My Money Blog

April 2006 Financial Status / Net Worth Update

Posted on April 1, 2006 // 9 Comments

Taxes Are Done + Some Useful Links

Posted on April 1, 2006 // 2 Comments

What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday! Ugh. At least now I've figured out that I can contribute $2,500 to my 2005 SEP-IRA. I plan to open one up at Vanguard by the April 17th deadline and then merge it with the rest of my Traditional IRA funds. … [Read the rest]

How To Underwithhold Taxes Without Penalty

Posted on March 30, 2006 // 9 Comments

Q: How do you know when you've been at this too long? A: When you you are halfway done on a post about how to underwitholding taxes without paying a penalty, only to find out you've already done it! Check out my post on April 23rd of last year - … [Read the rest]

Capital One 360 Raises Rate to 4.00% APY

Posted on March 30, 2006 // 9 Comments

This is on the eve of the end of their Winter Save Up Sale. Chart updated. … [Read the rest]

Still Haven’t Done My Taxes Yet

Posted on March 30, 2006 // 15 Comments

April is almost here, and I haven't finished doing my taxes yet. Tsk, tsk. I'm actually about 90% done with my return, but I am still trying to track down every single receipt possible in order to reduce my tax liability. They are legit business … [Read the rest]

Citibank’s Capital One 360 Clone – 4.50% APY

Posted on March 29, 2006 // 19 Comments

This is interesting - Citibank finally fully rolled out its e-Savings Account, which has no minimum balance requirement and currently pays 4.50% APY. Why not just call it CitiDirect? It's not the highest rate for a no-minimums online saving … [Read the rest]

What Are Your Luxuries?

Posted on March 28, 2006 // 42 Comments

Well, it is quite apparent that saving money is a personal issue, as was shown when I explored buying generic brands or shared about my free haircuts. I certainly didn't expect so much reaction from that! On the flip side, I'm sure even the most … [Read the rest]

Banks That Do And Don’t Pull Credit Reports

Posted on March 27, 2006 // 24 Comments

Obviously, whenever you apply for a credit card you expect them to perform a credit check, which will ding your credit score a bit temporarily. But sometimes even opening a savings account can cause a hard inquiry. I figured I'd share based on my 3 … [Read the rest]

Deconstructing My 3 Free Credit Reports

Posted on March 26, 2006 // 15 Comments

For some reason, I felt like I should check all of my credit reports today. I think it was because I knew my new landlord had run our credit, and I also haven't checked them in a while. Remember, the government mandates that everyone gets 1 free … [Read the rest]

Moving Six Blocks

Posted on March 26, 2006 // 10 Comments

Well, after enduring what felt like a decade of yanking us around, we found another rental we like in the same neighborhood and put in our 30-day notice instead of waiting to be kicked out. The new house and rent are very similar. We made sure to … [Read the rest]

Emigrant Direct Signup Bonus Update – February Payouts

Posted on March 25, 2006 // Leave a Comment

Everyone who sent me their Form #2 in February for my Emigrant Direct Referral Bonus should have been paid last week. If not, please e-mail me. Thanks to all who participated, I paid out over $100 again this month. … [Read the rest]

Word of Mouth and Semi-Passive Income

Posted on March 23, 2006 // 15 Comments

I am still doing some part-time website consulting on the side, and it is simply amazing how many people are interested in hiring me. Almost every new person I casually meet with a small business, when I say what I do, I get "Hmm.. you do websites? … [Read the rest]