Amateur Asset Allocator header image

Entries from March 2008

4 Most Interesting Personal Finance Posts - 3.23.08

March 23rd, 2008 · 3 Comments

Usually I do this on saturdays, but it’s been a busy Easter Weekend and I’m horribly sunburned from various outdoors activities.
Can Merchants Require A Minimum Purchase For Credit Card Transactions? by Credit Addict
I’ve been telling people this for YEARS but nobody ever believed me. I’m going to start pointing them towards this post.
Study: Payday Loans [...]

[Read more →]

Tags: Personal finance

Risk Avoidance vs Risk Tolerance

March 21st, 2008 · 1 Comment

A few days ago, I wrote about determining your risk tolerance.  As I stated there, risk tolerance is the degree of uncertainty you as an investor can handle in regard to a negative change in the value of your portfolio.  That is, how much of a loss would you be willing to endure in the short-term in [...]

[Read more →]

Tags: Investing · Personal finance

Rewards Checking Accounts Still Paying Over 6%

March 20th, 2008 · 1 Comment

The latest 75 basis point Fed Funds rate cut has dire implications for online savings accounts and money market funds, which tend to closely track movements in the Fed Funds rate.  As of March 18, online savings accounts at ING Direct and Emmigrant Direct, two of the most popular options, yield a paltry 3.1% and 3.3%, respectively.  With [...]

[Read more →]

Tags: Personal finance

10 Ways To Get Rich Quick

March 19th, 2008 · 2 Comments

Sure, you could be one of those suckers who waits by the mail box for their Economic Stimulus Rebate check to arrive. But that’s boring. Who wants to wait to be rich? Here are 10 practical ways you can speed up the process.
Win The Lottery
Winning the lottery is a time-tested way to [...]

[Read more →]

Tags: Commentary · Personal finance

Mutual Fund Companies Often Make Better Investments Than The Funds They Manage

March 18th, 2008 · 4 Comments

It may seem unfair, but over the past 20 years you would have been far better off investing in the provider than the service.  Over the last decade, for instance, T Rowe Price (TROW) the stock has returned an average of 12% per year as of 1/31/08.  The Vanguard 500 Index fund (VFINX), by contrast, has [...]

[Read more →]

Tags: Individual Stocks · Investing

$300 Billion Tax Dollars Uncollected Last Year

March 17th, 2008 · 1 Comment

What will it be this year?  According to the IRS, over $300 billion, or $2,680 per household, of taxes owed last year went uncollected.  That’s a HUGE amount of money and would go along way towards decreasing the national deficit.
Any bets on what it will be this year?  Probably larger.  I think a large part [...]

[Read more →]

Tags: General

Determine Your Risk Tolerance

March 17th, 2008 · 10 Comments

According to Investopedia, risk tolerance is the degree of uncertainty that an investor can handle in regard to a negative change in the value of his or her portfolio.  That is, how much of a loss would you be willing to endure in the short-term in exchange for higher potential returns?  Knowing your risk tolerance [...]

[Read more →]

Tags: Investing · Personal finance

8 Most Fuel Efficient Cars

March 15th, 2008 · No Comments

With oil hitting $110 per barrel and gas approaching $4 per gallon in many parts of the country, fuel efficiency is more important than ever.  I think it’s safe to say the days of soccer moms toting the kids around in massive SUVs lucky to get 15 miles per gallon are rapidly coming to a [...]

[Read more →]

Tags: News

4 Most Interesting Personal Finance Posts Of The Week - 3.14.08

March 14th, 2008 · 3 Comments

Here are my 4 favorite personal finance posts for the week.
What’s Your Sleep Debt? by Mrs Micah
Sleep debt can make your life every bit as miserable as financial debt. Just like spending like you have unlimited money will get you into trouble, so will acting like you have unlimited time.
The Real Cost Of Home Ownership by Single [...]

[Read more →]

Tags: Personal finance

5 Money Books That Changed My Life

March 14th, 2008 · No Comments

Up until a few years ago, I was a financial idiot.  I had heard the term 401k, of course, but I had no idea what it meant.  As I began to learn about investing and finance, I read probably 30 or 40 books.  Some of them proved to be more useful than others.  Here are [...]

[Read more →]

Tags: Book Reviews · Suggested Reading