Fearless Money

Due to debit fraud and incompetence by Washington Mutual, I needed to change banks. Choosing a new bank was an involved process, but eventually USAA won my business. That account is now set up and fully funded.
Due to the risks inherent in the poorly-regulated debit card industry, I no longer use them for […]

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Did you know that starting a Roth IRA for your ten-year-old will pay off 240:1? It is true. At 7% interest, a $100 investment in a simple mutual fund such as Dow Diamonds or QQQQQ, which average 7-8% will pay off incredibly for your child.I just made a quick calculator to help explore the numbers.

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Sometimes to increase your money, you need to change jobs. To do so, a well-crafted resume is essential. But don’t overdo it and shoot yourself in the foot.

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MoneyCentral has a new article ranking the online banks by various criteria such as ability to transfer to other banks, online bill receipt, low-balance email alerts, optional web-only statements, and the ability to stop payment on a check.I think my new bank, USAA is inexplicably missing from this list, but the ranking they come up with is:1) Wells Fargo2) Citibank3) Bank of America4) ETrade5) Huntington6) First National Bank of Omaha7) HSBC8) USBank9) Chase9) WachoviaSee the original article for actual scores and capabilities of the banks listed.

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My simple response to economic pessimism is to simply continue doing what I believe is the right thing for my family.

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I was already planning to make a video log of my possessions this month. It would help prove ownership and spark my memory if I had to make a disaster claim to my insurance. The temptation with this sort of thing (for me) is to make it too complex.

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When I started formal budgeting & tracking of my finances last June, I never considered that it would make me feel less guilty about spending money.

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