I’m fairly serious about security when it comes to our computers, devices, and online accounts. I’m not super strict but I never connect to insecure networks and I never log into accounts when I’m on an unfamiliar network. I never understand when people log into their bank accounts from a computer sitting in the “Business […]
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Aspiration Review: Up to 2.00% APY + 0.50% Cashback + Social Good!
Aspiration doesn’t sound like a name for a financial institution. It sounds like a self-help site that shows photos of the author on top of a mountain near Machu Picchu. You know the photo I’m talking about. 🙂 But it is and I think what they are hoping to accomplish is something many other financial […]
How Estimated Taxes Work, Safe Harbor Rule, and Due Dates (2019)
Taxes are complicated. They’re not hard, they’re complicated. They’re complicated in the same way that old computer systems are complicated. As a software developer, it’s not uncommon for you to update old code to perform new functions. What often happens, especially in poorly designed systems, is that you just update the code. You don’t redesign […]
How to Find the Best Consignment Stores
Have you been binging Marie Kondo’s Netflix show? Looking to sell some of your stuff, like clothes, accessories or other apparel? If it’s almost new, you should consider trying to sell it at a local or online consignment shop. If it’s a little more worn than that, consider donating to a local Goodwill or other […]
6 Google Finance Portfolio Replacements & Alternatives
For years, Google Finance was one of the best portfolio trackers available. You could put in a list of stocks, including transaction information, and it would give you a snapshot in moments. It even kept a cash balance so that transactions could reflect an actual portfolio. It was one of the go-to platforms for investment […]
8 Financial Products Most People Should Avoid
When I was looking to buy our first house, back in the mid-2000s, I was surprised to learn that there were so many different types of mortgages. I’d heard about 15-year fixed and 30-year fixed mortgages. But then you had jumbo mortgages. And adjustable rate mortgages. And interest-only mortgages. Then FHA and HUD and VA […]
Do you need a personal finance assistant?
When Shark Tank first aired, I fell in love with the show. It was the first time you could get a peek at how entrepreneurs pitched their companies and their products. Some were polished, giving really good pitches to the panel, and some were excellent businesses that fit nicely with one of the Sharks’ existing […]
Why Someone Making $90,000 Doesn’t Feel “Rich”
Every few months, someone will publish an article about how folks making $xx,xxx per year don’t feel rich. The latest I’ve seen is a MarketWatch piece where that number was $90,000. It referred to a YouGov survey in which 87% of 1,163 respondents said that if you made $90,000 a year, you weren’t rich or […]
Best Places to Get a Money Order
Need to get a money order but don’t know where to get one, how they work, or how much it’ll cost you? We’re here to help! We’ll explain how money orders work, why you might want one, and then explain the best places to buy a money order as well as the best place to […]
The Backdoor Roth: Investing in a Roth IRA for High Earners
I love my Roth IRA. I was lucky in that my dad pushed me to open one the moment I started earning money that was reported on a W-2. The Roth IRA was created in 1998, the year I started college, so I got in as early as once possibly could have gotten a Roth […]
How to Win the 2019 Safeway Monopoly Game (Shop, Play, Win!)
Many years ago, I played the McDonald’s Monopoly game. I don’t eat at McDonald’s much (or ever? I haven’t been to one in at least 10 years) but as part of a marketing ploy for my last blog, we bought a hundred hash browns just for the game pieces. It was kinda gross, so so […]