activities. This offer is restricted to those who have not had a Citibank checking account within the last 180 … [Read the rest]