Update: This offer has been improved to include a $300 statement credit and the annual fee is waived during the first year. The previous offer was a $250 statement credit without an annual fee waiver. The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express has been in heavy rotation recently: 6% cash back at US stand-alone supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases. If you spend $100 a week at supermarkets, that alone will earn you over $300 a year in rewards. The welcome offer has also been improved. The highlights: $300 statement credit after $3,000 in purchases within the first 6 months. 6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%). 6% Cash Back on select U… [Read More...]
Asset Class Correlations Infographic: Large Cap vs. Small Cap Stocks, Stocks vs. Bonds
When talking about constructing an investment portfolio, you’ll often hear about diversification and buying low-correlation or non-correlated assets. A positive correlation means that the assets tended to move in the same direction. A value of 1 is perfect positive correlation. A negative correlation means that they tended to move in opposite directions. A value of -1 is perfect negative correlation. A zero correlation means that they had no relationship. Visual Capitalist has a nice infographic of a few asset class correlation combinations from the last 25 Years (1996-2020). Specifically, they charted the 1-year correlation based on monthly returns. We see that US Large Cap and US Small Cap stocks are highly correlated historically, as are Developed and Emerging Market stocks. Even though each basket may contain … [Read More...]
Vanguard – How The Boring, Long-Term Focused Part of America Invests
Vanguard recently released a report on “How America Invests”, based on the 5 million households with Vanguard retail accounts (taxable and IRAs, not 401ks). It looked at investor behavior from 2015 through 2019, along with the first quarter of 2020, when there was a sharp market decline due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a lot of information packed inside, but here are a few quick takeaways. The average portfolio of a Vanguard household. The averages seem reasonable, but I was a bit surprised that 16% of households are 100% bonds. Even if I was extremely conservative, I would still own something like 20% stocks to hedge against the risk of inflation and rising rates. The typical Vanguard household holds a long-term, risk-taking portfolio that’s both diversified and… [Read More...]
Peerstreet Case Study #4: The Perpetually-Late $10M Beverly Hills Estate
I’ve invested over $50,000 of my “alternative” money into PeerStreet real estate notes because of the ability to diversify into 50+ different high-interest loans backed by physical real estate. Here is a case study of a $10 million mansion that bounced in and out of late status for years, only to suddenly get paid back in full. You can find additional case study links and the most recent update to my overall portfolio performance in my Peerstreet review. I called this property “90210” as it was located in a prime spot in Beverly Hills. The loan photo on the Peerstreet listing was quite drab: Here’s what it looked like on the MLS page when they listed it for over $10 million: Initial… [Read More...]
Mint Mobile Review: Now $15 a Month for 4 GB, $20 a Month for 10 GB 5G/LTE Data
Update 2021: I just renewed with Mint Mobile again. I’m still happy with the service, including the new faster 5G speeds and increased data limits (added automatically without raising the price). I now pay $20/month for 10 GB 5G/LTE data (up from 8 GB). I also consolidated all the important info from my previous Mint Mobile posts into the full review below. Full review: Mint Mobile is a prepaid cellular MVNO which runs on the T-Mobile network. They offer very competitive pricing on 5G/LTE data plans, as long as you “buy in bulk”. To switch, they will send you a SIM card to place in your existing phone. New customers can get the lowest price for the first 3 months for a lower upfront commitment… [Read More...]
Debit Card Arbitrage: $4.7M Tax Payment Results in $47,000 Cash Back
An under-the-radar loophole is now out in the open, thanks to fintech app Jiko* publishing a PR release bragging about their $4.7 million debit card charge, which led to Axios writing about it as quite likely the “largest consumer debit transaction ever”. In a nutshell: Someone made a $4.7 million tax payment to the IRS using a Jiko debit card, paying less than $4 in fees while earning $47,000 in cash back! As noted in my post on How Fintech Bank Apps like Chime Make Money, a significant portion of fintech revenue comes from debit card fees. Large banks have their debit card interchange fees regulated, as Durbin fee limits only apply to large banks with $10 billion in assets and above. But smaller … [Read More...]
Buy $100 Apple Gift Card, Get $10 Target Gift Card Free
Here’s a simple deal if you already buy Apple products/services and shop at Target. From now until 2/27, get a $10 Target GiftCard free with $100 Apple gift card purchase. While supplies last. Offer available online (e-mail delivery only) and in-store. (There was a similar deal on Black Friday, but for $20.) Apple gift cards are now good for everything from Macbooks to iPhones to music to iCloud storage. The code just adds to the balance in your Apple account. (Apple products and their iTunes/iCloud services used to have separate gift cards.) “The editorial content here is not provided by any of the companies mentioned, and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed … [Read More...]
American Express Business Gold Card Review: Up to 70,000 Points + $300 in Statement Credits
New limited-time offer. The American Express Business Gold Card is a premium charge card for small businesses where you must pay off the balance each month, but you get excellent perks like purchase price protection, travel accident insurance, car rental coverage, and the famous AMEX extended warranty that actually pays out. Here are the highlights: 70,000 Membership Rewards® points after $10,000 in eligible purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership.* Up to $300 Back in Statement Credits. Earn up to $150 back on both U.S. advertising in select media and U.S shipping, for a total of up to $300 in statement credits on eligible purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Limited-time offer ends 4/7/2021. 4X Membership Rewards points on the 2 select … [Read More...]
My Money Blog Portfolio Income Update – February 2021
While my February 2021 portfolio is designed for total return, I also track the income produced. Stock dividends are the portion of profits that businesses have decided they don’t need to reinvest into their business. The dividends may suffer some short-term drops, but over the long run they have grown faster than inflation. Interest from bonds and bank deposits are steadier, but these days it actually lags inflation a bit. I track the “TTM” or “12-Month Yield” from Morningstar, which is the sum of the trailing 12 months of interest and dividend payments divided by the last month’s ending share price (NAV) plus any capital gains distributed over the same period. I prefer this measure because it is based on historical distributions and not a… [Read More...]
Top 10 Best Small Business Credit Card Bonus Offers – February 2021
Updated. Do you have small business income or work as an independent contractor? Freelance, Uber/Lyft, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Airbnb? A small business credit card separates your personal and business expenses and can build up your business credit profile. If you are not a corporation or LLC, you can apply as a sole proprietorship, with your name as the business name and your Social Security number as the Tax ID number. These are the top 10 credit card offers that I would personally apply for right now (or have already). Recent changes: Added Amex Gold 70k+$300, Hilton 150k+$150, Hawaiian 70k, US Bank $500. Removed JetBlue 100k, Amex Platinum 95k, Wells Fargo $500 This is a companion post to my Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers for personal cards. … [Read More...]
Chase Southwest Credit Cards: New Companion Pass Through February 2022 With Lower Spending Requirement
New Companion Pass offer. Southwest Airlines offers the unique Companion Pass, which lets you pick one person to fly with free when you book either paid or award flights (including to Hawaii!) on Southwest. Points earned from credit cards are qualifying points toward the requirement, including sign-up bonuses! You can often get very close to that magic number when you add up the potential miles from these Southwest consumer and business cards. This is on top of the value of redeeming those points for miles (75,000 points can get you $1,100+ in Wanna Get Away airfare). Southwest has just rolled out a new card with an easy Companion Pass promo. This special promotional Companion Pass only lasts until February 2022, but is much easier to … [Read More...]
Eat and Run: On Moving Forward and Taking True Risks
Scott Jurek is a well-known ultramarathoner that I first learned about in the book Born to Run (my highlights) by Christopher McDougall. Jurek later wrote his own memoir, titled Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness. I’ll probably never have the physical and mental endurance to run 100 miles in a day. But perhaps I could learn how to push myself farther outside of my comfort zone? As the title suggests, Jurek attributes much of his racing success to his plant-based diet. Some folks still claim that it’s too hard to get excellent nutrition just from plants, but Jurek’s performance is the perfect counterpoint. However, he isn’t overly preachy on the subject, and I appreciated that he sprinkled his favorite… [Read More...]
MMB Portfolio Asset Allocation Update, February 2021
A central idea here is skin in the game, showing what someone really does with their own money. Too often, what the “experts” tell you to do is quite different than what they own themselves. Here’s my current portfolio as of February 2021, including our 401k/403b/IRAs, taxable brokerage accounts, and savings bonds but excluding our house, cash reserves, and a few side investments. I use these updates to help determine where to invest new cash to rebalance back towards our target asset allocation. Actual Asset Allocation and Holdings I use both Personal Capital and a custom Google Spreadsheet to track my investment holdings. The Personal Capital financial tracking app (free, my review) automatically logs into my different accounts, adds up my various balances, tracks… [Read More...]
Gamestop Takeaway: Taking Risks Can Pay Off, But Find Smarter Risks
I’ve mostly ignored the Gamestop noise as I didn’t see any actionable takeaways, but then I saw this Reddit post conflating gambling winnings with paying off student loan debt. This is the same as saying that you bet $10,000 on the Super Bowl, and then used the proceeds to pay off your student loans. The decision didn’t involve much skill, and you got lucky. You get credit for taking the risk, but is that really a newsworthy event? Consider that if you bet $10,000 on red at a roulette table twice in a row and won both times, you could also turn $10,000 into $40,000. Simple! Every single person reading this has roughly a 1 in 4 chance (22.5%) of achieving the exact same feat … [Read More...]
Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers – February 2021 (Updated)
Updated February 2021.That space in your wallet or purse is valuable, and you should be the one to get that value. By being smart and picky, you can find offers worth $500+ for a single card, all to encourage you to apply and try it out. We do this multiple times a year for thousands of dollars in extra income. These are the top 10 credit card offers that I would personally apply for right now (or have already). Notable recent changes: Hilton 150k + $150, Amex Rose Gold, Sapphire Preferred improved, Southwest Companion Pass with one card possible, ends 2/8. Removed Hyatt 50k, United 70k, Freedom Flex Grocery offer, Barclays AA, Marriott 5 Free Nights. IHG updated. This is a companion post to my Top 10 Best Business Card … [Read More...]
Walmart Plus: Get $75+ Back on $98 Annual Membership Fee
Walmart+ membership gets you the following perks: Free next-day and 2-day shipping from Walmart.com (no minimum purchase). Free same-day delivery of cold Groceries & more from your local Walmart ($35 minimum purchase). Where available. Scan & Go in-store. Use the Walmart app to scan barcodes as you shop in-store and skip the cashier line. Save 5 cents per gallon on fuel at over 2,000 Walmart, Murphy USA and Murphy Express fuel stations. You also get to access member pricing at Sam’s Club fuel stations. There is a free 15-day trial, and the membership retail price is $98 per year (or $12.95 per month). Right now, there are two ways to save over 75% off that $98 annual membership: Swagbucks $75+ back. Search for … [Read More...]
Time Capsule: The Startup Unicorns of 2015
While we wait to see how Gamestop and silver prices can be manipulated either by the big money of a few hedge funds or the combined big money of millions of individuals, here is an interesting chart of “unicorns” from 2015 (startups with a valuation of at least a billion dollars). Taken from an old Fortune article, MG Siegler observes that just 6 years later, many are already much larger while other have disappeared. (Click to enlarge.) This infographic can serve as a time capsule, and it will be interesting to see how things change in another 5 or 10 years. I support the ability to take big risks and seek to disrupt, but that also includes the acceptance of big failures. As long as they are publicly traded, … [Read More...]
Chase MyBonus: 5% off Gas During February (Up to $150)
Chase has set up a new page at Chase.com/mybonus where you can enter the details of your Chase credit card and activate targeted offers. This is usually in response to an email or snail mail notice, but sometimes you can find a surprise offer. If you have a Chase Freedom, Freedom Unlimited, Freedom Student, or Freedom Flex card, right now they are offering many cardholders 5% cash back at gas stations on up to $150 in combined purchases from 2/1/21 to 2/28/21. You must activate by 2/28/21. It’s not huge, but landing a few extra Ultimate Rewards points never hurts (gets me that much closer to a free Hyatt stay). This is in addition to the current 5% cash back categories of Costco, Sam’s Club, and … [Read More...]
Pay with Discover Card Points, Get $10 off $30/$50 or 40% Off at Amazon.com (Targeted)
New promo link to try. If you have a Discover card with cash back rewards, you can redeem them to buy eligible items at Amazon.com. The redemption rate is $1 in Cash Back Bonus = $1 to spend at Amazon, which is the same rate as their statement credit redemptions. Check each of these targeted promotions and activate for an additional discount: $10 off $30/$50 order, or 40% off (max $20), valid on items shipped and sold by Amazon. Must redeem at least $0.01 in Discover cash back. Here are some additional tips: If you haven’t linked your Discover yet, you can link your Discover Cashback points balance to your Amazon account here. Try again in a day or two. If you have … [Read More...]
BBVA $250 Easy Bank Bonus: $200 Checking + $50 Savings (Back Again)
$250 bonus is back. In the current low interest rate world, easy bank bonuses have become more attractive way to boost your safe interest income. BBVA has brought back their popular $250 bonus promotion for a limited-time. $200 bonus for opening a new BBVA Free Checking account between 2/1-2/16 and receive a qualifying direct deposit of $500+ by April 30th, 2021. Additional $50 bonus by adding a new BBVA Savings account between 2/1-2/16 and having a savings balance of at least $1,000 on April 30th, 2021. Note: Based on the eligible accounts, the bonus is only available in the following states: Texas, Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, California, Florida, and New Mexico. If you want the entire $250 bonus, be sure to check the boxes for both offers on the promotion … [Read More...]
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