My Money Blog

150 Free American Airlines Miles

Posted on October 1, 2009 // 6 Comments

You can get 150 free frequent flier miles from American Airlines by watching a two-minute video for Bose headphones. This is handy for resetting the expiration date of miles if you don't fly frequently. Currently, AA miles expire after only 18 … [Read the rest]

Zecco Forex Promotion Code: $25 to $1,000 Deposit Bonus

Posted on October 1, 2009 // 5 Comments

Zecco Trading, best known for their free stock trade offers, is running another promotion for their Forex trading accounts where you can trade foreign currencies and gold/silver. I opened an account previously due to their last $200 promotion (now … [Read the rest]

Entrepreneur Interview: Lester of BevShots.com

Posted on October 1, 2009 // 5 Comments

Even in these tough times, there are still plenty of motivated and passionate people taking risks and starting new businesses. One of these folks is Lester Hutt, who is the founder of BevShots.com, which takes microscopic photos of your favorite … [Read the rest]

Extra Mortgage Principal Payments + Moving Soon = Good Short-Term Investment?

Posted on September 30, 2009 // 15 Comments

I received an interesting reader question last week about a scenario where you are very sure that you're going to sell your house in a few years. In that case, would paying down your mortgage principal create an opportunity for a relatively high … [Read the rest]

80% off Restaurant.com: $25 Certificates for $2

Posted on September 29, 2009 // 10 Comments

Restaurant.com is offering a 80% off with the coupon code CHEF, resulting in a $25 "certificate" for $2. Offer ends September 30th. Contrary to my skeptical remarks(I've never used one of these before), many readers responded that they indeed … [Read the rest]

Gogo Inflight Internet Coupon Code

Posted on September 29, 2009 // 5 Comments

Gogo Inflight Intertnet is now offering WiFi internet on select Airtran, American, Delta, and Virgin America flights. See here for participating flights. I signed up for their mailing list, and got a code for some free WiFi in case anyone is flying … [Read the rest]

Creating a Completely Automated Financial Household

Posted on September 28, 2009 // 45 Comments

Meet Bill and Jan. They are my imaginary couple that loves putting their personal finances on auto-pilot. They don't worry about bill due dates, they never visit the bank, and only check their balances online once a month if there are no e-mail … [Read the rest]

New myFICO Coupon Code

Posted on September 26, 2009 // 4 Comments

Here's a newly released coupon for 25% off real FICO scores and all other credit products at myFICO.com. Use the promotional code FINANCIALHELP25 to get 25% off and a FICO score for less than $12, the best discount currently available: The code is … [Read the rest]

Personal Rates of Return: Money Weighted vs. Time Weighted

Posted on September 25, 2009 // 7 Comments

There was a good question in my last retirement portfolio update about how my personal rate of return was 41% YTD, which was actually higher than any individual mutual fund in my portfolio*. The reason for this is mainly due to terminology, which … [Read the rest]

Starbucks: Price-Targeting, iPhone App, Free Birthday Drink

Posted on September 24, 2009 // 3 Comments

For some reason, I've managed to collect a bunch of random Starbucks news. Granted, I've been going there more often recently for the ability to read and work in a comfortable atmosphere outside the distractions of home. I'm okay with paying about … [Read the rest]

The High Price of Cheap Food? Nutrition vs. Cost

Posted on September 23, 2009 // 39 Comments

In the doctor's office, I saw the cover article of a recent issue of Time magazine was Getting Real About the High Price of Cheap Food. Inside were some interesting facts. For one, people in the U.S. actually spend less on food now than 30 years … [Read the rest]

100-Year Floods Are More Common Than You Think

Posted on September 22, 2009 // 26 Comments

I hope that all of you in the Atlanta metro area are safe and dry right now. I'd also like to take this chance to correct a common misconception, which is often promoted by the media every time a flood occurs. As just one example, take this CNN … [Read the rest]