My Money Blog

MyMoneyBlog Flashback: First 3 Months

Posted on September 7, 2005 //

Wow, today is the 9-month anniversary of this blog's first real post. I'm sure most of you weren't around then, so I've decided to make a bit of a flashback post collating what I think were interesting highlights of MyMoneyBlog. Here are the first … [Read the rest]

Hiatus

Posted on September 7, 2005 // Leave a Comment

A family situation has come up, and I will be out of town for the next several days. Please redirect any good wishes towards New Orleans. I'm glad that I have the means to buy a last-minute ticket across the country if that is what I need to do. … [Read the rest]

Budget Results for August

Posted on September 6, 2005 // 2 Comments

Here are our budget results for August: Gas - We ended up not spending that much on gas this month, I think it just balanced out with going over on gas in July. The high prices haven't really affected us since we don't drive all that … [Read the rest]

On Being Poor.

Posted on September 6, 2005 // 6 Comments

Being Poor. Lots of buzz around it, hundreds of comments too. One line that struck me was: Being poor is knowing your kid goes to friends' houses but never has friends over to yours. I don't feel I've ever been poor at all, but I used to not … [Read the rest]

Carnivals Are In Town Again

Posted on September 6, 2005 // Leave a Comment

I wish the real carnival came to town this often too... but the next best thing, this week's Carnival of Personal Finance and Carnival of the Capitalists are up. Is it just me or does every time I read "carnival" I think "funnel cake"? Maybe it's … [Read the rest]

September 2005 Financial Status / Net Worth Update

Posted on September 5, 2005 // 1 Comment

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No Monthly Goal Re-cap for August

Posted on September 4, 2005 // Leave a Comment

I just realized I didn't set myself a monthly goal for August. My last monthly goal was for July for setting up a budget, which I did. Looking over August, I guess an appropriate goal was to decide on how to handle my 401k rollover, and execute it, … [Read the rest]

HSBC Online Savings Account Now at 3.75% APY

Posted on September 4, 2005 // 3 Comments

HSBC Bank has had their no minimum, no fees Online Savings Account around for a while now, but this is the first time they have offered a better rate than Capital One 360, VirtualBank, or Emigrant Direct. I don't have an account there, but it does … [Read the rest]

Interest Compounded Daily vs. Monthly: Does It Matter?

Posted on September 3, 2005 // 54 Comments

Short answer: No, not really, unless you are talking amounts over six figures. I've seen so many people get hung up on this, I think it deserves a post. The easiest way to explain it is with an example. Let's say 'DaBank' compounds interest daily … [Read the rest]

More on Capital One 360 Prime Rate Trust and Loan-Participation Funds

Posted on September 3, 2005 // 4 Comments

First, I'd just like to say just because I'm talking about a certain stock or bond doesn't mean I'm recommending it or going to go out and buy tomorrow. I love learning about new areas of investing, and right now my focus is on increasing the yield … [Read the rest]

New Bedtime Reading: Modern Real Estate Practice

Posted on September 3, 2005 // 2 Comments

I'm burned out on personal finance books, so I'm excited that I finally got my copy of Modern Real Estate Practice. I bought it for $5 including shipping from Half.com, but it is the older 1999 edition. (Is it me, or is Media Mail getting slower by … [Read the rest]

Higher Yields with Closed-End ETFs?

Posted on September 2, 2005 // 5 Comments

I was catching up with my magazine reading when I came across this article in the August 2005 issue of Kiplinger's Personal Finance* - 'Big Yields, Not-so-big Risks'. It introduced me to these closed-end loan funds, that trade like stocks, which … [Read the rest]