Blog Action Day – Recycle, Recycle, Recycle
October 15, 2009
Recycling may not be the first thing you might think about when the topic of climate change comes up but recycling can certainly make a difference. Here are some recycling stats from the recycling section on the University of Michigan website: The U.S. recycles approximately 32 percent of its waste which saves an equivalent amount […]
Setting Goals to Get What You Want
October 13, 2009
How specific are you when you set your goals? If you were more detailed do you think you’d be more likely to reach them? I’ve always heard that being very specifc about your goals increases your chances of achieving them. Last weekend, I saw some pretty good examples of this theory in action. A Ten […]
What Kind of Spender Are You?
October 12, 2009
When you look around at all the things you own, what story does it tell about the kind of spender you are? Are you a smart, calculated spender that parts with your money only when necessary or do you tend to spend more freely and frivolously? When I bought myself a green hooded Columbia Sportswear […]
Bond Investing Strategies
October 9, 2009
Bond investing strategies to help you decide how to invest in bonds are the next topic to cover now that we’ve talked about bond investing basics and some bond investment terms. Bond Ladders Bond ladders are a strategy where an investor purchases bonds with different maturity dates. It is the fixed income equivalent of dollar […]
PayPal Discourages Use of Credit Cards
October 8, 2009
PayPal encouraged me to pay with my bank account rather than my credit card as I was setting up a subscription payment last night. When I first setup the subscription in PayPal it defaulted to use my bank account as the funding source. I wanted to switch it over to use my credit card just […]
Bond Investing Terms
October 6, 2009
Bond investing terms can be confusing for someone who’s never been around the bond market. I remember the first conversation I had with a bond investor; I knew he was speaking English but his talk of yield curves and zero coupon bonds made it feel like a foreign language. If you don’t know the bond […]
Bond Investing Basics
October 5, 2009
Bond Investing Overview Bond investments should probably be a part of most portfolios; across all ages, investing goals, and levels of risk tolerance. The problem is many people spend their time learning how to invest in stocks and aren’t aware of the benefits that investing in bonds can offer. In general, investors spend very little […]
Ally Bank Review
October 4, 2009
Ally Bank,  formerly known as GMAC Bank,  is an online bank designed with the needs of the consumer in mind.  The bank offers an online savings account, certificates of deposit products, and a money market account – all which are FDIC insured. About Ally Bank Ally Bank was built on the foundation of GMAC Financial […]
529 College Savings Plan Overview
October 3, 2009
A 529 college savings plan is another way for U.S. families to prepare for the high costs of college. Named after section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code, this investment vehicle has some similarities with and differences from the Coverdell ESA. A 529 plan is another tax-advantaged plan that is designed to give incentives for […]
Coverdell Education Savings Account (ESA) Overview
October 2, 2009
Coverdell Education Savings Account History Years ago, there used to be an account called the Education IRA. It was created by the government to help parents prepare for the costs of schooling for their children. This account was not that popular, because at the time, it had a $500 annual contribution limit. I remember clients […]
