Bank of America Free Museum Tickets 2016 Dates

Bank of America runs a program called Museums on Us which offers cardholders free admissions to 150 museums, science centers, and botanical gardens nationwide on the first full weekend of every month (Saturday and Sunday). Simply present any valid … [Read the rest]

Real World IRA Asset Allocations vs. “Age in Bonds”

As a follow-up to my last post on 100% stocks forever, the referenced NYT article had some neat data that I hadn't seen anywhere else. This chart shows how the overall asset allocation of IRAs held by Vanguard change according to the age of the … [Read the rest]

BankAmericard Travel Rewards® Credit Card: Redemption Tips for 2.625% Back

The BankAmericard Travel Rewards® Credit Card is my current base rewards card (after any bonus 5% cash back categories, sign-up bonus cards, etc). This is because if you give them enough assets to hold onto (admittedly not possible for everyone), you … [Read the rest]

Best Asset Allocation Plan: 100% Stocks, Forever?

The NY Times had a provocative two-part series on portfolio asset allocation by David A. Levine, former chief economist at Sanford C. Bernstein & Company: Why Your Portfolio Needs Plenty of Stocks, Whatever Your Age How Much of Your Nest Egg … [Read the rest]

Real Estate Crowdfunding 10-Month Update – Patch of Land

Here's an update on one of my real estate crowdfunding experiments. In mid-April 2015, I invested $5,000 into a loan for a single family fix-and-flip in West Sacramento, California. The loan was supposed to be for 6-months (one of the main … [Read the rest]

Behavioral Economics on Bigger House vs. Shorter Commute

Inside a post about what economists think about buying vs. renting a house, Alex Tabarrok of Marginal Revolution ended with a nice sentence that I think applies to both buying and renting: One final point: behavioral economics tells us that we … [Read the rest]

Money, Sex, and Happiness: What is Worth $50,000 of Happiness Per Year?

Mid-Feburary is the time of year when writers everywhere tie their subject matter to Valentine's Day. Here's how mine came about. I was reading 23 Science-Backed Ways to Feel Happier at Mental Floss. #8 was "Twist the Sheets" which included the … [Read the rest]

Marriott Rewards Premier Credit Card: 80,000 Bonus Points Review

Most travel cards offer an ongoing sign-up bonus, but it's even better when you snag them during a bump-up - this time it is the Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card from Chase. Check out the highlights below, and remember that it is free and takes … [Read the rest]

Consumers Credit Union Free Rewards Checking Review: Up to 4.09% APY on up to $10,000

Updated May 2020. Consumers Credit Union (CCU) has a Free Rewards Checking account that offers a high interest rate between 2.09% and 4.09% APY if you meet certain requirements. As with similar accounts elsewhere, the catch is if you don't jump … [Read the rest]

Google Cloud Storage Promotion: Extra 2 GB Free w/ Security Checkup

February 9th is "Safer Internet Day". To help celebrate, Google will add 2 GB of free Drive storage to your Google account if you complete their Security Checkup. By default, free users get 15 GB to share across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google … [Read the rest]

Dilbert’s Financial Advice on an Index Card

Scott Adams continues to convert wise observations about the workplace into clever and funny comics. Occasionally, he tackles investing and personal finance, like in this recent Dilbert comic: This older comic is more subtle but reflective … [Read the rest]

The Big Short: Movie Notes and Real World Follow-Up

I managed to catch the movie The Big Short (trailer) before it left the theaters. Having read the book with great interest back in 2011, I wondered how it would remade for the big screen. Isn't it hard to believe that the events described started … [Read the rest]