$25 Referral Bonus: Ohio CollegeAdvantage 529 Plan

Posted on November 14, 2008 // 14 Comments

The Ohio CollegeAdvantage 529 Savings Plan is currently offering a $25 refer-a-friend bonus if you open an account and deposit at least $25 by December 15, 2008. You can be a resident of any state, and there are no application or annual fees.

Is This Ohio Plan Any Good?
After doing some research on the best 529 plan for those without an in-state tax break, my opinion was that the two best overall 529s were the Ohio CollegeAdvantage and the Illinios BrightStart plans. Illinois uses Vanguard, has a decent variety of low-cost index options (average ~0.20% total annual expense ratio), and has one of the lowest fee structures around. Ohio is similar – they use Vanguard, are a bit more expensive (average ~0.30% total annual expense ratio), but have a few more investment options like inflation-protected bonds. So yes, it is a solid plan.

Collecting 529 Bonuses
We don’t have kids (yet), and yet I’ve opened a bunch of different 529 plans in different states for their bonuses or in-state resident tax advantages. The nice thing is that you can usually roll them over into another 529 plan, although some states do a tax recapture. (Oregon didn’t.) So open an account, get the bonus, and just see if you like it. If you don’t have kids yet, simply list yourself, your spouse, or even your parents as the beneficiary. You can always change it later.

For the curious, I am currently in a New Hampshire plan run with 0.50% expense ratio by Fidelity because I have a grandfathered-in 2% cash back card that deposits into the 529. Given how good the Ohio account is, one day I might be rolling everything over there.

Referral Bonus Instructions
Both the referred and referree get $25, and I’d love for you to help fund my future kid’s college. 😉 Here are the easy instructions:

  1. You can enroll online or via mail. The online process was quick and easy, and I didn’t have to mail in anything.
  2. The first step is to input your personal info and choose a login/password. Next, you’ll verify your e-mail and complete the application.
  3. After that, you’ll choose your funding amount and select an investment fund. Your initial deposit must be a least $25, and is funded using the account/routing numbers of your bank account. At the bottom, you will need to enter a referral code to get the bonus. Enter 2465786.
  4. In 1-3 days, your initial deposit will be sucked out, and in 5-7 business days you will get your $25 bonus. The $25 will be deposited directly into the 529 account, and will be invested in the same thing as your initial deposit.

I opened the account last week and got my $25 bonus successfully and as promised:

Filed Under: Deals & Offers, Investing //

MyCorporation Free Corporation/LLC Coupon Code

Posted on November 10, 2008 // 24 Comments

Update: MyCorporation is now running a promotion where they have free filing services for all of December with coupon code MYGIFT!

The coupon code for a free LLC or Inc filing from MyCorporation is FREE149. More information here. Again, this is only valid 11/11/08, 6AM–6PM PST. A reader writes in that there is a “delayed filing” option where you can check out now but have the filing done for 2009.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Coinstar Promo: $40 in Coins = $50 in Gift Certificates

Posted on November 10, 2008 // 12 Comments

Coinstar is running a 2008 Holiday Promotion where you can turn $40 in loose change into $50 of Amazon.com gift certificates (or any gift certificate that they offer). Not a bad way to get rid of some change and pay for some holiday shopping. Selected fine print:

The $10 holiday bonus offer ends 12/07/08. Offer valid at participating Coinstar Centers in the U.S. only and excludes Puerto Rico. Consumer will receive a $10 gift card or eCertificate for the same brand that was originally cashed in for. Please expect 6-8 weeks for delivery. Offer good on qualified transactions made between November 7, 2008 and December 7, 2008. Transactions occurring before of after these dates are not eligible for this offer. Offer is only valid on coin transactions. Limit one per name or household.

Directions:

  1. Use the Coinstar machine locator to find one that dispenses eCertificates, as not all of them do.
  2. Cash in at least $40 in coins, and choose to convert to an Amazon.com gift certificate. There are no fees with eCertificates.
  3. At the bottom of your receipt, there will be directions for you to mail in the “rebate”.
  4. In 4-6 weeks, they will e-mail you a code for another $10 GC.

The especially industrious could combine this with buying $1 coins from the US Mint to get credit card points.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Discover Card Holiday Mall Promotion: $20 off each $200 spent

Posted on November 5, 2008 // 11 Comments

Discover $20 Gift CardDiscover Card is again running their Holiday Mall Promotion, which gives you $20 back for every $200 that you spend at limited mall locations.

Get a $20 Discover® Gift Card when you make $200 in purchases with your Discover Card at a participating mall between 11/01/08–01/04/09, while supplies last. Original receipts and the Discover Card used to make the purchases must be presented to a participating mall’s Customer Service by 01/04/09. Limit 5 Gift Cards per account, while supplies last, during the promotion period. Gift Card is valid through July 31, 2009.

Basically, you can get up to 10% back if you spend an exact multiple of $200, with a maximum $100 off $1,000 per Discover card account. (Additional cardholders seem to count as a separate “account”.) Not a bad deal if you’re gonna spend that much anyways. Mmm… Macbook…

During a previous year, a reader happened upon a loophole: If you return your purchase, there is no requirement to return the gift cards. Maybe you found something cheaper elsewhere. This brought up some ethical problems. Keep them? Or try handing them back to the Customer Service clerk? But be careful, because if you end up deciding to buy more stuff again later, you won’t be able to participate again since they don’t have any official mechanism to return the gift cards.

New Discover Card Sign-Up Promotions: $50 to $100
This would go nicely with the Discover More Card which now offers 0% on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months. 1% cash back on most purchases, and 5% back on rotating special categories.

The Miles by Discover Card also offers 12,000 Miles (1,000 miles per month with any purchase for a year). This can be redeemed for $100 cash credit towards any travel purchase put on the card (air, hotel, car rental), or you can get a $50 gift card + $25 cash.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //

Election Day Freebies: Starbucks, Ben & Jerry’s, Krispie Kreme, and More

Posted on November 4, 2008 // 10 Comments

Along with performing your civic duty today, you can pick up some free food from these locations. Some require an “I Voted” sticker, while others just take your word for it.

Starbucks – Free coffee
On November 4, 2008, Starbucks will give voters a free tall brewed coffee at participating U.S. stores. After voting, voters must go to a Starbucks store, where they’ll be given a tall (12 oz) cup of brewed coffee at no charge (limit one per customer). [source]

Krispy Kreme – Free star-shaped doughnut
Krispy Kreme will celebrate National Election day by offering all retail customers with an “I Voted” sticker a free star shaped doughnut with patriotic sprinkles. [source]

Ben & Jerry’s – Free ice cream
Come to participating scoop shops on November 4th from 5-8pm, and you’ll get a free scoop of ice cream. [source]

Chick-fil-A – Free chicken sandwich
At participating stores, bring in your “I voted” sticker into your local Chick-Fil-A on Tuesday, November 4th and get a free chicken sandwich. Man, do I miss living near a Chick-fil-A and their sweet tea refills…

Books-A-Million Bookstores – Free coffee
Wear your “I voted Sticker” to Books A Million on election day and recieve a cup of Joe on us! [via e-mail].

Some of these offers may make you turn in your “I Voted” sticker, so if you want to go to more than one, try to grab a few extra stickers at the polls. Early and absentee voters… you might want to print out the image above on glossy paper. 🙂

Resources: Dealnews, SlickDeals

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Discover More: 0% APR Balance Transfer Fee Cap Ends October 31st

Posted on October 30, 2008 // 24 Comments

It looks like the credit crunch continues to trickle down to everything financial, including tightening up in the credit card industry. I have it on good authority that the $75 balance transfer fee cap on the Discover More card will end on October 31st. (Update: Yes, the cap is now gone.)

Why care? The Discover More Card – No Balance Transfer Fee* is just about the last credit card with a 0% APR balance transfer for 12 months, as well as a $75 balance transfer fee cap. This is important because you may have noticed that nearly all other 0% APR cards have an uncapped 3% fee. So if you transferred $10,000, the fee would be $300. On a $20,000 balance, that would be $600!. The cap saves you lots of money, and these offers have only gotten more scarce with time.

Even though I don’t carry a balance, I have used this card to make some extra money off credit card arbitrage.

Getting Your Money
You can usually request a balance transfer to be sent directly to a card with a balance on it. (Or you could send it to a Citibank card without a balance on it, and request a refund check.) However, a reader wrote in last week to say that you can also call them up afterward and request a balance transfer check to be sent to you directly from Discover.

If you’ve been thinking about applying but putting it off, now would be the time to do it! According a Discover CSR, if you apply now to lock in the offer, you have until February to request your balance transfer. (Update: There is now no cap.)

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //

ShareBuilder Offers: 2 Free Real-Time Trades, $50 New Customer Bonus

Posted on October 28, 2008 // 33 Comments

Apparently ShareBuilder brokerage had some hiccups during the last few weeks, so like Zecco with their unlimited free trades in October, they threw out bonuses. A reader indicated that he was offered 20 automatic trades. Check your e-mails.

Existing Customers: 2 Free Real-Time Trades
I myself was offered 2 free “real-time” market trades. I don’t know for sure if this is transferable (update: looks like it is), but I did get a promo code so please try it:

1. Log in to Sharebuilder, and then click on the Promotions tab.

2. Enter (expired). If it works, you should see a confirmation, and get an e-mail that says “We have just credited your ShareBuilder Account with 2 free Real-time Trade credits. Your credit(s) will expire on 01/31/2009.”

Usually it costs $9.95 for a real-time trade, so this is useful if you need to sell a small position. As for me, I have been holding on to some old shares of EEM and BRKB for a while now from previous bonuses… but I think it’s time to let them go.

New Customers: Try ShareBuilder with a $50 Opening Bonus
You can get a $50 bonus for opening a new account and placing one trade.

1. Go to Sharebuilder, and click on “Get started today”.

2. When applying, be sure to check the box “I’m responding to a promotion”. Use (expired).

Details:

You must open a new ShareBuilder Account and purchase at least one security to receive this offer. Please note the $50 credit will post to your account approximately 4 weeks after the first transaction executes.

3. You can try out Sharebuilder as you like, but if you don’t like it there are a couple ways to simply exit with your bonus.

  1. Instant Gratification: Open with $5. Buy $1 of stock and pay $4 for commission. Wait for your bonus and cash out if applicable. Let the $1 in stock just languish there.
  2. Delayed Gratification: Open with $50. Buy $46 of a stock or ETF you like and pay $4 for commission. Get the $50 (or more), and treat it like you just got free stock. Let the dividends reinvest automatically, and just sit back for a decade or two while it grows.

The reason for this is that you can only sell with a real-time trade that costs $9.95. However, if the first bonus above does work, then you can theoretically sell your stock for free and withdraw that as well…

You can still get $50 for trying out TradeKing brokerage as well. Extended until 11/30/08

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

1,000 Free Delta SkyMiles Offer + More

Posted on October 27, 2008 // 12 Comments

Delta LogoYou can get 1,000 Delta SkyMiles for enrolling in ThanksAgain for free by October 31st. Again, good for generating some recent account activity. ThanksAgain looks like a shopping “milesback” portal but for local merchants, tracked by linking up your existing credit card. You’ll need your SkyMiles number.

$300 off a flight with the Delta Gold AMEX card
If you haven’t already done so – The Delta Gold SkyMiles American Express Card is currently offering 30,000 bonus miles after making $500 in purchases in the first three months. The annual fee is waived for the first year as well, usually $95. Just cancel it before the first year is up if you don’t get the proper value.

In addition, a new update is that Gold card lets you participate in Delta’s Pay for Miles program, which allows you to directly use miles even if you don’t want to bother with booking an award ticket. For example, 10,000 miles is good for $100 off any Delta flight. Therefore, as long as you fly Delta, this 30,000 miles bonus is guaranteed to be worth at least $300 cash.

*You can add additional users with no Social Security number required, and you can just have them sent to your house and hide them away. I usually just add my parents.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Chase Freedom Rewards Card – 5% Back On Popular Spending Categories

Posted on October 24, 2008 // 40 Comments

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //

New PineCone Research Signup Link (Paid Surveys)

Posted on October 23, 2008 // 19 Comments

PineCone Research remains one of the better paying and reliable survey companies, with a payout of $3 for each 15-20 minute survey. The hardest part is getting accepted, as they only accept applications intermittently.

Thanks to reader Tom, here is the most recent application link at Pinecone. (It probably won’t last long.) Looks open to all ages and sexes. Only one person per household can sign up.

I’ve already shared my thoughts on Pinecone and paid surveys in general here. I call them Bored Money – not terribly efficient but you sometimes get to try some neat things. Here’s a quick list of other paid survey sites:

The three that I have been most active with besides Pinecone are NFO MySurvey, e-Rewards, and SurveySavvy. I like it them because they continue to give me the most paid survey opportunities, even if I only pick and choose which ones I want to do. I’ve gotten multiple checks and/or rewards from all of them.

Joining e-Rewards is usually indirect, I get offers to join from my airline miles newsletters from time to time. Not sure if they still work, but you can try these two links for Continental and Northwest airlines (must have frequent flier account number).

There are several other sites with which others have reported varying levels of success: American Consumer Opinion, Greenfield Online, Harris Poll Online, Lightspeed Panel, or SurveySpot.

Filed Under: Bored Money, Deals & Offers //

Updates: Top Savings Account and CD Interest Rates

Posted on October 22, 2008 // 29 Comments

Given the recent drop in Fed interest rates, here is a quick update on the rates being paid on online savings accounts:

HSBC Advance lowered its rate to 3.00% APY.

Capital One 360 also recently lowered its rate to 0.75% APY. ($25 bonus) However, they do have a new 12-month CD at 0.40% APY.

FNBO Direct holds steady at 3.50% APY dropped today to 0.85% APY. (FNBO Direct review)

Emigrant Direct is still at 3.00% APY, but if you have more than $1,000 there, you should move your money to DollarSavingsDirect at 4.00% APY instead. They are both under the same parent Emigrant Bank, and so your deposits are insured together for FDIC purposes. The only real difference is that DollarSavings requires a $1,000 balance to earn the 4%.

I was really annoyed at this until I figured out that there is actually no minimum balance requirement at DollarSavingsDirect, your interest rate just drops to 1.0% APY if you go below. No fees or penalties. Thus, I can still open an account and move my money there while the rate is good, and still be able to move it out if the rate drops. Okay, so I’m still kind of annoyed. They are saying “we think you’re too lazy to move your money, but new customers get 4% APY”.

EverBank’s Yield Pledge savings account has an intro rate of 4.65% APY for the first 3 months, and then 3.51% APY afterwards. Not bad, considering even the non-special rate is very competitive, as it “pledges” to stay amongst the top 5% of competitive banks. There is a minimum balance requirement of $1,500 to avoid fees.

Corus Bank has what looks like the top 12-month CD rate at at 4.60% APY if you open with $10,000+.

Filed Under: Banking, Deals & Offers //

150 Bonus American Airlines Miles Offer

Posted on October 20, 2008 // 10 Comments

You can grab a quick 150 American Airlines AAdvantage miles by visiting this website and watching a quick video about $300 Bose headphones. Earn another 350 miles if you stop by a Bose store and do a live demo. Expires 10/31/08. Posts in 6-8 weeks. Should be useful for delaying expiration of miles.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //
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