I'm a finance geek and like to dig around in the details like asset allocation or tax strategies. However, sometimes I read some news that reminds me to step back and look at the big picture. Half of all Americans don't own any stocks at all. … [Read the rest]
Updated. After the Equifax hack and many subsequent hacks that affected so many Americans, there is renewed interest in the various ways you can monitor and/or protect your credit report. Below is a summary of the options available. Free credit … [Read the rest]
With T-Bill rates now around 2%, here's another topic that is getting some interest for the first time in many years. Individual investors can buy short-term Treasury Bills (4, 13, 26, and 52 weeks) via non-competitive bid at either … [Read the rest]
If you use PayPal to accept credit cards for your small business (eBay, Etsy, e-store, freelance, etc), you may not want to keep your money sitting at PayPal (especially if you are earning higher interest in your bank account). There is a feature … [Read the rest]
While updating my portfolio spreadsheet, I noticed that it had been 10 years since I bought my first electronic savings bond. I recently listed Reasons To Own TIPS, Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities and Reasons To Own Series I Savings Bonds. … [Read the rest]
In the Atlantic article Why Kids Want Things, Dr. Marsha Richins is interviewed about her research on materialism and children. She explores why kids tend to place the most importance on owning and having things during middle school: I think of … [Read the rest]
This is my monthly roundup of the best interest rates on cash, roughly sorted from shortest to longest maturities. Check out my Ultimate Rate-Chaser Calculator to get an idea of how much additional interest you'd earn if you are moving money between … [Read the rest]
Warren Buffett had his annual charity lunch today and was on CNBC for a short interview. As usual, he was asked about the current stock market situations and, as usual, he managed to sum everything up in a few folksy sentences. Here's a direct … [Read the rest]
Series I Savings Bonds (aka "I Bonds") are a unique investment sold directly to individuals by the US Treasury that pay out a variable interest rate linked to inflation. This post collects general reasons to own these savings bonds without going … [Read the rest]
This is not a happy post, but it's also the reality for a lot of people so I think it is a valid discussion. The Early Retirement forums had a thread recently titled What If You Run Out of Money?: I'm wondering--what would happen to someone who … [Read the rest]
Ally Invest (formerly TradeKing) has rolled out their own commission-free ETF list to augment their $4.95 trades and no account minimums. As an existing customer, they sent a short e-mail with the following paragraph: We're excited to announce … [Read the rest]
I've read Jeremy Grantham's quarterly letters and the GMO 7-Year Asset Class Return Forecasts for over 8 years. (Anyone can sign up at GMO.com for free.) Grantham gained successively more fame after avoiding the Japanese bubble, the Dot-com … [Read the rest]
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