My Money Blog

Circular Money

Posted on June 20, 2006 // 8 Comments

Ah, June is in the air. That means sunshine and a whole lot of gift shopping. People are getting married or graduating from high school or college left and right. A good number of birthdays in the summer too it seems. When you have a large family, … [Read the rest]

HSBC Direct, GMAC Bank at 4.80% APY

Posted on June 20, 2006 // 9 Comments

HBSC Direct is now back up to 4.80% APY, joining GMAC Bank. … [Read the rest]

Fidelity Freedom 2040 Fund: A Closer Look

Posted on June 19, 2006 // 16 Comments

When I started my first 401k about three years ago, I was boggled by the fund choices given to me. I ended up picking the Fidelity Freedom 2040 Fund (FFFFX), probably for the reason most people do - it looked simple and had tons of funds with great … [Read the rest]

Investing Carnivals

Posted on June 19, 2006 // Leave a Comment

The 26th and 27th editions of the Carnival of Investing are up! Next week it's being held at My Personal Finance Blog. Thanks for everyone who has volunteered to host future editions, I will line those up this week. … [Read the rest]

Fidelity 401k Decisions

Posted on June 18, 2006 // 12 Comments

So while we were gone the details were announced for my wife's 401k. It appears that there is a 1.5% flat contribution (regardless of how much you contribute) instead of the match that was mentioned previously, and also some sort of … [Read the rest]

Thanks Dad

Posted on June 18, 2006 // 2 Comments

While also teaching me the same things as my mom, my dad specifically illustrated how doing hard work every single day, over time, can add up to great achievements in life. Always work towards your goals. … [Read the rest]

China Pictures

Posted on June 17, 2006 // 21 Comments

I'm back! Heavily jetlagged and with a mountain of snail mail and e-mail to sort through, of course the first thing I must do is upload my digital pictures. Here are a few I thought were worthy of sharing: Scorpions and other critters on a … [Read the rest]

Life Insurance In Airports?

Posted on June 17, 2006 // 14 Comments

Did you know that they sell life insurance at the Taiwan airport? Big honking booths too. And people are buying it! Talk about preying on people's fears. Especially considering that you're much more likely to have died on your way to the airport … [Read the rest]

More Musings from Guilin, China

Posted on June 9, 2006 // 14 Comments

Whew. I'm on my first guided tour and I don't like it. I feel like sheep. Baaa. Back to independent travel from now on. My wife and I (more her than me) couldn't handle any more Chinese food, so we went to... Kentucky Fried Chicken! It is … [Read the rest]

Discover Miles Card Now Offering 12,000 Bonus Miles

Posted on June 9, 2006 // 6 Comments

I've mentioned the Discover Miles Card before, but the bonus has now been increased from 5,000 miles after the first purchase to 12,000 miles (1,000 for each month with a purchase). It still offers 0% APR for 12 months on both purchases and balance … [Read the rest]

Random China Ramblings

Posted on June 8, 2006 // 25 Comments

For a communist country, Beijing sure has a lot of SUVs, Audis, BMWs, and other luxury vehicles. The official federal vehicles seems to be black Audi A6s. New shiny luxury condominiums rise directly next to concrete slums. There are also a large … [Read the rest]

MyMoneyBlog Highlights

Posted on June 5, 2006 // 3 Comments

I want to also remind recent visitors that I have a category called Best of MyMoneyBlog which is a condensed version of past posts. I meant to do another highlight reel of recent happenings on this blog before leaving on my trip, but I spent that … [Read the rest]