I came to know the book The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less by coincidence when I read an article in New York Times on a plane. I wrote about that article in Opt In or Opt Out: The Power of the Default Option. I finally got this book from the public library after […]
Latest Blog Posts
Out of the Market and Meaningless Stats
The stock market had a field day last Thursday (7/12/2007). The Dow rose 284 points, its biggest point gain in nearly five years. It reminded me of the stats about the risk of being out of the market. It goes like if you missed the best X days in Y years in the stock market, […]
ESPP: What’s In It for the Company?
After reading my post about ESPP, a reader David sent me an e-mail and asked I’ve read a bunch of stuff about ESPP and while everyone talks about what a good deal it is for the employees who are able to participate, or the tax consequences of the various ways to sell the shares, no one talks about what […]
Agency Bonds for Higher Yield Over Treasury
I invest my short-term money in a Vanguard money market fund and Treasury Bills. I also tested water with Agency bonds for slightly higher yield over Treasury for the same maturity earlier this year. Agency bonds are bonds issued by a federal government agency or a Government Sponsored Enterprise (GSE). A GSE is a entity […]
$10,000 Lesson On Variable Universal Life (VUL)
Variable Universal Life insurance or in short VUL is sold by insurance agents as a smart investment to unsuspecting people. The pitch usually goes like this: You invest in VUL. The money in the policy grows tax deferred. You get to choose what you invest in, stocks, bonds, international, you name it. It’s like a […]
Disputed Credit Card Charge Against Priceline
When I go on vacation, I usually use Priceline’s Name Your Price™ service for a hotel room. You specify an area in the city, a quality level (3-star, 4-star, etc.), the dates, and the price you want to pay. Priceline tries to find a hotel for you at that price. If it accepts your bid, […]
The Commutative Law of Multiplication
The Commutative Law of Multiplication is a fancy way of saying when you multiply two numbers, it doesn’t matter which number you put down first and which number you put down second. a * b = b * a This basic law of arithmetic is taught in the second grade in elementary school. Yet it’s […]
Individual TIPS Or TIPS Mutual Fund/ETF
Just like there are mutual funds and ETFs that invest in stocks, there are mutual funds that invest in TIPS. I show a list of them in More Inflation Protection with TIPS After Maxing Out I Bonds. Mutual Fund/ETF Advantages Buying TIPS through a mutual fund (or ETF) is a good idea, because it gives […]
Maxed Out: Documentary About Debt in America
I watched a documentary Maxed Out on DVD over the weekend. It’s about debt in America, especially credit card debt. It featured people who are in debt, people who lost their loved ones to debt, a Harvard Law School professor, Dave Ramsey, debt collectors, a pawn shop owner, and many other people involved in debt […]
Looking for a Photo Sharing Site
I’m looking for a photo sharing site now that Yahoo! announced that they will terminate Yahoo! Photos. I think my requirements are simple and reasonable, yet I’m drawing a blank after looking at many photo sharing sites. Here are my requirements: Free service. I don’t have many photos. When I travel I take some pictures. […]