My Money Blog

A Warm Slice Of Humble Pie

Posted on March 29, 2007 // 11 Comments

I've been trying recently to try and make some minor adjustments to the target asset allocations of my portfolio. I want to create something that I won't be tempted to change again for many years. While attempting this, I keep noticing how hard it … [Read the rest]

Expense Tracking and Budget Results – February 2007

Posted on March 28, 2007 // 14 Comments

Yes, you read it correctly. It's the end of March and I'm finally typing in the last of my receipts into my PearBudget spreadsheet. Tsk tsk. Overall Results I started out strong, with my carefully laid out Expense Tracking Plan of Attack … [Read the rest]

Sunrocket VoIP Phone Service – 2 Years for $199

Posted on March 27, 2007 // 18 Comments

SunRocket VoIP is currently offering 2 years of phone service for $199, expiring tomorrow (3/28). If you miss it, this "special" seems to come around once every few months. I've been using SunRocket instead of a landline for well over a year now now … [Read the rest]

My Net Worth Tracking Template

Posted on March 27, 2007 // 15 Comments

You may be curious as to how I keep track of my net worth updates. It's actually highly manual and nothing fancy. I simply log into Yodlee account aggregation via Bank of America's MyPortfolio and copy-n-paste the appropriate balances into this … [Read the rest]

My $300 Cup Of Coffee

Posted on March 26, 2007 // 49 Comments

I spilled coffee on my Dell Inspiron 4150 laptop today. It made a sad sort of grunt, and shut itself off... apparently forever. I've used compressed air and dried it all day, all to no avail. This was actually my largest impulse buy ever, at … [Read the rest]

Are You A “Maestro Of Money Management”?

Posted on March 25, 2007 // 26 Comments

A friend of mine sent me this link, and I think he was trying to mock me! ;) It's an article from the Wall Street Journal entitled Nickel-and-Diming Your Way To Riches, if That's Your Thing Here's an excerpt: I thought I was fairly deft at … [Read the rest]

The World Is Flat: Book Review and Commentary

Posted on March 25, 2007 // 15 Comments

I've been chipping away at it for months, and finally finished Thomas Friedman's The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century. By a flat world, he means that the playing field is being leveled and the gap between emerging and … [Read the rest]

Considering For Sale By Owner? Get Listed On The MLS For Free

Posted on March 24, 2007 // 17 Comments

Although I feel like they are a bit late to the party, a new site called Iggys House will allow people to list their properties on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) for free in certain states. Currently 20 states are offered, with more to … [Read the rest]

Cramer Admits To Manipulating Markets, Calls SEC Stupid

Posted on March 24, 2007 // 18 Comments

In an interview on the website TheStreet.com, Jim Cramer of Mad Money fame talks about how he and other hedge fund managers can manipulate stock prices for easy profit. Check out the video, it's very enlightening: Although this actually … [Read the rest]

Going To Vegas? Play The Games With The Best Odds!

Posted on March 23, 2007 // 41 Comments

I'm going to Vegas! I haven't been in several years, so I wanted to brush on my gambling knowledge. Of course we all know that the vast majority of games have what is called a "House Edge", which means that over the long run the casino will be … [Read the rest]

Create Your Own Pension With Immediate Annuities

Posted on March 22, 2007 // 20 Comments

People love pensions because of the security that they offer - a steady, guaranteed stream of income that you can't outlive. Another way to achieve this reliability is to buy an immediate annuity, also called an income annuity. It lets you convert … [Read the rest]

Why Pensions Are Soon To Be History

Posted on March 22, 2007 // 12 Comments

It's been a few years since the United Airlines debacle where they unloaded their pensions onto the government-created Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp, but the future of pensions are still a huge issue for many people. If you're interested in more … [Read the rest]