Here's my monthly roundup of the best interest rates on cash for August 2019, roughly sorted from shortest to longest maturities. The target for the Fed Funds Rate was just cut by 0.25% as of 8/1/19, so look out for small rate drops this month … [Read the rest]
Betterment Everyday Cash Reserve Review: 0.40% APY (Tied to Fed Funds Rate)
Posted on August 1, 2019 // 2 Comments
Betterment, best known for their automated portfolio management software, has added a high-yield savings product called Betterment Everyday Cash Reserve. An additional checking product is "coming soon". This product has several unique features that … [Read the rest]
Equifax Data Breach Settlement: Free Credit Monitoring vs. Reduced Claim
Posted on July 31, 2019 // 25 Comments
Update. As many of you correctly pointed out, only $31 million was allotted to the $125 alternative payment if you opted out of the free credit monitoring. The FTC has provided an update encouraging people to pick the free monitoring: I thought I … [Read the rest]
The Status Spending Test: Two Simple Questions About Your Car and Home
Posted on July 31, 2019 // 5 Comments
I feel like I've been reading a lot of backlash against the "latte factor". I agree buying a Starbucks latte every day will not directly lead to poverty, and forgoing it will not make you independently wealthy. However, sometimes a concrete example … [Read the rest]
Vanguard Personal Advisor Services Portfolio Rebalancing Rules
Posted on July 26, 2019 // 2 Comments
If you read about investing in stocks and bonds, there is a lot of discussion about rebalancing your portfolio. Should you rebalance? When? How often? How much? Carl Ozeck contributes his thoughts on the Vanguard Blog article Capital gains are … [Read the rest]
Which Households Spend More, Less, or Exactly What They Earn? Breakdown by Income Level
Posted on July 25, 2019 // 7 Comments
In the post How Well Do Americans Balance Income and Spending? by the St. Louis Fed, they examine the breakdown of household spending as compared to income. In terms of the big picture, 55% of US households were net savers (earned more than they … [Read the rest]
Worthy Bonds Review: 5% Interest, Backed By Small Business Inventory Loans
Posted on July 24, 2019 // 9 Comments
Worthy Bonds are a fintech startup that offers you 5% interest by "supporting your fellow humans". You can invest a little bit at a time, even doing "round-ups" of your purchases. However, whenever you see an interest rate well above FDIC-insured … [Read the rest]
Peerstreet Case Study #1: 90-Day Late Condo Near-Foreclosure Recovery
Posted on July 23, 2019 // 2 Comments
I've invested over $50,000 of my "alternative" money into PeerStreet real estate notes because of the ability to diversify into 50+ different high-interest loans backed by physical real estate. Here is a case study from one of my first loans where I … [Read the rest]
Marcus Bank Promotion: 1% Additional Cash Bonus up to $500 (~6% APY 3-month CD)
Posted on July 17, 2019 // 19 Comments
Online bank Marcus (formerly Goldman Sachs Bank) has a new Cash Bonus Offer which includes 1% cash bonus (up to $500) on new deposits on top of their existing interest rate (currently 2.15% APY). Valid for both new and existing customers. Given … [Read the rest]
Amazon Prime Day 2019: Big List of Deals and Discounts (Updated)
Posted on July 16, 2019 // 4 Comments
Last call for deals + good stacking offer: Up to $60 Amazon credit for buying through the app. Amazon Prime Day 2019 is July 15th and 16th. I'll try to keep this post updated with the most recent offers (and remove the expired ones). There are … [Read the rest]
Unison: Your Home Has a ~30% Chance of Being Worth Less in 5 Years
Posted on July 15, 2019 // 8 Comments
Unison is a "home co-investment" start-up, which means it wants a share of the equity of your home. If your home value goes up, then it wants some of the gain. If your home value drops, then it will absorb some of the loss. In exchange, the … [Read the rest]
Our Family Travel Award Redemptions 2019
Posted on July 11, 2019 // 2 Comments
I'm not a Instagram travel blogger and I'll never visit every country in the world, but I do earn enough points from navigating the top credit card offers to fund a big chunk of our annual travel each year. We are a family of five including a … [Read the rest]
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