Did you hear about how Maine recently passed a bill banning internet providers from selling your data without your consent? Your data is valuable. And you’ve probably heard many stories in the news about how your data is being sold for big money by search engines and the social media. While in many states there’s […]
Latest Articles
Earn Like an Adult, Spend Like a Kid: Invest Big Increases in Your Income
When I started working after college, I went from earning a few thousand dollars a year as a college student, mostly doing crazy side hustles, to earning $60,000 a year as a software engineer in the defense industry. It was a fortune. (it still is!) I was earning a full-time salary but I still had […]
Best New Brokerage Account Promotions (August 2019)
Are you looking to open a new brokerage account but aren’t sure which one? Many brokerage firms compete for business by offering new account bonuses based on the assets you can transfer to their platform. While the bonus shouldn’t the only consideration, it can be a big one since the dollar amounts are so large […]
How to Maximize Credit Card Rewards on a Big Purchase
Earlier last year, we replaced our clothes washer and dryer. Both appliances were old, nearing the end of their useful lives, and, more importantly, we were renovating our pantry area after a burst pipe and flooding incident. We were only a few years from replacing them and, using a small surplus of insurance money, we […]
Twine App Review: Joint Saving & Investing App by John Hancock
Last year at Fincon, I was invited to meet with the folks who created Twine. This happens a lot at Fincon because companies are always looking to promote their new products and services and I tend to only go to the events where I think the company is interesting and if my other blogger friends […]
Best Cashback Rebate Sites for 2019
If you buy something online and don’t go through a cashback site, you are leaving money on the table. Most people know that you can earn cashback through your credit cards. For example, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is one of the best cashback cards that will give you 2% of your purchase as Chase […]
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 […]