Not quite a year ago, I highlighted SmartMoney’s rating of the best online brokers. Today, I thought I’d take a closer look at the results of their 2009 survey.
As you skim through the list (reproduced below), you’ll notice that it’s quite similar to last year’s version. There are, however, some differences. Here’s a quick rundown [...]

Read the full article »

I debated about calling this one the “Father’s Day Edition,” but decided to go with the “First Day of Summer Edition” because: (1) today is, in fact, the first day of summer here in the Northern Hemisphere, and (2) I totally forgot this little factoid until this evening and figured that I wasn’t alone. Either [...]

Read the full article »

Did you know that you can convert directly from mutual funds to exchange traded funds (ETFs) without incurring taxes? I didn’t. I’ve been operating under the impression that selling the mutual fund shares would be a taxable event.
What I didn’t realize is that, at least with Vanguard equity funds, the conversion of conventional shares [...]

Read the full article »

As a followup to yesterday’s post about mutual funds, I thought I’d talk today about the merits of exchange traded funds (ETFs) vs. low cost index funds. Which is a better choice and why?
What are index mutual funds?
Index mutual funds are simply mutual funds that track a market index such as the S&P 500, Wilshire [...]

Read the full article »

The term “mutual fund” is so widely used in investing circles that few people ever bother to define it. That’s all well and good if you’re “in the know,” but it can be problematic if you’re not. With that said, I thought it would be worth taking a step back and providing a (very) brief [...]

Read the full article »

In what is rapidly becoming an annual rite of passage, I just appealed our property tax assessment. For those that aren’t aware, I did this a year ago in response to an unreasonable jump in the “value” of our house following a renovation, and we got a quick reduction in our assessment.
This time around, the [...]

Read the full article »

Have you ever considered making your own household cleaning products? It’s actually pretty easy to do, and the results can be quite good. But is it worth the trouble?
As with many do-it-yourself projects, there’s a tendency to focus on cost when deciding whether or not to make your own cleaning products. Some people assert that [...]

Read the full article »

Should married couples combine their finances? Or should they keep them separate? This is a bit of a financial hot potato, with strong supporters on both sides of the aisle. In the end, however, the “right” answer almost certainly depends on the circumstances and the people involved.
With the foregoing in mind, I wanted to talk [...]

Read the full article »

This is just a quick reminder to anyone out there that pays estimated taxes… The second quarterly payment is due this coming Monday (June 15th). So… If you haven’t done so already, it’s time to get things pulled together and write that check. If you pay late, you might end up facing an underpayment penalty [...]

Read the full article »

About a month ago, we had a pretty lively discussion about whether or not you should pay off your mortgage early. A number of readers made great points on both sides of the debate. Since that time, I put together some thoughts on how to pay off your mortgage early for those that are interested [...]

Read the full article »