Bond interest rates came up by about 1% after the Fed started talking about tapering Quantitative Easing. We are starting to see some higher rates in brokered CDs. This makes sense because brokered CDs compete directly with bonds. Brokered CDs don’t have the early withdrawal option. If you want out, you have to sell them […]
Latest Blog Posts
Is Home Mortgage Simple Interest Or Compound Interest?
I had a good chuckle while reading this epic discussion thread on the Bogleheads Investment Forum: Does a home mortgage use Simple or Compound Interest? It sounds a like factual question, as in "Is Miami located to the north or south of Boston?" The answer shouldn’t be ambiguous or subject to opinion or interpretation. You […]
Happy Trails With Income Poor
This is the third and final installment on my Asset Rich Income Poor strategy. The road to asset rich sounds simple at a high level but it’s not that easy at the details level, because every decision you make has tradeoffs. The tradeoffs affect the final outcome in ways you can’t know for sure. I […]
The Road to Asset Rich
The second part of the Asset Rich Income Poor strategy is relatively easy when you get overpaid, uh, increase the value, for what you do. I wrote about the basics in 3 Secrets to a Fat 401k. To achieve Asset Rich, we need to work on these 3 factors: the amount you invest; the rate […]
Using a Wire Transfer for Real Estate Settlement
One logistical challenge in refinancing a mortgage is getting a certified check for the amount you have to bring to the table at the time you sign the closing papers. Even if you are doing a no-cost refinance, you still have to pay pre-paid interest for the partial month and escrow deposit. If you are […]
Get Overpaid For What You Do
I mentioned my Asset Rich Income Poor strategy in passing in a Friday roundup a few weeks ago. I’ve been formulating it for some time now. I gave an outline to reader Harry in the comments. Now it’s time to put it in the open. Step one in the strategy is: get overpaid for what […]
Buy Bond ETFs At Large Discounts To Net Asset Value (NAV)
For reasons I don’t completely understand, bond ETFs, especially ones investing in illiquid bonds such as munis, trade at a premium to the net asset value (NAV) most of the time. That means you will pay more to buy the ETF than the value of the illiquid bonds held by the ETF. Look at these […]
Don’t Be Afraid To Switch
My home Internet service deal expired. The rate jumped to $46 a month just for Internet. Like in most places in the country, two companies control the market: the monopoly phone company and the monopoly cable company. I’m not fond of either. Everybody knows you are supposed to call them, pretend to cancel, and get […]
Portfolio Diversifier: REIT vs Precious Metals Equity
After I have the core asset classes covered in my investment portfolio — US stocks, international stocks, and fixed income — if I’m looking for a good asset class for diversification, REIT and Precious Metal Equity (PME) are two good candidates. Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) Yale endowment Chief Investment Officer David Swensen had REITs […]
How To Buy Gas With Credit Card And Still Get The Cash Price
The gas station I usually go to added a discount for cash. The prices posted high on the board are cash prices. Down at the street level, there is a small pavement board listing the prices for cash and for credit in two columns. For regular unleaded gas, the credit price is about 3% higher […]