What are You Getting Dad for Father’s Day?

Posted by Madison on June 11, 2009

Father’s Day is just around the corner, June 21 to be exact. I’m struggling to find something for my dad, who is one of those guys that has everything he needs. My husband is also on my list, since my kids are little. I like to help them pick out a little something for their […]

Continue reading…



Tax Credit for First Time Home Buyers Improved

Posted by Madison on June 10, 2009

The $8,000 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit just got even better! You can now get an advance on your $8,000 tax credit at the time you purchase your home. It allows buyers to use the tax credit for closing costs and additional down payments instead of waiting until you file your tax return. It’s […]

Continue reading…



10 Financial Tips for New Grads

Posted by Madison on June 8, 2009

Are you or a family member a recent graduate? Many older adults look back and say the number one thing they wish they would have done differently was learned about money management while they were young. Your actions now will have significant impact on how the rest of your life shapes up financially. Find out what you should be doing in Financial Tips for New Grads!



Loose Ends, Retirement, and More

Posted by Madison on June 4, 2009

Each week I use the Thursday post to talk about personal finance tidbits that are interesting, but don’t necessarily need an entire article devoted to them. As you’ve noticed, it’s also where I post announcements and highlight personal finance articles around the web. Because most of the tidbits are about things going on in my […]

Continue reading…



Readers Share Lending Club Returns

Posted by Madison on June 3, 2009

I recently asked How is your Lending Club Account Doing? after seeing my net annualized return on investment at 8.44%. I enjoyed reading readers’ responses about their portfolios at Lending Club and wanted to share them. It’s fun to see how everyone stacks up and what their portfolios look like. What I find particularly interesting […]

Continue reading…



Shopping Insurance and Landing at Allstate

Posted by Madison on June 1, 2009

I mentioned that we switched our insurance to Allstate earlier this month. Since I used to work in the insurance industry, I actually didn’t shop our rates very often. Because of the state filings, I knew that we had some of the best coverage and premiums around. Everything changed when we decided to enter the […]

Continue reading…



Schwab 2% Cash Back Credit Card

Posted by Madison on May 29, 2009

Schwab is ending their cash back card for new applicants. See our list of best cash rewards credit cards to find another card with great cash back. I love cash back credit cards. If you pay in full every month, it’s a great reward. I’ve been shopping credit cards lately, and found the Schwab Bank […]

Continue reading…



Advanta Closes all Credit Cards, 529 Plans, and More!

Posted by Madison on May 28, 2009

Advanta, which is one of my favorite credit card companies for small business cards, is closing their doors on Saturday, May 30. We got a letter in the mail two days ago. Talk about a quick exit! I know many of you got an Advanta card for 0% Balance Transfers in the past. The good […]

Continue reading…



Flashback: One Year Ago… May 2008

Posted by Madison on May 27, 2009

Another year has passed, which people remind me about frequently, since I’m turning 30 this month. I thought it would be fun to see what was happening one year ago, here at My Dollar Plan! Here were the most popular articles from last May. Obviously, many of them are still very relevant today, even though […]

Continue reading…



Help a Reader: Keep the House or Save for Retirement?

Posted by Madison on May 26, 2009

Time to help out a reader, Marke, who is facing a tough decision. His home has lost value, like many people today, and he’s not sure how to handle it. However, it’s not just his house he’s worried about. He’s nearing retirement, and needs to start planning for that, too. It seems that keeping his […]

Continue reading…