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 [...]
Archive for June 2009
Best Online Brokers: SmartMoney’s Picks for 2009
Written by Nickel - 2 Comments
Published on June 22nd, 2009 - 2 Comments
Filed under: Reviews, Saving & Investing
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Filed under: Reviews, Saving & Investing
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Weekly Roundup – First Day of Summer Edition
Written by Nickel - 2 Comments
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 [...]
Published on June 21st, 2009 - 2 Comments
Filed under: Link Love
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Filed under: Link Love
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Converting Mutual Funds Into Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) Without Incurring Taxes
Written by Nickel - 3 Comments
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 [...]
Published on June 19th, 2009 - 3 Comments
Filed under: Saving & Investing, Taxes
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Filed under: Saving & Investing, Taxes
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Index Mutual Funds vs. Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)
Written by Laura Martinez - 9 Comments
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 [...]
Published on June 18th, 2009 - 9 Comments
Filed under: Saving & Investing
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Filed under: Saving & Investing
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What is a Mutual Fund?
Written by Nickel - 6 Comments
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 [...]
Published on June 17th, 2009 - 6 Comments
Filed under: Saving & Investing
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Filed under: Saving & Investing
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Appealing Our Property Tax Assessment (Again)
Written by Nickel - 10 Comments
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 [...]
Published on June 16th, 2009 - 10 Comments
Filed under: Real Estate, Taxes
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Filed under: Real Estate, Taxes
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Benefits of Homemade Household Cleaners
Written by Matt Jabs - 32 Comments
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 [...]
Published on June 16th, 2009 - 32 Comments
Filed under: Frugality
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Filed under: Frugality
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Joint or Separate Finances?
Written by Nickel - 38 Comments
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 [...]
Published on June 15th, 2009 - 38 Comments
Filed under: Miscellany
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Filed under: Miscellany
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Q2 Estimated Tax Payments Due
Written by Nickel - 6 Comments
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 [...]
More Thoughts on Paying Off Your Mortgage Early
Written by Nickel - 32 Comments
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 [...]
Published on June 12th, 2009 - 32 Comments
Filed under: Debt Reduction, House & Home, Mortgages, Real Estate
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Filed under: Debt Reduction, House & Home, Mortgages, Real Estate
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