My Wall Street Journal subscription expired in July, but they are still sending me the paper. Maybe they wish I would renew, but I already started a subscription to Financial Times. Having both papers at the same time gives me an opportunity to put them side by side for a comparison. Both Financial Times (FT) […]
Latest Blog Posts
Hopping On Another Refi Train
I thought the last train for mortgage refinance left in March but the trains keep coming. Rates have gone lower and lower. I’m doing another refinance to lower my rate to 3.75% for a 15-year fixed rate loan. This time, instead of going to my twice favorite National Mortgage Alliance (NMA), I’m using a different […]
You Should Still Beware of A Bond Bubble
As interest rates go down and down, people have raised warnings for a possible bond bubble. Vanguard, being a major provider of bond mutual funds, has published several white papers and articles trying assure investors they should stick to bond funds and not worry about a bond bubble. Unfortunately the arguments put forward by Vanguard […]
Index Funds Or ETFs? How About Both?
Investors should thank Schwab for pioneering free trades on its in-house ETFs. With the pressure Schwab put on the competitors, now both Fidelity and Vanguard offer free trades on select ETFs. The free ETF trades are a gift to investors. Free ETF trades make it really easy for small investors to put together a diversified […]
Luck, Hard Work, and Retiring Overseas
Not too long ago I took a vacation in Costa Rica. I stayed at a Bed & Breakfast. A single mother was running it with her 19-year-old daughter. The mother doesn’t speak much English and I don’t speak Spanish. With hand gestures, we were able to communicate — I suspect she understands English more than […]
Why a Credit Union Isn’t For Everyone
I joined Alliant Credit Union back in December. So far, I primarily used the savings account. Because all my bill payments are on autopilot, I didn’t want to go through all the trouble of making changes to the checking account. But I’ve come to like Alliant Credit Union more and more. I decided use its […]
Do You Cheat On Your Taxes?
Do you cheat on your taxes? Before you automatically answer no, hold that thought. Does your state have a sales tax? According to Wikipedia, only five states don’t have a sales tax: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon. There is a sales tax everywhere else. For purchases from an out-of-state store that does not […]
A Checking Account Wants to Be Free
Wall Street Journal ran an article by reporter Robin Sidel End Is Seen to Free Checking a week ago. Over the weekend, it published another article by the same reporter The New Bank Fees: How to Fight Back. Both articles said because new rules from the government will reduce banks’ revenue from overdraft fees and […]
Staples Sets an Example for Good Service
I wrote a while ago we should be ready to pay more for good service. I have an example to share today. I bought a file cabinet from the office products store Staples a few years ago. I only used it for storing random things, not files. As such, I didn’t install the rails for […]
Pay More for Quality Service
If I ask people "Would you pay more for better quality or service or do you go for a lower price?" I’d imagine most people will say they don’t just go for a lower price and they would pay more for something better. However, my observation tells me people aren’t willing to pay more for […]