If you work for a publicly-traded company that offers an Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP), you’ve got yourself a fantastic deal. How ESPP Works An ESPP typically works this way: 1. You contribute to the ESPP from 1% to 10% of your salary. The contribution is taken out from your paycheck. This is calculated on […]
Latest Blog Posts
Open Enrollment, Part 4: Flexible Spending Account
The basics on health care and dependent care flexible spending accounts.
Open Enrollment, Part 3: Disability Insurance
If you employer offers long-term disability benefit, make sure you choose it during open enrollment.
Open Enrollment, Part 2: Life Insurance and AD&D
How to make good decisions on life insurance and AD&D during open enrollment.
Open Enrollment, Part 1: Health Care
Here’s how to make good choices in medical, dental, and vision benefits during open enrollment.
Finance Charge in Insurance Payment Plans
I often read on the blogs when someone talks about their insurance my ___________ (life, car, home, …) insurance is $______ a month. or I saved $_______ a month on my ____________ insurance. So it sounds like a lot of people pay their insurance monthly. I’ve always paid my insurance in a single payment because […]
I Love Southwest Airlines
Or should I say LUV, which is their ticker symbol? Southwest Airlines is the only airline I know that will not charge you a fee for changing or canceling a non-refundable ticket. Things come up all the time. You can’t make it to your brother’s place or you want to go on a different date. […]
Combatting Survival Instincts
Jonathan Clements wrote in the Getting Going column on today’s WSJ (link) about a theory dubbed “Lizard Brain” that traces the bad money management behaviors to our hunting and gathering ancestors. The theory goes that, deep down, the survival instincts inherited from experiences thousands of years ago tell us to: consume more than we need favor […]
Some MBNA Cards Didn’t Merge Into B of A After All
There has been some speculation about whether the much coveted MBNA Bill Pay Choice service will survive the web site merge into Bank of America. It turned out that it was kept intact. Smart consumers can continue to use it to pay other credit cards and mortgage payments. I was also hoping that with the […]
Calculator for 401(k), Roth IRA, then Back at 401(k)
[Last updated on July 10, 2008 with 2008 tax year IRA contribution limit.] I searched on the Internet for a calculator that implements the strategy outlined in my previous post 401(k), Roth IRA, then Back at 401(k). But to my surprise I couldn’t find any. There are calculators for 401(k), calculators for Roth IRA, but […]