Archive for the ‘Saving & Investing’ Category

Lending Club $25 Bonus Reminder

Written by Nickel - 4 Comments

This is just a quick note to remind you that the good folks at Lending Club are still offering a $25 signup bonus* just for opening a Lending Club account.
Here’s how it works…
1. Visit Lending Club using a link in this post
2. Open and activate a lender account
3. The $25 will be automatically deposited in [...]

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Published on November 18th, 2009 - 4 Comments
Filed under: Saving & Investing
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Best HSA Custodian?

Written by Nickel - 22 Comments

As a followup to my earlier post about high deductible health plans, I’m curious if you guys have any recommendations when it comes to health savings account (HSA) custodians. My employer has picked one, but their terms aren’t great (too many fees) so I’m thinking of looking elsewhere.
As I noted previously, you’re free to use [...]

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Published on November 16th, 2009 - 22 Comments
Filed under: Insurance, Saving & Investing
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Converting Paper Savings Bonds to Electronic Form With SmartExchange

Written by Nickel - 2 Comments

This is just a quick followup to yesterday’s post about Series I Savings Bonds. As I noted in that post, you are limited to purchasing $5k of these bonds in electronic and paper form each year for an annual total of $10k (per Social Security number).
Assuming that you max out, this means that you’ll be [...]

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Published on November 10th, 2009 - 2 Comments
Filed under: Saving & Investing
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What are Series I Savings Bonds?

Written by Nickel - 12 Comments

Last week I noted that Series I Savings Bonds are now paying 3.36% (current as of 11/09). Given current CD rates, this makes them a rather attractive alternative to bank CDs. That being said, a lot of people aren’t familiar with them, and are thus unlikely to use them.
What is a Series I Savings Bond?
Series [...]

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Published on November 9th, 2009 - 12 Comments
Filed under: Saving & Investing
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Lending Club Update – October 2009 Performance

Written by Nickel - 19 Comments

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 [...]

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Published on November 5th, 2009 - 19 Comments
Filed under: Saving & Investing
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Series I Savings Bonds Now Paying 3.36%

Written by Nickel - 6 Comments

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 [...]

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Published on November 4th, 2009 - 6 Comments
Filed under: Saving & Investing
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Get 100 Free Trades from OptionsHouse Brokerage

Written by Nickel - Leave a Comment

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 [...]

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Published on October 31st, 2009 - Leave a Comment
Filed under: Saving & Investing
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Locking in Long Term CDs in a Low Rate Environment

Written by Nickel - 13 Comments

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 [...]

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Published on October 29th, 2009 - 13 Comments
Filed under: Banking, Saving & Investing
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Tax Diversification When Investing

Written by Nickel - 4 Comments

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 [...]

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Published on October 28th, 2009 - 4 Comments
Filed under: Retirement, Saving & Investing, Taxes
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Schwab Mutual Funds: Ideal for Investors With Limited Means?

Written by Nickel - 12 Comments

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 [...]

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Published on October 26th, 2009 - 12 Comments
Filed under: Saving & Investing
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  1. < $10,000
 

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