Today we have a question from reader AM who is inquiring about investing in stocks. So I have a financial question and if you already have an article about it I apologize, send my way! Do you have some of your money in aggressive stocks? If so which ones and how much? I’ve obviously been […]
Are Preferred Stocks a Good Investment?
Even though this blog has seen nearly a 30% increase in readers since the beginning of the year I actually don’t receive many questions from readers anymore. Maybe it’s because my posts are so intimidating or maybe there is another reason. Either way, I always welcome reader questions since I can usually turn them into […]
Reader Question: $300,000 to Invest: What Should I Do?
I received an interesting question in my inbox the other day from one of my readers. I’ve edited it a bit but it went something like this: PF Pro. I’m 30 and I have very inconsistent income but when I do make money it’s usually a lot. I made $50,000 the last two months but […]
Reader Question: How Should I Invest my HSA?
Editor’s Note: For those who aren’t familiar with Health Savings Accounts, I’ve written extensively on the topic before, take a look. Reader GP writes in this week asking about HSA’s: I’ve got a pretty substantial HSA balance now and I need to know how to invest it. Simple and to the point, I like those […]
Reader Question: What to do After Your Identity Has Been Hacked
(Editor’s Note: CVS unexpectedly squashed their Vanilla Reload program this week so the article I was planning on releasing today is now pretty much useless. I still posted it since I worked hard on it but I thought I would give everyone another article to satiate their Friday hunger for personal finance! 2 articles for […]
No 401(k) Available at Work. What To Do?
I received an interesting question the other day about a topic I hadn’t given much thought to before. A reader e-mailed me asking what they should do if their work didn’t offer a 401(k) plan. I talk a lot about asset allocation, investing strategies and making contributions to your retirement accounts but it’s a lot […]
Reader Question: Should I Close My Old Credit Cards and Open a New One?
One of the most popular articles on this site is an article I wrote last year about ‘piggybacking’ off someone’s credit(1,121 views in just the past month alone). In the article, I actually did a case study where I added my fiancee as an authorized user to my AMEX Gold card and compared her scores and […]
Weekend Reading Blog Round-Up
Even though I often don’t have time to comment on a lot of other articles, I read a ton of them. I’m traveling again this weekend so I’ll be doing a lot more reading. Reading other people’s personal finance articles often inspires some of my own. A lot of people ask me how I come […]
Reader Question on Investing for Beginners: Betterment.com Review
Today, we have a reader question about the site Betterment.com. If you have a question for me, feel free to send me an e-mail. Reader TA writes in: I’m wondering if you’ve heard anything about the Betterment.com site? I’m interested in learning/starting how to invest, and this site looks like a good place to start […]
Reader Question: Is a 5% Return from a Secondary Market Annuity Too Good to Be True?
Reader PR writes in: “Harry, what are your thoughts on secondary market annuities? I’m looking for some higher returns for my savings. Some of the SMA’s I’m looking at right now are returning 4 or 5%. It seems like they are a pretty safe investment, but maybe I’m missing something.” I’ll be honest, when I first […]
Reader Question: Investing in Real Estate Without a Down Payment, What is an REIT?
Here’s a question from a reader named Bilbo Baggins, not sure if this his real name or not 🙂 “I’m fully convinced its a great time to buy property. However, I am not ready to make that kind of commitment and am looking for investments that will reap the same kind of passive income. Something […]
Why Borrowing From Your 401k is a Bad Idea
A reader writes in: “Can you talk about when to take a loan from your 401k? I took one a while back and I think it would be a good topic for discussion.” There aren’t many loans out there that allow you to borrow without a credit check and pay yourself interest, but that’s what […]
Reader Question: Health Savings Account Explained
Reader JY writes in, “I was wondering if you have written anything regarding the Health Savings Account and high deductible health insurance plans. I have recently signed up for this through my new employer as the idea sounded really great. Previously I was paying for one of the more expensive plans, the Kaiser HMO. Now […]
Reader Question: What Should I Do With My 401k?
David writes in, “I waste my money on having a personal Financial Advisor w/ Merrill Lynch. He gets 1% of everything invested annually. I cut him a quarterly check and he picks which mutual funds to invest in. The market has been sucking so my mutuals are only up about 4% cumulatively since inception. I don’t […]
Reader Question: Should I pay off my student loan or car loan first?
Reader Alberto writes in: “I was wondering about what to pay off first. I have an $11,000 car loan at 3.25% with 5 years left and $20,000 in student loans at 6% with 10 years left. What should I pay off first and how much? I have a $10,000 emergency fund and my mom just […]