Your Workplace Is Not Your Family. You Will Be Replaced Immediately. (Why F- You Money is Awesome)

A big takeaway from my time on the Early Retirement Forums is that while many posters struggle with the decision to leave their jobs, those that have done so rarely look back. If you are a hard-working, competent employee, it's very likely your … [Read the rest]

CIT Bank Promo: Free 1 Year Amazon Prime Membership (EXPIRED)

Update: This offer is now expired. Please visit this page for current CIT Bank products and rates. Expired offer details: CIT Bank is an FDIC-insured bank (now a division of First Citizens Bank) that has offered competitive interest rate … [Read the rest]

Fifth Third Bank $250 New Checking Account Bonus w/ Direct Deposit (Expired)

Expired: This offer is no longer available. Fifth Third Bank has a $250 new checking bonus when you open an eligible Fifth Third checking account and make direct deposits totaling $1,000 or more within 90 days of account opening. Note that Fifth … [Read the rest]

Stuck on a Hard 50/50 Decision? Pick the Change, Avoid the Status Quo

The recently-republished Quartz article An economist’s rule for making tough life decisions draws from research by Steven Levitt, perhaps best-known for being co-author of the book Freakonomics. The study asked people who were having a hard time … [Read the rest]

The Real Cost of Zero Commission Stock Brokers + Why Are Some Cheaper Than Others?

In a recent study, the authors opened accounts at six different brokerages with their own money and executed 85,000 market orders. They discovered some interesting details about the actual costs of making trades using "zero commission" stock … [Read the rest]

Quiet Confessions of Options Trading, Rental Real Estate, Crypto

People are usually quite eager to share their stories of amazing wealth and riches. If you bought Apple in the early years or Bitcoin at $40, why not mention that at a party? Folks are usually much more quiet about their failures. But you can … [Read the rest]

Tellus App: “High-Yield Savings” That Isn’t FDIC-Insured, Backed by Vague Promises

A few readers asked about the Tellus app, which compares itself to savings accounts and pays 3.00% APY with no caps. (4.50% APY is only up to $2,500.) Here's a quick explanation of why it's an easy pass. Tellus investments are not FDIC-insured … [Read the rest]

The “No Risk” Portfolio: Stock Upside Exposure with 100% Money Back Guarantee

Everyone loves a 100% money-back guarantee. A popular option on insurance policies is the "Return of Premium" rider. Let's say you buy a $1,000,000 term life insurance for 30 years at $1,000 a year. At the end of 30 years, if you're still alive, … [Read the rest]

Money Magic: 5 Levers To Boost Your Safe Retirement Income By $50k+ a Year

In personal finance, I often think in terms of "levers" to push or pull. Here are five different levers to increase your portfolio safe withdrawal rate in retirement. Here are three levers used increase your final savings balance at … [Read the rest]

Best Interest Rates on Cash – September 2022 Update

Here's my monthly roundup of the best interest rates on cash as of September 2022, roughly sorted from shortest to longest maturities. We all need some safe assets for cash reserves or portfolio stability, and there are often lesser-known … [Read the rest]

Credit Union 1 (CU1) New Checking Account Promo $500 w/ Direct Deposit

Credit Union 1 (CU1) has a $500 checking account promotion with qualifying direct deposits. Available to both new and existing customers who haven't set up direct deposit yet. Based in Illinois, CU1 membership is open nationwide through membership … [Read the rest]

Vanguard Adds $20 Annual Paper Statement Fee For Accounts Under $1 Million

If you have brokerage accounts with Vanguard, you may have received an email with the somewhat vague subject line "The fee policy is changing for brokerage accounts". Whenever fees goes down, the subject line is usually "WE SAVED YOU MONEY BY … [Read the rest]