http://pfblogs.org/pf/ Delivering all the personal finance blogs you can handle -- and then some. contact@pfblogs.org en-us Copyright 2008 2008-05-13T09:00:14-05:00 http://pfblogs.org/ I’ve heard about annuity before, but didn’t really know what it is until I read a Fidelity newsletter over the weekend. I thought the information provided was very good so, I am going to share what I learned here. Annuities Annuities are insurance products designed to help you invest for retirement and provide supplemental income during your retirement. There are two categories of annuities and each has two types: Deferred Annuity Deferred annuity allows you to invest for retirement on a tax-deferred basis. This allows your investment to grow faster without the burden of taxes. There are two types of deferred annuity: A deferred fixed annuity provides you with a guaranteed rate of returns. A deferred variable annuity performance fluctuate based on the performance of the underlying investments and provide you with a potential for superior returns. Once you are ready to retire, you can convert your deferred annuity into income annuity, which will provide you with a source of guaranteed lifetime income. Some points to consider regarding deferred annuity You should make the maximum allowable contributions to traditional retirement savings plan such as 401k and IRA before considering a deferred annuity. The IRS does not limit the amount you can contribute to a deferred annuity. Some annuities come ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099784 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099784 Moolanomy 2008-05-13T09:00:14-05:00 A few new forex ETFs are starting to trade today. These new ones move the group into some of the larger emerging market currencies, including the likes of the Brazilian Real and Chinese Yuan. Click here for further details. Currency ETFs allow you to trade forex via the stock market. This is something many traders will find [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099782 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099782 Trading & Investing Essentials 2008-05-13T09:00:01-05:00 One of the most important things about having your emergency fund is to decide why you need one. Everyone needs to have some sort of cushion to fall back on when times get rough but you still personalize it even more. I decided to get my emergency fund after watching an episode of [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099783 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099783 How I Save Money 2008-05-13T08:55:00-05:00 Summer is a season of graduations and weddings.  Life events like these often have an impact on the health insurance coverage of those involved. When a new person joins your family or a child is no longer deemed a dependent it can affect their eligibility under your health plan Insurance DeadlinesOften times your plan will allow for [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099781 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099781 Money Smart Life 2008-05-13T08:54:49-05:00 I finally got around to upping my emergency fund contribution to $35/week. Upon checking my account balance it turns out my weekly contributions of $30/week have added another $1,000 to my emergency fund balance since Sept 07 when my emergency fund hit the $1,500 mark. I’m setting a definite target amount for my emergency fund. The [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099779 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099779 Endless Gibberish 2008-05-13T08:53:00-05:00 It just occurred to me, that I make more in passive income in 6 months then the majority of Illinois residents earn a year from working. If memory serves me right - the median income is somewhere in the $30k range. I'm going to hit that in June. To get to this level, it was not without risk. Although, as time progresses the risks diminish and the rewards become more apparent. Some day, in the ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099777 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099777 Dedicated to Financial Freedom 2008-05-13T08:47:35-05:00 There’s near unanimity in the belief that you should have a cash emergency fund.  The problem with that supposedly inviolate rule is that in low interest times like we’re now in, your emergency fund gets smaller and smaller every day.  I advocate alternatives to the large emergency fund thesis. In times of low interest rates and [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099780 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099780 Advanced Personal Finance 2008-05-13T08:45:55-05:00 I’m not a hardcore coupon shopper, but I am quite frugal and thrifty.  And I’ve always been someone who stockpiles good deals.  Well I wanted to address how my stockpile saves me money but not like normal couponers. I stockpile mostly non-perishables.  I started about 1 year ago really getting into and it turns out has been [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099778 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099778 Living Almost Large 2008-05-13T08:43:46-05:00 Last week's Two For Tuesdays: The Food-Poisoned Wife Edition was about how to save money by buying local and by buying an Entertainment book (by the way, the wife is doing well and I suffered no ill effects from the dropped steak sandwich. I guess the five-second rule applies). This week, we talk about how to save money by preparing our homes for the summer.Where I live, in Northern California, the weather is pretty moderate most of the year. There are a few weeks of the year where it's unbelievably hot (over 110 degrees Farenheit) and cooling the house becomes almost impossible. No matter what you do, the A/C alone cannot cool the house down to less than about 20 degrees less than the outside air temp, so the trick is to help the A/C by keeping the house as cool as possible in the first place.#1The first trick is to get the heat out of your attic by installing an attic, or whole house, fan. Doing so will work wonders for keeping your house cool and keeping down your energy bills. Your A/C will thank you, too, in terms of running more efficiently (a unit that runs all the ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099767 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099767 Money Hacks 2008-05-13T08:43:00-05:00 ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099771 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099771 No Credit Needed Network 2008-05-13T08:41:23-05:00 I've actually been thinking about this topic for a while now. Most of the time, being frugal and being green go together. If you're frugal, you generally buy fewer items, you drive less often, you reduce, reuse and recycle. Because of this, your home is also generally less cluttered.But as I declutter my home, I find that the line between these areas becomes very fine. There are many things that I might need someday. It wouldn't be frugal or good for the environment to have to buy them new all over again. But keeping these things around makes my home more cluttered. It also increases the possibility that I'll forget I have these items and buy new ones anyway.I'm still finding a balance that works for me. But I would love any tips you have to share, because this is definitely an area that I struggle with.CFO recommends MySurvey.com - Easily earn rewards (including cash!) for taking surveys. ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099766 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099766 Chief Family Officer 2008-05-13T08:40:00-05:00 We’ve posted before on the differences between banks and credit unions, but I’d like to take that a step further. A really big difference that I’ve noticed between the two is that while they say the same kinds of things to their customers, they really mean different things. Let me translate some things you may [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099764 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099764 Master Your Card 2008-05-13T08:30:02-05:00 Yesterday, we met with our banker and signed the documents for the rate adjustments. Due to the size of the 2 loans, this is quite a sum to be saved monthly. After re-couping our $100 modification costs, I can't wait to see our balances go down faster then ever!!! Although, it will only be a quicker a payoff on the oldest note, it will mean substantial savings on the newer one for years to come. ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099761 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099761 Dedicated to Financial Freedom 2008-05-13T08:28:12-05:00 Reader Nicholas is in the military and while he was serving in Iraq, AT&T decided to give his phone number to another customer. When he returned, he asked for the number back but was refused. The rep then convinced him that he needed to sign a new 2 year contract in order to reactivate his number. Naturally, right after he did this his phone broke, and now AT&T is telling him that he'll have to wait until 2009 to get a decent upgrade. Nicholas writes: My wife and I have been Cingular/ AT&T customers for many years now. I am in the Marine Corps and therefore travel is normal. Back around 2005, my wife and I purchased Motorola Razors while I was stationed in Florida. Great phones at the time, but with time they break. In 2006, I moved to Camp Lejeune, N.C. and was told I was deploying for Iraq in March of 2007 for 7 months. I called customer service and told them of my orders to Iraq and that I wanted to suspend my account until I return to the U.S. They required me to fax a copy of my orders to complete the process, which I did, and confirmed ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099754 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099754 Consumerist 2008-05-13T08:23:42-05:00 As gays and lesbians writing about money, we’ve grown weary of reading all the personal finance content that’s written from the perspective of straight marriages. So at Queercents, we’ve turned the tables on money and relationship advice by asking: What if all of our favorite money columnists were gay? Would their advice be more relevant [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099748 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099748 Queercents 2008-05-13T08:19:31-05:00 I want to make a public goal. By making it public maybe I can hold myself more accountable. Although, I don’t think I really need the extra motivation, because I”m pretty motivated to get this bill done and out of the way. I’m going to battle this summer against the medical bill [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099765 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099765 Get Rich or Die Trying 2008-05-13T08:15:57-05:00 CNN Money thinks you only need 7 investments. I think that is four to six too many for the average investor. Here is the list of investments Money Magazine thinks you need: A blue chip US-stock fund (track the S&P 500 index) (Fidelity Spartan 500 Index, FSMKX) A blue chip foreign-stock fund (track the international stock index) (Vanguard [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099763 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099763 No Debt Plan 2008-05-13T08:15:17-05:00 Do you remember Modoshi? It is a deal site that launched in November 2006 and implemented a few interesting concepts that turned bargain hunting into a fun contest. The project eventually shut down but it really got me thinking. Can a deal site be turned into a fun game where participants get rewarded for the [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099753 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099753 Pro Bargain Hunter 2008-05-13T08:12:11-05:00 Today is the last day to signup for the $50 Smarty Pig Giftcard we are giving away. See this $50 SmartyPig Giftcard Giveaway post for details on registering to win. You can register up until 9pm EST on May 9th. We will notify the winner via email. ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099729 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099729 2million 2008-05-13T08:11:10-05:00 A self-directed IRA is a type of Traditional or Roth IRA in which you’re allowed to invest in things other than stocks, bonds, or mutual funds - such as investing directly in a hot new biotechnology or traditional technology startup. In fact, it’s the only way you’d be able to invest your IRA dollars into [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099725 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099725 My Retirement Blog 2008-05-13T08:10:16-05:00 In my post on hedging gas prices, reader J.P. introduced a concept that I had never heard of before - hypermiling. Essentially, there are a group of people out there so serious about improving their fuel economy that they are swapping data and tricks in order to wring every last MPG out of their [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099730 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099730 MyMoneyBlog 2008-05-13T08:09:01-05:00 Recently, I published the online version of the No Credit Needed Debt Reduction Guide. Today, I’m releasing another version of that same guide - a free eBook. Simply click on the link below to download your copy. (Depending on your browser setup, you may need to right-click and select ’save as’ [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099731 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099731 No Credit Needed 2008-05-13T08:07:56-05:00 “Market Update: For Stocks, The Worst is Over”. That was the headline from Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. Don’t you hate that? I mean, what’s the chance of the magazine being right? Kiplinger has signed up Glassman and Jeremy Siegel who are mostly bullish. But I just don’t think the worst is over. [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099737 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099737 My 1st Million at 33 2008-05-13T08:01:30-05:00 Kris and I love our neighborhood. People are friendly and helpful, yet mostly mind their own business. It’s a perfect combination. One of our favorite neighbors is the old guy next door. Let’s call him John. John is a 71-year-old retired shop teacher who lives in a modest ranch house on half an acre, the [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099738 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099738 Get Rich Slowly 2008-05-13T08:00:52-05:00 I seem to mention a lot that I enjoy my job. And it’s true. I don’t really love it every day, but 95% of the time it’s great and the other 5% it’s still passable. What makes me happy about my job? I work for a good company, it’s actually won awards basically for being a nice [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099728 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099728 Plonkee Money 2008-05-13T08:00:12-05:00 Doodle Day is more than just a day, it is the set of all days between May 8 and May 18 inclusive. The purpose of naming this period of time is to draw attention to neurofibromatosis (NF), a common neural disorder. May is NF Awareness month, and to participate in Doodle Day, some [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099710 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099710 Consumerism Commentary 2008-05-13T08:00:07-05:00 Ok, last night I sat down and added up all my receipts from my lovely weekend visiting family and shopping. The Damage: $475.38 All in one weekend. I haven't done that since... I don't even know when. That includes $339... ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099715 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099715 Debt Hater 2008-05-13T08:00:02-05:00 Ah, it just doesn't get any better than this:"Need to see a specialist fast? Too bad you're not a dog."Our Neighbors to the North© have apparently outdone themselves. As we've repeatedly noted here at IB, that "Free Health care" comes at a steep price: actual, you know, care. If you're a Canuck with cancer, you'll likely wait well over a month to see an oncologist.But if your Siberian Husky has a suspicious growth, he'll be seen in a few days. I'll let Barbara Righton and Nicholas Kohler (who co-wrote the linked article) have the last word:"Trouble is, when it comes to medical care in Canada, our pets are often getting what we get — and a whole lot more besides. And they're getting it faster too."[Hat Tip: RWN] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099741 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099741 InsureBlog 2008-05-13T08:00:01-05:00 When is the last time you tried something for the first time? God put me on this earth and I have the strongest desire to squeeze every ounce of life I can out of these 100 years or so I get to be down here. If you are bored, try something new! ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099706 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099706 Christian Personal Finance 2008-05-13T07:54:27-05:00 If' you're a customer of Countrywide Mortgage, you've probably got your share of "Easy Refinance Today" offers through both regular mail, and phone calls. I finally got tired of screening the calls and decided to pick up and tell them no. On a lark, I decided to get the 'free, no obligation [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099707 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099707 Credit Withdrawal 2008-05-13T07:53:37-05:00 Here are links to Carnivals in which My Wealth Builder participated from May 6 -12, 2008Festival of Frugality 124Carnival of Financial PlanningCarnival of Family LifeFestival of Stocks #88Carnival of Personal Finance #152For some excellent posts on personal finance and family life from the blogosphere, check out these Carnivals.This is not financial or family advice. Please consult a professional advisor.Copyright © 2008 Achievement Catalyst, LLC ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099742 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099742 My Wealth Builder 2008-05-13T07:50:00-05:00 Discover Business Card is offering a $100 bonus when you sign up for the . To qualify, you need to spend $1000 on your card within the first 3 months of your account opening. (NOTE: 3.0% for each balance transfer made under this offer, with a minimum of $5 and a maximum of $75.) This card [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099714 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099714 BudgetCents 2008-05-13T07:47:40-05:00 In my quest to save money and make money online I recently signed up for SocialSpark . This is a system much like PPP that allows advertisers to find you based on certain characteristics of your blog. The neat thing with Social Spark is that they have mandatory nofollow links so that you do not [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099705 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099705 How I Save Money 2008-05-13T07:47:07-05:00 ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099703 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099703 No Credit Needed Network 2008-05-13T07:42:38-05:00 I wrote a post a long while ago … actually, it was my 5th-ever post - some say that I should have stopped there - about the classic Rent or Buy dilemma for your own home … and, I just (!) received an interesting comment to that Post from Joy: That’s the silliest thing I’ve ever [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099697 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099697 How to Make 7 Million in 7 Years 2008-05-13T07:39:39-05:00 A Weeklong Series About Landscaping, Gardening, and Money Ah, flowerbeds. I get why people have them. They allow you to plant pops of color or small vegetable plots without commiting to a huge garden. They have the added benefit of... ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099698 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099698 Breaking Even, Inc. 2008-05-13T07:34:22-05:00 Note: this post was directly inspired by some of the comments on yesterday’s post. When I was a young fellow, fresh out of accounting MBA school, I had a prestigious job working for one of the (at the time) six biggest accounting firms in the world. It was a small office, but it was [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099689 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099689 Brip Blap 2008-05-13T07:30:26-05:00 The Wilshire 5000 index bounced off of its support line Monday, and the Trade 4 Cash systems responded nicely. The Trade 4 Cash system led the way, gaining 2.37%, followed by Tier 1 Steady MV, which added 1.86%. Wave Rider gained 1.46%, and SCMV Weekly gained 0.71% on the day.We have 8 new signals for Tuesday. Trade 4 Cash is selling three, and buying three, while Tier 1 Steady MV has one buy-sell combination. The High Energy Watch List has 8 stocks in its list this morning. Have a great Tuesday! ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099693 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099693 Trade 4 Cash 2008-05-13T07:24:57-05:00 Drive Free Cars for life!While taking part in Dave Ramsey's "Financial Peace University", we heard a great example of how you could turn traditional thinking around, and make your money work for you.They started the lesson out by talking about how the average new car payment for 1/3 of car buyers is $475 with a loan term of 6 years (for a $26,000 car with 9.6% interest). Most people will just assume that they will always have a car payment, and that having a car loan and payment is just a part of life. It's something that you can never get away from!According to Dave Ramsey, if you turn that thinking around, within that first six years you can get to the point where you'll never have a car payment again!How it worksLet's say the car you're driving now is worth $1500, and instead of paying a dealer $475/month for a new car like most people do, you save that money for 10 months. At the end of 10 months you'll have $4750, along with another $1500 from the sale of your old car. With that money you can buy a new car worth $6250.If you keep going ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099695 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099695 Bible Money Matters 2008-05-13T07:22:00-05:00 If you invest in US-listed stocks or foreign stocks that trade on U.S. exchanges as American Depository Receipts (ADRs), you need to be aware of some tax implications: If you hold American stocks in your investment account, you will be subject to a 15% withholding tax on dividends (for Canadian residents; Check with your broker that [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099684 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099684 Canadian Capitalist 2008-05-13T07:15:34-05:00 Welcome to Day 2 of my quest to build a better blog by following ProBlogger’s Guide. Yesterday was Day 1 and I emailed a new commenter to say thank you. Today’s tip is to Run a First Time Reader Audit. I have to be honest when I say I almost skipped this one (or faked [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099694 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099694 The Writer's Coin 2008-05-13T07:15:26-05:00 Credit card rewards programs can be a great idea for some cardholders. If you use your card a lot then a good rewards program will give you cash back for every purchase, or points redeemable toward travel or merchandise through partnering merchants. Use your card, earn cash. Use your card, get an airline ticket. Use [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099696 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099696 Master Your Card 2008-05-13T07:15:16-05:00 Many people see the retail industry slumping this year because of the continuing credit crisis, meaning Americans can’t borrow as much to continue our spendy ways, and increased prices across the board, meaning Americans can’t buy as much with the money they still have. Either way, there are only a few ways that a retailer [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099667 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099667 Blueprint for Financial Prosperity 2008-05-13T07:10:10-05:00 Last year, we bought a shredder because I kept taking stuff to shred to work, and felt I had enough stuff that appears in my house that I do not want to leave my house in the garbage where anyone might look at it, and I also enjoying destroying things. What kind of things do [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099671 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099671 Canadian Personal Finance Blog 2008-05-13T07:09:33-05:00 I am glad to report that I have found some deals on items that we need on ebay that otherwise were difficult to find in the stores. We are beginning to continue to get ready for our trip this summer, yes, Again! :-) I took a long break from it but Have to get back to it at this point with a month and a half left to get ready. (Big Trip for us)I bought an XD usb card reader (size of a flash drive). The one we had before finally died on us. This one is more compact...only $7.00 WITH shipping. I don't think that is bad at all.I also bought a brand new bottle of perfume that someone requested for $13.00 with shipping and tax and have bid on another bottle from the same seller. We had a request from someone we are going to see as to what they wanted and found a good deal on it (two bottles). The regular price on this perfume is like $30 a bottle...so not bad at $13.00!I just bought 10 mini DV tapes for our camcorder to have with us to ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099666 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099666 Thrifty and Creative 2008-05-13T07:06:00-05:00 From clothing to furniture to everything in-between, there are bargains to be found at yard sales. A couple of weeks ago I gave you 10 Tips for a Wildly Successful Garage Sale in preparation for my own yard sale. Unfortunately I didn’t take my own advice and only netted about $100, but I got rid [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099663 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099663 Being Frugal 2008-05-13T07:00:30-05:00 Here’s a quick roundup of the carnivals that I participated in the past two weeks: Make Saving Automatic was featured in the 151st edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance hosted by Kimberly Palmer at Alpha Consumer Waiting for my 2008 Tax Rebate was featured in the Carnival of Personal Finance #152 hosted at Money Under 30 Also, [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099664 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099664 Broke Grad Student 2008-05-13T07:00:19-05:00 You see many posts on this site about the great deals and all of the products I get free or for penny's with my coupons. It looks like all fun and games, but I am about to share with you - "Free Products Gone Wrong", haha.These are the products that seemed like great deals, but have turned out to be a bust for one reason or another!The Extra Fluffy & Soft Toilet paper - Before CVS, we would buy the sandpaper type toilet paper because the price was right. I had my moment back in January where I purchased over 100 rolls of TP thanks to some multi-pack Extra Care Buck deals. Well I passed them on to family. At my parents house, they have a problem with tree roots in their sewer. Well that extra plush TP pushed their sewer over the edge and they had some problems. They had to rent a $50.00 snake to fix the sewer problem. We can't prove it was the TP - but they have their suspicions!CleanCare Contact Solution - I bought it when it gave extra care bucks at CVS and was free after mail in rebate. Unfortunately, M.B. went to use ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099665 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099665 Be Thrifty Like Us 2008-05-13T07:00:00-05:00 When I first saw the words Planet Fat Loss, I was thinking, how do I get there? These last few months have been a ton of work for me, but worth every drop of sweat. I still believe it is impossible to put value on health. My issue continues to be with the number that is on the scale. I feel better, I look better, but that number reminds me of the journey ahead. Sure, they can tell you don't pay ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099656 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099656 Dedicated to Financial Freedom 2008-05-13T06:59:26-05:00 Yes, the day has finally arrived! I have been dreaming about this trip since I found out about it last May! In 3 short hours I will be heading to the bus station to catch my bus to O'Hare, and then my actual flight leaves at 4 PM central time. I did not get through my entire to-do list, but that is typical of me! I usually throw way too much stuff on it. Some of the stuff on the list I will actually do while I am in London. I figure there will be some time in the evenings where I will just be vegging in the hotel room. The ebay stuff I will probably do over Memorial Day weekend. I ended up with a total of $810 USD in my London fund. Way over my goal of $600! That means I'll be able to have a good time and relax!I thought I would post what I am doing to try and save some money on this trip. This is a hard one to save money because London is so expensive and the US dollar really sucks right now (for lack of a better word).1. I am taking the ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099669 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099669 In Debt Because I Like Nice Things 2008-05-13T06:53:57-05:00