As you know, we’re big fans of a total market approach to investing and tend to use index funds rather than trading actively. However, we also like ETFs as part of our overall portfolio. Since ETFs are traded on the stock market daily, a low-cost brokerage like tradeMONSTER can be a great way to include […]
Most people are very familiar with the three credit bureaus—Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion—either because they have taken a loan out, purchased a home, or know that they should be checking their credit reports from each of these agencies once a year. On top of these credit reports, there is the FICO score, which is your […]
It’s Free Money Friday! Next up on the list of categories to maximize cash back: the cable/satellite bill! I went through my stack of credit cards and stumbled on a Chase Ink card that I got a long time ago (it was a replacement for a different card, but I don’t remember which one) but […]
Are the rumors true? Is the Schwab 2% Cash Back Credit Card ending it’s run in my wallet? Earlier this week, rumors surfaced that service reps began leaking the details of the end of the Schwab 2% card. If it’s true, the Schwab card will convert to a 1% cash back card with a $75 […]
The 2011 Payroll Tax Cut is set to expire at the end of this year. Based on the current state of our economy, will the payroll tax cut will be extended for another year? Will we see a payroll tax cut 2012? The Payroll Tax Cut The payroll tax cut, also called the payroll tax […]
I’m sitting at home watching an NFL pre-season game. Growing up in Texas, football was a big part of my high-school life, even though I’m a little embarrassed to say I don’t always understand the game… Every time I watch what amounts to a bunch of people mostly my age or younger beating each other […]
It’s Free Money Friday! Time to get another category of cash back squared away: cell phone service! I got my American Express SimplyCash card a long time ago, before it closed to new applicants. The good news… it’s open to new applicants again and offers 5% cash back on wireless services and office supplies. It’s […]
Fresh off a new parking lot fender bender (thank goodness no one was hurt!), it’s time to drill down on the money aspect of the damage. Even though I carry insurance, it’s always better to step back and look at the math to determine the best way to proceed financially. For small fender benders, it’s […]
A lot of what we do is plan for retirement by accumulating money. However, there’s some planning that goes into the decumulation phase too. And it’s where one of my favorite retirement planning calculators excels: the Optimal Retirement Planner (ORP). There’s a lot of advice floating around to access your taxable accounts first, then your […]
Here’s a quick Free Money offer from Chase for opening a new checking account. But, you’ll have to act fast, the $125 offer expires today! Thanks to Keerthi for submitting this deal. How to Get Your $125 Bonus Open a new Chase Total Checking account with a $100 minimum deposit by August 15, 2011. Within […]
