Here’s my 2024 Year End income update as a companion post to my 2024 Year End asset allocation & performance update. Even though I don't focus only on high-dividend stocks, income-focused ETFs or high-yield bonds - I consider myself focused on … [Read the rest]
The World of Hyatt Business Credit Card issued by Chase is the small business version of the consumer World of Hyatt credit card. Here are the highlights: 60,000 Bonus Hyatt Points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in your first 3 months … [Read the rest]
Updated with no balance transfer fee 0% APR offer. The Navy Federal cashRewards Plus Card is the new and improved sibling of the Navy Federal cashRewards Card (no "Plus"). The difference: If the credit limit you get is $5,000 and above, you get … [Read the rest]
I've tried out my share of robo-advisors, which always sounded nice in theory but I eventually became disillusioned as they kept generating lot of unnecessary capital gains every time they change their model portfolios to chase the latest and hottest … [Read the rest]
The most common reader question about my personal portfolio is definitely the fact that the allocation to international stocks has been a drag on performance relative to owning 100% US stocks. This is kind of a repeat topic, so I won't dive into … [Read the rest]
Here's my Year End 2024 update for our primary investment holdings, including all of our combined 401k/403b/IRAs and taxable brokerage accounts but excluding our house and side portfolio of self-directed investments. Following the concept of skin … [Read the rest]
Happy New Year! 🎉 🥳 Let's see how the year went for the broad asset classes that I track. Per Morningstar, here are the total annual returns (includes price appreciation and dividends/interest) for select asset classes as … [Read the rest]
Updated for 2024, new $10 Amazon bonus. Here's a year-end reminder to get back all the money sent into Healthcare Flexible Spending Accounts (HC FSA) due to their "use it or lose it" structure (see possible extensions below). According to the … [Read the rest]
Vanguard Target Retirement Funds are a huge series of "all-in-one" mutual funds, now with over $1 trillion in total assets. I don't hold them myself, but I have advised my parents to invest their IRAs in them. I appreciate that they are … [Read the rest]
Consumer Reports has released their annual "Best Cars" issue. Their definition of "best" involves a combination of their self-conducted road tests, safety ratings, owner satisfaction surveys, and owner reliability surveys. However, I'm mostly just … [Read the rest]
John Rekenthaler, longtime Director of Research at Morningstar, recently announced his retirement from a 35+ year career with the article Farewell, For Now. As a regular reader of his "Rekenthaler Reports", I have respected his clear writings that … [Read the rest]
Tick, tock... Amazon is having a big last-minute gift card sale with up to 20% off many retailers. These aren't the best deals ever for yourself, but they are useful as in-stock and on-time gifts for others. Accordingly, I like the combo cards … [Read the rest]
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