My mortgage refinance has been approved by the lender. Now it’s time to pick a date for signing the papers. Is any day of the week better or worse than others? Yes, if you want to avoid paying extra interest on a large sum of money. The federal law (15 USC 1635) says if you […]
Latest Blog Posts
What a Recession Feels Like
I rented from Netflix the documentary Roger & Me by Michael Moore. This is the first film by Michael Moore which made his name. Whether or not you agree with Michael Moore’s liberal point of view, the film offered a good reminder of what a recession feels like. In case you haven’t seen it (the […]
Restricted Stock Units (RSU) Sales and Tax Reporting
RSU stands for Restricted Stock Units. It’s the new form of stock-based compensation that has gained popularity after the employers are required to expense employee stock options. The biggest difference between RSUs and employee stock options is that RSUs are taxed at the time of vesting while stock options are usually taxed at the time […]
How To Avoid Overdraft/NSF Fees
There is a long discussion on Wesabe Groups about overdraft fees. Some banks call it NSF which stands for Non-Sufficient Funds. In case you don’t know, banks apply the debits in a way that maximizes the number of instances of overdraft. They sort the debits on a given day by the amount and apply them […]
Restricted Stock Units (RSU) Tax Withholding Choices
Ever since the companies are required to expense employee stock options, more companies started to grant the employees Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) instead of stock options. The first batch of RSUs I received will vest shortly. Unlike non-qualified stock options which are taxed at the time of option exercise, RSUs are taxed at the time […]
"No Cost" Mortgage Refinance: Stepping Down the Ladder
I posted last week that I’m refinancing my mortgage. Now I can add more details. I lowered the interest rate on my 15-year fixed rate mortgage by 0.25% from 5.125% to 4.875% using a “no cost” refi. All closing cost will be covered by the lender. In exchange, my rate is higher than what it […]
Financial Terms From the UK
I started listening to a podcast from Financial Times in the UK, The FT Money Show, because I’m interested in how people in other countries deal with their finances. I’ve heard the expression that “England and America are two countries separated by a common language.” It is true. Just from listening to two recent shows, […]
I’m Refinancing My Mortgage
Among the stock market chaos, the bond market had a rally, which brought down the mortgage rates. I’m refinancing my mortgage. I already locked my rate but I don’t have time to write it up as a detailed blog post yet. If you think you might also benefit from a mortgage refi, you can read […]
How Low Can It Go? Part 2
I’m sure you already know the stock market had a good drop since 2008 began. It’s time to update the table I did last August on the greater-than-10% stock market declines in the last 20 years. When I did the table last time, the market made a bottom on the same day. Let’s see if […]
Habit Changing Is Hard
I’ve seen many stores selling those environment-friendly reusable shopping bags made of cloth or thick plastic, but I’ve seen very few people buying them, and even fewer people actually using them. I think bringing your own shopping bag is a great idea. Most of the shopping bags are used for no more than 5 minutes. […]