Archive for October, 2006
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Festival of Frugality #46
Welcome everyone to Festival of Frugality #46. There’s a lot to read and a lot to learn, so I’m keeping the introduction short.
Straight from my new home in Silicon Valley, a fellow engineer at The Digerati Life teaches us how to Cash in on Clutter. Hopefully, he’s put up a used copy of Nightmare on Elm Street on Amazon, because I’m going over there to get one.
Of course, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. Stephanie at Stop the Ride point out tremendous deals she got on used clothing. It […] -
Alternative income streams progress - End of October
I know it hasn’t been that long since I previously posted my alternative income streams plan and progress. However, I’m doing fairly well keeping expenses down and as long as I’m making progress, I might as well do it once every two weeks. If it seems like I’m making unrealistic progress, it’s because my fiancee and I are making the kind of income that you often see in Millionaires in the Making.
The numbers below are a little deceiving. As you may be able to tell, I’ve reduced my necessary expenses. A large portion is an adjustment […] -
Where’s The IRA Offering, Zecco?
Zecco.com has been getting a lot of press lately for offering free stock trades. I have a small, but growing IRA and would like to diversify amongst more ETFs. In the past, commissions for each trade have prevented me having the allocation I would prefer. Zecco would be the perfect answer to that.
Upon investigation it looks like IRAs have no annual fee or closing fee despite being listed under “other charges.” Yogi Berra might say that you can’t keep people away by not charging for a free product. So everything looks in order, I decide it’s […] -
Boston Sports Club Keeps Charging Me
Before I moved out to California, I went through considerable effort to cancel my gym membership. It took many calls to finally get ahold of someone who could deal with accounts. After that, I had to give proof of the move, which of course, I didn’t really a lot of since… I hadn’t moved. They did accept my fiancee’s transfer papers and I thought it was done. Yet, I look at my credit card and I’m still being charged.
So I guess I have to call them tomorrow. The only problem is that with the time […] -
Great Portfolio Tool - Morningstar’s Instant X-Ray
As I was planning my 401k, I happened across Morningstar’s Instant X-Ray. You enter the ticker symbols (mutual funds, ETFs, and stocks are all good here) and it will tell you how your portfolio is weighted. It took me about an hour to get my portfolio weighed right, but it was really time well spent.
I found a combination of 6 mutual funds that gives me a near 70% US stock, 30% foreign stock mix. I can’t use this money for 30 years, so I’m fine with betting on the foreign markets. My style diversification box […]
