As October came to a close, things were still going well with my Lending Club investments. The one loan that has gone bad has stayed bad, but everything else is being paid on time.
Even with that delinquency, however, my “High Risk” portfolio is back in the black, as I’ve earned more than enough in interest [...]
Archive for the ‘Saving & Investing’ Category
Lending Club Update – October 2009 Performance
Filed under: Saving & Investing
email this article
- add to tip'd - stumble it - digg it - bookmark it
Series I Savings Bonds Now Paying 3.36%
This is just a quick note to say the new Series I U.S. Savings Bond interest rates have been released. I haven’t written much (anything?) about savings bonds in the past, but I’m planning on changing that in the near future.
In the mean time, I’ll just say this… The interest rate on Series I bonds [...]
Filed under: Saving & Investing
email this article
- add to tip'd - stumble it - digg it - bookmark it
Get 100 Free Trades from OptionsHouse Brokerage
Are you in the market for a discount broker? If so, you might want to check out OptionsHouse. They’re currently offering 100 free trades for new customers.
Here’s the scoop:
New customers are eligible for this special offer after opening a new OptionsHouse account with a minimum of $3,000. You must apply for the commission-free trade offer [...]
Filed under: Saving & Investing
email this article
- add to tip'd - stumble it - digg it - bookmark it
Locking in Long Term CDs in a Low Rate Environment
Interest rates are very, very low right now. On top of that, the first “rung” on our CD ladder is coming up for renewal next week. We should be rolling that money into a new five year CD, but is that a good idea given current CD rates?
When we first started our CD ladder (Novemeber [...]
Filed under: Banking, Saving & Investing
email this article
- add to tip'd - stumble it - digg it - bookmark it
Tax Diversification When Investing
Taxes are a huge consideration when planning for retirement. As you’re building up your nest egg, one of the big decisions that you’ll face is whether you should put your money in a traditional, tax-deferred account or a Roth-style account.
Of course, we don’t all face this dilemma. After all, access to Roth IRA accounts is [...]
Filed under: Retirement, Saving & Investing, Taxes
email this article
- add to tip'd - stumble it - digg it - bookmark it
Schwab Mutual Funds: Ideal for Investors With Limited Means?
A common criticism of mutual funds is that many fund families have a relatively high minimum investment, often in the $1000-$3000 range. Thus, it can be difficult for someone who is just starting out to build a diversified mutual fund portfolio.
While it’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of The Vanguard Group, I thought [...]
Filed under: Saving & Investing
email this article
- add to tip'd - stumble it - digg it - bookmark it
Safe Withdrawal Rates, Investment Returns, and the Importance of Minimizing Your Expenses
The topic of safe withdrawal rates is critically important to retirees. Earlier this week we talked about retirement withdrawal strategies, but that was a discussion of how to access your money rather than how much money you can safely distribute per year.
What’s a “safe” withdrawal rate?
While there are no easy answers, the stakes couldn’t be [...]
Filed under: Retirement, Saving & Investing
email this article
- add to tip'd - stumble it - digg it - bookmark it
Ally Bank Ten Day CD Rate Guarantee
Not quite a year ago, we started building a CD ladder. We’re building a five year ladder, and that first rung is nearly up for renewal. I’ve thus been looking around for the best CD rates.
In doing so, I ran across the ten day CD rate guarantee at Ally Bank. In short, if you open [...]
Filed under: Banking, Saving & Investing
email this article
- add to tip'd - stumble it - digg it - bookmark it
Should We Get Rid of 401(k) Plans?
The latest issue of Time Magazine featured an article that was very critical of the 401(k) system. In it, they argued that “the 401(k) is a lousy idea, a financial flop, a rotten repository for our retirement reserves.”
Why all the hate?
So just what is it that Time hates about 401(k) plans? For starters, 401(k) plans [...]
Filed under: Retirement, Saving & Investing
email this article
- add to tip'd - stumble it - digg it - bookmark it
Pre-Retirement Reading: Three Great Books About Investing
In honor of National Save for Retirement Week, I wanted to take a minute to point out some excellent books about investing. Truth be told, I thoroughly enjoy reading about money and finance, but I’m a bit of a freak when it comes to these things.
With that in mind, here are three great books that [...]
Filed under: Retirement, Saving & Investing
email this article
- add to tip'd - stumble it - digg it - bookmark it
Great deals...
Readers’ choice...
Recent articles...
- Did Congress Make the Homebuyer Tax Credit Retroactive?
- Congress Extends $8000 Homebuyer Tax Credit, Adds New $6500 Credit
- Lending Club Update - October 2009 Performance
- How Much to Budget for Car Maintenance?
- Series I Savings Bonds Now Paying 3.36%
- Use Weight Loss Strategies to Get Out of Debt
- Weekly Roundup - Disney Shanghai Edition
- How to Save Money on Vacations
- Most and Least Reliable Cars - 2009 Edition
- Get 100 Free Trades from OptionsHouse Brokerage
Recent comments...
- Sympathetic Dish TSR: @ Bonnie: Is your HD tv a Flatscreen LCD style? If so then a...
- John DeFlumeri Jr: Thanks for explaining the tax credit. Too bad for those who purchase in...
- Hank: I always budget $100 a month for car repairs. I constantly find myself going...
- Karen: Because my income is commission based & way down this year, I'll qualify for...
- Eugene: To whom it may concern: I have an Aunt that passed away sometime ago and...
- Doug: This is RIDICULOUS!!!! We closed on our house on September 9th, so those of us...
- keith: Hi , what are the companies that I can apply and recieve a credit...
- Financial Samurai: They gotta RAISE the married couple income limit to at least $500,000. Why...
Most talked about...
- Dave Ramsey is Bad at Math
- $8,000 Homebuyer Tax Credit
- Dish Network Customer Service SUCKS
- How to Claim the First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit
- $15,000 Homebuyer Tax Credit
- Reduced Credit Limits? Share Your Experience
- Would the "Fair Tax" Gut the Economy?
- Tax Stimulus Rebate Payments to Start Early
- Pay Off Mortgage Early? Or Invest?
- The Best Online Savings Accounts (Updated!)
- Life's Too Short to Drink Cheap Beer
- $7500 First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit