Two dentist visits ago I had a cavity. It wasn’t my first cavity, and it probably won’t be my last. This one didn’t come as a big surprise because it was around the time when I was eating on the run, eating late at night, and not going through my usual brushing/flossing routine. The extra [...]
Does Lending Club Work?
Peer-to-peer lending has been around for a few years now, and two of the biggest players are Prosper and Lending Club. I’m going to talk a little bit about Lending Club since that’s the service I’ve been using and have the most experience with.
To give you a quick primer on peer-to-peer lending, [...]
About the Author: Jeremy is a retirement planning specialist and founder of Generation X Finance and the guide to Financial Planning at About.com. To learn more, follow Jeremy on Twitter.
Making Money With Lending Club and a Review of Peer-to-Peer Lending
Another year has passed, which people remind me about frequently, since I’m turning 30 this month. I thought it would be fun to see what was happening one year ago, here at My Dollar Plan!
Here were the most popular articles from last May. Obviously, many of them are still very relevant today, even though the [...]
FNBO Direct sponsored a contest called the Pay Yourself First Challenge (PYF) during which contestants documented their attempt to save up money for a specific goal.
The idea behind the challenge was to get people to “pay themselves first” by direct depositing their paychecks into an online savings account, then transferring only what they need [...]
The other day I was chatting with a friend of mine. During the conversation I asked her if she was hoping to retire early. She said, “No way! I love my job too much.” It is a similar response I’ve heard from others. Even when I asked my spouse about [...]
After being in debt for some time you find yourself struggling to remember what it feels like to not owe anyone. Unless you have been deep in debt, it is hard to describe the feeling to others. At times it feels like a tractor is parked on your chest, and other times it feels like [...]
By Curmudgeon, brip blap’s favorite guest writer…
I have just had my annual physical examination (I passed, although some of the parts that have gone out of warranty are getting a little creaky). What? You haven’t seen a doctor in ten years? Are you, well, nuts?
My parents were children of the Great Depression (not this [...]
Post from: brip blap.
A few days ago, I had the chance to offer a free book giveaway for copies of the Wise Bread team’s book called 10,001 Ways To Live Large On A Small Budget. I’m happy to announce that the winners have been selected and they’ll be receiving copies of the book shortly.
For this giveaway, [...]
If you are over 70 ½ you might consider converting your Traditional IRA to a ROTH IRA right now. If so, you’ve got plenty of good reasons to think about it.
First, the market has done a number on your IRA account value. Since you must pay ordinary income tax on any amount you convert, low [...]
Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway filed its first quarter 13-F with the SEC last week. From the filing, you may find a few investment ideas from where Buffet is putting his money, as noted by Morningstar. At the end of the first quarter, Berkshire holds a total of 41 stocks in its equity portfolio, with American [...]
Original Post on The Sun’s Financial Diary
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I hope you had a good Memorial Day weekend. For me that often means a time to head over to Grill Maestro for some grilling tips. This weekend, I noticed an interesting an interesting article Propane suppliers quietly reduce size of refills. In short, raising prices of last year caused propane makers [...]
Time to help out a reader, Marke, who is facing a tough decision. His home has lost value, like many people today, and he’s not sure how to handle it. However, it’s not just his house he’s worried about. He’s nearing retirement, and needs to start planning for that, too.
It seems that keeping his [...]
The stock market indexes are names you’ve probably heard before if you follow any financial news. Every day commentators report on the Dow being up, the S&P 500 being flat, or the Nasdaq being down; here’s a short cheat sheet on what the major indexes represent.
Domestic Market Indexes
Dow Jones Industrial Average: Also known as the DOW, the [...]
There was a reader question about the strategy of borrowing to invest in an RRSP instead of a non-registered portfolio (like the Smith Manoeuvre). Here is the question:
I have a readvanceable mortgage – Take your equity out as you pay your mortgage (max payment you can afford like in SM), and invest this equity in [...]
Congratulations on your graduation; welcome to life. For the last several years you’ve been insulated from reality by the protective cocoon of a college or high school campus. While you’ve toiled with academic duties, chances are you’ve done little toiling with many of life’s harder lessons.
In the coming decade you will be faced with challenges [...]
After another three days of moving, we finally have everything at our new place. About 80% of it is still stacked in boxes, but we have the important stuff like clothes, food, and wine. Tomorrow hopefully, we’ll get the cable set up. Honestly, I’m not sure if we plan to watch a [...]
In your opinion, what’s the toughest job in America today? I think these are close seconds.
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collector
Logging Worker, Lumberjack
Fisherman
Zoo Worker
Septic Tank Worker
Police Officer
Or what about the myriad other really difficult jobs (in my mind), such as working at a slaughterhouse, being a firefighter, or manning a prison or juvenile hall? [...]
Jeremy from Generation X Finance noticed I had an unusual advertisement this week. I had some pharmacy ad that follows you as you scroll down. The worst part, I couldn’t see the ad. Somehow I had been hacked. I don’t really know how they got through, but thanks to My Dollar [...]
If you are not currently a member of Sam’s Club, now may be a good time for a trial membership. Between now and June 7, 2009, sign up for a Sam’s Club membership for $15 and enjoy membership benefits until Labor Day.
My wife and I are already Sam’s Club members, and shop there roughly once [...]
Your credit score when you graduate from college is largely based on decisions you made while in school. Those choices and your resulting credit history may impact some of the first things you do after graduation such as renting an apartment or buying a car. We’ll take a look at some of the things that may [...]
Just kidding. Actually, I discovered this morning, thanks to Lazy Man, that comments were disabled on the site. Looking back it appears they’ve been that way for a few days.
I guess I should have noticed that something was wrong since I wasn’t even getting any spam comments. Typically I get at least dozens of [...]
Did you know that if a major retailer scans your item for the incorrect price that you may qualify for a discount on that item? Sometimes the store may give the item to you free simply because of the error!
Most major retailers in Canada follow a voluntary rule that’s called the Scanning Code of Practice. [...]
“I’m bored!” It’s the two words every parents dread as school lets out for summer. Fear not; I’ve put together two weeks worth of fun summer activities to keep kids busy, and parents sane.
The list of summer activities ranges in cost from free to frugal, but each requires extra quality time with kids – something [...]
At first, this may seem like a strange question, but you’d be surprised by the responses you’d get if you ask it: would you leave your job during the crisis? Would you prefer to get laid off or would you take a pay cut to save your job? There are reasons why you’d [...]
Over the last few weeks, as we’ve discussed our move to Florida with other parents, the inevitable comment – other than the “oh there’s no state income tax there” or “oh, the cost of living must be much lower there” – has been “think of us when it’s October and you’re outside playing and we’re [...]
Post from: brip blap.
