2021 is finally in the books! Most of my portfolio is in low-cost index funds across various asset classes, which I purposefully ignore most of the time as I believe the proper time horizon is at least several years long. However, I do check in … [Read the rest]
2021 end-of-year update. I have an informal goal each year of earning the equivalent of the maximum annual IRA contribution limit of $6,000 using the profits from various promotions alone. If you had put $6,000 into your IRA every year for the … [Read the rest]
[Programming note: Posting will be light through the end of the year. Hope you have a restful and rejuvenating holiday season!] The WSJ article Anthony Bourdain: Feast of Memory (link should bypass paywall as I am a WSJ subscriber) briefly … [Read the rest]
Here are a few of my favorite things, sorted roughly with the most recent purchases on top. I enjoy reading about other folks' favorite things much more than those generic gift guides. These are my answer to the question "If all your possessions … [Read the rest]
On top of everything else, December and January are busy times for finance as well. There are "year-end moves" like tax-loss harvesting, rebalancing your portfolio, making sure you contributed to your 401k/IRA/HSA/FSAs, and charitable giving. Then … [Read the rest]
Although you can rebalance the stocks and bonds in your portfolio back towards your target asset allocation at any time, I usually see more articles about it at years-end. This works out well as the evidence doesn't really support doing it more … [Read the rest]
card_name is a small business rewards card that earns a solid cash back rate with no complicated categories. There is also generous welcome offer for new applicants, which is great for a "keeper" business card. Here the highlights: Earn a … [Read the rest]
In order to use Fidelity's Fully Paid Stock Lending Program, I decided to transfer some of my individual stock holdings from Merrill Edge to Fidelity. I was pleasantly surprised by the smooth experience, and here is a quick review of the … [Read the rest]
A few readers asked about "fully paid lending programs" offered by some brokerage firms. The premise is very intriguing: You lend out the stock shares you own and earn interest, all while keeping full "economic" ownership. You still get any upside … [Read the rest]
One of my newer interests is better understanding individual businesses and how they work. Accounting is the "language of business" used to write annual reports, 10-Ks, 10-Qs, income statements, and so on. I was afraid a textbook would be too … [Read the rest]
via GIPHY Here's my monthly roundup of the best interest rates on cash as of December 2021, roughly sorted from shortest to longest maturities. Significant changes since last month: Not much... NASA FCU has updated their CD specials, and I … [Read the rest]
Consumer Reports has released updated results from their 2021 Car Owner Survey in the articles Who Makes the Most Reliable Cars?, 10 Most Reliable Cars, and 10 Least Reliable Cars. Most of it is now behind a paywall, but more info can be found in … [Read the rest]
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