Hanscom Federal CU Thrive Review: 5.00% APY Saving Habit Builder and Maintainer

Hanscom Federal Credit Union (HFCU) has hiked back up the rate on their CU Thrive account to 5.00% APY, which is a capped certificate of deposit that rewards consistent saving. The rate is set for 12 months, and during those 12 months you can … [Read the rest]

MMB Portfolio Update October 2021 (Q3): Dividend and Interest Income

While my 3rd Quarter 2021 portfolio asset allocation is designed for total return, I also track the income produced quarterly. Stock dividends are the portion of profits that businesses have decided they don't need to reinvest into their business. … [Read the rest]

MMB Portfolio Update October 2021 (Q3): Asset Allocation & Performance

Here's my quarterly update on my current investment holdings as of October 2021, including our 401k/403b/IRAs and taxable brokerage accounts but excluding our house, "emergency fund" cash reserves, and a side portfolio of self-directed investments. … [Read the rest]

Four Thousand Weeks: Productivity Trap, Gratitude, and Paying Yourself First (Book Highlights)

Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman is a relatively short book filled with thought-provoking observations about the constant pressure that we feel, how there never seems to be enough time to accomplish the things that … [Read the rest]

Quontic Bank High Interest Checking Review: 1.10% APY on all Balance Tiers

The Quontic Bank High Interest Checking account has recently raised their interest rate and applied it to all balance tiers, with the result being the rare combination of a competitive interest rate with a high balance limit. Here are the … [Read the rest]

FIRE Starters: Profiles of 12 Individuals and Families Pursuing Early Financial Freedom

I enjoyed watching all 14 YouTube videos in the FIRE Starters interview series by Marketwatch. The videos were well-edited, in that they averaged only about 5-7 minutes each but still explained the individual and/or family's unique path to … [Read the rest]

Best Interest Rates on Cash – October 2021 Update

via GIPHY Here's my monthly roundup of the best interest rates on cash as of October 2021, roughly sorted from shortest to longest maturities. I look for lesser-known opportunities earning at least double what most savings accounts and money … [Read the rest]

Practical Time Management: The Won’t Do List vs. Must Do List

80 years times 50 weeks a year is 4,000 weeks. If we're lucky, that means we'll have about 4,000 Mondays, 4,000 Saturdays, and that's it. I've started reading Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman, which suggests that … [Read the rest]

Vanguard Target Retirement Funds Update: Big Expense Ratio Drop in Early 2022

I always keep track of the Vanguard Target Retirement 20XX Funds (TRFs) because: They are a low-cost, broadly-diversified, "all-in-one" fund that I believe are a good starting point for both beginning investors and all investors that desire … [Read the rest]

Kabbage Business Checking Review: 1.10% APY + Public $300 Bonus

(Update October 2021: Post has been updated to reflect a new public $300 bonus. I posted about a $300 bonus in the past, but it ended up being targeted select AmEx business cardholders. This one is open to the public. You must scroll down a bit to … [Read the rest]

Porte Banking App Review: 3% APY on up to $15,000

Update October 2021: On 10/1/2021, Porte announced that starting on 1/1/2022 they will be adding some significant new requirements to obtain the 3% APY on balances up to $15,000. You must have each of the following during each calendar … [Read the rest]

If Retail Investors Are Dumb Money, Who Is Raking Up All The Alpha?

Here's a follow-up to my post about the return gap of retail investors due to poor timing. For every seller of a stock share, there is a buyer. Therefore, if the timing of retail investors is reliably a little worse than average, we also know that … [Read the rest]