While we see the live price of the S&P 500 index everywhere, there is much less talk about its dividends. Dividends are an important component of the total return from stocks. I love seeing my quarterly dividend payments arrive every quarter, and … [Read the rest]
During times of market volatility, people often start looking for other options. There is always a new "alternative" asset class being pitched that in theory both reduces the risk in your portfolio and increases returns. Longboard Funds looked at … [Read the rest]
The Federal Reserve just cut their target Fed Funds Rate by 0.50% in response to the market volatility brought on by the coronavirus. This will likely result in many rates drops this month for savings accounts and certificates across the board. … [Read the rest]
Bonus back again 3/3/20. Simple is one of many fintech startups adding fancy tech and smartphone app sprinkles to your vanilla checking account. They were acquired by the big European-based bank BBVA in 2014. They just updated their $200 and $400 … [Read the rest]
(Update April 2019. The interest rate on this account has dropped to 1% APY. In addition, instead of 8 debit transactions per month, you must now spend at least $500 on your Orion debit or credit card each month. All signature and PIN based … [Read the rest]
Update March 2020: 30-year fixed rates on 3/4 were at 3.0%-3.25%. If you're looking for some good news to distract you right now, check out refinancing your mortgage. In November 2018, the average 30-year mortgage rate was nearly 5%. Right now, … [Read the rest]
While helping a 92-year-old relative with her estate planning last week, I discovered that she receives dividend checks from ExxonMobil mailed to her every quarter. I also discovered she was an early retiree herself, retiring at age 50 with a … [Read the rest]
If you are living paycheck-to-paycheck, by definition you aren't saving and buying any assets. The folks who do have assets, those assets keep growing and compounding away. Left alone, that gap just widens relentlessly. Meanwhile, building up … [Read the rest]
Berkshire Hathaway (BRK) has released its 2019 Letter to Shareholders. I highly recommend sitting down and reading the entire thing straight from the source. It's only 13 pages long this year and written in a straightforward and approachable … [Read the rest]
XCKD's latest comic is about stock picking and the efficient market hypothesis: The hidden hover text goes on - On the news a few days later: "Buzz is building around the so-called 'camping Roomba' after a big investment. Preorders have … [Read the rest]
Fort Bragg Federal Credit Union has some solid rates on their term share certificates, most notably the 5-year jumbo certificate at 2.99% APY ($25,000 minimum) and 2.89% APY ($5,000 minimum). Available both in regular taxable and IRAs. These are … [Read the rest]
I had no idea @prudential existed until today (and this post is not sponsored by them in any way) but apparently they have a series of Instagram-specific ads targeting younger workers. They even have some that reference early retirement. Do you … [Read the rest]
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