Entrance fees to all 392 national parks will be waived during National Park Week, April 17th to 25th. Parks will also offer additional family friendly activities and special offers on tours, lodging, food, and souvenirs. A listing of parks and … [Read the rest]
Mutual Fund Hidden Cost: Brokerage Commissions
Posted on March 29, 2010 // 11 Comments
You might know the expense ratio of the mutual funds you own, but do you know how much of your money they spend on brokerage commissions? Yes, even huge billion-dollar fund managers have to pay someone to execute their stock trades for them, and … [Read the rest]
Ally Bank 5-Year Certificate of Deposit: A Closer Look
Posted on March 26, 2010 // 33 Comments
Previously, I wrote about Ally Bank CDs and how they offer flexibility in the case of rising interest rates. I finally found the time to do the analysis of the 5-year CD that I wanted to do. In particular, I felt that the current yield curve and … [Read the rest]
Capital One 360 Apologizes
Posted on March 26, 2010 // 43 Comments
Capital One 360 apologized for shutting my site down without warning or cause via e-mail today: Jon, I’d like to apologize for our recent actions regarding your website. Customer security is our number one priority, and it is not something that we … [Read the rest]
Unemployment Rates vs. Level of Education
Posted on March 25, 2010 // 21 Comments
I ran into a friend today that has been unemployed for a while. He seemed pretty beaten down, and doesn't even really seem to be trying anymore. "1 out of every 10 people can't find a job." Almost like that stat made it okay. Well, it does … [Read the rest]
Free Knife Sharpening at Sur la Table
Posted on March 25, 2010 // 7 Comments
Through April 30, you can bring up to 2 knives per person to Sur la Table and have them sharpened for free. A good way to keep quality knives for a long time, as I hear those sharpening steels often aren't enough. You may need to leave them there … [Read the rest]
Capital One 360 Accuses Me Of Phishing, Shuts My Site Down, Then Apologizes… Kind Of
Posted on March 24, 2010 // 46 Comments
MyMoneyBlog.com was unceremoniously shut down this morning by Capital One 360 and RSA Security when they sent a long, scary e-mail to my web hosting provider accusing me of phishing. The page, now still removed just in case, involved Capital One … [Read the rest]
Changing 401k Contribution Rates During Year, Catch-Up Contributions
Posted on March 24, 2010 // 3 Comments
401k company matches are great ways to boost your retirement savings, but sometimes you have to be careful in order to capture it all. My wife's company offers a 3% match, but only up to 3% of whatever you contributed that pay period. What if you … [Read the rest]
Net Worth & Goals Update – March 2010
Posted on March 22, 2010 // 18 Comments
Lack of Recent Updates Up until last December, I had done regular monthly updates of our net worth for five consecutive years. However, recent personal events made me much less interested in detailed, analytic planning towards early retirement. As a … [Read the rest]
Sharebuilder – 5 Free Real-Time Market Trades
Posted on March 22, 2010 // 9 Comments
Here's a another Sharebuilder promotion, which will give existing customers 5 free real-time market trades. (New customers should grab their free $50 sign-up bonus with code 50WCFA first and then come back). Log into your account, click on the … [Read the rest]
Free Book Download: Elements of Investing
Posted on March 19, 2010 // 27 Comments
Vanguard is offering a free PDF download of the recently published book Elements of Investing by Malkiel and Ellis. It looks like it might have been meant for Flagship members, but is currently open to everyone. From the Amazon reviews and table … [Read the rest]
Federal Family and Medical Leave Act: Know Your Rights
Posted on March 18, 2010 // 20 Comments
Dealing with a serious illness in the family is a very stressful event. I did not really understand the Federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) until recently, and I think everyone should be familiar with it. This law helps ensure that no … [Read the rest]
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