Best Interest Rates on Cash – April 2020
The Federal Reserve further cut their target Fed Funds Rate to zero in March, so we continue to see a steady stream of rate drops on cash savings. I hope that some of you got a nice rate locked-in …
Category: My Money
National Emergency Library: Free Digitized Book Access During Pandemic
It is estimated that 1 in 5 students across the world are currently unable to attend school. In response, the Internet Archive opened the National Emergency Library, which suspends the normal lendi…
CARES Act: Stimulus Checks, Unemployment, Student Loan, IRA/401k, HSA/FSA Changes
In response to the coronavirus outbreak, the federal government approved a third round of economic relief. There is plenty of media coverage, but after reading multiple articles I noticed that near…
The Hype Cycle of DIY Investor Self-Confidence
In an article about the challenges of autonomous vehicles, I came across a chart of the Hype Cycle from the consulting firm Gartner that supposedly models the life cycle of new technology: Maybe it…
Good Time to Convert Traditional IRAs to Roth IRAs?
It might be a little painful, but it may be worthwhile to check on your pre-tax IRAs during this dip. If you have been thinking of converting your “Traditional” IRAs over to Roth IRAs, …
Amazon & Target Buy 2 Get 1 Free Board & Video Games, Targeted $5 eBook Credit
Amazon and Target have a few sales on video games and board games to help with that cabin fever. Amazon.com. Get 3 for the price of 2 on board games and video games. Also, check to see if you are t…
Tiny Beautiful Things: Knowing The Right Path But Afraid
My favorite non-financial genre is nonfiction travel books, and after finishing the bestseller Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed, I quickly moved on to her compi…
“This is a Temporary Setback – I’m a Long-Term Investor!”
When the market sell-off first started in February, there were several articles proudly pointing out how few 401k investors made any changes to their accounts. Nobody panicked! Yay! I remember thin…
Early Action, Long-Term Thinking, and Exponential Growth
I’ve been sitting on this post for a week, but I’ll feel better just letting it out. When we talk about investing, a lot of it is about long-term thinking and exponential growth. There …
How Reliable Are S&P 500 Stock Dividends? Historical Drawdowns
While we see the live price of the S&P 500 index everywhere, there is much less talk about its dividends. Dividends are an important component of the total return from stocks. I love seeing my …
Best Interest Rates on Cash – March 2020
The Federal Reserve just cut their target Fed Funds Rate by 0.50% in response to the market volatility brought on by the coronavirus. This will likely result in many rates drops this month for savi…
Panera Bread: Unlimited Hot or Iced Coffee for $8.99 Per Month
Panera Bread has rolled out their MyPanera Coffee subscription nationwide, which includes unlimited coffee for $8.99 per month. Here are the details: Valid for any size cup of light roast, dark roa…
CIBC Bank Agility Online Savings $200/400 Deposit Bonus
CIBC Bank USA has added a $200/$400 deposit bonus for new customers of their Agility online savings account. The bonus is on top of the interest rate, currently 1.85% APY (as of 3/1/20). $1,000 min…
Coronavirus + Mortgage Rates at 8-Year Lows = Refinance Boom
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My Grand-Aunt’s Mailbox Money from ExxonMobil
While helping a 92-year-old relative with her estate planning last week, I discovered that she receives dividend checks from ExxonMobil mailed to her every quarter. I also discovered she was an ear…
How Many People Save, Even Without High Incomes?
If you are living paycheck-to-paycheck, by definition you aren’t saving and buying any assets. The folks who do have assets, those assets keep growing and compounding away. Left alone, that g…
Berkshire Hathaway 2019 Annual Letter by Warren Buffett
Berkshire Hathaway (BRK) has released its 2019 Letter to Shareholders. I highly recommend sitting down and reading the entire thing straight from the source. It’s only 13 pages long this year…
Stupidity, Humility, and Stock Picking
XCKD’s latest comic is about stock picking and the efficient market hypothesis: The hidden hover text goes on – On the news a few days later: “Buzz is building around the so-calle…
Fort Bragg Federal Credit Union Certificate Deal: 5-year at 2.99% APY
Fort Bragg Federal Credit Union has some solid rates on their term share certificates, most notably the 5-year jumbo certificate at 2.99% APY ($25,000 minimum) and 2.89% APY ($5,000 minimum). Avail…
Prudential Instagram Ads For Early Retirement
I had no idea @prudential existed until today (and this post is not sponsored by them in any way) but apparently they have a series of Instagram-specific ads targeting younger workers. They even ha…
