Last time I wrote about How To Deposit Cash To Online Bank Account. This time I’m writing about the opposite: when you use an online bank for your main checking account, how do you withdraw cash, especially a large amount? If you answer ATM or cash back with debit card purchase at a store, that’s […]
Latest Blog Posts
Buying On Dip With 2013 IRA Contribution
It’s a new year. The IRA contribution limit has gone up by $500 to $5,500 ($6,500 if you are 50 or older). Have you made your IRA contribution for 2013 yet? I haven’t. I’m going to continue with my experiment with buying on a dip. Last year I bought Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund […]
Fiscal Cliff Law and Exemption and Deduction Phaseouts
The previous two posts about the fiscal cliff law looked at Roth conversion and dividends and capital gains. Today we look at the new law’s reductions to personal exemptions and deductions for higher income taxpayers. Higher income for this purpose is defined as having Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) in 2013 over $250k for single and […]
Fiscal Cliff Deal and Dividends and Capital Gains
Today we look at how dividends and capital gains will be taxed after the fiscal cliff deal, officially known as the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. Don’t be surprised it gets a little more complicated. First of all when I say dividends and capital gains, I’m referring to qualified dividends and long-term capital gains. […]
Fiscal Cliff Deal and Backdoor Roth
Happy New Year! News came that Congress passed a fiscal cliff deal, official known as the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. Whether you like it or not, that’ll be the law for now. Rather than doing a run-down for what’s in it, which I’m sure you read everywhere, I will look at one item […]
Bill Gross Got Lucky Again
When I looked at my 401k account for something else, I noticed this from the performance sheet: My 401k plan offers two choices for intermediate-term bond funds: PIMCO Total Return Institutional and Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund Institutional. As of November 30, PIMCO Total Return squarely beat Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund in […]
Your Traditional IRA is Life Insurance and an Emergency Fund
[This is a guest post from Bogleheads investment forum participant Bob’s not my name.] Roth IRAs are touted as backup emergency funds: you can withdraw your direct contributions at any time for any reason, without penalty (and, of course, without tax, because you already paid it). This is a very nice feature. It allows young […]
Bluebird by American Express: A Full Featured Checking Account That Never Overdrafts
American Express is offering a new checking account and debit card alternative with Walmart called Bluebird. A key benefit of it is that it will never overdraft. Add Cash at Walmart Adding cash to the Bluebird account at Walmart is free. This can be a good way to deposit cash. Walmart is open in evenings […]
Real Interest Rate In Babylon
I heard about the book The Richest Man In Babylon by George S. Clason but I haven’t read it until now. It’s a fun little book. Two middle class guys in Babylonian times were wondering how come they didn’t have money although they worked hard in their trades. They went to ask the richest man […]
BBVA Compass Build My Savings Match Bonus: Effectively 6% Return FDIC Insured
[Update in October 2015: BBVA changed the terms of the Build My Savings account. Accounts opened before July 2015 are still on the old terms described here. New accounts have a maximum transfer period of 12 months and a maximum match bonus of $50.] I updated this post I first wrote a year ago. I […]