Even before COVID, I hated that feeling at the end of the day that comes after running around but not being able to list anything accomplished. Here’s a helpful idea of what I call the story of Warren Buffett and his pilot. I’ve read a few different versions from various sources, and I honestly don’t even know any of them are true. This one is taken from the book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth: Warren Buffett—the self-made multibillionaire whose personal wealth, acquired entirely within his own lifetime, is roughly twice the size of Harvard University’s endowment – reportedly gave his pilot a simple three-step process for prioritizing. The story goes like this: Buffett turns to his faithful … [Read More...]
Pay with Discover Card Points, Get 20% Off or $10 off $100 at Amazon.com (Targeted)
Updated offer links. 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: 20% off (max $50 discount), valid on items shipped and sold by Amazon. Must redeem at least $0.01 in Discover cash back. $10 off $100+ order, 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 yet, you can link your Discover Cashback points balance to your Amazon … [Read More...]
Amazon: Pay with American Express Points, Get $10 off $50, $5 off $30 (Targeted)
Updated offer links. If you have an American Express card with Membership Rewards (MR) points, you can redeem them to buy eligible items at Amazon.com. The redemption rate is 100 MR points = $0.70 to spend at Amazon, which unfoturnately is less than a cent per point and thus not really the ideal use of MR points. However, here are targeted promotions where you can save money after redeeming just 1 single MR point. $10 off $50+ or $5 off $30+ order, valid on items shipped and sold by Amazon. Must redeem at least 1 Membership Rewards point. Here are some additional tips: If you haven’t linked yet, you can link your Membership Rewards points balance to your Amazon account here. If you have already linked … [Read More...]
Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers – August 2020 (Updated)
Updated. I’m still collecting points and miles and maximizing the value of my credit card spending. Things are more quiet as credit card issuers get conservative, but that just means picking up some bonuses that I passed over previously. That space in your wallet or purse is still valuable, and you should be the one to get that value. Selected banks are offering strong perks and $500+ value for a single card during the first year to encourage you to apply and try it out. These are the top 10 credit card offers that I would personally apply for right now, if I didn’t already have most of them. Notable recent changes: Added Southwest, United, Marriott, US Bank Altitude Added COVID Sapphire benefits. Removed IHG, … [Read More...]
Chase MyBonus: Check For Targeted Credit Card Bonuses
If you have any type of Chase rewards credit card, input the details of each card separately into this page at Chase.com/mybonus to see if you are targeted for a limited-time offer (and activate the offer). Currently, you might get 5X points on specific categories, or 1,500 bonus points for making two bill payments. Hat tip Doctor of Credit. “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 here are the author’s alone. This email may contain links through which we are compensated when you click on or are approved for offers.” Chase MyBonus: Check For Targeted Credit Card Bonuses from My Money Blog. … [Read More...]
Blue Business Plus Card from American Express Review: 2X Points on ALL Purchases Up to $50k/Year
The Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express is a business rewards card that features double Membership Rewards points and no annual fee. Therefore, if you can redeem for more than 1 cent per point of value, this card has the potential to beat a flat 2% cash back card. 2X Membership Rewards points on the first $50,000 in purchases each year. 1X Points on purchases thereafter. 0% Intro APR on purchases for 12 months. No annual fee. Right now, there is also a sign-up bonus worth up to $300 in statement credits: You can earn up to $100 in the form of statement credits at each of the following merchants: Dell, DocuSign or FedEx after you make eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 3 … [Read More...]
Google Plus Class Action Settlement: Up to $12 Cash Payment
I received an email that Google settled a class action lawsuit claiming that the now-defunct Google+ social media service exposed your personal data in a harmful manner. You can submit a claim here, where you must attest to all of the following: I was a user of the consumer Google+ service while a resident of the United States at some point during the period from January 1, 2015 to April 2, 2019. I entered private (meaning non-public) information in at least one of my Google+ profile fields that was not set to be shared publicly; and Either I shared that information with another Google+ user through the Google+ service or I authorized an app to access my Google+ profile field information. The maximum award is $12 cash, depending on … [Read More...]
Kneading Dough Podcast: Athletes Talk Openly About Money
Another podcast that I discovered late is Kneading Dough, where famous athletes sit down and talk openly about their finances. Created by UNINTERRUPTED (founded by Lebron James and Maverick Carter) and sponsored by Chase, guests over the three seasons range from Lebron James to Serena Williams to Simone Biles. The description sounded similar to Celebrity Money Diaries. Despite the old saying about death and taxes, studies show that personal finance is actually the most difficult topic for most Americans to discuss. But while most Americans aren’t comfortable revealing their finances, athletes’ money mistakes are splashed across newspapers and the internet. Chase’s Kneading Dough series connects the money challenges of average people to the hard-earned lessons of pro athletes. In exclusive, one-on-one interviews, … [Read More...]
Fidelity Spire Saving App, Fidelity Go Roboadvisor Pricing Changes
Fidelity is gradually moving into the areas previously catered to by startups like Betterment and Wealthfront. Younger customers, more mobile features, lower fees, etc. It was only a matter of time, but now we will have to see which big brokerage firm can pull it off the best. Schwab? Fidelity? Vanguard? Fidelity Spire is their new mobile app, which doesn’t require any Fidelity account at all (but of course will work with them and/or be a perfect place to open a new account). As with many other apps, you can link your external accounts, track balances, and set financial goals. Fidelity acquired fintech startup eMoney in 2015, and is using that technology for account aggregation. Spire is not the same as the official Fidelity app, and … [Read More...]
Marcus Bank AARP 0.10% APY Rate Boost + Free AARP Membership
This is a multi-part deal, but each part can be done separately. Marcus is the online banking arm of Goldman Sachs. AARP members are eligible for two member benefits at Marcus: 0.10% APY rate increase to the Online Savings rate for 24 months. As of 7/29/20, that means 1.15% APY instead of 1.10% APY. Special 8-month No-Penalty CD at 1.10% APY as of 7/29/20. Their standard No-Penalty CD is 0.90% APY for 7 months. AARP membership is targeted at those age 50+, but there is no age restriction for membership. I’ve been a member in the past, as AARP has offered a variety of member benefits that can be quite valuable. Insurance discounts, hotel discounts, restaurant discounts, and so on. (They even once offered a credit card… [Read More...]
Internet Archive / Open Library: Borrow Hard-to-Find Books For 1 Hour
The Internet Archive (IA) is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of “universal access to all knowledge.” They have a lot going on, from the Wayback machine that archives websites (including this one) to old video games to TV shows to books (also through Open Library). As a regular user of the local physical library, I often read a book but later recall part of an idea or quote but not the entire context. Since I don’t own the book, I can’t just flip through it and look it up. Recently I’ve often been able to scratch that itch by instantly borrowing the book for an hour via IA. How can I do this? They operate under the Controlled … [Read More...]
Amazon Pay with Chase Ultimate Rewards Points, Get $15 off $50 (Targeted)
New version of promo, check if eligible! If you have Ultimate Rewards points from Chase credit cards, you can use them to buy eligible items at Amazon.com. The redemption rate is 1 Ultimate Rewards points = 1 cent at Amazon, which is the same rate as their statement credit redemptions. The only added benefit is that there is no minimum redemption size. In general, you check if you can get a better value by converting them to frequent flier miles like United Airlines or hotel points like Hyatt. However, there are also targeted limited-time offers like this one: Get $15 off when you redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points. $50 minimum. Even if you have done a similar promotion before, you may be eligible for this one too … [Read More...]
US Treasury Yields Lowest In The History of the Republic
Like many folks, I recently enjoyed the excellent musical Hamilton for the first time on Disney+. I’m a bit embarrassed to say it was also very educational (yes, I know its not 100% historically accurate). I never really thought about how precarious and up-for-debate everything was during the beginning of this country. If Hamilton never survived the war or wasn’t as persuasive, would there be a federal Treasury? I feel like the creator of this WSJ Daily Shot chart was also reading about US history – “US Treasury Yields Lowest In The History of the Republic”: Alexander Hamilton was the first Secretary of the Treasury and is known as the “Father of American Banking”. Here is his Treasury website bio: Facing … [Read More...]
Rational Expectations: Advanced, Specific, Practical Portfolio Advice
The fourth and final book in the “Investing for Adults” series by William Bernstein is Rational Expectations: Asset Allocation for Investing Adults. In Book 1: The Ages of the Investor, I learned to take advantage of a lucky streak in stocks and stop when I’ve won the game. In Book 2: Skating Where the Puck Was, I learned why it’s so hard to find any “new and improved” asset classes. In Book 3: Deep Risk, I learned about the scenarios that have led to permanent capital loss. This final book includes the most specific advice about constructing your retirement portfolio. The entire series is great (and honestly not very long even read back-to-back), but this final book is especially dense with additional practical ideas … [Read More...]
Merrill Edge + Preferred Rewards = Up to $1,000 Bonus For Moving Assets, Improved Credit Card Rewards
(Updated again July 2020: Let’s try this again with a non-expired link! BofA has new promotion for up to $1,000, even higher than the previous offer and worth considering if you have adequate brokerage assets to move over to Merrill Edge. Thanks to comment Ken Nand for the pointer. See updated full review below.) Merrill Edge is the self-directed brokerage arm formed after Bank of America and Merrill Lynch merged together. They are currently offering an increased cash bonus of up to $900 for moving “new money” or assets over to them from another brokerage firm. This new bonus is linked to the BofA/Merrill Preferred Rewards program, which is another reason to consider using them as it gets you waived banking fees … [Read More...]
Merrill Edge + Preferred Rewards = Up to $900 Bonus For Moving Assets, Improved Credit Card Rewards
(Update July 2020: BofA has brought back this promotion, which is still worth considering if you have enough assets to transfer, although free trades is much less special than it used to be. The offer also includes a faster way to qualify for Preferred Rewards status. I’ve updated the original post in minor ways as needed.) Merrill Edge is the self-directed brokerage arm formed after Bank of America and Merrill Lynch merged together. They are currently offering an increased cash bonus of up to $900 for moving “new money” or assets over to them from another brokerage firm. This new bonus is linked to the BofA/Merrill Preferred Rewards program, which is another reason to consider using them as it gets you waived banking … [Read More...]
NBC’s Peacock TV Streaming Service Has a 100% Free Tier
Just a quick note that there is a new streaming service, Peacock by NBC Universal. What makes it different than Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, and other services is that it has a 100% free tier (with ads) that includes a lot of decent content including “live” channels. (I might finally watch Downton Abbey.) No free trials. You don’t even need a credit card to sign up. There are also two Premium tiers ($5/month with ad and $10/month without ads). Small catch: NBC is negotiating with Roku and Amazon (Fire TV devices) about money, so right now you won’t find Peacock on those devices. There is an iOS app, Android app, Apple TV, Chromecast, LG/Vizio smart TV channel, XBOX One, and you… [Read More...]
Country Time Bailout: Kid’s Lemonade Stand $100 Stimulus Check
The summer lemonade stand remains the iconic entrepreneurial opportunity for kids. Well, maybe not this summer. Country Time Lemonade is starting the Littlest Bailout Relief Fund, which is a $100,000 fund to send $100 stimulus checks to 1,000 kids who had to close their lemonade stands due to COVID-19. To enter the random drawing, you must attest to being the parent or legal guardian of a child 14 years or younger that actually operated a lemonade stand. You must also attach a picture of the child’s lemonade stand, and they will review all submissions. Sure, it’s a publicity stunt, but at least it’s a fun one. Two years ago, Country Time Lemonade offered “Legal-ade” to reimburse any permit fees or fines incurred by a… [Read More...]
iPhone 6/7/SE Performance Slowdown Class Action Settlement
Apple settled a class action lawsuit claiming that they secretly throttled the performance of iPhones using software in order to offset battery problems. Some users claimed that if Apple did this openly, they could have simply replaced the batteries in their old phones instead of replacing the entire phone. If you owned one of the following devices and experienced diminished performance, you can make a claim here. iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, and/or SE device that ran iOS 10.2.1 or later before December 21, 2017, or iPhone 7 or 7 Plus device that ran iOS 11.2 or later before December 21, 2017 The estimated cash payment is $25, but the final amount may go up or down depending on the number of claimants. Apple will provide a cash payment of approximately $25 per eligible … [Read More...]
Pizza Hut Camp Book It! Kids Summer Reading Program
Some of you may remember the Pizza Hut “Book It!” program during your elementary school years that encouraged reading using free pizza as a reward. Well, it still exists in the form of Camp Book It!: Parents, join us for our first ever Camp BOOK IT! and keep rewarding your kids all summer long. Track and reward your kids’ reading for June, July and August in our digital dashboard. When they meet their monthly reading goal, they’ll receive a free one-topping Personal Pan Pizza® from Pizza Hut! We’ll also share fun activities and book recommendations each week to keep the fun going throughout the summer! This program is usually for homeschooling parents during the academic school year, but is open to all… [Read More...]
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 26
- Next Page »
