American Association of Individual Investors (AAII) Review – The Numbers Behind The Non-Profit

I've been getting letters from the American Association of Individual Investors (AAII) for years now, and another one arrived yesterday. Their stated goal is to "assist individuals in becoming effective managers of their own assets through … [Read the rest]

Crunching The Numbers & Looking Into The Crystal Ball

While catching up on some reading over the weekend, I found two articles that both dealt with large issues that we'll have to face over the next few decades. Predicting the future is always difficult, but sometimes the numbers can seem very … [Read the rest]

Chase Sapphire Card 10,000 Points = $100 Cash w/ No Annual Fee

Previously, I posted about the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which is currently offering 40,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. This is quite a good deal, as 50,000 points can be redeemed for $625 in … [Read the rest]

Reminder: Savings Bonds Monthly Purchase Deadline Tips

Here's a reminder regarding an opportunity to buy savings bonds near the end of May and receive an annualized return of 2.51% over the next 11 months. This would be 1% more than the highest current CD rates, with potential for continued higher … [Read the rest]

Yet Another Housing Bubble Video: Hitler the Flipper

We've all probably seen enough YouTube videos about the housing crash to last us a lifetime, but this one still made me smile. Hitler as a real estate flipper? It's embedded below, but here is the direct link for those RSS readers who can't see … [Read the rest]

PayPal Offers Remote Check Deposit on iPhone and Android Devices

PayPal announced today that you can now deposit checks in your PayPal account via photo upload from both Apple iOS [iTunes] and Android OS devices. Just sign the back of the check, take a picture of the front and back, type in the amount, and … [Read the rest]

Book Review: Rework by Fried and Hansson of 37Signals

Rework is a book written by the founders of 37Signals, a company that makes online collaboration software like BaseCamp. They also write about running small businesses on their blog Signal vs. Noise. It is readily admitted that this book is a … [Read the rest]

DIY Dining Table from Reclaimed Building Materials – Recycled Basketball Court Flooring

Ever since I stopped moving every year, I've wanted to get a big dining table, something that could fit at least 8 people. Finding one big enough at a retail furniture store was difficult, and when I did find it they were really expensive. … [Read the rest]

GigWalk: Get Paid For Simple Jobs With An iPhone

Help yourself pay for that $30 a month data plan by putting that iPhone to work! :) New iPhone app GigWalk pays users to take pictures of specific objects, record audio/video, or verify something live in person. For example, client TomTom … [Read the rest]

Vanguard Lower Minimum Investment On Target Retirement Funds to $1,000

Effective May 11st, Vanguard has lowered the minimum initial investment on their Target Retirement Funds to $1,000, down from $3,000. Thank goodness, as this avoids having everyone pointing out that the Vanguard STAR fund was the only one with … [Read the rest]

House Value Update Q2 2011: Mortage Loan Payoff Calculations

As part of tracking our financial status, I regularly check in to see how long it will take to pay off our home mortgage. Buying versus renting is a very personal decision, but we ended up buying our house three and a half years ago and still plan … [Read the rest]

Link Dump: Tiny Apartment, Kindle eBook Sharing, Stripper Loans, Seasonal Sales, Law School Bait

Today, I find myself staring at a bunch of links that are mildly interesting, but nothing that inspires much additional research or spewing of opinion. Maybe I'm just tired and cranky. In any case, I think they are worthy of sharing. Tiny … [Read the rest]