Bond funds and CDs are not mutually exclusive. Considering investing in both bond funds and CDs.
Latest Blog Posts
Debit Card Discounts vs Credit Card Rewards
I heard a legal settlement between retailers and Visa and MasterCard got rid of a credit card network rule that prohibited retailers from surcharging credit card purchases. Although it’s a theoretical possibility, I don’t think we will see surcharges any time soon. More likely we will see discounts for debit card purchases. Although the lack […]
For Profit vs Not For Profit
If two businesses do pretty much the same thing, but one is for profit and the other is not for profit, as a customer, should you automatically favor the one not for profit? I subscribed to a publication called Consumers’ CHECKBOOK for several years. It publishes ratings for local service providers — plumbers, landscapers, auto […]
How To Withdraw [A Large Amount of] Cash From Online Bank Account
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 […]
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 […]