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Current Bank & Broker Promotion Bonuses
If you are looking for a little incentive to open a bank or brokerage account, there are a few promotions currently running which will give you as much as $50 bonus for a single new account. Check them out. Maybe there’s something you need
TradeKing $50 bonus for a new account: Open an account [...]
All ETF Portfolio Performance – The Power of Dollar Cost Averaging
Back in August 2008, I designed a diversified, all-ETF portfolio before the collapse of Lehman Brothers triggered the huge sell-off of the stock market. The goal I had in my mind when I built the portfolio was to have a portfolio that covers a wide range of asset classes such that it gives me the [...]
ING Direct Business Account $50 Promotion
I opened a PNC Business Checking Account early this year for the little business I am running. The reasons I had the account with PNC are that 1) they have a branch office in our neighborhood, so it’s easy to make a deposit; 2) the account has low balance requirement and no monthly fees; 3) [...]
Minimum Credit Score for FHA Loan To Raise to 620
Fannie Mae, the mortgage insurer, announced early this week that it is revising the eligibility, underwriting, and pricing policy to support housing market liquidity and sustainability. In a statement (PDF file) released on Tuesday, Fannie Mae said that starting December 12, 2009, the minimum credit score will be increased to 620 for all loans delivered [...]
LifeLock: Can The Program Really Protect My Identity?
I have heard LifeLock commercial on radio many times before in which its CEO read out loud his own social security number and challenged anyone to steal his identity. Equally ear-catching in the commercial was their $1 million guarantee. That ’s a lot of money for any victim of identity theft. However, since I don’t [...]
Yodlee Does a Better Job Categorizing My Expenses
Last week, when I logged into my Mint.com the first time in several months, I was shocked by how Mint categorizes the expenses downloaded from my Bank of America Checking account. I don’t know exactly how Mint processes the transactions, but it is just unacceptable to me that a popular financial product that is used [...]
Ally Bank’s Rate Guarantee
Since I don’t actively bank with Ally Bank any more (I still have a 9-Month No Penalty CD with them though), I don’t check my account as often as I do with other banks. When I did go to Ally Bank website the other day, I notice something that I didn’t see before, as far [...]
Asset Allocation of Our Mutual Fund Investments
I have shared the asset allocation of our mutual fund investments a few times in the past. However, as you may have noticed, I didn’t include everything in the analysis. The reasons for only looking at the allocation of mutual funds invested in our taxable accounts instead of the entire portfolio, which includes taxable accounts [...]
OptionsHouse Account Minimum
I opened an OptionsHouse brokerage account back in June (check out my OptionsHouse review and stock trading experience for details about the broker). The reason for getting yet another brokerage account, I have plenty of accounts already, was that the commission for stock trading charged by OptionsHouse is very low. At $2.95 per trade, OptionsHouse [...]
This Is Why I Trade with Scottrade
I write about Scottrade quite often here for a couple of reasons:
I have most of our investments with Scottrade, including regular brokerage account and IRA accounts;
I am happy with their customer service.
Usually customer service doesn’t play a big role when I select a bank or a broker (it wasn’t a factor when I decided to [...]
Sweet! Now You Can Get $50 Bonus from CollegeAdvantage
Early this month, Ohio CollegeAdvantage 529 College Savings Plan announced a promotion which gives each new plan participant $25 bonus for just opening an account. Yesterday, I got an email from CollegeAdvantage with a sweetened deal: For a limited time, each new customer will get another $25 bonus on top of the existing $25 referral [...]
