As featured in The Wall Street Journal, Money Magazine, and more!

2007

Consumerism Commentary Honored in BESPy Awards

by Luke Landes

Andrew Horowitz is the author of The Disciplined Investor and creator of the podcast that accompanies the book. He has also created the annual “BESPy” awards, to celebrate blogs, education, sofware/sites, and podcasts focusing on personal finance and investing. Andrew’s latest podcast announces the winners of the first BESPy awards. Consumerism Commentary was presented with ... Continue reading this article…

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HSBC Direct is the Next to Drop Rates

by Luke Landes

The massacre continues with HSBC Direct, the latest high yield savings account to drop its interest rate. The new yield is 4.25 percent APY, and I’ve updated the list of the best interest rates.

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Teaching Children Practical Money Lessons: Entrepreneurship

by Luke Landes

It’s important to impart a financial education to younger generations, just like the Rogersons who are teaching their children about investing. When you invest, you are relying on other companies before you can make any money. The companies in which you invest must perform well and brokerages must stand between those companies, their profits, and ... Continue reading this article…

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Early Morning Roundup: Journeyman

by Luke Landes

I’m disappointed that the NBC television show Journeyman has been canceled. Last night’s final episode seemed like the writers rushed to close the storyline. I’m probably just a sci-fi geek, but despite a first-impression resemblance to NBC’s Quantum Leap (and more resemblance to classic science fiction literature), I found the show to be quite unique ... Continue reading this article…

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Emigrant Direct Interest Drops to 4.65% APY

by Luke Landes

Emigrant Direct dropped the interest rate on its savings account today from 4.75 percent to 4.65 percent annual percentage yield. I’ve updated the list of current checking and savings account rates to reflect the change.

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UPS Stealth Delivery

by Luke Landes

Last week, I ordered some new high definition audio/video cables and an HDMI powered switch to prepare for the Blu-Ray player I’ll be receiving as I spend Christmas with my girlfriend’s family. I placed the order with MonoPrice.com, and I expected the delivery yesterday. As I normally do, often without thinking, I directed the cables ... Continue reading this article…

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Teaching Children Practical Money Lessons: Investing

by Luke Landes

Last week, I wrote about a family that has a hard time saying no to the children when it comes to fulfilling the kids’ material desires. There were a number of suggestions in the article and the discussion on Consumerism Commentary with thoughts about how such a family could impart healthier financial values. A recent ... Continue reading this article…

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Early Morning Roundup: Old Maps

by Luke Landes

It may be kind of a cliché of sorts, but I like old maps. Hand-designed cartography may not be considered art by anyone who knows anything about art (and I do), but there is something about the lines and the underlying vision of the world before satellite imagery that I find attractive. On my living ... Continue reading this article…

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ING Direct Lowered Commissions for ShareBuilder Accounts

by Luke Landes

Last month, ING Direct acquired ShareBuilder, a discount online brokerage. The two companies seem to make a good pair, so I think it was a good move for the company. ShareBuilder has now lowered the commission charged for real-time trades to $9.95. Automatic investments, orders which are grouped together with many customers and executed as ... Continue reading this article…

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Chase TravelPlus Visa Card: 0% APR for 12 Months

by Luke Landes

I’ve updated several recent credit card articles to include information on the Chase TravelPlus Visa Card.

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Online Banking is Safe

by Luke Landes

I know people who are still nervous about online banking, particularly with banks that have no major offline presence. Part of me wants them to embrace the future in which we live and get with the times. However, I understand it’s a slow and cautious process for many people, especially when there’s a level of ... Continue reading this article…

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Roth 401(k): It’s Official

by Luke Landes

As I mentioned recently, I am now eligible to participate in my company’s Roth 401(k). I spent some time yesterday to adjust my 25 percent pre-tax 401(k) contribution in order to take advantage of this offer. Even though the calculator I mentioned earlier told me I’d likely benefit the most from depositing my full contribution to ... Continue reading this article…

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The Carnival of Personal of Finance is Up!

by Luke Landes

Check out the latest edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance at Get Rich Slowly. In addition to the editor’s picks and my submission, take a look at Index Funds vs. ETFs, Call Comcast and Save on Your Cable Bill, Things I Wish I Knew When I Was 18, and all of the public domain ... Continue reading this article…

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Compact Fluorescent to Become Mainstream

by Luke Landes

Congress will likely pass a bill this week that will have a positive effect on global warming. The bill requires requires light bulb manufacturers to create products that consume 25 percent to 30 percent less energy than the typical incandescent bulbs on the market today by 2012 to 2014. The goal doesn’t end there; by 2020, light ... Continue reading this article…

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Use Your Flexible Spending Account (FSA) Funds Before It’s Too Late

by Luke Landes

In two short weeks, 2007 will come to a close. If you have money in your Flexible Spending Account when the new year comes around, and your company doesn’t offer a grace period, you will lose those funds. A Flexible Spending Account is a savings plan offered by many employers that lets you put aside ... Continue reading this article…

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Early Morning Roundup: Teaching Excel Edition

by Luke Landes

I spent most of yesterday designing a several hour overview for people fairly new to Microsoft Excel, which I will be presenting today. I haven’t decided whether this is something I’m looking forward to. Here are a few articles I noticed recently. No Credit Needed explained why he created his blog. He was in debt ... Continue reading this article…

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PriceProtectr Just Saved My Girlfriend $100

by Luke Landes

Unfortunately, I forgot to mention PriceProtectr during my recent Wall Street Journal interview, but I can’t praise this free service enough. This website keeps a private database of your purchases, in store or online, and monitors the price of the items. Many stores offer a price match policy, in which the customer would be entitled ... Continue reading this article…

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Weekly Roundup, Still Shopping Edition

by Luke Landes

It seems like the holiday shopping this year never ends. Today, I picked up a few gifts for the three-day “Secret Santa” exchange event organized with my coworkers, as well as some more gifts for my lunchtime crew. Of course, I couldn’t end the day without a few more surprises for my girlfriend. If anything, ... Continue reading this article…

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Wall Street Journal Podcast: Finding Deals Online

by Luke Landes

Last Friday, the first portion of my latest interview with the Wall Street Journal Tech News Briefing E-Report was published for podcast listeners. Today, the second half of my rambling was broadcast, this time about finding deals online. Here are the time stamps relevant to the interview. 07:10 E-Report introduction 07:25 Best place to find ... Continue reading this article…

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Overspending for the Kids

by Luke Landes

I have to applaud Kerri and Mike Miller for one reason. They were willing to share their financial problems with the readers of Money Magazine and CNN Money, despite the level of embarassment that kind of publicity might create. While the article spotlighting the couple did not say explicitly whether the Millers are spending more ... Continue reading this article…

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