From the monthly archives:
There’s been some discussion on this site recently regarding disclosure of charitable donations. I can understand why some might wish to keep this information private but I’m not at all shy about telling you which organizations I choose to support. This year, I made donations to the following charities: * Oceana – The largest international ocean ... Continue reading this article…
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On December 30, 2006 I officially announced my financial goals for 2007. Before I set new goals for 2008, I should take a look at my progress this year. Below, I’ll cite the goals I set a year ago and evaluate my progress. Income: Generate $40,000 in revenue outside of my day job. I ... Continue reading this article…
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In the interest of further consolidating my finances, this past week I cashed in a small collection of 1988 series EE bonds which I’d kept hidden away ever since. All had reached and surpassed their maturity dates long ago, so they were worth their face value and then some. Here’s what mine were ... Continue reading this article…
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I played Rock Band last night at a friend’s house for the first time, and everyone is still talking about my vocal rendition of Roxanne by The Police. I’m not sure whether that is a good thing or not. For those who have no interest in video games and who may not know, ... Continue reading this article…
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Each month, I take a look at the source of visitors to Consumerism Commentary. While an increasing number of readers use RSS (subscription options) to stay up-to-date and I can’t always see where everyone is coming from, I can thank other blogs or websites that have sent visitors our way. Not including search ... Continue reading this article…
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Trying to beat the market through trading based on impressions of short-term trends has the opposite effect. There’s a new study assembled by researchers from three university that shows that those who invest in index funds have better investment returns than those who invest in managed funds. In fact, those who invest in ... Continue reading this article…
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Yesterday, I overheard a co-worker talk about her coin jar. She and her husband throw all their change at the end of the day into a job. Once a year, before taking a vacation, they open the coin jar and find about $500. The small change certainly adds up. My girlfriend ... Continue reading this article…
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Last week, I mentioned I met my goal for charitable giving for 2007. The modest goal, which I set for myself at the end of last year, was to provide $1,000 in support of an organization meaningful to me. This year, I decided to separate myself further from the organization I normally support, ... Continue reading this article…
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It’s no secret that I share a lot of personal information on Consumerism Commentary, including very detailed balance sheets and income/expense reports. Most of that publishing bravery is based on the fact very few of my readers know my real name. My biggest concern with this anonymity is the ability for people to ... Continue reading this article…
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In the next few days, I plan on reviewing my 2007 progress against my goals. However, I need to start thinking about 2008 before I have a chance to compile all the data. One of my biggest plans is to save a higher portion of my income. 2007 was a spend-heavy year ... Continue reading this article…
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To those who celebrate it, Merry Christmas! Here are some articles I’ve found recently that you might enjoy. AllFinancialMatters suggests the top 8 New Year’s Resolutions for You and Your Wallet. Since most people fail at financial New Year’s Resolutions, many within the first month, I suggest taking a different approach if financial changes are ... Continue reading this article…
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The latest Carnival of Personal Finance is now online, hosted at the wonderful silicon valley blog about money, personal pinance, geeks and cyberspace, The Digerati Life, interspersed with beautiful holiday art and artifacts. My preview of the new Quicken Online was included in the Editor’s Picks, as well as other fine articles from the ... Continue reading this article…
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As the end of the year draws near, it’s a widespread custom for individuals to make internal promises, and call these promises “New Year’s resolutions.” The end of the year is a good time to look back on the past twelve months and determine what aspects of life did not live up to expectations ... Continue reading this article…
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Forget what the government tells you about the inflation rate, known to economists as the CPI. The CPI may come into play when dealing with economical issues, but don’t expect your real expenses to increase at a rate nearly as low as the rate quoted by officials. First of all, the CPI doesn’t ... Continue reading this article…
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For anyone willing to apply for new credit cards just to take advantage of their sign-up bonuses, there are a few new offers from American Express. American Express® Preferred Rewards Gold Card The AmEx Preferred Rewards Gold Card is offering 10,000 bonus Membership Rewards points after your first purchase. You can redeem those points for a ... Continue reading this article…
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In the course of my holiday shopping, I happened into my local pet shop for some supplies and a catnip-filled stocking or two. While there, I couldn’t help but wander towards the wall full of wriggling puppies, each more adorable than the last. As usual, there were a few display tanks full of ... Continue reading this article…
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The last contribution to my 2007 Roth IRA was invested last Monday. Ever since my first Roth IRA several years ago, I’ve been maximizing the contribution each year by automatically investing equal amounts twice each month. One reason for using that technique, usually known as “dollar cost averaging” was to reduce risk. ... Continue reading this article…
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In October, I mentioned that time was running out for achieving the goals I set for charitable giving. Last year, I set a goal to give $1,000 or $2,000 to charity in 2007. I was having some trouble choosing the organization to which I’d contribute, and ended up sending support to a few ... Continue reading this article…
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Another day, another interest rate change. Consumerism Commentary reader Brian wrote in to let us know that Presidential Bank lowered its interest offered on the savings account to 4.4 percent APY and 3.5 percent APY on the checking account.
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The other day, I participated in a preview of the new Quicken Online product, scheduled to launch on January 8. This new product is intended to compete with some of the existing money management web tools currently existing, like Mint, reviewed by Sasha here, Geezeo, and Wesabe. Intuit has spotted a need for ... Continue reading this article…
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