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Viewing entries forView all blogs (popular) | Personal finance (popular) | Real estate (popular) | Investing (popular) | Visit Items 26 - 50 of 153
    Wednesday, April 16, 2008 From Moolanomy - view blog entries - visit this blog
April 16, 2008 at 9:00 am ET Kent Irwin, who recently wrote a guest article: Is Suze Orman Right, Can You Be Your Own Financial Planner?, sent me a free license to use his eFinPLAN online financial planning software. In this post, I am going to provide you with my initial experience, and I will follow up with a second post to discuss the 64-page report I received — yes, 64 pages!
Before I begin, I will share a few things I didn’t like — the interface and usability. It is an old school web site that doesn’t have the crisp Web 2.0 look and feel. ... (more) Tuesday, April 15, 2008 From Moolanomy - view blog entries - visit this blog
April 15, 2008 at 9:00 am ET For both parents and students, off-to-school shopping can be an important financial lesson that should be shared. It is a prime opportunity for parents to get to teach their kids a few remaining lessons about budgeting and personal finance: two very important lessons college kids should be learning before leaving the nest.
Here are fifteen tips that will help both parents and students stay on track and avoid a credit disaster when shopping for the basics and the luxuries before heading to the dorm:
1. Take Inventory
Before even hitting the malls, take stock of what is already at home. Sure it is ... (more) Monday, April 14, 2008 Touching Peoples’ Lives (6 clicks)
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April 14, 2008 at 9:00 am ET When I started blogging, I’d never thought that my writing could possibly impact anyone. Above all else, it was a way for me to learn more about money management. It was more about me than it was about others. This all changed last Friday, when I read a blog post from Cootiehog: Monthly Bill Reduction - How We Did It.
In my last post I talked about how I was able to not only restore our Disney fund but send in a huge tithe AND pay off almost 20% of my credit card debt. You may wonder HOW I ... (more) Sunday, April 13, 2008 Weekend Reading: April 13, 2008 (4 clicks)
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April 13, 2008 at 9:00 am ET This afternoon I ran across a few interesting articles I’d like to share. But first, I’d like to remind you that there’s still 17 days left before I pick one lucky winner to receive a $50 Amazon gift certificate. The winner will be randomly chosen from the comments and trackbacks left in April — so you could leave a comment, or link to Moolanomy to enter…the more the better!
Earlier this week LendingClub announces that it no longer accept new lenders and terminates the referral program (via The Dough Roller). This drew various responses among the PF bloggers: ... (more) Friday, April 11, 2008 Credit Card Arbitrage, Is It Worth It? (18 clicks)
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April 11, 2008 at 9:00 am ET This article is not meant to convince you to try credit card arbitrage — rather, it’s meant to start a discussion around it. Ultimately, I would like to hear your thought on credit card arbitrage as a money making strategy.
First, we start off with a little background information.
What Is Credit Card Arbitrage?
Credit Card Arbitrage is a strategy where the arbitrager borrows money from credit cards that offers 0% APR for a certain amount of time (usually 6 or 12 months).
For example, these cards offer no-fee 0% APR transfer:
Clear from American Express
Pulaski Bank Gold Visa® Card
IberiaBank Visa® Platinum Rewards Card
ESPN ... (more) Thursday, April 10, 2008 From Moolanomy - view blog entries - visit this blog
April 10, 2008 at 9:00 am ET
This is the 5th issue of the Ask The Expert column by Larry Swedroe. You can see Larry’s full biography and important disclaimer below. If you are interested in having your question answered by Larry, please send me an email via the contact page.
Now, let’s get to the questions and answers (please note that the emphases and links are mine).
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Question from Anthony Carr:
In your 2nd book, “What Wall Street Doesn’t Want You to Know“, you stated that 40% of institutional investors use passive management strategies — do you have an updated percentage?
Also, I am an approved advisor to ... (more) Wednesday, April 9, 2008 Free Money Opportunities Worth Over $200 (13 clicks)
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April 9, 2008 at 11:18 am ET In the past few weeks, I have been compiling a list of ways to make some money off sign up bonuses and giveaways. I have compiled a decent sized list, and have added to my sidebar under Featured section: Deals, Specials, and Freebies. I would like to highlight a few of them here:
Revolution Money Exchange ($25 sign up bonus)
If you perform financial transaction over the Internet, you know what PayPal is all about. I have been a loyal user of PayPal for many years, and I’ve paid nearly a $1,000 in transaction fees to PayPal over the years. Well, now ... (more) 7 Money Management Tips for Seniors (GP) (5 clicks)
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April 9, 2008 at 9:00 am ET Many of us are working toward a comfortable retirement so that we can relax and enjoy our golden years. Money experts often give advice on how to reduce debt and retire early, yet they overlook the people who have already reached retirement age. There are plenty of seniors who are still in need of some financial guidance.
Below are seven helpful money management tips for senior citizens:
1. Start a Household Budget
Not only should you outline a personal budget for daily living, you need to make sure you stick to it. As you can imagine, every penny counts when you’re no longer ... (more) Tuesday, April 8, 2008 From Moolanomy - view blog entries - visit this blog
April 8, 2008 at 9:00 am ET My parents do most of the grocery shopping in my household. Although I do buy occasionally, I never bothered to sign up for one of those discount cards offered by supermarkets and convenience drug stores.
Discount Cards Are Great
Ever since my wife gave birth, I found myself running to CVS more often. So I figured I would give their ExtraCare Rewards program a try. Well, I was pleasantly surprised. For the very first purchase of some diapers and baby wipes, I saved $5 on a $22 purchase — I will take a 23% discount any day!
Moreover, this is on top ... (more) Monday, April 7, 2008 Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) (2 clicks)
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April 7, 2008 at 9:00 am ET In January, I wrote a review of The Only Guide To A Winning Investment Strategy You’ll Ever Need by Larry Swedroe. In his book, Larry dedicated a major portion of the book to the discussion of the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH), specifically to explain why investing in passively managed funds is a winning investment strategy.
What Is Efficient Market Hypothesis?
The Efficient Market Hypothesis asserts that the current market prices on traded assets, e.g., stocks, bonds, or properties, already reflect the total knowledge and expectation of all investors. It is unlikely that any one investor could use the information available ... (more) Sunday, April 6, 2008 From Moolanomy - view blog entries - visit this blog
April 6, 2008 at 11:00 am ET Today, my guest post Seven Traits of Successful People was published this morning at Get Rich Slowly. If you have a moment, please head over there to take a look. If you are Get Rich Slowly readers, welcome to Moolanomy and may I recommend these articles for your reading pleasure:
50+ Frugal Tips, Ideas, and Resources
40+ Alternative Income Ideas and Resources
35 Common Sense Rules for Investing
7 Key Factors to Build Successful Alternative Income Streams
5 Strategies to Survive An Economic Slowdown
M-Network Round Up
Here’s a quick tour around the M-Network:
My top 5 excuses for paying too much for clothes at Plonkee Money
Selling ... (more) Friday, April 4, 2008 March 2008 Site and Net Worth Review (-1.01%) (11 clicks)
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April 4, 2008 at 9:00 am ET Net Worth Review
March was another down month, but the second half certainly showed some promise for the stock market. For the month of March, the S&P 500 index dropped -0.60% from 1330.63 to 1322.70. According to NetworthIQ, my net worth actually went up +0.94% but net investable assets went down -1.01%, or from 22.32% to 22.09% of $1 million goal.
Highlights
My alternative investment through peer-to-peer lending networks grew:
Prosper grew from $257.24 to $340.56 with 5 loans and interest rate of 11.48%. One thing I did notice is that the average lending interest rate is dropping due to the Federal ... (more) Thursday, April 3, 2008 From Moolanomy - view blog entries - visit this blog
April 3, 2008 at 9:00 am ET Welcome to the Carnival of Peer-to-Peer Lending #7: “Rate Cuts Hit Prosper” Edition! When I first started investing in Prosper last December, the estimated return for a Conservative Portfolio Plan was 9.20%. Last time I checked, this number was down to 8.00% and it’s even having problem winning bids at this lower rate. I guess this is bad for me, but good for borrowers and the economy.
RateLadder presents The Rule of 72 on Prosper posted at Prosper Blog: Prosper, the online marketplace for people-to-people lending.
Mike presents What Should My Target Prosper ROI Be? posted at Prosperous Land.
Tom presents ... (more) Wednesday, April 2, 2008 The Cost Of Instant Gratification (9 clicks)
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April 2, 2008 at 9:00 am ET Credit cards make it easy for us to buy now and pay later. This mindset is pervasive and dominant in the United States, and it keeps many Americans financially imprisoned. I can still remember when there was no credit card, and I had to save for what I want.
Morpheus offers him the chance to learn the truth about the Matrix. Neo accepts by swallowing the red pill, and abruptly wakes up naked in a liquid-filled pod, his body connected by wires to a vast mechanical tower covered with identical pods. The connections are severed and he is rescued by Morpheus ... (more) Tuesday, April 1, 2008 From Moolanomy - view blog entries - visit this blog
April 1, 2008 at 9:00 am ET To celebrate a successful first quarter and kick off second quarter, I am going to do a simple giveaway as a way to say thanks to my readers and other bloggers.
$50 Amazon Gift Card For One Lucky Reader
All you have to do is leave comments on any post (not just this one). Each approved comment is equal to one entry, so the more you comment the more chances you’ll have of winning the gift card.
If you are not a subscriber yet, I encourage you to subscribe via Email or via RSS feed. This way, you could get new posts ... (more) Monday, March 31, 2008 Updating My Goals And Shooting For The Stars (12 clicks)
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March 31, 2008 at 9:00 am ET At the beginning of the year, I shared several goals and established some milestones to be achieved by April 1st. In this post, I am planning to update these goals and set new ones for the future. I am doing this because I believe having clearly defined goals is the key to success. And I think it’s even better if I write them down and share them.
1. Goals For Moolanomy
I shared three goals that I wanted to achieve by April 1st, 2008:
1,000 subscribers
45,000 page views per month
$417 income per month (or $5,000 per year)
I am very happy to say ... (more) Friday, March 28, 2008 My Plan For The Tax Refund (7 clicks)
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March 28, 2008 at 9:00 am ET Hank at My Investing Blog is hosting a giveaway with a few prizes up for grab. There are a couple of ways to enter, and one is by answering the following question:
How will you spend/save your 2007 tax return? If you aren’t getting one, how much do you owe?
Photo by sezdavies via Flickr
My Plan For The Big Fat Tax Refund
I mentioned before that I completed our tax returns and are getting about $1,800 in tax refund this year. This is higher than usual since due to the birth of our newborn son and the tax deduction for ... (more) Thursday, March 27, 2008 From Moolanomy - view blog entries - visit this blog
March 27, 2008 at 9:00 am ET One of the commonly touted advantage of real estate investing is the financial leverage that can result in enormous return on investment. A typical example usually compares investing an amount in real estate versus the stock market, where the return on investment for real estate investing far exceeds that of the stock market.
Photo by Brian W. Ogilvie via Flickr
For instance:
Description
Real Estate
Stock
1. Initial value
$100,000
$100,000
2. Amount invested
$5,000
$100,000
3. Mortgage or margin amount
$95,000
$0
4. Mortgage or margin interest
6%
0%
5. Projected annual growth
5%
8%
6. Pr ... (more) Wednesday, March 26, 2008 From Moolanomy - view blog entries - visit this blog
March 26, 2008 at 9:00 am ET About the Author: Linda Bustos is an Editor for CreditorWeb, where you can learn about personal finance and credit cards, or apply for a credit card online.
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You would never take out an insurance policy on behalf of your bank and pay its premiums, would you? But that’s exactly what you’re doing when your credit card company convinces you to buy life and disability insurance. The sales pitch plays upon fears of the unknown:
What if you became ill or disabled and couldn’t make your monthly minimum payments?
Wouldn’t you want the peace of mind knowing that an ... (more) Tuesday, March 25, 2008 5 Strategies to Survive An Economic Slowdown (14 clicks)
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March 25, 2008 at 9:00 am ET With the recent turn of events, I have been giving a lot of thought about what to do in event of economic slowdown — i.e., recession, stagflation, depression, financial doom, or whatever you want to call it. As I put this list of 5 strategies together, I realize that they are nothing more than responsible and sensible financial management strategies — something that should be practiced daily, and not only during economic turmoil.
Photo by archidave via Flickr
1. Practice Frugal Living
I believe frugal living is the basic foundation to sound financial success. A good place to start is with ... (more) Monday, March 24, 2008 From Moolanomy - view blog entries - visit this blog
March 24, 2008 at 9:00 am ET Yesterday I stumbled upon SmartyPig. It is an online piggy bank where you could set up savings goals, and invite family and friends to contribute to your account. While your savings is accumulating, it’s earning a competitive interest rate of 4.30% APY. Once you reach a savings goal, you can choose their SmartyPig MasterCard® Debit Card, or Retail Gift Card (the gift car adds a 5% bonus on top of your savings). There is a neat video on their home page that explains all of this.
Highlights
Although SmartyPig pitches itself as piggy bank for grown ups, I think it’s ... (more) Friday, March 21, 2008 From Moolanomy - view blog entries - visit this blog
March 21, 2008 at 9:00 am ET Benjamin Franklin popularized the expression: “A penny saved is a penny earned.” However, Ben got this one wrong because a penny saved is much better than a penny earned! This is one reason why being frugal is such an important aspect of wealth building. Of course, frugality on steroid is even better — i.e., save more and earn more.
Thomas Stanley and William Danko in The Millionaire Next Door
“Being frugal is the cornerstone of wealth-building.”
So why is a dollar saved better than a dollar earned?
1. Time
Unless your income is 100% passive, you are trading your time for money. ... (more) Thursday, March 20, 2008 Are You Selling Your Credit Score? (9 clicks)
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March 20, 2008 at 9:00 am ET I knew that applying for too many credit cards could adversely effect on my credit score. However, the concept wasn’t picture perfect until I read Rocket Finance’s story where he said, “we traded our credit score of 748 at it’s highest point in exchange for favor from credit card companies.”
How Did I Sell My Credit Score?
I am not above this pitfall either; however, not all of them were bad trades. Here is some of what I have done:
10% Off — Guilty! I have signed up for many store cards at Macy*s, Target, Saks Fifth Avenue, etc. ... (more) Wednesday, March 19, 2008 Meandering Into Real Estate Investing (8 clicks)
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March 19, 2008 at 9:00 am ET Investing in real estate, specifically small rental properties where I’d buy single-family or multi-family houses for the purpose of renting them out has been one of the things I wanted to do. However, the three musketeers of fear, doubt, and uncertainty discouraged me from taking any action toward residential real estate investing. So far, the only real estate investing I have done include the purchase of my primary residence and some REIT investing.
Meandering Into Real Estate Investing
Fortunately, I ran into Terry Sprouse of Fixer Uppers and Rental Houses a while ago and he sent me a copy of ... (more) Tuesday, March 18, 2008 Gold hits $1,000: Should I Invest In Gold? (3 clicks)
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March 18, 2008 at 9:00 am ET On March 13, 2008, gold hits $1,000 per ounce for the first time in history, the dollar fell below 100 yen, and crude oil price is setting new records. With the sub par stock market performance over the past few months, it’s hard not to second guess yourself, and dream up all kinds of thoughts:
Should I get out of the stock market?
Should I invest in gold?
Should I sell all my gold jewelries?
Should I…
What if…
Historic prices of gold versus the stock market
Even my wife is telling me that I should have bought gold when it was cheaper. Well, that’s easy to ... (more) Items 26 - 50 of 153
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